direct debit compensation

loulou12_3

The water company took out £147 from my account by direct debit yesterday instead of the £14 they are meant to take.

They have admitted that it is their mistake and said the money will be back in my account in 2 days. I would like to know what would be a fair amount of comensation to ask for. I

have not been charged by my bank because I was able to borrow some money to cover the other direct debits that were going out yesterday and paid it in in cash to my bank. It was very stressful and I had to leave work early in order to sort the mess out. I am 6 months pregnant and am cross that the water company can do this.

dunstonh

I would like to know what would be a fair amount of comensation to ask for.

What you are financially worse off by because of this? 50p?

You could ask for £10-£25 but you are not really entitled to anything other than a goodwill gesture.

JimmyTheWig

I agree you are looking for a goodwill gesture rather than "compensation". Make it clear to their customer services, or whoever, that you would like a goodwill gesture. Point out, politely, the hassle factor of it and why should you have to go to all that effort when it was their mistake.

Ask them what they are prepared to offer you.
You could then try to haggle, but getting them to go first will give you a better starting point.

JohalaReewi

loulou12 wrote: »

The water company took out £147 from my account by direct debit yesterday instead of the £14 they are meant to take.

They have admitted that it is their mistake and said the money will be back in my account in 2 days. I would like to know what would be a fair amount of comensation to ask for.

You should ring your BANK and ask for a full and immediate refund under the Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme.

Companies who take payment by direct debit must tell you in advance (at least 10 days) when they are going to take the money and how much. If they take too much or take it early, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund from your BANK under the Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme.

There is no need for you to wait a couple of days for the water board to refund the amount. You BANK should do this right away. They will then claim this money back from the water company.

Some naughty banks like to pretend they don't have to give you a full and immediate refund and may mention an indemity claim. Don't be put off, if the person you call tries this, just ask to speak to the person who knows about the Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme and can process your request for a full and immediate refund.

As for compensation, if you are out of pocket because of the mistake you can approach the water board to recompense you. However, if you are not out of pocket, you could try for a goodwill gesture.

Clive_Woody

loulou12 wrote: »

The water company took out £147 from my account by direct debit yesterday instead of the £14 they are meant to take.

They have admitted that it is their mistake and said the money will be back in my account in 2 days. I would like to know what would be a fair amount of comensation to ask for. I

have not been charged by my bank because I was able to borrow some money to cover the other direct debits that were going out yesterday and paid it in in cash to my bank. It was very stressful and I had to leave work early in order to sort the mess out. I am 6 months pregnant and am cross that the water company can do this.

You can only be compensated for any loses you have incured, you will also need to prove these figures if you make a claim. Being pregnant and cross doesn't generally have a monetary value attached to it If you lost out because you left work early then potentially you could ask for compensation for lost working hours.

What you could try is asking them to explain why they are not returning the money immediately, the DD guarantee offers a full and immediate return of funds taken incorrectly, IMHO 2 days is not an immediate refund.

JohalaReewi

Clive_Woody wrote: »

What you could try is asking them to explain why they are not returning the money immediately, the DD guarantee offers a full and immediate return of funds taken incorrectly, IMHO 2 days is not an immediate refund.

The 2 days is because the OP contacted the water company for a refund, not the bank. For a refund under the DD guarantee scheme, you have to contact your bank.

continualdiamond

My house insurance company did this, though granted not to this extreme.

What happened for me was i changed my direct debit date, with plenty of warning i may add. They the took double the amount on the old date and then i had to borrow money off family to do food shopping.

I rang them up and never spoken to a better person, the manager came on the phone and couldn't apologise enough and admitted no fault was on myself, it was plenty of enough time to alter dates on the system.

All i wanted was a refund of the extra they took, instead they refunded it all as a sorry, so i got 1 mth free house insurance.

JimmyTheWig

continualdiamond wrote: »

All i wanted was a refund of the extra they took, instead they refunded it all as a sorry, so i got 1 mth free house insurance.

I think this is a brilliant example of how a company should behave. We don't need the "compensation culture" that is developing where people are expecting rediculous sums for little hardship, but a decent token gesture like this really helps to show that the company has acknowledged they messed up.