£35 Bank charge and not my Fault What can I Do please?

AlecOfChaos

Ok I took out a subscription for a magazine, I set up Direct debit sat back and enjoyed my magazine.

However, I got a letter telling me that they would take a payment out from my bank a day before I got paid so I contacted them and told them not to, at least four days before the payment, as I didn't have enough funds to clear the payment.

They didn't reply so I sent another email and again didn't get a reply. Anyway the payment was taken so I incurred a £35 bank charge so I contacted my bank and explained the situation.

They told me to contact the company Hachette who sell Ultimate Graphic Novel Collection and tell them that they have to reimburse me as I contacted them.

I have contacted Hatchette and had some generic emails and have been told that they don't offer a standing order??? I don't understand, because they want my business and yet the customer service and communication has been awful. Yet now I still have to pay a £35 bank charge next month.

Does anyone have any advice... please.

Stupid_Question

Have you actually spoken to them? I don't think they'd take payment instruction over email.

Your bank are correct, you need to speak to the magazine.

A standing order is different to a direct debit.

lippy1923

How much are we talking here? I can't see a magazine subscription being that taxing.
Perhaps you need to re-evaluate your financial situation if you are struggling at the end of each month and cancel the subscription until you have sufficient savings to cover yourself. Try posting an SOA on the debt free board.

Maybe apply for a small (£50) overdraft if your credit score is good enough to stop things like this happening in the future.

magpiecottage

If you instructed the originator (the firm taking the payment) not to take it on the day it wanted to then it is an unauthorised debit.

Go back to the bank and remind them that FSA rule BCOBS 5.1.11(2) says

"Where a payment from a banking customer's account was not authorised by the banking customer, a firm must, within a reasonable period, refund the amount of the unauthorised payment to the banking customer and, where applicable, restore the banking customer's account to the state it would have been in had the unauthorised payment not taken place."

bengal-stripe

magpiecottage wrote: »

If you instructed the originator (the firm taking the payment) not to take it on the day it wanted to then it is an unauthorised debit.

Obviously the DD, date and amount, got advised as required at least 10 days in advance. That does makes it an 'authorised' DD.

Subsequently the OP discovered s/he would not have sufficient funds in the account and asked for the date to be changed. If the DD originator is not willing, or is not able to comply with the request, that does not make the authorized DD an 'unauthorized' one. (For all we know, the DD might have been on it's way and could not be recalled, or the magazine was not willing to give the OP additional credit.)

The OP could have taken care, the monies were available, or, failing that, could have cancelled the DD with his/her bank.

david39

The OP should have cancelled the DD with her bank, which would have had almost immediate effect. She could have then spoken with the magazine supplier regarding future transactions and then re-instated the DD when applicable.