Direct Debit Guarantee

stuart07472

We are currently bombarded with "pay by Direct Debit", its safe and there is the Direct Debit Guarantee to protect you.

• If the amounts to be paid or the payment dates change, the organisation collecting the payment will notify you normally 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed
• If an error is made by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are guaranteed a full and immediate refund from your branch of the amount paid
• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by contacting your bank or building society. We also recommend you notify the organisation concerned.

The important words here are from your branch, I have just tried to deal with a Halifax call centre, the best they would offer is to send a indemnity form out by post, they said the only way you can get an immediate refund is to visit a branch.

Going the other way I tried to company who made the error, Bristol Magazines, the only way they can refund is by cheque and that will take 28 days to process.

It is to easy for companies to hide behind the "Direct Debit Guarantee"

OK rant over

sujman

A&L call center allowed me to cancel a DD the day befoe it was due, no problems.

Andy_Ches

I must admit when I used to be with the Halifax, I had a Direct Debit go out which was took a month before it was due and the branch refunded the money that had been taken immediately.

I try and have as little things on DD as possible because the scheme is so vague.

missm29

We bank with the halifax, a direct debit was recently taken for £60 should have been £6, the company have done this to several people and will not answer the phone, i assume they are in trouble. Call halifax and the said i needed to go into branch and that they couldn't send a form out, the lady filled the form out on her computer and the money was in my account the next day, i didn't even have to sign the form, just show my bank card and sign a blank bit of paper. When i asked why i needed to come into branch she said it was so they could see the person was genuine, i think it may have been because we were in credit by quite a bit, because the same happened to my neighbour same bank same company and same amount, they are on a very low income and quite often overdrawn and get alot of charges, when they went into branch they were told to chase the company for a refund, had to send them back quoting the direct debit guarentee and eventually they got the back to refund it. Puts me off paying by direct debit if they can take what they want and the bank will only refund if they feel like it and depending if you are in credit..