Direct Debit Guarantee.

carlos1973

I have had a nightmare with my mobile provider changing my DD and messing me around. My bank has refunded the past 2 DD's but do I have to still pay the originator.


It started when my September bill was not taken from my account on the due date. I checked with my bank and the DDI had been cancelled by Vodafone and a new DDI created, without my consent. The next day Vodafone took payment through the unauthorised DDI, my bank refunded this as everything had been changed without my permission and my bank told me that they would cancel the DDI. I informed Vodafone that the DDI had been cancelled and asked them to send me a new DDI Mandate to complete.
This month I noticed that Vodafone was attempting to draw on the DDI again, but for twice the amount. This was even after them telling me that the amount was £xx.xx due to be taken on the xxth. Both the amount and the date was wrong, the Bank had not cancelled the DDI as stated and the payment went through. This led to my account going over it's limit and me being unable to use my card for the day leaving me hungry and broke!
I've managed to get the payment refunded again but I don't know if the originator will now try to take 3 months payment in October? If they do then surely they should offer some form of compensation / goodwill gesture? Any advice would be appreciated before going back to my bank / Vodafone.

CLAPTON

carlos1973 wrote: »

I have had a nightmare with my mobile provider changing my DD and messing me around. My bank has refunded the past 2 DD's but do I have to still pay the originator.


It started when my September bill was not taken from my account on the due date. I checked with my bank and the DDI had been cancelled by Vodafone and a new DDI created, without my consent. The next day Vodafone took payment through the unauthorised DDI, my bank refunded this as everything had been changed without my permission and my bank told me that they would cancel the DDI. I informed Vodafone that the DDI had been cancelled and asked them to send me a new DDI Mandate to complete.
This month I noticed that Vodafone was attempting to draw on the DDI again, but for twice the amount. This was even after them telling me that the amount was £xx.xx due to be taken on the xxth. Both the amount and the date was wrong, the Bank had not cancelled the DDI as stated and the payment went through. This led to my account going over it's limit and me being unable to use my card for the day leaving me hungry and broke!
I've managed to get the payment refunded again but I don't know if the originator will now try to take 3 months payment in October? If they do then surely they should offer some form of compensation / goodwill gesture? Any advice would be appreciated before going back to my bank / Vodafone.

if you owe them money for the services they have rendered then I suggest you should pay them


if you think they have mucked you about them write a letter of complaint and ask for compensation

carlos1973

That is what I'm thinking too but then what is there to stop companies messing around with DD's? Complaining to Vodafone is a major problem, I tried last moth and just got the runaround for 3 days and promised callbacks never happened. Thanks for your reply.

101problems

have you not paid them for 3 months?? if not yes they will be trying to take 3 payments

SuperHan

I don't understand, why was it an issue that the DDI changed, but the amount didn't?! Why get it refunded?!

And just because the DD didn't work for whatever reason doesn't mean that you don't have to pay, you should have rang immediately and made a manual payment.

I suggest you do that quickly or they'll beginning putting late payment markers on your credit report.

grumbler

carlos1973 wrote: »

...I checked with my bank and the DDI had been cancelled by Vodafone and a new DDI created, without my consent.

I don't see any problem as it wasn't you who cancelled the DD.

The next day Vodafone took payment through the unauthorised DDI, my bank refunded this as everything had been changed without my permission

The permission existed for the old DD that you haven't cancelled

and my bank told me that they would cancel the DDI.

Bank can cancel the DD only if it was inactive for a long time or if you instructed them.

I informed Vodafone that the DDI had been cancelled and asked them to send me a new DDI Mandate to complete.

AFAIK, paper mandates don't exist anymore. If you want a DD you can give instructions over a phone. Why on earth do you need this piece of paper?

This month I noticed that Vodafone was attempting to draw on the DDI again, but for twice the amount. This was even after them telling me that the amount was £xx.xx due to be taken on the xxth. Both the amount and the date was wrong, the Bank had not cancelled the DDI as stated and the payment went through. This led to my account going over it's limit and me being unable to use my card for the day leaving me hungry and broke!

So, they were unable to take payments, you know that you owe then, do nothing to settle the debt and then you get taken by surprise when they take what is due?!

I've managed to get the payment refunded again but I don't know if the originator will now try to take 3 months payment in October? If they do then surely they should offer some form of compensation / goodwill gesture?

I don't see any reasons for any compensation.

Any advice would be appreciated before going back to my bank / Vodafone.

Pay them what you owe and well before the due date so that they could amend the DD amount.

colsten

OP, you seem to be confused about what you owe Vodafone - are they not sending you monthly statements? Are your monthly payments fixed or variable (minutes, GB used etc)? Have you paid what you owed them for the last three months?

Watch out for markers on your credit history - you could end up with refusals on mortgage, credit card, loan, overdraft, another mobile phone etc etc if your credit files show defaults - which yours are likely to show by now.

carlos1973

I totally agree, Vodafone have provided me with a service, but when they have attempted to collect the money due problems occur. They fail to collect on the date notified and the amount due to be collected changes. My last bill stated that they would collect £38.99 on the 14th. They took £77.98 on the 16th.
I have just spent 40 minutes trying to solve this with, only to be passed to 8 different people and still I have no solution.
My account currently shows balance due as £0.00, but this will probably change in a day or two when they realise the bank has reversed the payment.
I have not named the bank, as they are not at fault.

colsten

carlos1973 wrote: »

this will probably change in a day or two when they realise the bank has reversed the payment.

Sounds like you are not helping yourself as you seem to be instructing your bank to reverse the payments to Vodafone.

You might be having some sport with Vodafone over your bills but I reckon you should be very careful if you continue to default. It is not easy to remove a default marker from your credit file, particularly if you have unpaid bills. Vodafone might also leave you without internet access / TV / mobile etc, whatever service you have contracted, if you continue to not pay your bills.

Vodafone

Hi carols1973,

If you still need help with this, email me with your details via the link in our profile here.

All you need to do is copy and paste the link into your web browser and it'll take you to the Contact us form on our website. To make sure it reaches me, quote the code WRT135 - MSE in the subject line.

Once sent, you'll receive an automated reply with a reference number. Post back with this and I’ll check I've received it.

Kind regards,

Lee

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Vodafone UK

agrinnall

You seem to be under a misapprehension that the date advised when a DD will be taken is set in stone. This is not the case: the originator is simply alerting you to the likely date on which it will be taken, but that can be varied to a later date by them (and we occasionally see examples here where it's taken earlier, although that could be open to reversal under the DD guarantee).

I suggest you take up the Vodafone rep's offer to investigate because you seem to be heading for a place where your actions will cause you many more problems than you have now.