Lombard Direct

alibat_2

About 10 days ago, I phoned LD to get and pay for a settlement figure. I was assurred that that was it, that they would cancel my DD and that would be the end of it. Imagine my horror when checking my bankl account to find it was significantly less than I expected. Turns out that a couple of days ago they took their normal monthly payment of nearly £400 :mad:.

So I phoned them up. I have to say that in the past I have always had good customer service so I was a bit shocked about this.
The guy who answered offered no apology, said that yes, it had been done by mistake etc. But the worst of it was, being told that I would have to wait the best part of two weeks to get my money refunded. When I asked why it would take so long, he mumbled something about no one being around from that dept for a few days and then said I would be sent a cheque despite them having my bank details to make a direct transfer (which I then insisted on). I wonder if I would have been given as much grace if I'd missed a payment to them.

What makes me especially mad is that I have an incorrect late payment mark on my credit file from about 12 months ago which they haven't yet removed (they keep passing the buck). I changed jobs and as a result the date I got paid changed by a week. They were happy to change the date, I even made two payments that month which was a real strech to avoid a late payment (the earlier one by debit card). So I'm not happy.
Ok, rant over, thanks for reading. Anything I can do?

BenL

You could contact your bank an request a Direct Debit Indemnity be raised for reason "amount not due".

Your bank should put the amount back into your bank account within 24/48 hours and they will take over the chasing of Lombard to get their money back.

Next time to be on the safe side cancel the DD with your bank as well after making the settlement.

BenL

http://www.bacs.co.uk/Bacs/Consumers/DirectDebit/Pages/DirectDebitGuarantee.aspx

The Direct Debit Guarantee

• The Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.
• If there are any change to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit the organisation will notify you (normally 10 working days) in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request the organisation to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request
• 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
  • If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when the organisation asks you to
• You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify the organisation.