HQHair.com using my card without my authorisation

suzkat

Hi there!

I've had a problem with HQHair.com and I just wondered if anyone could give me some advice.

A month ago I placed an order on HQHair using my debit card. The website asked me to enter my password on the "verified by visa" page before confirming the order. I received the item next day and was very happy.

A week ago I had a balance on my paypal account and knowing that HQHair accepts paypal I decided to use it. I only have a credit card stored on paypal, nothing else as I don't ever put debit card details on there. I placed the order selecting paypal and had an email confirmation saying that payment had been paid by paypal.
However, the next day I had an email saying that my payment had not been authorised by paypal and I was to contact customer services. Literally one minute after that email I had another one saying "order complete and dispatched" and "payment taken by card".

I called the customer service line to query this as I had never entered my card details and was told that the payment had definitely been taken by paypal. The advisor stressed that it definitely hadn't been taken by debit card because they weren't allowed to do that.

Two days later I checked my online banking and sure enough, the payment had been taken from my debit card (the one I used a month ago) and brought me over my limit. I was also told by the bank that this would incur a £56 overlimit and payment failure charge. I called the company, who at first told me that it "definitely" wouldn't have been taken from my card, but when they checked the number found that it had been taken in error. I also forwarded screenshots of my paypal and online banking to them for more proof.

My problem is that I'm a student and having a £56 charge plus the £31 that I'd originally intended to come from a paypal balance, has put me under so much stress. I work 14 hours a week, so this is a lot of money to me and I can't afford it during my exams. The person I spoke to at the website has now finally got back to me 6 days after I phoned them to say that they will refund me these charges only when I show them a bank statement. My statements are produced on the 24th of each month and the bank are saying it'll cost me £10 for one to be sent out now, which I really can't afford as right now I'm sitting at negative already with these charges and they have proof from my paypal and my online banking screenshots that it was their error.

I know this seems really petty as it's not a lot of money, but to me it is and I've got other things I have to pay in about a week which I'll get more late charges for if I can't. I'm so upset at all this and just wondered if there was anyone who knew anything else that I could do? It's a really popular website and I just don't know how they could mess up like this.

frivolous_fay

Talk nicely to your bank and ask them to extend your overdraft by £100. Better that than incur charges.

I had to do this a lot as a student...

Or you could return the order and get a refund. Or print out the transactions from your online banking - worth a go?

pmduk

I'd be asking your bank some pointed questions about how the transaction was authorised without the verified by visa process being completed.