Cash point problems and bank charges

I have been trying to find employment for the past year to no avail. Iam 59 years old with a wealth of working experience.I and my wife are on job seekers likewise my son who is 25 years old cannot find suitable employment in the field of his knowledge. Our combined income equates to 320 pounds per month.Job seekers pay direct into my account. Over the past couple of months,i have been short of 6 pounds and most recently 28 pounds. I have been charged 20 pounds on both occasions penalty fee.My question why can they not give grace knowing the funds are regularly deposited.I cannot be helped if payments from job seekers always not on time to cover my debit order.Lloyds told me they are not prepared to assist me and that if it was 10p short they will still penalise me for 20 pounds. How do others like myself cope with these absorbent fees?

My dad died and the bank therefore automatically closed his account. The direct debit to Talk Talk was therefore cancelled by the bank on 8th July. They wrote to him on 17th July asking for £23 and with a threat to cut off the phone. I contacted them to request a new mandate in my mothers name to be sent out and explained that she is hard of hearing and 81, so don't contact her by phone. Had to phone again the next day because they persisted in phoning her. Told the paper work would be sent out and that she would not be cut off and that she could resolve it all. 23rd of July she is cut off- no paper work has yet been received it could take up to 48 hours for reinstate the phone. I was told that they will cut off after ONE missed payment because we have had a service that we have not paid for and that we did not request the new paper work early enough. My husband paid the outstanding balance over the phone on his card as this was the only way to get the phone reconnected. It could still take 48 hours they did not even offer to give her priority . I cannot believe that an elderly and vulnerable person can be treated like this and cut off from an essential service. Tbey even asked me to give me her bank details over hte phone to set up the new mandate once she had been cut off. I explained that I didn't have them and couldn't contact her, as she was now cut off!

:I cannot bear direct debits!

I have had to cancel the ones that I have had because I have discovered that there is one major telecommunications company (which I will keep nameless) have been withdrawing money from my account on other days than those that were originally requested.

As convenient as they may be, I do not like the way that they have access to your account and could possibly be open to abuse by a more unscrupulous member of any given organisation.

At least, without these, although you normally incur a "non direct debit fee", I would sooner incur that and be able to keep an eye on my money and see it physically leaving my hands.

How many of you feel the same about this?

You poor thing. Stop whining!
Things like this happen, alot going on in the world of finance and your not the only one whose having problems.
So shut it lol

Sorry to hear that Tippairie but the banks have to make money somehow the Royal Bank Scotland Charged me £37 00 for being 98 pence over drawn I only clear £55.00 a day in wages ---now redundent after 33years at a company taken over by a US company

Hey go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BankingDelays/

And Sign! And what about removing logos from TV channels as well

In Australia, a much bigger country transfers take place on the same day!
The uk banking system is fat, lazy, monopoly exploiting a Dickenisan model in the 21st centuary. I can wait to emigrate or set-up my own bank.

just a few answers to replies

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My advice, if you don't have the cash, don't buy things you cant afford. Then, when you do need £12 for essential shopping then transferring from one account to another would not be a problem!
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I did have the money otherwise I wouldn't have tried to transfer it.Lloyd's went in and took their money first leaving me with a minus balance.

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And of course you've closed your account and gone to another bank..............bet you haven't 'cos you're not actually bothered enough about it to do that?
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I withdrew all my funds from my account,stopped all my money going in (wages etc) and contacted the complaints department for Lloyd's TSB.I am still awaiting a second response after they contacted me and said that they would take a little bit longer than the usual 2 weeks notification period.Close my account?I can't until they close my complaint.

How I run my account is basically the best way that suits me,be it close to the wire every month or on a strict weekly budget.Whichever way I run it,I still do not agree with Lloyd's TSB treating my account as a take the money and run operation.If they are going to take charges they should give an exact date,not leave it to a lucky dip.
I don't mind constructive criticism but it sounds to me like sid,Lloyd's tsb (what a nickname huh!),and ste pre-suppose too much and maybe work for the bank in question?

P.S.Sorry about the delay in replying,I'm just not that sad to sit on this website all the time.

Online banking is a nightmare when it comes dealing with logging on or calling the remote call centre. The banks have made online banking completely un-user-friendly with questions when you call that tax the mind and which are vastly more complicated than "who wants to be a millionaire": memorable names which one juut cannot recall, memorable dates that have slipped long into the obscurity of history. Then customer numbers, then account numbers, then sort code number and the third and seventh digit of a PON number or password which you have long forgotten. Did you pass the security test? No you didn't. You would need a first class degree in mental arithmetic to do so.

Banks which insist on this nightmare I will close my account with no matter how good their interest is. The whole logging on procedure has to be simplified.

What really gets my back up is the time taken to transfer funds from one account to another.

Why, if you are using the internet banking service, does it take 4 working days to move your money? Why isn't it instantaneous?

I'll tell you why. Once the banks get your money by whatever means they have a monopoly on it. They want to keep it for as long as possible. During the 4 days they use when you try to transfer it, they are manaufacturing a huge profit from your funds.

Demand payment for this interest, or instant transfer. Banks have no right to keep your money longer than necessary. There should be consumer legislation and protection on this.

Hmmmm...

Wanting to transfer £12 but not enough funds? Still able to get on-line and gripe about it though!
Mind you, this internet thing and the 'puters to work it are so cheap nowadays aren't they?

My advice, if you don't have the cash, don't buy things you cant afford. Then, when you do need £12 for essential shopping then transferring from one account to another would not be a problem!

And of course you've closed your account and gone to another bank..............bet you haven't 'cos you're not actually bothered enough about it to do that?

In fact it rather sounds like, after your 0845 phone call, you have accepted the bank's perverse explanation for what they have done, even though you describe what has happened as misappropriation and misleading. In this case actions speak louder than words. Sounds to me like Lloyds TSB told you to Get Lost and so you did!

That it then?