Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

[FlamingParrot]

Starting a new thread as I'd hijacked the gambling thread and I should know better. :grin: Thanks to Leclerc for pointing out there may be some mileage in this. :yo:

I have a current account with Barcraps in the name of a Ltd company. In the beginning, there was no account fee as such but they were charging around £2.50 for 'data backup'. I never requested this service and had no idea what data had to be backed up but I just assumed that was their way of charging for the account (as in backing up your account details) and, as the amount was small, thought nothing of it. One day I got a letter saying that the free banking period had ended and I'd be charged an account fee. The timing was rather strange because it wasn't a year or even 18 months after opening the account, it was rather arbitrary. The charge was around £5/month. I wasn't aware of this when I opened the account and they were still charging for data back-up. :noidea:

I then noticed they were charging around £21/month. It's been a few years and I have to dig up the statements to get my facts straight. There was a mention of 'business essentials with Sage', which I never requested, nor was I aware of the existence of this 'add-on'. I didn't use the account for a couple of years and, with no money going in, the account went overdrawn, despite there being no arranged O/D facilities at all. There were also O/D charges, etc. :ohwell:

Eventually I got my friend and company secretary to pop in to the branch and cancel the 'add-on'. She also enquiried about the 'data back-up' which I didn't request and just took it for granted that it was something I had to pay for, and also got it cancelled. When I started getting paid into the account again, the O/D got paid off but I never had a penny of that money, it was all charges. This all took place in 2009/2010.

[leclerc]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

You know the drill, subject access request to begin with and then we want to ask what the "data back up" was and when you gave your WRITTEN permission for this to go out of the account.

We need to know what that £21 account fee was for and whether they should have given you written letter that the fee was going out otherwise some of those charges might need a refund.

I do have to ask one question: is the account liquidated or defunct? Was it a one signatory for doing stuff ie writing cheques?

Trying to do the basics firstly before seeing how much mileage we can go with this one...

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

You know the drill, subject access request to begin with and then we want to ask what the "data back up" was and when you gave your WRITTEN permission for this to go out of the account.

I've been sending SARs since 2003 but I wasn't sure it would apply here being a business account. I'll send one off. :grin:

We need to know what that £21 account fee was for and whether they should have given you written letter that the fee was going out otherwise some of those charges might need a refund.

On top of the account fee there was something called "Business Essentials with Sage". I only saw it on the cancellation letter. :noidea:

I do have to ask one question: is the account liquidated or defunct? Was it a one signatory for doing stuff ie writing cheques?

Trying to do the basics firstly before seeing how much mileage we can go with this one...

No, it's a live account for an active company. There are two signatories on paper although I'm the only one who uses the account. Only one signature is required.
I hope I've answered everything. Many thanks Leclerc :yo:

[leclerc]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

http://www.barclays.co.uk/Businessse...P1242558556705

The above is what they do now but it sounds almost like a packaged account type of thing so maybe they simply offered the extra 6 months free banking and did not actually explain the account....

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

That sounds like it, but I didn't subscribe! :nono: I opened the account in 2008 and, for 18 months or more, I only paid the data backup charge - a service I didn't request either but thought was unavoidable. :ohwell:

[leclerc]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

Actually you are right on SAR since the business is not subject to it but it might be worth asking for the notes and/or authorisation for the changing of the account to the one that charges £21 a month....you could say that someone is reviewing your accounts and wants this piece of info(I believe that is called the BS make it up letter ).

[ostell]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

I would surmise that "Data backup" is a service where you can back up your company data onto the banks computer, especially when it seems to be connected with Sage (accounts?). One of my customers had the "data backup" service (another bank!) and backs his business data up that way. You were possibly told it came with the account and it was "A good idea". It is if you were given an explanation!

My own business account, again Ltd, started off as a free account for 12 months, then reduced charging for a further 12 months then full charging. Nothing unusual. Unfortunately no such thing as a free business account.

Hope this helps.

I would try and get a refund on the "Backup" fee as you weren't using it and did not have an explanation for its use, which looks to be the case as you thought it was part of normal charging.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

I never knew what data was being backed up, I assumed it was my own account data and it was just a way to charge for the account. This charge was applied for around 3 years but the most annoying bit was the infamous Business Essentials @ £17/month! :mad2:

They started charging an account fee of around £5, which is fair enough if there has to be a charge for business accounts as such, but £17/month for something I had no idea about is just a rip-off! :rant:

Apparently Santander do offer free business banking, I was about to open an account with them a year ago but they run director credit checks and I would have had to go with my friends (co-director and company secretary) who were not fully aware of my credit history. :embarassed:

[ostell]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

I never knew what data was being backed up, I assumed it was my own account data and it was just a way to charge for the account.

It is intended for your business data from your own computer to be backed up over the internet. Nothing to do with backing up the bank's data. (they do that anyway). Business Essentials sounds as though it was rental of a copy of Sage Accounting, did you get it? Unfortunately I don't think you will get the charges for that back, but it's worth a try.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

It is intended for your business data from your own computer to be backed up over the internet. Nothing to do with backing up the bank's data. (they do that anyway). Business Essentials sounds as though it was rental of a copy of Sage Accounting, did you get it? Unfortunately I don't think you will get the charges for that back, but it's worth a try.

I never got a copy of Sage Accounting, nor did I request one. Didn't ask for my own data to be backed up by them either, I use a cloud server to back up all my files.

[ostell]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

You've got the idea, instead of the cloud it's the banks computers. I'm not saying it's Sage but form your description sounds like it.

[FlamingParrot]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

When I opened the account they never said anything about data backup, I didn't even know banks offered such services. I am not a 'business' as such, I'm a designer with a limited company, hence the business account. I have a large amount of files that need backing up, most of them are graphics files, PDFs, etc rather than business transactions. When I was selling products online I always used PayPal and the shopping cart database had all the transactions. Data backup is a service I would never have signed up for with a bank! Even worse was Business Essentials which was added on to the account nearly two years after I opened it! I don't use Sage nor do I need such a program, my limited accounting needs are satisfied by Excel and the spreadsheet software provided by one of my hosting accounts.

Sharklays really rip people off! :mad2: I've seen lots of threads on here relating to training courses run by them in partnership with a company that went into administration, leaving lots of people out of pocket. :rant: :rant:

[wales01man]

Re: Barclays Business account charges leading to unarranged O/D

When i had a business account when i was LTD co.i got pages of terms and conditions and schedule of fees all the time .like a lot of people i never bothered to read them if the OP canobtain from the bank all the paperwork associated with the account it might answer his questions.Would think that the bank would at some time have to prove the charges are correctif not a refund could be sort.