We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
Barclays account, fraudulent transaction.
LadySalster
Posts: 5 Forumite
Good afternoon fellow money savers!
I need some help and advice, I'm new here, so please go easy on me
I'll try to keep this as short and sweet as possible, however, it is rather a long story, and I'm unsure what to do now, I'm at the end of my tether.
November 2008, I purchased 3 separate items from bid up/price drop TV, none of the individual items were more than £50, and were paid for from my debit card, current account with Barclays. At the end of December 2008, a transaction took place, which I've now found out was bid up/price drop TV, for £99.99. As soon as I realised this money was missing, a couple of days later, I lodged a fraudulent transaction complaint with Barclays, 3 weeks later they refunded the £99.99 into my back account and sent a letter explaining what they had done and they would be in touch withing 12 weeks if the other party came back with evidence of a transaction.
I heard nothing more until I returned from holiday on 20th March 2009, Barclays had written with "proof" from the other party, giving me 7 days to respond, they'd sent this letter the first day of my holiday, I was away two weeks, I called them the night of my return when I was opening my mail, by then I'd already done shopping etc, paid out of my bank, and Barclays had already taken the money out of my bank, sending me over my overdraft, and this is when the problems began, because they started charging me for every transaction, every bill paid etc.
I wrote to them the following day, explained the transaction they had proof for was for a pair of PJ's bought and paid for in nov, and they were about £25, not £99.99. And the proof was incorrect etc. I called several days later, charges mounting up, they had recieved my letter but were entitled to 28 days to reply. I waited. Nothing. 6 weeks later I'd opened a new account with alliance and leicester, transferred my wages and payments over, as nothing was paid by barclays by this point, all my wages were being sucked up in charges and sending me back over my overdraft again etc, and I was getting behind with everything and being charged by everyone!! So I slowly started getting back on track with everyone else and I'd still heard nothing from Barclays. I work all the hours Barclays are open except I finish early Fridays, so from 4pm for 3 weeks running I was down at the branch asking for help to resolve the matter, all I got from the staff in branch was that it was "an out of branch mater" and they shoved my on a phone in a back room, on hold I might add, until they kicked me out the branch at 5.20pm each time.
So by now I was starting to get back on track, and to go off the story a little bit, my father had a heart attack and a stroke, needless to say, everything went out of the window and he was my main priority, so for several months the matter was ignored. November 2009 I started getting about 8 calls a day at work from a company called credit solutions ltd, I spoke to them on several occasions and told them I was in dispute with barclays over a fraudulent transaction and I would get in touch with them when I heard something, apparently by now my Barclays account had been closed and they'd take over the debt, which had now mounted to £960, from my original £250 overdraft, in charges.
I called Barclays again, still no luck, now they couldn't look into my account as it was closed. So this takes us to December 2009, letter coming through from credit solutions ltd, they're going to take me to court as they'd heard nothing from me, despite me speaking to them when they called, calling after almost every letter they sent and putting it all in writing. I wrote again, then had a letter threatening bailiffs. So I gathered all the paperwork up and went into branch at the beginning of January, virtually in tears asking for some help.
A lady in branch took it on, after a few phone calls back and forth, now I have a payment plan set up with credit solutions until april, to pay £30 a month while barclays look into the matter. The lady has called me today saying Barclays found in favour of the other company and don't find that it was a fraudulent transaction. Even though they have not let me know this until now. The lady at the branch said in the answer phone message then if I'm not happy with this I need to put it in writing to the bank.
Well I'm not happy with it, it IS a fraudulent transaction, and frankly I'm fed up to the back teeth of trying to sort it out. I'm in one huge mess now and don't know what to do. I can't afford to pay them £960 back, and don't see why I should. They should be refunding me the charges plus all the charges I had from everone else, in my opinion obviously.
I'd really appreciate peoples help, advice and comments on this. I may be a while replying though, work etc.
