Paid standing order longer than needed

sillybilly1234

Hi, my son was in the sea cadets and we used to pay his £10 monthly subs by standing order, he left about 3 years ago but i've just noticed that the standing order is still going out! I asked why they don't cancel it or tell me and they said they cant cancel it as it was down to me to cancel it, they have said they have accepted the payments as a donation. Can I claim this back after all this time, its over £300?

joeblags

id consider this a loss as really you should of cancelled it. even when I have a direct debit that has run out I still cancel it to make sure.


if you've asked them and they've said its classed as a donation and arnt repaying it, what options do you have. if it was £3000 or £30'000 then id go for legal advise but I don't think youll get very far over £300

PlutoinCapricorn

It is absolutely true that the only person who is authorised to cancel a standing order is the payer, the person who set it up.

They just might give you a refund if you write a nice letter of explanation and are apologetic and pleasant about it, but it is really up to people to check what is going out of their bank accounts.

jimjames

I could understand a few months but 3 years? You really need to check your bank statements better.

It also seems rather unfair on the charity to have to pay back money they think you meant to give them for the last 3 years.

Goldiegirl

Who are you thinking of claiming it back from?


You can't claim it back from the bank, as they have done nothing wrong - you didn't tell them to stop making the payments


You can ASK (not claim) for it back from the Sea Scouts - but as has already been said, it's a bit unfair asking for money back from small charity groups


Maybe, you'll just have to chalk it up to experience - you'll know what to do another time

pmduk

Perhaps take this experience as an expensive hint to check all other standing orders and direct debits existing on your accounts?

[Deleted User]

sillybilly1234 wrote: »

Hi, my son was in the sea cadets and we used to pay his £10 monthly subs by standing order, he left about 3 years ago but i've just noticed that the standing order is still going out! I asked why they don't cancel it or tell me and they said they cant cancel it as it was down to me to cancel it, they have said they have accepted the payments as a donation. Can I claim this back after all this time, its over £300?

It sounds like you've already tried...

:cool:

maninthestreet

Looks like the OP is up the creek without a paddle...

le_loup

maninthestreet wrote: »

Looks like the OP is up the creek without a paddle...

But her son being an ex sea cadet will be able to rescue her.

butterflymum

I would approach the parent rep on their committee, assuming the group have one, explain what has happened and say you are concerned that others, like yourself, may have overlooked cancelling a standing order when their child left the group.


Say that whilst you appreciate the onus was on you to cancel, and to check that your instructions had been acted on, nevertheless you overlooked doing so and that quite possibly others have too.


A cliche, I know, but it takes two to tango. Just as you should have checked your personal accounts sooner, equally a small group such as Sea Cadets should have the integrity and ability to easily and regularly check that none of their former members have inadvertently continued paying, and approach them to ask if this was intentional and therefore an ongoing, voluntary donation, rather than just automatically treating it as such.


Unfortunately, however, perhaps as it benefits the group to overlook doing so, they chose not to. Given that it was not your intention to donate, encourage the parent rep to also support you in approaching the treasurer with a view to coming to an arrangement whereby the group would consider agreeing to pay back some of the money, even if by instalments to lessen the impact on them, whilst they in turn perhaps keep an agreed amount as a donation, and seek assurances that they will review the situation and perhaps in future make it their policy that when members leave, they remind parents to cancel any ongoing payments, and if the parents fail to cancel, that they write to them to ask if they have forgotten to do so (thus prompting any necessary action), or if it is their intention that these ongoing payments are a donation in recognition of the good work the group does with children.


Goodwill cuts both ways.

colsten

butterflymum wrote: »

...equally a small group such as Sea Cadets should have the integrity and ability to easily and regularly check that none of their former members have inadvertently continued paying, and approach them to ask if this was intentional and therefore an ongoing, voluntary donation, rather than just automatically treating it as such.

Why should a small charity divert some of their precious human and financial resources to remind adults that, in essence, they are responsible for how they spend the money in their bank accounts? I think some people would find it quite a waste of money if the sea cadets charity would send letters or even just emails to the parents to tell them that they might wish to cancel their SOs. And what next - a follow-up letter to ask the parents whether they have received the first letter? When does it end?

Other than that: how can someone not notice for 3 years that £10 a month goes out of their account to a charity? If it hasn't mattered for 3 years, surely the OP can feel proud that they have been able to support a worthwhile cause for the last 3 years. Nobody would object to them cancelling their SO now if they feel they don't want to make the donations any longer but it seems really petty to ask for the money back.

OP, have you reviewed your bank account for other inadvertent SOs and DDs? It's your account, your money, you need to manage it.