A WOMAN is suing a bank for harassment after claiming she was bombarded with calls about her overdraft.
Single mother Alison Turner, 31, suffered anxiety and stress when, she claims, the Halifax pursued her for money she no longer owed.
Ms Turner is seeking an injunction against the bank and damages, claiming she received 33 calls and letters about her overdraft after the bank had agreed to drop charges it said she owed.
The mother of two, from Plymouth, Devon, said the bank was “unprofessional and disrespectful” and claims she was reduced to tears.
Speaking ahead of a court hearing next month, Ms Turner, a personal assistant, said she was bullied and made to feel a failure for getting into debt.
She said: “I got telephone calls at 6.20pm on a Friday and early on Saturday morning. The constant calling reduced me to tears at times.”
Her troubles began when she was hit with a huge bill after, she said, going a few pounds over her overdraft limit.
After taking legal advice, she complained that the charges appeared to penalise her unlawfully.
In January the bank agreed to drop its charges of £775. Her lawyers also demanded that all contact should go through them.
But the charges were not removed until March. From January 23 to March 13, Ms Turner claims she was bombarded with nearly three dozen calls and letters.
The bank spoke to her 21 times, including weekends and evenings, and to her children.
Ms Turner has now launched a civil action against the Halifax under the Protection From Harassment Act 1997. She is seeking an injunction, damages and costs, and a hearing has been scheduled for May 21 at Exeter County Court.
Ms Turner, who has now changed banks, said: “If customers are having problems, banks should listen to them and understand and try to get them back into the black, not make their position worse by harassing them by telephone.” Her lawyers say they are optimistic of a successful outcome to the case.
Ms Turner’s solicitor, Neil Mercer, said: “What you have here is the case of a woman who had hundreds of pounds worth of charges put on her account for going a few pounds overdrawn.
“The bank subsequently agreed to remove the charges, but in the interim period the customer services department and the collections team seemed to have no contact.
“She was constantly harangued for money she no longer owed.”
A spokesman for Halifax Plc said the calls had stopped but there was little that could be said because of the impending court hearing.
He added: “Where accounts are in arrears we make calls to customers and try to make arrangements.
“If there are other circumstances involved then we will always consider them.”
He said the bank tried to resolve disputes before they reached court.
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