Direct Debit - banks not cancelling

willtheywontthey

Just seen artice on BBC news referring to statment from OFT (or was it ombudsman!?) stating banks should be cancelling direct debits when customer requests it but are nto doing so. I tried to cancel a DD some months back by asking bank but they told me to go to business - problem was they were in US - tried to contact via email etc to no avail - tried their UK hq and they said oooh you can't be with them as you're not in usa! argh!! Eventually got bank to cancel direct debit (fluke with person at end of line)... Cannot recall if I spoke on phone to bank originally or sent a letter to them to cancel.... how can I find out and see when I did contact them - another SAR??? Is the onus on me to prove I did try to cancel???

bengal-stripe

I don’t think a company outside of the UK can set up a direct debit with a UK bank. What you probably have in place is a “Continuous Payment Authority” where the foreign company calls in the money via your Debit Card. This cannot be cancelled, either by you or by your bank, only by the beneficiary. Even you want it cancelled, if the company does not play ball, they can continue calling in the money (even after you use a Debit Card with a different number/expiry date or close the account in question).

Never, ever give any company a Continuous Payment Authority, particular if they are net-based and in another country.