Surely this can not be fair?

Well, consumers are fighting back, and here is how you can do it.

In 1977 the Unfair (Contracts) Terms Act came in to force this was followed by The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations in 1999. Both of these acts prohibit the banks from applying unfair financial penalties to their customers.

So with this in mind it is possible to claim back your bank charges over the past 6 years! For some this amounts to thousands. There are of course a few hold ups to this. Firstly banks have been closing the accounts of successful claimants. (Yes they are legally allowed to do this and without much notice)

To do this you need to sort out all of your bank statements for the last six years. Add up all the charges you have received. This can include the following. • Late payment fees. • Returned direct debits, standing orders or bounced cheques. • Fees for an unauthorised over draft.

If you do not have all of your bank statements you can request copies from your bank. They have an obligation to supply these to you but they will normally charge a fee for providing them. They can also take some time to produce them for you.

Once you have worked this out you are allowed to add 8% interest each year to the debts.

The Statute of Limitations only allows you to pursue a debt for six years hence only being able to claim for that time.