Consumer body slams charges

Consumer body slams charges

The Consumer Council has condemned the amount some banks charge for duplicate statements

The Consumer Council says bank charges of up to £10 a page for duplicate statements are "completely unjustified".

Details emerged after a caller to Radio Ulster's Nolan Show said that he had been charged £110 by First Trust Bank for an 11-page statement.

First Trust has defended the cost of the statement.

It said that customers were informed of the charge when they requested a duplicate.

The Consumer Council has released details of the amounts charged by other banks for duplicate statements.

The figures show a wide divergence.

The Bank of Ireland provides duplicates free of charge while the Northern Bank charges £6 per page requested.

The highest though is £10 per page charged by the First Trust - prompting the broadside from the Consumer Council.

"The Consumer Council is calling on the banks to play fair by their customers, especially during a time of recession," the Consumer Council's Alison Donnelly said.

DUPLICATE STATEMENT CHARGES
Abbey - £5 or £10 for multiple statements
Bank of Ireland - Free
Barclays - £5 per request
First Trust - £10 per page
Halifax - £5
Northern Bank - £6 per page
Ulster Bank - £10 per request
Nationwide - £5 for one statement, £10 for two or more
HSBC - Statements from less than one year ago - free. Older than one year £1 per statement with a maximum £10 fee
"They should be more open about what they charge for each of their services and at least make them clearer to customers before they are applied.

"However we believe charging their customers £10 per page for duplicate statements is excessive in the first place."

She also pointed out that customers could get the information in their statements using the Data Protection Act, which costs £10 per request.

However it can take up to 40 days to obtain.

A spokesperson for First Trust has defended its position.

"After requesting a duplicate statement a customer will be advised of the cost to proceed and the alternative ways to obtain this information," the spokesperson said.

"We can confirm that we currently charge £10 per page for duplicate statements; however we look at each individual customer's circumstances.

"Current account customers receive regular statements by mail and details of their last 90 transactions are also available via our Online Banking.

"As part of our advice to customers on how to avoid unnecessary charges we advise them to retain copies of these statements securely for their records. This information appears clearly both on the back of each statement as well as in the guide to charges and fees."