Incorrect Direct Debit

Puddleduck23

I'm just wondering if I have a leg to stand on with this issue.

2 months ago Sky contacted me telling me my payment details needed updating, which was odd as our direct debit details haven't changed in the 6 years we've been with them. But updated them nevertheless. We then received a bill for over £500 as a Direct Debit Indemnity claim had gone through on our account. I had no knowledge of this and certainly hadn't received £500 from sky.

I asked them to investigate, and a month later they've now told me that we've not actually been paying our bill! They are right! I've gone back over our bank account and no money has been going out despite the sky bills on their website showing as being paid! I'd honestly not noticed.

According to them, "someone" logged into our account and changed the direct debit details to someone else's 12 months ago and they've been paying ever since!

I've never done such a thing! Neither has my husband. Our account details have never changed. This apparent changed happened in the Same month we upgraded to sky HD. So I strongly suspect an error was made then, but they tell me that's impossible. But so is me changing my DD to some random persons account!

I'm at a loss.

On one hand I know we haven't been paying and are therefore liable. But on the other wonder how sky allowed this to happen in the first place?

Does anyone have any advice?

InsideInsurance

Need to get to the bottom of who/when it was changed. Was it changed by a call centre agent, a back office person or via their website? If it was one of their cc agents was it the same one that did the upgrade or someone else? If it was a back office person then what does that person do, is it the updates that come through for account switching etc? What time/ date was the change made

Put in a formal complaint with a threat to go to the ICO or Ombudsman Service if you arent satisfied with their response.

It is possible that its an "innocent" mistake by someone/ something rather than anything malicious. I did have a project that went badly wrong causing credit card numbers to get mixed up for a small number of customers. Thankfully it was spotted by a couple of attentive customers and was stopped before any wrong payments were actually taken.

Certainly a lesson to keep an eye on your bank account though!

Puddleduck23

All they can tell me is that it was done on the website, ie by me. But that's impossible. She tried to imply that I must have asked someone else to pay my bill and then forgot to change it back...which we've never done. And then that someone else has logged in using my details and changed the account details to their own...because that's likely?!

It just doesn't make any sense!

And it worries me that details can be apparently be given for a bank account in someone elses name and they just change it?! Surely there should be things in place to stop clerical errors and such?!

Yes, lesson definitely learnt re bank account! Never crossed my mind that I'd need to check on a 6yo direct debit though!

InsideInsurance

With DDs its been decided to do things the other way round and instead have the DD Guarantee making it exceptionally easy to get your monies back if there are any mistakes.