I need some help and advice, I'm new here, so please go easy on me
I'll try to keep this as short and sweet as possible, however, it is rather a long story, and I'm unsure what to do now, I'm at the end of my tether.
November 2008, I purchased 3 separate items from bid up/price drop TV, none of the individual items were more than £50, and were paid for from my debit card, current account with Barclays. At the end of December 2008, a transaction took place, which I've now found out was bid up/price drop TV, for £99.99. As soon as I realised this money was missing, a couple of days later, I lodged a fraudulent transaction complaint with Barclays, 3 weeks later they refunded the £99.99 into my back account and sent a letter explaining what they had done and they would be in touch withing 12 weeks if the other party came back with evidence of a transaction.
I heard nothing more until I returned from holiday on 20th March 2009, Barclays had written with "proof" from the other party, giving me 7 days to respond, they'd sent this letter the first day of my holiday, I was away two weeks, I called them the night of my return when I was opening my mail, by then I'd already done shopping etc, paid out of my bank, and Barclays had already taken the money out of my bank, sending me over my overdraft, and this is when the problems began, because they started charging me for every transaction, every bill paid etc.
I wrote to them the following day, explained the transaction they had proof for was for a pair of PJ's bought and paid for in nov, and they were about £25, not £99.99. And the proof was incorrect etc. I called several days later, charges mounting up, they had recieved my letter but were entitled to 28 days to reply. I waited. Nothing. 6 weeks later I'd opened a new account with alliance and leicester, transferred my wages and payments over, as nothing was paid by barclays by this point, all my wages were being sucked up in charges and sending me back over my overdraft again etc, and I was getting behind with everything and being charged by everyone!! So I slowly started getting back on track with everyone else and I'd still heard nothing from Barclays. I work all the hours Barclays are open except I finish early Fridays, so from 4pm for 3 weeks running I was down at the branch asking for help to resolve the matter, all I got from the staff in branch was that it was "an out of branch mater" and they shoved my on a phone in a back room, on hold I might add, until they kicked me out the branch at 5.20pm each time.
So by now I was starting to get back on track, and to go off the story a little bit, my father had a heart attack and a stroke, needless to say, everything went out of the window and he was my main priority, so for several months the matter was ignored. November 2009 I started getting about 8 calls a day at work from a company called credit solutions ltd, I spoke to them on several occasions and told them I was in dispute with barclays over a fraudulent transaction and I would get in touch with them when I heard something, apparently by now my Barclays account had been closed and they'd take over the debt, which had now mounted to £960, from my original £250 overdraft, in charges.
I called Barclays again, still no luck, now they couldn't look into my account as it was closed. So this takes us to December 2009, letter coming through from credit solutions ltd, they're going to take me to court as they'd heard nothing from me, despite me speaking to them when they called, calling after almost every letter they sent and putting it all in writing. I wrote again, then had a letter threatening bailiffs. So I gathered all the paperwork up and went into branch at the beginning of January, virtually in tears asking for some help.
A lady in branch took it on, after a few phone calls back and forth, now I have a payment plan set up with credit solutions until april, to pay £30 a month while barclays look into the matter. The lady has called me today saying Barclays found in favour of the other company and don't find that it was a fraudulent transaction. Even though they have not let me know this until now. The lady at the branch said in the answer phone message then if I'm not happy with this I need to put it in writing to the bank.
Well I'm not happy with it, it IS a fraudulent transaction, and frankly I'm fed up to the back teeth of trying to sort it out. I'm in one huge mess now and don't know what to do. I can't afford to pay them £960 back, and don't see why I should. They should be refunding me the charges plus all the charges I had from everone else, in my opinion obviously.
I'd really appreciate peoples help, advice and comments on this. I may be a while replying though, work etc.
0
Comments
-
When you bought the goods from Price Drop did you enter a free trial for the Big Savings club?
They usually sign people up and then debit them for £99.99 once the free months trial is up, and they are active on a few auction sites.
