Clydesdale bank crazy situation

eskbanker

AliceBanned wrote: »

As far as I was aware switches don't switch payments into the account as well as out! This hasn't happened previously. It has switched the direct debits. I know this now but no it hadn't occurred to me but to be fair neither had it occurred to staff (including IT in online banking) in two banks.

AliceBanned wrote: »

I don't see how I'm responsible really at all. In the end I posted on here which is where I learnt that payments get redirected to. it seemed obvious once I was told but amidst all the stress and confusion of the situation I was looking to them for advice and was not given the right info by either bank.

I'm not trying to kick you when you're down but just observing that redirecting both inbound and outbound payments is a key and highly-publicised feature of the Current Account Switching Service (which I assume you were using to switch for incentives?) so am unsure why you say it hasn't happened previously.

In terms of its visibility, it's on the front page at https://www.currentaccountswitch.co.uk/ ("Simply open a new current account, decide when you want to switch and then your new bank or building society will take care of the rest. This includes moving all your incoming and outgoing payments, moving your outstanding balance and closing your old account. ​​The process is the same everywhere, so you’ll know what to expect when you switch, no matter which bank or building society you choose.") and the brief switching bullet points at https://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/currentaccounts ("Payments into and out of your old account are redirected") and will have been mentioned in all of the switching paperwork that you'd have had to acknowledge when switching.

As per earlier post, I'm not blindly trying to defend the bank(s) here but equally I don't think you should be claiming that you made no contribution to the situation either. If you neglected to read or understand the relevant paperwork relating to the switching itself, are you 100% sure that Clydesdale didn't give any indication in any of their letters about exactly how to repay your overdraft after the switch? If you do have letters that don't make it clear then yes, definitely worth sending copies to the complaints team....

AliceBanned

I've checked all 4 letters and remember the phone conversations. They clearly told me to pay via online payment and gave the impression that they thought this would be fine.


Also come to think of it, I'm highly unlikely to go into unplanned overdraft and so I probably made previous payments, thinking they were going to Clydesdale and then went into unplanned overdraft. I don't know how I'm going to chase all of them because Halifax now tell me that because of data protection the divert is not made overt at all anywhere.


No I have never noticed it was incoming payments as well. I was more concerned about ensuring my bills were paid and direct debits were transferred and as I mentioned previously I'm in quite a stressful situation personally and financially so that is also why. The incentives are not worth it but I thought they would help me get out of an expensive overdraft and MSE is full of people recommending it, but I won't be doing it again, it's not for me because of my mental state.

AliceBanned

And I wasn't blaming only the banks. I said above:


'I told Halifax today that I saw 'Clydesdale' come up when I put in the sort code and I was 100% certain I had done it numerous times. It occurred to neither of us what might have happened.'

eskbanker

AliceBanned wrote: »

I've checked all 4 letters and remember the phone conversations. They clearly told me to pay via online payment and gave the impression that they thought this would be fine.

But do the letters specifically say online payment directly into your old account, or to another account?

AliceBanned wrote: »

Halifax now tell me that because of data protection the divert is not made overt at all anywhere.

If Halifax said that, then they're being a little disingenuous as CASS does advise senders that redirection is happening and where it's going:

All incoming and outgoing payments will be automatically redirected to your new account. Each time a payment is redirected, an automatic message is sent back to the originator advising them of your new account details so they can update their records. Some organisations may contact you directly to confirm your details have changed. If you do not want your new details to be given to someone who sends a one-off payment, contact your new bank.

and hence your earlier comment that "Even on the Halifax online banking, the bill payment I set up was changing itself to the new accounts!!"

AliceBanned

From Clydesdale 'please pay enough money into your account to bring your balance back into credit'. In 4 letters and I was told on phone to do via online payment several times.☹️

Shakin_Steve

And the moral of the story is: Make sure you are not in arrears before you switch accounts.

System

Once the electronic payments didn't work, didn't you send Clydesdale a cheque and make them sort it out? I would have.

AliceBanned

Heng_Leng wrote: »

Once the electronic payments didn't work, didn't you send Clydesdale a cheque and make them sort it out? I would have.

4x I have been informed by both banks to carry on with electronic payments and to send payments again. As they nor I knew until
yesterday why they would never go through and as Clydesdale have. still not told me how I can pay it in eg a holding account, and as I do all my other banking via online banking with no issues, no I haven't sent a cheque and don't remember the last time I saw my cheque book. I have written to them telling them to sort it out though yes.

System

AliceBanned wrote: »

4x I have been informed by both banks to carry on with electronic payments and to send payments again. As they nor I knew until
yesterday why they would never go through and as Clydesdale have. still not told me how I can pay it in eg a holding account, and as I do all my other banking via online banking with no issues, no I haven't sent a cheque and don't remember the last time I saw my cheque book. I have written to them telling them to sort it out though yes.

You obviously knew something was wrong as you sent the 'same payment' four times. I don't know why anyone would keep doing something clearly not working.

mailmannz

1. Exactly how much was your account over drawn?
2. Of that total, how much of that was their fees?


If it was me I would ring them up, ask politely if they could write off the fees they charged (good will gesture for the dicking about you have been getting) THEN ask them for an account you can pay the remaining debt in to.


If they cant do any of these then complain to them via their complaints procedure. If you get no satisfaction from that then go to the FOS.


The switching process has worked, its just your outstanding debt that's causing the issues here.


Regards


Mailman