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Direct Debits - Is this right?
Comments
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Oddly enough I went into a Halifax branch to talk to someone about this. They gave me a strange look, and said of course they could switch over the Direct Debits.
Then they asked why I wanted to change accounts anyway (better rates, I said). Oh, well we'll just change the type of your account, so you'll get the better rates but have the same account number - nothing needs to move at all.
I guess the trick with Halifax is to not phone up and go direct to branch - sorry Vicki.0 -
Oddly enough I went into a Halifax branch to talk to someone about this. They gave me a strange look, and said of course they could switch over the Direct Debits.
Then they asked why I wanted to change accounts anyway (better rates, I said). Oh, well we'll just change the type of your account, so you'll get the better rates but have the same account number - nothing needs to move at all.
I guess the trick with Halifax is to not phone up and go direct to branch - sorry Vicki.
Well that's not fair on the telephone staff. You originally stated that you wanted to transfer your Direct Debits from one Halifax account to another. This cannot be done. The branch have merely suggested you re-designate your existing joint account. This is different. So what you were initially told over the phone is correct. Halifax Bank of Scotland cannot transfer payments from one account to another within the bank. The switching service is only offered if you are coming from a completely different bank. As is the case with most other banks I would imagine.
Think about it realistically. Why would any bank offer a service at cost to them for existing business to move payments around? Remember a transfer service involves contacting each of the DD Originators and requesting a change in details. The switching service is there to entice new business and make the whole process of switching seem easier.Anything I post is my opinion, so from time to time I may be wrong. I try to provide answers based in fact, however I don't know everything, so (like all posters on MSE), take what I say with a pinch of salt.0 -
Well that's not fair on the telephone staff. You originally stated that you wanted to transfer your Direct Debits from one Halifax account to another. This cannot be done. The branch have merely suggested you re-designate your existing joint account. This is different. So what you were initially told over the phone is correct. Halifax Bank of Scotland cannot transfer payments from one account to another within the bank. The switching service is only offered if you are coming from a completely different bank. As is the case with most other banks I would imagine.
Think about it realistically. Why would any bank offer a service at cost to them for existing business to move payments around? Remember a transfer service involves contacting each of the DD Originators and requesting a change in details. The switching service is there to entice new business and make the whole process of switching seem easier.
Exactly Jambosans.
Unless they have changed the processes very recently then you may yet recieve a call saying your request cannot be processed.
I will check with my managers when I go back on Monday though to find out the latest on it.0 -
Well that's not fair on the telephone staff. You originally stated that you wanted to transfer your Direct Debits from one Halifax account to another. This cannot be done. The branch have merely suggested you re-designate your existing joint account.
No, they said it could be done. However they asked further questions, and advised it might be simpler on our part to continue to use the same account, just redesignate it.This is different. So what you were initially told over the phone is correct. Halifax Bank of Scotland cannot transfer payments from one account to another within the bank.
Not according to the staff member in the branch, but that's by the by - I'm only going off what I am told by Halifax employees here.The switching service is only offered if you are coming from a completely different bank. As is the case with most other banks I would imagine.
Not according to previous posters in this thread.Think about it realistically. Why would any bank offer a service at cost to them for existing business to move payments around? Remember a transfer service involves contacting each of the DD Originators and requesting a change in details. The switching service is there to entice new business and make the whole process of switching seem easier.
Yes, I think that they would (or at least should) offer it if the alternative was to lose customers.0 -
Exactly Jambosans.
Unless they have changed the processes very recently then you may yet recieve a call saying your request cannot be processed.
I will check with my managers when I go back on Monday though to find out the latest on it.
I'm not transferring the DD anymore - Which request do you think will not be able to be processed?0 -
No, they said it could be done. However they asked further questions, and advised it might be simpler on our part to continue to use the same account, just redesignate it.
Well that's not what you said on the original post. To quote your original post:-I telephoned Halifax to do this and was told that it was impossible to transfer Direct Debits automatically within the same bank.
You say branch told you it could be done, which as far as I am aware, is incorrect.Not according to the staff member in the branch, but that's by the by - I'm only going off what I am told by Halifax employees here.
Transfering Direct Debits from one Halifax account to another as opposed to re-designating your original Halifax account is different. No member of staff on here (I assume you mean vicki1986) has suggested contrary.Not according to previous posters in this thread.
Just to clarify, Halifax, like many other high street banks do offer a switching service when you are moving from a different bank. To my knowledge other banks would not offer an internal switching service when in most cases a simple re-designation can be done.Yes, I think that they would (or at least should) offer it if the alternative was to lose customers.
Again, I come back to a point I've made previously. Most full current accounts can simply be re-designated to another, meaning no such internal transfer service is required. There will always be exceptional circumstances (e.g. fraud) when a bank may oblige but for the majority it is simply not required. My original point about unnecessary cost to the bank also still stands.
Update: just to back up exactly what I have been trying to explain:-
Halifax - Switching Bank
If you read the footnote and I quote:-You can only use the switching service to transfer your bank account from another bank or building society to a Halifax current account.Anything I post is my opinion, so from time to time I may be wrong. I try to provide answers based in fact, however I don't know everything, so (like all posters on MSE), take what I say with a pinch of salt.0 -
I would have though the company claiming the DD's would have to be notified by the customer or else they will try to claim on the old account and not get paid. Then they would write to the customer saying your DD was not paid.0
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simon_templar wrote: »I would have though the company claiming the DD's would have to be notified by the customer or else they will try to claim on the old account and not get paid. Then they would write to the customer saying your DD was not paid.
That's part of the point I'm trying to make to the OP. Halifax offer the switching service (which involves contacting the DD Originators) to new business. This service no doubt costs them money to do and therefore would not make sense to offer it to existing business that merely wants to open a new current account for the sake of opening a new current account. Also, as I've said before, you can simply re-designate full current accounts, without the need for a new application.Anything I post is my opinion, so from time to time I may be wrong. I try to provide answers based in fact, however I don't know everything, so (like all posters on MSE), take what I say with a pinch of salt.0 -
I'm not transferring the DD anymore - Which request do you think will not be able to be processed?
Sorry, I meant the request to transfer DD's over.
I have previously agreed to do this for a customer and so has a colleague only to during the process have head office contact us saying it cannot be done and to contact the customer.
But as I said, I will check when back to work incase it has changed.0 -
That's part of the point I'm trying to make to the OP. Halifax offer the switching service (which involves contacting the DD Originators) to new business. This service no doubt costs them money to do and therefore would not make sense to offer it to existing business that merely wants to open a new current account for the sake of opening a new current account. Also, as I've said before, you can simply re-designate full current accounts, without the need for a new application.
This is largely automated and accomplished through Electronic Data Interchange. Account switching between the banks is almost entirely electronic, excluding any paper mandate that must be transferred.
Although this may be the case with Halifax, it is entirely possible to switch direct debit instructions between two accounts with the same institution without a switching team.0
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