Card not charged - where do I stand?

nick78447

Hello,
I'm after a bit of advice from any legal types. On Saturday my wife bought a bracelet from a high street jewelry store (£140). She paid with her debit card.

Today (Tuesday) she received a letter telling her that their machine had not "connected" so the card had not been "debated" (sic). It asks her to ring on the number supplied so they can clear the matter.

The letter is on poorly photocopied paper and is riddled with spelling mistakes and awful grammar.

They know our address as she was asked at the point of sale to supply it so they could send her special offers.

In normal circumstances I'd be inclined to phone the number and settle the score but something about it just smells "fishy" to me.

Does anyone know where we stand if I just ignore the letter? If it is a kosher claim on their behalf (and we'll wait to see her bank statement before offering to pay for a second time) do they have a right to "come after us" for a mistake that is entirely their own?

Ultimately, if we were to completely ignore it, could my wife end up on some credit blacklist despite not asking for any credit?

Any advice much appreciated,
Regards,
Nick.

jennifer56

Can she not check her account online to see if the money has gone from her account?

Jennifer

nickyhutch

Why does she have to wait to see a statement? If there's a dispute, she should ring the bank or check the debit online.

dreamypuma

As the poster above mentions, check your account to verify that the payment has not been taken.

You owe the money so why do you begrudge them the payment? Have you never made a mistake? The spelling mistakes are irrelevant, they have written to you, and quite clearly got their point across.

I'm fairly confident that if they can demonstrate that they are owed this money, they have up to six years to pursue you for this payment.

HouseHuntr

nick78447 wrote: »

Hello,
I'm after a bit of advice from any legal types. On Saturday my wife bought a bracelet from a high street jewelry store (£140). She paid with her debit card.

Today (Tuesday) she received a letter telling her that their machine had not "connected" so the card had not been "debated" (sic). It asks her to ring on the number supplied so they can clear the matter.

The letter is on poorly photocopied paper and is riddled with spelling mistakes and awful grammar.

They know our address as she was asked at the point of sale to supply it so they could send her special offers.

In normal circumstances I'd be inclined to phone the number and settle the score but something about it just smells "fishy" to me.

Does anyone know where we stand if I just ignore the letter? If it is a kosher claim on their behalf (and we'll wait to see her bank statement before offering to pay for a second time) do they have a right to "come after us" for a mistake that is entirely their own?

Ultimately, if we were to completely ignore it, could my wife end up on some credit blacklist despite not asking for any credit?

Any advice much appreciated,
Regards,
Nick.

Legal types, how about anyone with ANY common sense which is what you seem to be lacking!
The above suggestions tell you all you need to know, strange how you or your wife couldn't think of that between you?

Doesn't all ring true to me!

gnaril

You owe the money, end of the day and yes they can chase you for it.

Im suprised the didnt just send the info to your bank and get them to process it as "Good Faith".


No there is no way you can dodge getting out of paying again. They can pursue you for this amount via any means open to them, depending on how difficult you want to make it. Which yes could ultimately result in adverse credit rating, ccj- all depends how far you are willing to go.

Sorry if you are not posting here to try find a way to get out of paying, however half the idiots posting the same scenario are looking for a get out.

All the best

GemJar_2

I'd be ringing my bank to check my details hadn't been stolen to be honest, or going back to the store to see if they can tell you if the letter is genuine or not. As far as I know, anything bought on your card over £50 gets checked with the bank anyway and needs their permission and the machine connects with the bank (when you get the authentication code that shows up on the machine display), I just can't see how you got a receipt without it?

nick78447

HouseHuntr wrote: »

Legal types, how about anyone with ANY common sense which is what you seem to be lacking!
The above suggestions tell you all you need to know, strange how you or your wife couldn't think of that between you?

Doesn't all ring true to me!

If you read my post I do say I'm happy to pay once I'm satisfied the money hasn't already been taken.

My wife does not have an online account.

Believe me, if you had this wonkily photocopied letter containing quite awful spelling and grammar (not unlike certain junk e-mails one receives) you'd be asking questions too.

Thanks for your help.

nick78447

GemJar wrote: »

I'd be ringing my bank to check my details hadn't been stolen to be honest, or going back to the store to see if they can tell you if the letter is genuine or not. As far as I know, anything bought on your card over £50 gets checked with the bank anyway and needs their permission and the machine connects with the bank (when you get the authentication code that shows up on the machine display), I just can't see how you got a receipt without it?

You final sentence has just nailed the thing that's been bugging me but that I've been unable to put my finger on - we have a receipt that was only printed off once the sale had been approved.

I just have visions of phoning a number which will no doubt say the name of the store when they answer then handing over card details to god knows who.

nickyhutch

Just ring the bank and ask. Simples.

Jo_F

Can you not google the shop details, or look in Yellow pages, or even see if there is a phone number on the receipt and call the store?

You can also phone the bank and check to see if the payment has been made, as there will be all the details on the receipt, like time, date, transaction number and authorisation code.