CO-OP Bill payments disappear BUT STILL THERE

thenudeone

Here's one to watch for if you use co-op or smile.

I use smile (part of co-op bank), and I set up a "Bill payment" to another co-op account online at the weekend.

I got the usual acknowledgement screen.

I then clicked the link to the payment enquiry screen which is supposed to show the payment status of all payments made in the last 7 days (ranging from - "will credit within 2 hours" to " unable to send faster - will credit in 3 days").
The payment wasn't there.
Neither had the payment appeared as a transaction on my recent transactions.

Confused, I rang Customer Services, who checked the system and confirmed that there was no pending payment.

I was just about to setup another payment when on a hunch, I clicked the "stop" button on the bill payments screen, (used to stop a pending payment) just to see if it was there. There was my unprocessed payment:eek:

Another conversation with Customer Services later, it appears that transfers to other co-op accounts made using the "Bill Payments" function at the weekend ARE NOT made until the following Monday, and they don't appear on the recent transactions or the payment enquiry screen either! Only payments made using the "Funds Transfer" function (i.e. without a reference number being passed through the system) are actioned immediately.

I have made a complaint because I could easily have paid a third party a four figure sum twice, based on the incorrect reassurances from them.

One to be aware of.