Is it possible to reclaim bank charges if in financial hardship?

Richard asked:


My partner and i have recently fallen into hard times. This year has been a real struggle and over the year we have had quite a few £35 bank charges from Halifax when direct debits failed to go through due to lack of funds or because cheques i was given bounced.

These charges led to us not being able to pay are rent or our phone bills. One month we paid over £100 in charges to halifax and this left us in real trouble. We tried to get the charges wiped but only once were we sucessful,. Now the phone is cut off and we are two months behind with the rent plus other debts. I have lost my job and i am supporting my family on the income support payments i recieve for my family which is barely enough to survive on so i am sure i would qualify as being in financial hardship.

We have now got a woman assigned to help us manage are debts and she said we may be able to get the money for the charges back. i think it must be £500-£700 and that would really help us. I am desperate to keep a roof over my familys head so i looked it up on the net, It is all very confusing I need to know if i can still claim that money back now that this big court case was lost? Will halifax pay me and is it likely to take very long?

I would really appreciate any up to date information and advice.

Adi