Chamber court decides for consumer: Berliner Sparkasse has to pay back money

Chamber court decides for consumer: Berliner Sparkasse has to pay back money

Berliner Sparkasse suffered a defeat in court because the Chamber Court supported the consumer advice center in its legal dispute against the bank. The reason for the lawsuit was unannounced increases in account management fees that were carried out without the customers' consent. Berliner Sparkasse had increased the fees several times without obtaining active consent from customers. This led to consumer advocates filing a class action lawsuit involving around 1,200 customers.

The Chamber Court ruled in favor of the consumer advice center and declared the savings bank's cost adjustments to be unlawful. Customers now have the prospect of repayments as soon as the judgment is final. This could trigger a wave of clawbacks from other banks, as similar practices have been identified at other financial institutions. For example, Postbank, Deutsche Bank, ING Diba, Commerzbank and Sparkasse Ulm also had unannounced fee increases.

Bank customers who may have been affected by cost increases between January 2018 and April 2024 should check their statements. If an unauthorized increase is discovered, it is possible to initiate a claim for reimbursement from the bank. The consumer advice center provides a sample letter that customers can use to request a refund. Niels Nauhauser from the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center recommends that customers check the price list that was valid when opening an account in order to reclaim fees that may have been paid incorrectly. It remains to be seen whether further lawsuits will follow against banks that engage in similar practices.