They do offer refunds if you cancel but it looks like its gone too far for that now.
Are you able to check back via statement etc to see who the debit was to?
I am really sorry to hear of your problems regarding this.
With fraud transactions the banks charge back the retailers to claim the funds back. if the retailers represent the transactions as being genuine then then the banks have to comply and redebit the customer. Looks like this is what happened in your case.
I know its no consolation but this should have been explained to you at the time.
I am not sure what recourse you may have now after all this time but i am sure there are others here who may be able to help with that.
Good luck with it.(c) Broke in Yorkshire. ( there are worse places )
Those that matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter!0 -
I remember them asking if I wanted to enter into it and I declined each time! My mum took them up on the offer before and sent the big savings club things back. I didn't receive anything from them. But I do think that's what it was. Hence why I believe its a fraudulent transaction, they've charged me for services which I did not want or agree too and which they didn't even provide!
Its sad its turned out like this, its ruined my credit now, I'm just going to have to put it in writing and go to the bank on friday I guess... see what else they can do? I was hoping for some more advice though.... oh well.
Thanks for your comments 0 -
LadySalster wrote: »Its sad its turned out like this, its ruined my credit now, I'm just going to have to put it in writing and go to the bank on friday I guess... see what else they can do? I was hoping for some more advice though.... oh well.
What have Bid TV said? You should really be disputing this with them now. Barclays have raised a dispute against the transaction (it's not classed as fraud as you willingly provided card information to this merchant), and have found in the merchant's favour. It's really a dispute between yourself and Bid TV, and Barclays have "proof" from Bid TV, and merely your word for it. You can't expect them do to anymore.
I would contact Bid TV, and Consumer Direct or Citizens Advice Bureau, for advice.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 the bank said as It was in dispute I couldn't contact Bid TV. So now I should get in touch with them?
Well I don't think its really right that they've taken payment for a totally different product, its like me going to Asda and paying for my shopping, then them using my card details to buy a telly I didn't want or ask for? Surely?
Sorry if I seem a bit "dumb" on all this, its never happened to me before, and I thought I'd be more protected through the bank. The proof Bid TV provided to my bank was for a totally different transaction. It said nothing about this big savings club, it was just a photo copy of my pj order with no price or anything on it.
So my next step should be to contact Bid TV?0 -
LadySalster wrote: »Well the bank said as It was in dispute I couldn't contact Bid TV. So now I should get in touch with them?
An odd bit of advice, although I assume it was given on the basis that you should allow their process to run it's course. Still, there's been nothing stopping you from contacting Bid TV, so yes, I would get in contact with them. After all, your in dispute with Bid TV not Barclays.LadySalster wrote: »Well I don't think its really right that they've taken payment for a totally different product, its like me going to Asda and paying for my shopping, then them using my card details to buy a telly I didn't want or ask for? Surely?
Of course it's not right, but the merchant should always be your first point of contact. Similar example, if I spent £50 on Amazon.co.uk, and £50 and £40 debited, my first contact would be with Amazon. The bank are merely an intermediary facilitating the payment.
Bid TV hold your card information (as I assume you have an account with them), therefore they are the first port of call.LadySalster wrote: »Sorry if I seem a bit "dumb" on all this, its never happened to me before, and I thought I'd be more protected through the bank.
You are protected, to an extent, however this issue boils down to the fact that you've had dealings with Bid TV, they have your card information, therefore it's not the banks job to second guess any transactions as fraudulent.LadySalster wrote: »So my next step should be to contact Bid TV?
Yes.
It's a difference of opinion really. If I see a transaction from a known merchant (that I use), I don't immediately think "fraud!" and phone the bank. I think, there's been a mistake, and contact the merchant.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
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 352.5K Banking & Borrowing
- 253.7K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 454.4K Spending & Discounts
- 245.5K Work, Benefits & Business
- 601.4K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 177.6K Life & Family
- 259.4K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards