Is this my fault?

smartpicture

exel1966 wrote: »

1. The card company is not responsible for late arrival of the post/your statement. Just about every card company has online facilities so for that there is no excuse.

But I never use the online facilities because as far as I was aware, it wasn't necessary as I had a direct debit set up to pay off the full amount. I always look at the statement when it comes.

exel1966 wrote: »

I fail to understand how a new card could possibly cancel the original DD as the account has not changed, only the card number has. If the company have cancelled the DD then you could argue that they should have advised you at the time of notifying the card as being lost/stolen.

The direct debit wasn't cancelled, the money left my account and appeared on my statement, but was then reversed - whether by the bank or the storecard people I don't know. On the phone to the storecard company, they told me it was because the reference number on the direct debit was wrong as my card had been replaced. However, they never mentioned any issues with the direct debit when I rang to report the card lost or stolen.

exel1966 wrote: »

How do you know for sure a missed payment marker has been put on your credit file so soon ? Late payments are not usually recorded (apart from 2 companies I know), only missed payments are so you could easily make a manual payment before the next statement cycle, therefore avoiding those markers.

I haven't seen my credit file yet, I'm going by what they told me on the phone. They both refunded my late payment fee without a problem, but when I asked whether it would affect my credit report they said yes it would, and there was nothing they could do about that. I paid both of the amounts in full as soon as I became aware of the problem, one was before the next statement date (as they rang me) and the other was as I soon as I got the next statement, which was the first time I became aware there was a problem. So are you saying only the second one would show up on my credit file?

catieeb06

I've never known of a DD finishing because a card has been blocked and the new reference number etc etc...

And also, a DD should just carry on until it was cancelled by yourself or the company.

Challenge them both is my advice, if you get no where with the CSA's then go down the formal complaint route.

Money_Grabber13579

DD's do expire after 13 months of no use.

The dormancy period rule (13 months) was introduced as a safeguard to the Direct Debit Scheme to protect payers from Direct Debit Instructions being live on their account indefinitely. So if you should forget to cancel a Direct Debit it will be removed from the banks' system after the dormancy period has lapsed.

Jemma-T

smartpicture wrote:

Is this my fault?

Yes.

At least it's not the fault of the people who you broke your contract with. They have staff to pay for.

If your bank caused the problem then ask them to sort it. Either way you should go online EVERY time a payment is due/paid. Takes a few mins at the most.

Robert_Sterling

smartpicture wrote: »

I was told that ALL direct debit mandates expire by law after 12 months if they have not been used in that 12 months period, and you have to sign a new agreement.

Who were you told by?

CLAPTON

Robert_Sterling wrote: »

Who were you told by?

its well known that there is a dormancy period of 13 months so that if a DD is unused for that period then the DD instruction is deleted.

e.g.
http://www.bacs.co.uk/Bacs/Businesses/BacsAcademy/UsingDirectDebit/Pages/Glossary.aspx

aliasojo

smartpicture wrote: »

1. With the first card, I got a phone call saying that my payment was overdue, and I'd been charged a late payment fee as a result. It turned out to be because I'd recently reported the card as lost or stolen and they'd agreed to send me a new one, which meant the direct debit was rejected because I had a new card number. Also, because the Christmas post was delayed, my statement and the new card (with a warning to check my direct debit) didn't arrive until after the phone-call, when it was too late to do anything about it.

2. With the second card, I hadn't used it for 13 months, and apparently the direct debit mandate runs out after 12 months so no payment was taken - yet I wasn't warned about this, so I just believed it was all covered by the direct debit.

I've been in the same situation as point 1. The company concerned automatically set up a new d/d for the new card. I personally wouldn't have known this needed done.

I would definitely push this further. My feeling is that it was an oversight on the companies part but getting them to admit that will be the hard bit. I'd go at it from the 'goodwill' angle at first, I think. If they wont play ball then go above them with your complaint.

As for point 2, I knew about this simply because I've had letters in the past telling me that the d/d was about to expire and if I wanted to set up a new one, I needed to contact them.

I would also try for the goodwill angle on this, nothing ventured nothing gained.

aliasojo

catieeb06 wrote: »

I've never known of a DD finishing because a card has been blocked and the new reference number etc etc...

And also, a DD should just carry on until it was cancelled by yourself or the company.

Challenge them both is my advice, if you get no where with the CSA's then go down the formal complaint route.

It's only an active d/d that carries on...that doesn't apply to a dormant one. (My own bank told me that.)

testertrev

smartpicture wrote: »

On the phone to the storecard company, they told me it was because the reference number on the direct debit was wrong as my card had been replaced.

Sounds like it's a continuous card authority not a true direct debit, which would cause the problem described.

vet8

My Egg card had to be changed twice in about 18 months due to online fraud and each time the DD carried on successfully without me having to change anything.

Jemma T, your comments are not very helpful. He did not break his contract with anyone, he had a DD set up as all the smug people on this board keep advising and it screwed up. As all the holier-than-thou posters keep saying, you cannot go wrong with a DD, it is up to the credit card company to take the money and not your fault. I have read that 1000 times and yet it clearly is not true.