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David and Diane Bridle needed an overdraft, and as they already banked with Barclays they asked what their options were.

They were told the Barclay's Additions was the right account, signed up and paid the monthly fee. For 25 years.

There was just one problem – the account came with Green Flag breakdown cover and neither of them has ever driven.

“You don’t think about it thoroughly at the time, you’re advised about the package and you just think it’s a package with different components,” said Diane – who used to work for Barclays.

“We needed an overdraft so we just went for it.”

Charged for something they couldn't use

As many as one person in five has a paid-for current account. For many, they offer a bundle of services that are cheaper packaged together than they would be if bought separately.

However, large numbers of people - including the Bridles - were sold them by people who never checked or didn't care whether they could use all the benefits they were paying for.

"It was a set amount each month that comes out on the 1st. It just used to say Additions Account fee, but now they break down each component to show exactly what you’re paying for," Diane said.

"It was only when we were asked are there parts you hadn’t used, we hadn’t thought about it - we were buying into something we couldn’t use.

“Our account included Green Flag breakdown cover, but neither of us have ever driven."

She's not alone. Figures from The Payment Professor show that in 35.88% of cases they see, people are paying for car breakdown cover despite not being able to drive.

Getting thousands back - and millions more owed money

The problem with packaged bank accounts is that it isn't always clear what you're paying for.

However, if you're paying for a bank account, it's worth checking now to see exactly WHAT you're paying for.

"It's really no exaggeration to say that packaged bank account complaint is the new PPI,” said James Walker, founder of independent online complaint-resolution service Resolver .

“It's clear to us that there are millions of Britons who have been mis-sold and so are paying for inappropriate products they don't need or cannot use.”

If you think you were mis-sold, you can claim back all the fees you've paid – plus interest.

The Bridles got £3,281 back from Barclays after complaining.

Who can complain - and how?

(Image: Getty)

Banks are required to make sure they don't sell you things you can't use – for example breakdown cover when you don't have a car, or travel insurance that you can't claim on because of a pre-existing medical condition or age.

It's increasingly clear they haven't been checking.

New packaged bank account complaints more than doubled to 44,244 in the past year, Ombudsman figures show. But that could just be the start.

If you think you could be owed money, your first step is to complain to your bank – either contact them directly, or use a free complaints service to help you.

If they don't respond to your satisfaction, or you're not sure where to start, you can go to the Ombudsman and they will talk you through the process – you can call free on 0800 023 4567

If you're not comfortable doing that yourself, you can use a complaints management service to do that for you - but be aware they generally take a large percentage of your compensation if the complaint is successful.