Charged but not happy, any ideas?

scrubmuncher

I recently wanted to Skip a payment on a standing order. The month before I had set up the standing order, but there had been a little confusion with my income this month and so I arranged to skip a month, but that's besides the point.
The point is I used the 'skip a payment' option from the online service. It is a simple process, a couple of drop down menus and a clarification box to click, and bobs your uncle. Then last week I get an email telling me I didn't clear the payment by and so I was going to be charged. I wrote back and told them, then they've wrote back and told me they have no records of this command and the charge would go through.
I've written back and said something is not right here, to know the 'skip a payment' option even exists you have to be looking for it and I am sincere in my efforts to avoid the charge. I have said as I question the online function of the command now if I shall ever need to do this in the future I will make the online command and then physically phone to be sure it is recognized and avoid any other mishaps.
I've been charged before and accept when I've been an idiot and just overspent, but on this occasion it boils my blood to think of a charge so high for 'one pound thirty', purely on the grounds that I remember making the entire request/command online.
But in reality how far can you get with Nationwide if they turn and say 'we have no records of this'. Is there anything I can suggest to get this reversed?

opinions4u

Stop writing and pick up the phone.

Explain that you pressed the buttons and for some reason the instrction doesn't appear to have picked up.

Be nice and you'll probably get a result.

YorkshireBoy

Did you comply with any necessary timescales, ie must cancel/skip at least x days before?

If all else fails, 'formalise' matters...

http://www.nationwide.co.uk/contact_us/making_a_complaint/making_a_complaint.htm

jalexa

scrubmuncher wrote: »

But in reality how far can you get with Nationwide if they turn and say 'we have no records of this'.

That is a likely excuse every time something doesn't work. It is possible to be true but also irrelevant. The real issue is "why". Learn to take a screen print of every critical online instruction.

As has been suggested 'formalise' as a complaint if you are satisfied you did everything right.

joedenise

I've just had a similar problem with Nationwide on-line banking.

I transferred £X into my e-plus savings account and for some unknown reason it has been transferred to my Credit Card account - on which I currently owe nothing. Having phoned them this morning I have been informed that it can't be transferred back to my current account for 3 working days. They are now sitting on this amount and I'm losing interest. It just seems so unfair.

Denise

scrubmuncher

I have made it a formal complaint now, I also have written to the same person who I have had lots of contact with while transferring money abroad and being charged unfairly, of which they realised and refunded. I think if I do not get a positive reply then I will have to find something, it is not even the quantity of money really, it is purely principal that I made the action and it didn't go through.
I must have made it in time as if it hadn't then this month would have been effected, and all is fine. So looks like a glitch in the system somewhere.

noh

scrubmuncher wrote: »

........................
I have said as I question the online function of the command now if I shall ever need to do this in the future I will make the online command and then physically phone to be sure it is recognized and avoid any other mishaps.........................

There is no need to phone. You can simply look at the payments due in the next 2 months. If the skip request has been successful then the payment status will be listed as skipped.
In fact this is the list you look at and then use the drop down next to the payment to select "skip this payment"
When you did this was the payment status then listed as "skipped"?