Sam Bairstow of Cottingley isn't happy about the way financial companies make money out of us. . .

Buying an item of clothing recently, which was very much needed for a night out, took my credit card balance exactly one pound and nine pence over its limit.

I admit it's not the most ideal of situations, but I immediately rang the company and made a payment. Only to be presented the other day with a £20 over-limit charge on my statement. The anger. . .

For the sake of a pound I was furious. How do companies get away with daylight robbery like this?

You can't imagine how happy I was, then, to read an article stating that the Office of Fair Trading is ordering banks to slash fees to a maximum of £12, to cover the basic costs they incur only.

Banks have until May 31 to respond, and after this legal proceedings will be taken to enforce the recommendations.

But what about the other financial companies which don't come under the "banks" heading?

Are they still allowed to rob us?

I read an article recently about a middle-aged man who had killed himself over a £130,000 debt. When his wife looked into the matter it turned out that two of the credit cards he had were from the same company and not one single financial organisation had checked and ensured that he could make the repayments or bothered to find out how much debt he was already in.

Financial companies don't care so long as they are making money out of people. This is the general perception in society and I really don't blame anyone for thinking so. According to a study by Uswitch, the average UK adult owns four credit cards. The Debt Counsellors Annual UK Debt Survey 2006 shows that 63 per cent of those with bad debt problems believe their health has suffered as a direct result of their financial problems.

Related problems include insomnia, taking time off work and a negative or damaging effect on relationships. A condition called Money Sickness Syndrome has actually been identified and studied.

Everybody I know is in some form of debt, whether it be spending on credit cards just to live, taking loans out to possess unaffordable luxuries or spending a lifetime paying off a mortgage.

Everybody owes somebody money. To say we're supposed to be a country superior to many others with our social and economical situations in order; it looks like we're doing pretty badly at keeping up that perception.

Angrily complaining to my well-known credit card company the other day got me £10 knocked off the £20 charge. In the past when I've complained similar charges have been cancelled. This begs the burning question: why are these charges imposed in the first place? Is it just to see who will pay and how much money these greedy companies can make out of us?

Next time something like this happens to you, get on your high horse, just like I did. Make that phone call and save yourself some well-earned money instead of simply giving in and paying.

If someone tried to steal your mobile phone in the street today, I'm sure you wouldn't stand for it. It's daylight robbery and personally I'm glad something is being done about it.