Debit card payment problem?

Question

About 3 months ago, as a one off, I paid a bill over the phone with my debit card. I did not give the company any authority to go back to my bank account a few months later and take money out...but this is what exactly they did and it left my account overdrawn.
I found out today that two unauthorised payments have been taken out of my account as Debit card payment.

The bank says, it has nothing to do with them because i gave my account details to this company.

The company says the deductions were due to computer error, but they wont refund my money or pay the bank charges.

Where do i stand?

Answer 1

Say you want that in writing from the company.

Then, tell the wan*kers to give you back your fu*kin money. They have admitted that it was an error on their behalf. therefore, its their responsibility to pay you back. Dont take no sh!t from them, tell them you have spoken to a solicitor and you know your rights. If you already have proof that they told you that its their computer error, then copy it, send it to them saying you are going to go report them to the people that regulates them, and whatever happens you will get your money from them as you know its your right. you are entitled to your money man, make sure you dont let the barsto*ds get away with it. the same thing happend to me, £489.10 and i got every single penny back, plus the £58 charge my bank charged me. it took me 5-6 weeks alll in all, but i was sooooooooooooooooo angry i know how you must feel.
THEY HAVE TO GIVE YOUR MONEY BACK TO YOU. THEY HAVE TO. make sure you tell them you will be taking further action if necessary! goodluck. xx **)

Answer 2

Firstly, it's your money, not the bank's. They look after it for you. They may claim that they aren't responsible for who you allow to access your account, but in this case you didn't set up a Direct Debit for this company. You made a one-off payment. It's the same as using a switch card at the supermarket.

Going of what you say it seems that the company has made an error by debiting your account more than once, when you hadn't given them an explicit instruction to do so. An explicit instruction should be written. A form or Direct Debit instruction is explicit, being pressured into a verbal agreement over the phone isn't. Most companies claim to have recordings of all telephone conversations so they shoud have evidence, but I bet it's long since been erased.

People to contact to help you sort out this mess are: the Citizens Advice Bureau; a trading standards officer at your local council; and it is worth considering writting a letter to the financial section of a quality newspaper. I would also write letters to both the bank and the company stating the errors they have made. Keep copies of all letters you send.

Forgive me for saying this but be polite in these letters. State the facts, state where the bank and the company have failed you. I've found that organisations respond to letters more than a phone call. With a phone call you end up speaking to someone with no authority or aptitude for dealing with your problem.

Answer 3

You can cancel stand orders or direct debit payments at your bank and they should have told you this!
It annoys me so much when banks plead ignorance.

As far as the money they have taken goes, I think you may have lost that but keep statements and take them to the citizens advice bureau and see if they can find a loophole somewhere for you.

Taking unauthorised payments from your bank account via debit cards is a more common problem than people realise.

As for the bank charges, just pay them otherwise you will get embroiled in their very steep interest charges!

If you can get your bank account back to 00.00 amount then change accounts if they won't cancel the payments in future.

Answer 4

you bank will have a visa disputes department and generally should be able to refund the money back into your account and they will then contact the company in question to reclaim the money off them. You need to keep a record of the bank charges and forward these to the company complaints department and failing that i would contact trading standards who may be able to help.

Answer 5

If the deductions were due to an error on their computer, they should pay both the refund and charges.

As for your bank, I would wait til this is sorted out then take your account elsewhere.

Answer 6

Ask your bank to help you recover the money - they can sometimes (and only sometimes) be bothered to help their "customers". If they won't help, suggest to them that you move your account(s) elsewhere.

Find a solicitor who will give you a free half hour consultation, and they'll be able to advise you on where you stand, and best course of action.

There is actually a guy who specialises in this sort of thing, he was recently on BBC Radio 2's Your Money or Your Life slot on Jeremy Vine's show, so their website might be able to point you in his direction.

Answer 7

The bank is fobbing you off. Clearly an illegal transaction, best thing you can do is call the police and take it from there. The bank are insured so should be able to recover the cash.

Answer 8

Get medieval, speak to the manager at the company in question, and do not take no for an answer. It is their fault, they have admitted it is their fault, so get them to pay it back. Refusing to repay your money is tantamount to stealing it. Remind them of this fact and that as far as you are aware, stealing is still illegal in most countries in the world.

Do you have an outstanding balance with the company and is that the reason they may be unwilling to repay it? However, in that case, they would have to provide you with either written or oral notice that they intend to take x amount of money from your account on x date.

Answer 9

That's the stinking law, but the bank may help you if that company isn't own by the bank.

Answer 10

The bank is wrong, keep after them to get your money back. It is insured.