THEFT of money from my bank account, Natwest refuses to help me

PTRACER

I purchased a product from a company in January 2009 and the only method of payment was debit card over the phone.

In February this year, they took an unauthorised payment from my account of £117.50.

I called them a number of times and they promised to "get back to me" every time, when they never did. Now they won't answer the phone at all!! Looks like they've done a runner. :mad:

I've spoken to Natwest bank who say they can't reverse the charge and palmed me off to Trading Standards. All Trading Standards could recommend was contacting them, which is what I had been trying to do for over a week!

So I called Natwest back to speak to someone else and explained it had been stolen from my account. Then they put me through to Fraud who said they payment WAS authorised because I gave them my card details and palmed me off to Trading Standards again!!!!

At the moment, I'm at a loss of what to do, only the bank can reserve the charge, the British legal system is f****** useless because I've already lost over £500 to another company in a similar way and took them to court. The court happily took my fees and to this day, I still haven't got my £500 back!!!

Why is this country so bloody useless when it comes to fraud? The criminals are totally protected and us consumers aren't! Maybe I'm in the wrong business.

Can anyone advise what action to take? Is it worth calling the police?

someone

You could always change to a bank that uses VISA debit cards, they have a charge back system that's very smiler to the protection you get from credit cards.

cifpower

NatWest issue Visa and have for some months

PTRACER

Yeah, I've cancelled my Maestro and ordered a VISA Debit. This company could have easily cleared my account and I'm sure they still would have got away with it.

What I want to know though, is if I can get the money back. It's from my business account and I am a very, very honest person when it comes to charging my customers. For someone to just steal my money like that and run off with it...says a lot for the human race really doesn't it?

Paul_Herring

Sounds like it was a continuous payment authority, in which case, handing over your debit card number last year *was* your authorisation, albeit without you realising apparently. i.e. they haven't 'stolen' anything (at least not as far as your bank and trading standards are concerned.)

If so, it looks like you won't be getting your money back without co-operation of the original company, and they're likely to make the same charge again next year.

cottager

PTRACER wrote: »

Yeah, I've cancelled my Maestro and ordered a VISA Debit.

As P_H has said, I was also thinking this could be a recurring payment. It's been reported/discussed on other threads that cancelling/replacing a debit card does not 'kill' the continuous payment authority. If the company concerned claims an amount again in the future, the bank is obliged to pay it (you have previously given your authorisation, even though the card has subsequently been cancelled), which is why cancelling the payment with the company taking it is the way to go.

premierfella

If it is a continuous payment authority (which seems 99% certain given the timing of the second debit and the bank's response to your dispute), it would be in your best interests to write a letter to both the company, copied to the bank, stating your position and following up with the bank to get something in writing to say they have received the letter.

This doesn't help with the recent debit from your account if the company is an unscrupulous one, but would put you in a stronger position with the bank if the company claims another payment next year.

olly300

premierfella wrote: »

If it is a continuous payment authority (which seems 99% certain given the timing of the second debit and the bank's response to your dispute), it would be in your best interests to write a letter to both the company, copied to the bank, stating your position and following up with the bank to get something in writing to say they have received the letter.

Send all your letters to the company recorded delivery.

Also PTRACER if you say who the company is someone else may of have had similar dealings with them so can help you.

PTRACER

The company involved aren't answering their phone calls. We called an office on the floor below and they went up to check for us, they said there isn't anyone there, they've cleared out. Writing a letter won't help because no one will be there to receive it, this is clearly theft.

I gave them my debit card details to pay for a product a year ago. They must have retained my card details and manually entered them into a card machine to help themselves to the cash in my bank account.

Surely there is something I can do, they could have easily cleared out the money I have in my business account! Trust me, there was no annual payment or anything, it was a one off payment.

Paul_Herring

Complain to your bank about fraudulant use of your card details then. Rebuff any suggestion that you go to the vendor to sort it out.

If you get no satisfaction doing it verbally, exhaust the bank's complaint route in writing, then make a complaint to the FOS

PNPSUKNET

why have you not contacted the police as yet?