General Chat

Checked my bank account on Friday and a direct debit has come out from a company I have not used for over a year. Rang the bank and I have to contact the company to get my money back. This direct debit was set up on the 17th June without my knowledge. Have tried contacting the company and on hold for 25 mins, then 30mins! you get the picture...no one answers!!

Rang bank back and I have to go to a branch to fill out a form. Nothing to stop this company setting up direct debit again and the bank can't put a block on it!! Very nice man at the bank was very helpful but nothing they can do to stop this, I just have to keep cancelling the direct debit

You may have heard of this company, they deal with satalite dishes! Now I have wasted hours on the phone and have to go to my branch on Saturday

Thanks for listening, rant over

Marcelle

If you're talking about Sky, I've had trouble with them too. I cancelled the subscription I had wiht them when I got divorces, one expense out of the window so to speak. They stopped taking it and all was fine.

Three years later I got letters demanding 70 quid from me saying I owed it. Turns out that they had tried re-setting a direct debit with my old bank account which I was no longer using, so I did not know about it. After three months of trying to take payment they started chasing me.

I wrote back to them giving them a piece of my mind, and told them I owed them nothing, that if they look at the file, they will see that it was successfully cancelled on **** date. They agreed, but I continued to get the letters, threatening all sorts until I moved and didn't tell them (sorry new tenants).

I'm now with them again, but have told them if I have any problem with my direct debit it will be cancelled forthwith, with copies of all communications sent out, and will be dealt with legally if they still try to take money from me.

The company I am having trouble with is Satcover. I dont understand how they can set up a direct debit a year later. I asked the bank for Satcover details so I could set up a direct debit from their account...at least the chap on the phone thought it was funny! lol

I'm not sure it's legal, if the DD was stopped, especially by letter, it should be stopped at the bank too. They can't set up another DD without a new mandate signed by you, the account holder.

I'd speak to the CAB about it and see what they say, but I think they are acting illegally.

I have read about this company by googling and I am not alone. Even the bank man confirmed lots of Satcover DD were coming through.

The most frustrating thing is you can't speak to anyone there. After 30 mins I was ready to smash up the phone! lol

Perhaps I am a bit dim, but I thought they could not take money without you agreeing and signing something......

During the time of my Dad's illness we had a letter from the water board wanting him to set up a DD to go along with his account for extra cover for pipework not included in his insurance........we wrote back explaining what had happened and saying that this was not needed.....

We then got a letter from the water company saying they had tried to get the money by DD from the bank for the extra cover and could not......then a letter from the bank asking my Dad if he wished to set up this additional DD, and if so he would have to sign a form agreeing to it......

In other words, the bank refused to make a payment out of Dad's account for this extra payment without his signature agreeing to it.....

Harsh words from my Sis to the Water Board........seems that this type of thing goes on all the time.....

sally...

Just talking to OH about this Marcelle, and he said he would ask the bank to produce a copy of the mandate to the DD showing your signature and date that you had this set up.....

sally

If a direct debit has been cancelled with a bank ie by you, then the company at the other end, should not be able to collect any payments via it. The company is the "originator" of the direct debit ie they send for the payment to your bank etc...if the direct debit "authority" has been cancelled by you at your bank (which you can do) then the the direct debit request for payment should get "rejected" and the company will be told "payment not made - reason "direct debit cancelled"........

I dealt with DDM's in the pension business..............

With direct debits, always cancel it with your bank first....you can ask the company to stop collection but if they ignore your request they can keep collecting/miss a month, recollect....

ALWAYS CANCEL A ddm WITH YOUR BANK. FIRST.