Maybe I am of the old school (well certainly old) but in days of old when we dealt in £sd if you did not have the money you could not spend it. In those days having the money meant exactly that. Coins in the pocket. (nobody had notes cos the smallest was 10bob.
So today when money is largely electronic if you spend money you do not have then perhaps you are spending mine!. If you have not agreed an overdraft expect to pay the price. Not what it costs the bank. If it was my money you had "borrowed" without agreeing with me first then it would cost you a great deal more than the bank charges.
Yes banks can waive charges. I had a cheque go astray. Bank charged me £20 to stop the check. We entered into a discussion and the bank agreed to waive the charge.
If you borrow money without asking and agreeing first then you have nothing on your side to persuade the bank to waive the charge. Maybe for first time on a very short period like same day then you have a point to make.
Sorry if my views upset some people but that's the way I see it.
I have been skint to the point where I used to ask ny Dad to cash a cheque for me.... but not to sibmit the cheque to his bank for a week so that my pay had cleared and sufficient funds existed so I am not totally unsympathetic. If you think you are going to need some support get it in place first.
Len
while not quite as old as you Len (I don't remember the Groat or the sheckel )
I am pretty much of the same mind - when i first got my bank account and overdraft that went with it- i spent up tot he limit and then spent the next 6 months clearing - lesson learnt .. I do have an overdraft in case i need to buy something quickly - but I don't think i have used it in two years (I have this month just dipped into it - or am about to but shuffling the finanices around to clear straight away - - if i am charged for doing this (it should be minimal as its into th e overdraft not over the over draft ) then so be it .