Deceased Mothers Bank Account

rve1023

Firstly, I apologise if this is in the wrong section.

My Mother died yesterday and to enable me to close her bank account I needed to find her bank statements. I noted that she had a couple of direct debits for services she neither had nor used as far as I am aware. One is for Sky Digital, she didn't even have a television, another for TalktalkAOL is this for Broadband Services? If I can prove that she didn't use either of these services can I ask the companies for a refund to her estate?

Any information much appreciated.

Escorcio

Sorry to hear about your loss. A direct debit indemnity claim would need to be actioned, you should be able to get the funds reimbursed to the account before closure. You will need to go through the banks process on dealing with deceased customers accounts though, for you to be able to make the claim on her behalf.

Andystriker

I hope you are ok after your sad news.

I think you need to establish why your Mother subscribed to these services if she did not use them. I would think you may struggle to get money back if it was simply a case of your Mother not using the services, but she signed up to them.

However make sure you report her passing to these companies and get the services stopped now.

Escorcio

Andystriker wrote: »

I hope you are ok after your sad news.

I think you need to establish why your Mother subscribed to these services if she did not use them. I would think you may struggle to get money back if it was simply a case of your Mother not using the services, but she signed up to them.

However make sure you report her passing to these companies and get the services stopped now.

From my interpretation of the OP, it seems as though the direct debits may have been set up without his mother's permission / knowledge

rve1023

I don't think they were set up without her knowledge but she wasn't exactly 'savvy' shall we say. I am sure several years ago my husband wrote to Talktalk so tell them she no longer required their services on her landline phone and infact her landline phone was disconnected not long afterwards so there was no phoneline to provide services to. I guess I need to ring the companies concerned? I am just not up for it at the moment. My Mother was fiercely independent but sometimes she didn't understand everything.

BobQ

Escorcio wrote: »

From my interpretation of the OP, it seems as though the direct debits may have been set up without his mother's permission / knowledge

My sympathies to the original poster. Without knowing the sitation I am not sure we can assume even this.

If the OP's mother was vulnerable (eg had dementia or was easily persuaded to buy technology she did not understand) its quite possible that she willingly signed up to something many years ago which now looks odd. I have encountered this situation before where a high pressure saleperson cold calls and persuades a vulnerable person to sign on the dotted line based on misleading information - for example that the Sky Digital came with a free TV.

Believing that the DD was set up illegitimately is one thing but proving it is quite another some years on. The problem is that some firms are unscupulous and some customers never check their statements.

pcombo

I am sorry for the death but i have one criticism.

not even 24 hours after the death and your worrying about refunds from talktalk and aol etc and closing bank accounts, shouldn't you be more worried about the funeral and all that arrangement.

recoverydust

Grief and shock take people in different ways. Sorting out financial details is one way of processing and moving through.

rve1023

Pcombo, thank you for your constructive critisism. There is no funeral to be arranged but all other necessary arrangements are being taken care of by the Undertaker, who is providing a great service. I have always been practial person and I beleived rightly or wrongly that I should deal with all financial and other matters regarding my Mother as soon as possible? Hence once obtaining the Registration of Death I was able to close my Mothers bank account just over 24 hours after her death. Now it is closed I need to set about informing all the various organisations including the recipients of the direct debits from her account. And in noting the organisation recipients I am perplexed as to why she was being debited by Talk Talk and Sky Digital. If I am able to get any money back from them it would to go her estate, not me.

Recoverydust, thank you for pointing out to Pcombo that there are different forms and ways of dealing with grief. So far in just over 36 hours I have cried a river, I have slept for nearly 20 hours, I have laughed with friends about good times they had with my Mother, I have broken my walking stick in anger and I still can't beleive she is lying in the Undertakers Rest Room opposite my bedroom window. I know there are many more stages to go through but I do have a good support network.

cottager

pcombo wrote: »

I am sorry for the death but i have one criticism.
not even 24 hours after the death and your worrying about refunds from talktalk and aol etc and closing bank accounts, shouldn't you be more worried about the funeral and all that arrangement.

What a crass comment to make. Whatever your personal opinion is (and of course you're entitled to it) you could keep it to yourself instead of airing it on a public forum to someone who's just lost their mother.

recoverydust wrote: »

Grief and shock take people in different ways. Sorting out financial details is one way of processing and moving through.

Absolutely. When my mum died I believe it was something of a crutch to immediately get busy with "sorting stuff out" -- of course making the necessary funeral arrangements, but also phone calls and writing letters to those who needed to know, which involved going through her paperwork, bank statements, cheque stubs and bills to ascertain who they all were. I'm certain if I'd come across any anomalies as the OP has, I'd have been on the case too; and if an MSE had been available then I may well have asked for advice. I too was at my mum's bank the following day -- first port of call after notifying the death and getting the certificate, so a mandate I'd had on her a/c could be cancelled and the a/c frozen.

The things which took much longer to deal with were my mum's personal items, nick-nacks, clothes and suchlike -- couldn't face that, not for quite a while. But with the "business" end of it I just got stuck in. Not only necessary and practical, it also helped me through -- it felt like I was doing something useful for my mum, as well as something she'd have wanted me to do (she was always so organised!).

We all find our own way when bereaved.

RVE: every sympathy for your loss, and I know exactly where you're coming from.

phred

I'm very sorry to read about your loss.
It may be useful for you to know that direct debits will cease when you notify your late mother's bank of her death.
Also, if she left a will and you are the executor, check with her own banks etc. if they will release funds to you immediately on production of the will and death certificate.
Many have limits of about £30,000 and this may remove the requirement to obtain probate.