Bank details compromised, indemnity refused.

Spank

A reference number given by Action Fraud

KeithP

NFRC number = National Fraud Reporting Centre number

Rheon

Manxman_in_exile said:

Have you made a formal complaint to the bank yet specifically referring to the Direct Debit Guarantee and telling tham you want a refund under that guarantee?  What reason have they actually given you for not refunding already?

The bank say they won't refund me because it wasn't a banking error. Yes, I've raised a fornal complaint with the bank, who have passed it along to their customer relations team.
It wasn't a large amount of money I lost, but if the bank refuses to protect me and if it were to happen again, there's the potential for much bigger losses. It's made me feel really insecure and vulnerable.

knightstyle

Call 0800 023 4567 or complain online (financial-ombudsman.org.uk/contact-us/ complain-online).

nyermen

The direct debit guarantee is for incorrect payments - amounts, dates, unknown organisation, etc. The reason to refuse to invoke it is if it is a contractual dispute between you and the organisation (eg. they say you owe X you think it is Y).   The direct debit guarantee is not just for "banking errors" in their limited definition.

For ombudsman - more info here - https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints-deal/banking-and-payments/direct-debits

waamo

What information, if any, have you gleaned from the DVLA? 

Manxman_in_exile

Rheon said:

Manxman_in_exile said:

Have you made a formal complaint to the bank yet specifically referring to the Direct Debit Guarantee and telling tham you want a refund under that guarantee?  What reason have they actually given you for not refunding already?

The bank say they won't refund me because it wasn't a banking error. Yes, I've raised a fornal complaint with the bank, who have passed it along to their customer relations team.
It wasn't a large amount of money I lost, but if the bank refuses to protect me and if it were to happen again, there's the potential for much bigger losses. It's made me feel really insecure and vulnerable.

If I were you I'd be pointing out to them that that is a completely daft response.  If the DD guarantee only applied where the bank had made an error there wouldn't be any need for the guarantee in the first place - you'd simply claim the money back from them because they'd admitted making an error!  I hope you've got some names of the people dealing with this because after it's sorted I'd be making a further formal complaint to the bank about the conduct of their staff who either need retraining or are being less than honest with you.  (Assuming you are telling us the full story about the DVLA payments and you have no connection with the person who is benefiting from them).

I think that to initiate a complaint to the FSO you either need to have exhausted your bank's complaints process (sounds like perhaps you haven't yet?) or the bank must have failed to resolve the issue to your satisfaction within six (or it may be 8?) weeks.  So if you haven't formally complained yet you need to do so ASAP.  Sounds to me like they're just stringing you along hoping you'll go away.  DON'T.

EDIT:  Don't want to appear patronising, but you have explained that you are claiming under the DD Guarantee, haven't you?

Rheon

I can reassure you that I am telling you the full story and I have no idea, as I have said, who has taken this money from me. Just so you know, I am honest to a fault and a very genuine person.

Rheon

I have no intention of dropping this matter and I've told them so. Obviously, if I've lost £60 I could just as easily lose £600 or £6000 pounds, because I'm vulnerable and the bank refuses to protect me.

eddddy

Taking a step back, did you clearly say to the bank "I didn't authorise that direct debit mandate" (and nothing more).

When I said that to my bank, they immediately cancelled a direct debit and refunded all the payments already taken.

Or did you, by any chance, give them a long detailed explanation which has confused them and made them think the problem is something different (i.e. a contractual dispute)

(FWIW, my case was very similar to yours. A credit card company made an admin error and set up a direct debit from my bank account to pay somebody else's credit card. It was sorted with one phone call to my bank.)