How can my bank pay a DD without my permission?

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Pet50
Pet50 Posts: 54 Forumite
in Reclaim mortgage fees, council tax, etc
Just had our bank statement arrive and noticed that £12 has been taken out by SAT TV by DD. We have not authorised this. We don't have Sky either, haven't for over 10 years now. Went to the bank and because the DD was on 1st March and its now 8th March they say they can't do anything. Our bank only opens twice a week and today was the earliest we could go! They gave us an address to contact INTERBACS RE SAT TV, in Manchester to try and get our money back. I googled it and got a phone number. They said they are merely a company who collects the money and can't do anything. They gave us another number to ring for SAT TV. We rang and had to leave a message - not holding my breathe that we will receive a call back! What do you think? The bank assure us that it will not happen again. This has disturbed both my husband (who is in his 70's) and myself. Do you think we can claim anything for the stress and worry this has caused us as we are now worried what else can be paid out from a bank without our permission!!
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 35,242 Forumite
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    Sounds like an error in the account number.

    How much compensation do you feel would take the stress away?
  • GDB2222
    GDB2222 Posts: 24,670 Forumite
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    Which bank do you use? You are entitled to a refund under the direct debit guarantee. See

    https://www.directdebit.co.uk/DirectDebitExplained/pages/directdebitguarantee.aspx

    "If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society"

    You said: "because the DD was on 1st March and its now 8th March they say they can't do anything." That's appalling. Your bank staff have misled you about your position and caused you quite unnecessary anxiety. I suggest that you make a complaint to head office.
    No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?
  • GDB2222
    GDB2222 Posts: 24,670 Forumite
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    " we are now worried what else can be paid out from a bank without our permission!!"

    The answer to that is anything at all. Everything in the account, and more. However, you should be able to get any mistakes reversed through the guarantee.

    " Do you think we can claim anything for the stress and worry this has caused us " - Not very much, given that it's only £12. However, the bank's failure to rectify it is more worrying.
    No reliance should be placed on the above! Absolutely none, do you hear?
  • Browntoa
    Browntoa Posts: 49,302 Forumite
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    cross posted here as well


    http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=72220863#post72220863
    Ex forum ambassador

    Long term forum member
  • dunstonh
    dunstonh Posts: 116,379 Forumite
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    Compensation culture or what!

    Bank will refund the money straight away under the DD guarantee. £12 is insignificant and not something that will cause stress.
    I am an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA). The comments I make are just my opinion and are for discussion purposes only. They are not financial advice and you should not treat them as such. If you feel an area discussed may be relevant to you, then please seek advice from an Independent Financial Adviser local to you.
  • Art_Deco
    Art_Deco Posts: 188 Forumite
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    Pet50 wrote: »
    Just had our bank statement arrive and noticed that £12 has been taken out by SAT TV by DD. We have not authorised this. We don't have Sky either, haven't for over 10 years now. Went to the bank and because the DD was on 1st March and its now 8th March they say they can't do anything. Our bank only opens twice a week and today was the earliest we could go! They gave us an address to contact INTERBACS RE SAT TV, in Manchester to try and get our money back. I googled it and got a phone number. They said they are merely a company who collects the money and can't do anything. They gave us another number to ring for SAT TV. We rang and had to leave a message - not holding my breathe that we will receive a call back! What do you think? The bank assure us that it will not happen again. This has disturbed both my husband (who is in his 70's) and myself. Do you think we can claim anything for the stress and worry this has caused us as we are now worried what else can be paid out from a bank without our permission!!
    What bank is it,? and why is it only open 2 days a week, not very good advice of them, are you sure noone else in the home has access to your bank details i cant understand how else a direct debit can be set up.,
  • grandma247
    grandma247 Posts: 2,412 Forumite
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    If you have ever had a direct debit for them it can suddenly activate after a long period of time. I went for an account review at my bank some time ago and the person who was dealing with it went through every direct debit I had listed. Any that had been inactive were deleted on her advice precisely to prevent the op's experience. We had a sky DD that we had to set up when we bought a freesat box. It was used once for a tiny payment and I can't remember what that was for. We cancelled the free offer of all channels for four months as soon as we could but I didn't give the DD a thought.
  • Chalkius
    Chalkius Posts: 110 Forumite
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    Go back to your bank and ask them to set up an indemnity claim for you to claim your funds back, shouldn't take long. AS for how they've taken the DD, is it something you had a long time ago? If not, I'm a bit confused as to how your bank let it go out, as your bank should hold a mandate for any company you've set a DD up to, and should reject any DD request without a mandate.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 26,612 Forumite
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    As I said on the duplicate thread, I suspect this payment is not a banking error at all and that this couple may have been paying this equipment insurance for a long period despite no longer having Sky. The payment might not be made monthly, it could be debited quarterly or even annually depending on the level of cover. This would explain why it is has suddenly "appeared"

    However, if it is a "one off" payment of £12 then a refund is all that will be offered. There will be no compensation for "stress"
  • glentoran99
    glentoran99 Posts: 5,821 Forumite
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    Chalkius wrote: »
    Go back to your bank and ask them to set up an indemnity claim for you to claim your funds back, shouldn't take long. AS for how they've taken the DD, is it something you had a long time ago? If not, I'm a bit confused as to how your bank let it go out, as your bank should hold a mandate for any company you've set a DD up to, and should reject any DD request without a mandate.

    A what now?


    You simply tell the bank you want your money back under the direct debit guarantee
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