Your bank pushed higher bank fees on you out of nowhere and you didn’t really agree to it? Then you can now reclaim the additional costs from your bank. Tired of the paperwork? With just a few details, you can claim services like Conny
The Federal Court of Justice ruled in 2021 that banks may not increase account management fees without the express consent of customers. For a long time, it was common practice at banks to inform customers and offer them the opportunity to object. If there was no objection, the account management fees were increased. The recent judgment has produced an avalanche of emails, letters and notices in online banking portals. The tenor has also changed: Anyone who does not agree must expect the account to be terminated. After all, customers can reclaim the fees that have been paid too much over the years. But most users should not be very happy with the word “account management fees” and, moreover, have little desire for paperwork. Many customers also have an uneasy feeling about messing things up with their own bank. But it can be worth taking action: The consumer advice center estimates that many customers can get refunds of several hundred euros. So simply add up the monthly flat fees and use a sample letter from the consumer advice center. Paperwork or a quick refund? If there are additional fees for individual bookings, you should first request a statement of the fees paid. The banks are legally obliged to provide this information. But you need patience here, the banks often play for time and it could well be that lone wolves are not taken seriously. The next step would then, with active legal protection, involve a lawyer. You can read more details about this in this article. The simpler and usually faster way is to use debt collection services. Some of them even offer to request reimbursement of the costs for you free of charge. But you have to accept a flat rate for this.
