Direct Debits are lethal - do you check yours regularly?

[Kawazaki]

I've recently changed my broadband provider. I used to be with BT. Long story short, they were charging me nearly double what they should have been for at least 5 months. No authorisation from me to raise it specifically but I daresay they will say I clicked a tick some years ago that waived their requirement to do so.

The wider question though is regards how Direct Debits work. Do you trust all of the vendors you use with access to your bank account to not add a few quid here and there every few months? Think how easy it is to scale this up for utilities companies with millions of account holders, an extra 50p here and there literally adds £millions in revenues per month.

I know I deserve some abuse for not diligently checking my bank statement every week but really, do most people do that?

[Insane_Homer]

yup, Barclays app is great for monitoring this type of thing.

I left British Gas a few months ago, a month after leaving they started taking £12 a month via a DD that I never authorised, without any notification for HomeCare shit I never signed up for. Complaint currently open with ombudsman about their billing & this little 'mistake' (current an article on the Beeb about shady practices of Energy companies - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57600767).

Of course request to them about how when/why this was authorised has been ignored. complaint to FCA next I guess.

Pointless

[tc27]

Also use the Barclays app and have real time spending alerts which has helped me catch a couple of DDs (most recently reminding me my Sky contract had added and they were tripling the cost).

Does feel a little like a running commentary on my bad spending decisions though....

[Kawazaki]

yup, Barclays app is great for monitoring this type of thing.

I left British Gas a few months ago, a month after leaving they started taking £12 a month via a DD that I never authorised, without any notification for HomeCare shit I never signed up for. Complaint currently open with ombudsman about their billing & this little 'mistake' (current an article on the Beeb about shady practices of Energy companies - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57600767).

Of course request to them about how when/why this was authorised has been ignored. complaint to FCA next I guess.

Pointless

What percentage of people pick up the 'errors' though let alone go to the trouble of chasing them up, ombudsman, claim etc etc.

It's a fucking scam.

[tabascoboy]

Check mine regularly, usually get pre-notification of any changes but never had cause to suspect any "administrative errors"

Not strictly related but imagine the old days of not having online banking or an app but waiting for monthly statements to keep an eye on things :

Brighton Palace Pier: Hundreds overcharged £2,100 for rides

Hundreds of visitors to Brighton Palace Pier have been charged more than £2,000 for tickets to fairground rides due to a payment error.

Owners of the East Sussex attraction apologised and said the "serious error" was the result of an issue with payment processing firm Worldpay. The date had been mistakenly entered as the transaction amount, it said.

Louise Norman, who was twice overcharged, said she "nearly cried" when she looked at her bank account. Ms Norman took her sons to the pier on 13 April but the day out "turned into a nightmare" after the payment was processed this week. Two payments of £2,104.13 have been charged to her account.

"I looked at my account this morning and nearly cried," she said. "It was very stressful and will be until I get my money back."

Anne Acord, chief executive of the Brighton Pier Group, said the company "would like to apologise profusely to customers who have been affected by this error".

Worldpay said due to an "isolated error some customers were debited an incorrect amount on 22 June at Brighton Palace Pier".

It said it was working to refund the money as a "matter of urgency" and would cover the costs of any bank charges incurred.

[assfly]

Of all the countries I've lived and worked in, I was always amazed how easy it was for money to be debited from your account in the UK. I had the same problem when I lived there over 10 years ago with all of the usual suspects (BT, Sky, Vodafone, etc.)

[Kawazaki]

Of all the countries I've lived and worked in, I was always amazed how easy it was for money to be debited from your account in the UK. I had the same problem when I lived there over 10 years ago with all of the usual suspects (BT, Sky, Vodafone, etc.)

I remember back in the early 2000s when I was with Vodafone and I randomly got sent a text message asking if I wanted my horoscope. I ignored it and then shortly after received a horoscope. Which I ignored. The next week I got sent another horoscope which I ignored. Eventually my mobile bill arrived and these texts had been charged to my bill at £5 a pop. I complained to Vodafone who were fucking useless saying that I hadn't opted out of receiving them. I told them I hadn't opted in either but the default was that you are opted in until you reply STOP. What a fucking scam that was!

Should have read the horoscope and seen it coming.

[Insane_Homer]

About 18 months ago 3 phones were ordered by my EE account, the only reason I found out about it, was after I got a paper follow up in the post about insurance for the devices.

It was properly shady, apparently, according to them, someone had walked into a store and presented ID to do it... When I asked them for a copy of the ID and proof it all went very quiet. I would suspect a dodgy employee in the on the scam. Despite numerous requests to get to the bottom of how it happened, they just fobbed me off with assurances that it was now sorted...

[Rhubarb & Custard]

yup, Barclays app is great for monitoring this type of thing.

I left British Gas a few months ago, a month after leaving they started taking £12 a month via a DD that I never authorised, without any notification for HomeCare shit I never signed up for. Complaint currently open with ombudsman about their billing & this little 'mistake' (current an article on the Beeb about shady practices of Energy companies - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57600767).

