Present situation? Can I reclaim?

[Redletter]

Can someone please advise as to the present situation with regard to the level of bank charges?
I went over my overdraft limit by £10 last month and have been charged the following (Santander/Abbey);
Paid direct debit fee £15
Unauthorised/unarranged overdraft charge £25
I have phoned the bank and asked them to waive/refund the charges. They said it is their policy that they may only refund as a goodwill gesture once in any 12 month period, and as they did this for me in September 2009, they "are not able to" do it again.
I questioned the level of charges and said it was my belief that anything over £12 is unlawful.
They said that the £12 "thing" only applies to credit cards and that the OFT had dropped their case against the banks as the chief justice (or whoever) had siad that the charges were not unlawful or excessive.

Is the above correct?
Can I no longer reclaim my charges in part or whole??

Thanks,

[Amethyst]

Re: Present situation? Can I reclaim?

Yes they are correct, the £12 applies to credit card late payment charges only - it was set by the OFT in April 2006 (although its not been tested legally yet).
Sadly though, bank charges have been, and as things stand currently they aren't reclaimable, although there is lots of work going on a) to enable reclaims and b) to make sure the situation doesnt happen in the future.

Sorry it isnt great news.