Over charging Query!!!

beej71

Hi

Just wondering if anyone can offer any advice....

My girlfriend opened her Orange mobile bill today to see that she had been charged £496 for the month!!! We immediately rang Orange who apologised and said that it was a system error and that the bill should be £35 as usual. No problem we thought until they said that we wouldn't get the money refunded for 30 days!!!! They said we would need to get an indemnity from our bank and then it will be 30 days from when that is processed. Just wondering if anyone else thought this is unacceptable? I complained and protested that my girlfriend is unable to pay her rent now for this month which I'll have cover and we now can't afford to go to a wedding later this month, but they said there was nothing they could do.

I'm amazed at how unsympathetic they are when it is clearly their mistake and they have admitted it. Any advice greatly received. Thank you very much in advance.

Ben

grumbler

http://www.thesmartwaytopay.co.uk/directdebitexplained/pages/directdebitguarantee.aspx

If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.

Call your bank, quote this and ask for the immediate refund.
After getting the refund call Orange and pay the correct amount.

Buzby

There's no need for an indemnity, if you haven't paid. If you had a Direct Debit, then welcome to the lie that is the DD 'Guarantee'. It is simply not worth giving a third party access to your bank account, as they can empty it on a whim, and return it at their convenience.

Systems errors don;t pay the rent, and if the money is gone, you;ll be amazed at the lack of sympathy by other creditors, especially those who could do exactly the same themselves.

You are NOT entitled to compensation as a matter of right, and if they give anyting to you for the inconvenience, it will be a 'goodwill' gesture, assuming one is made at all.

DD = Recipe for disaster, and if you work out how little extra you will have paid to keep things under your total control, will see how valuable that is. I'm sympatetic, but DD's are always a bad move, as consumers lose control.

beej71

Thank you very much for the prompt reply. I thought there may have been some element of a refund as part of the direct debit scheme. I just wasn't sure if the bank would accept that it is Orange's mistake. But that has proved that Orange are talking rubbish with their 30 day nonsense. Thank you very much again, much obliged

Ben

beej71

And thank you Buzby, wise words, this has definitely made me think more about blindly signing up for DD's in the future

grumbler

Buzby wrote: »

...welcome to the lie that is the DD 'Guarantee'. ....

What exactly is the lie?
I had to use it twice in my life and both times I've got the immediate refund.
The 'guarantee' itself is not a lie.
If, say, some person doesn't obey some law this doesn't make this law a 'lie'.

wantmemoney

off topic slightly

Buzby wrote:

It is simply not worth giving a third party access to your bank account,

aree absolutely..and especially in respect of the Mobile Networks.

People should realise that when you give your Network access to your bank account you are also giving every third party company they have billing agreements with access to your bank account.

back on topic