Of course request to them about how when/why this was authorised has been ignored. complaint to FCA next I guess.

Pointless

They'll be very keen not to have an Ombudsman complaint because that costs them so much money. And some truly insane people work at the Ombudsman when it comes to compiling compensation (albeit it's not likely to be much in this sort of instance)

[Insane_Homer]

How's this for a coincidence! Just got this through 10 mins ago...

For avoidance of any doubt, the final decision provided by the Ombudsman requests we:

• Issue you with a direct payment of £50.00, as a gesture of goodwill for the shortfall in customer service and inconvenience caused
• Send you an apology in writing for the shortfall in customer service and inconvenience caused

Firstly, I’m sorry for the issues you’ve experienced with the billing and maintenance of your British gas Energy account and the management of your Direct Debit payments, I appreciate the increases made to your payments after you agreed to a new tariff and the size of the bills you then received after transferring to another provider have all been the cause of considerable worry and inconvenience. It’s disappointing we’ve not done more to try and address your concerns when you contacted us previously. The service you’ve received hasn’t been to the high standard you’ve every right to expect from our company and I regret we’ve let you down to such a degree.

[Hal Jordan]

Meh, eBay is far worse. I bought an RC car for £150 two weeks ago and have casually racked up at least as much again in performance upgrades...and I am about to look for some more, even though it's fitting wheels to a tomato in terms of what it will actually do.

[Kawazaki]

Meh, eBay is far worse. I bought an RC car for £150 two weeks ago and have casually racked up at least as much again in performance upgrades...and I am about to look for some more, even though it's fitting wheels to a tomato in terms of what it will actually do.

Eh?

[erictheodorecartman]

[Insane_Homer]

Eh?

He's just complaining because he has no impulse control, due to soft parenting and probably has a bookcase full of participation medals to show for it

[Hal Jordan]

Eh?

He's just complaining because he has no impulse control, due to soft parenting and probably has a bookcase full of participation medals to show for it

My upbringing was painfully strict, ma'am.

[Hugo]

In my early twenties I used to forensically check my statements and also check my bank balance daily & would know it down to the penny at any given moment.

Then, as I got older, had kids etc I ran out of time/energy to maintain that level of vigilance.

That said, as a general rule I try to avoid subscriptions or getting sucked into any type of service where there are recurrent fees because I instinctively don't like the prospect of being overcharged as per OP.

[Rhubarb & Custard]

How's this for a coincidence! Just got this through 10 mins ago...

For avoidance of any doubt, the final decision provided by the Ombudsman requests we:

• Issue you with a direct payment of £50.00, as a gesture of goodwill for the shortfall in customer service and inconvenience caused
• Send you an apology in writing for the shortfall in customer service and inconvenience caused

Firstly, I’m sorry for the issues you’ve experienced with the billing and maintenance of your British gas Energy account and the management of your Direct Debit payments, I appreciate the increases made to your payments after you agreed to a new tariff and the size of the bills you then received after transferring to another provider have all been the cause of considerable worry and inconvenience. It’s disappointing we’ve not done more to try and address your concerns when you contacted us previously. The service you’ve received hasn’t been to the high standard you’ve every right to expect from our company and I regret we’ve let you down to such a degree.

Two thoughts as ever on this, for gods sake escalate to the ombudsman, against which, those who do complain get such a different reaction it seems unfair knowing so many will never even consider complaining. I suppose thirdly many who do complain are bat shit crazy and are driving the insane cost of complaints and getting very much in the way of any progress

[Blackmac]

My daughter just noticed that her direct debit with British Gas had doubled since March. When she phoned to complain she was told that the DD amount was based on a projection of this years energy usage. They found it hard to explain any further when she pointed out at the time of the increase her account was £120 in credit. Absolute fucking crooks.

[Kiap]

Of all the countries I've lived and worked in, I was always amazed how easy it was for money to be debited from your account in the UK. I had the same problem when I lived there over 10 years ago with all of the usual suspects (BT, Sky, Vodafone, etc.)

That seems to ring true (or at least did when I was there many moons ago).

Surely things have moved on though now, since we're all in the 20s?

Don't get me wrong, direct debits can get a bit nasty and bitey where I am now, but almost all services have other payment methods these days. I never, ever, choose direct debit.

[westport]

My daughter just noticed that her direct debit with British Gas had doubled since March. When she phoned to complain she was told that the DD amount was based on a projection of this years energy usage. They found it hard to explain any further when she pointed out at the time of the increase her account was £120 in credit. Absolute fucking crooks.

It must be a common thing this year with BG. My G/F had the same thing happen to her with doubling of the DD when she had around 200 in credit. She went ballistic and was straight onto them and they said the same thing and it is still not sorted.

[Kawazaki]

The time to get things sorted and redressed is the real kicker. BT have sent me numerous emails saying they'll reimburse monies but nothing has gone into my bank account and it's been weeks since I started the process. It's like getting blood out of a stone.