Unknown DD set up

jc39

Hi, sorry if this is in the wrong forum but I've just created an account so I'm new here. 

Basically, I've noticed a new direct debit set up on my banking app called Debit Finance Collections. No payment has yet been taken but I was baffled by what this was.

I googled it and found out it's for gym memberships. I'm really worried as I havent joined any gym and have no intention to do so.

Does anyone know this company and can anyone give me advice on what to do. Thanks in advance 

[Deleted User]

Speak to your bank where-ever possible about DD's appearing you do not recognise.
About a year ago I had a random and certainly un-recognised direct direct start up appear, same time as taking out a genuine brand new motor insurance policy which was the last required setup of a dd, oddiest thing ever was it some magazine subscription to iva help that when you visited the page I had no idea where you could even ever sign up to say you wanted whatever fiance e-magazine it was allegedly selling.  Just seemed to be a 1 trick page website, their weren't even any links to click on. 
A call to the bank saying I didn't recognise it had it very quickly stopped in it's tracks. Didn't have to do anything further, it never reappeared and I heard no more about it.
  

tone1962

I have had a Direct Debit for £9.00 taken out of my account. Not knowing what it was for I queried this with the bank. All they could tell me was that it has been taken by Debit Finance collections. They tell me they can not see who the actual merchant is behind the DD so I should contact DFC and gave me the tel no of 01908422000. The opening hours are 10.00am until 14.00 so I have now gone to the web site and written to them to find out why my money has been taken ? I will update the forum when I have any progress to report. PS I have had previous gym membership 12 months ago and a magazine subscription cancelled 10 months ago so they are probably not the issue. We will see.

Manxman_in_exile

Are you absolutely sure the gym memberships and the magazine subscription have been cancelled?

tone1962

tone1962 said:

I have had a Direct Debit for £9.00 taken out of my account. Not knowing what it was for I queried this with the bank. All they could tell me was that it has been taken by Debit Finance collections. They tell me they can not see who the actual merchant is behind the DD so I should contact DFC and gave me the tel no of 01908422000. The opening hours are 10.00am until 14.00 so I have now gone to the web site and written to them to find out why my money has been taken ? I will update the forum when I have any progress to report. PS I have had previous gym membership 12 months ago and a magazine subscription cancelled 10 months ago so they are probably not the issue. We will see.

Following on from this post; DFC emailed me back and told me that National Geographic were the recipient of the DD of £9.00. This was a clear mistake as I cancelled a 3 month trial subscription to the magazine in September 2020 !!! I then wrote to Nat Geo and they responded with this:

Thank you for your email.

  I can confirm I've now cancelled your subscription, as per your request. I have also cancelled the recurring payment plan set up alongside the subscription. We do recommend that our customers cancel the ongoing payments directly with their bank also, to ensure no further payments are taken.

 I can confirm I have now successfully requested a refund of £9 to be sent to you. You will receive this by cheque within the next 28 days. 

We hope you have enjoyed your subscription to Nat Geo Traveller. Please feel free to contact us again if you have any further queries.

Fair enough I have a full refund being sent to me, hassle of going to the bank to cash it which I challenged and I was told this was the only way they could do it because it was taken as a DD. The email reads as if its my mistake and they have done me a favour by cancelling the subscription that I cancelled 5 months ago on their web site. No explanation as to how this error occurred or an apology !! and its now swept under the carpet. By way of this forum post I would like to advise everyone to check your direct debits coming out of your bank accounts, they could be already cancelled but DFC and National Geographic somehow managed to process this without my consent or authorization.
 

Neil49

jc39 said:

Hi, sorry if this is in the wrong forum but I've just created an account so I'm new here. 

Basically, I've noticed a new direct debit set up on my banking app called Debit Finance Collections. No payment has yet been taken but I was baffled by what this was.

I googled it and found out it's for gym memberships. I'm really worried as I havent joined any gym and have no intention to do so.

Does anyone know this company and can anyone give me advice on what to do. Thanks in advance 

Can't you simply login to your bank account, select the direct debit/standing order option and delete the entry? 

mattjohns1

I just had a similar thing - turned out it's the monthly fee I pay to my vets! They really need to work on their system and show the name of their client alongside the name Debit Finance Collections - it's so confusing!

bioboybill

My wife got a notification this morning that she had gone overdrawn on her NatWest account that she only has for the Digital Saver. Upon logging in to her app it said a DD to The Gym Limited had been taken for £28.99. She hasn't heard of that gym and hasn't been to any gym in 5 years, so she phoned the fraud dept at NatWest and had it cancelled. They said the refund would show tomorrow. They also said an attempt to take it had been made 2 weeks ago, which is strange since the bank didn't notify her then. I thought a DD couldn't be set up without you knowing, so obviously there's a problem there.

Grumpy_chap

bioboybill said:

My wife got a notification this morning that she had gone overdrawn on her NatWest account that she only has for the Digital Saver. Upon logging in to her app it said a DD to The Gym Limited had been taken for £28.99. She hasn't heard of that gym and hasn't been to any gym in 5 years, so she phoned the fraud dept at NatWest and had it cancelled. They said the refund would show tomorrow. They also said an attempt to take it had been made 2 weeks ago, which is strange since the bank didn't notify her then. I thought a DD couldn't be set up without you knowing, so obviously there's a problem there.

This might be better as a separate thread and is possibly in the incorrect area of the forum - maybe "Budgeting & Bank Accounts" would be more appropriate.  I understand why you've looked in Health & Fitness, but the query is more related to the bank account and it could be anything in any area that happened to have created the erroneous DD.