AVRO collapse and Octopus takeover

IMJames

Anyone know whether it is legal for Octopus to take my Direct Debit details over without my permission and then take a Direct Debit payment whilst at the same time,  Avro took the same payment (£152)?

oliverbrown

Legal? If you think there's been an error, just ask your bank to refund the DD. 

MWT

IMJames said:

Anyone know whether it is legal for Octopus to take my Direct Debit details over without my permission and then take a Direct Debit payment whilst at the same time,  Avro took the same payment (£152)?

Yes it is legal for the DD to have transferred to Octopus, but I'm surprised that they would have taken a payment already, or that Avro would have been able to take one at the same time.

Did they actually go out on the same day?

IMJames

Yes same amount both at the same time, 2nd November

I spoke to my bank and they are unable to claim it back☹️

IMJames

oliverbrown said:

Legal? If you think there's been an error, just ask your bank to refund the DD. 

They won't do anything, they have been told that they can't issue a direct debit indemnity against collapsed energy firms

oliverbrown

IMJames said:

They won't do anything, they have been told that they can't issue a direct debit indemnity against collapsed energy firms

Octopus hasn't collapsed. As both payments are going to Octopus ultimately, reverse the Octopus DD and cancel the Avro DD.

Either way you won't lose that money.

MWT

IMJames said:

Yes same amount both at the same time, 2nd November

I spoke to my bank and they are unable to claim it back☹️

Check the direct debit list for your bank account online and if there are two mandates showing, cancel the one to Avro.

Any excess paid to Avro will come back to you via Octopus once your final bill is produced, but it is strange and annoying for sure.

wild666

IMJames said:

oliverbrown said:

Legal? If you think there's been an error, just ask your bank to refund the DD. 

They won't do anything, they have been told that they can't issue a direct debit indemnity against collapsed energy firms

The receiver will add to money to any credit you already had with Avro and you will be repaid it once the credit is sorted on the account as a credit to the Octopus account 

If you haven't cancelled the Avro DD do it ASAP then no more money can be taken from your account and be added to the Avro account. If you bank online go into the DD and look through the DD's one should be set up for Octopus, mine has, just cancel the Avro DD and it's job done.

Chrishazle

Thought of this myself yesterday as my DD day is 10th of month, so logged in to my Octopus account and set up the DD there, then into my bank, was surprised how many DD's were active, many (Like BG and Sainsburys Energy etc) unused for years, cancelled all the redundant ones plus the Avro one. Also did my own calcs for the approx state of my Avro account, I'll possibly owe them a small amount so they can send me a bill. According to Octopus this may take 4-6 weeks, but at least they can't take another DD - they'd already taken one on 10th October despite ceasing trading 26th September!!

molerat

IMJames said:

oliverbrown said:

Legal? If you think there's been an error, just ask your bank to refund the DD. 

They won't do anything, they have been told that they can't issue a direct debit indemnity against collapsed energy firms

I would most certainly raise a complaint against your bank for that little bit of misinformation !

MWT

molerat said:

IMJames said:

oliverbrown said:

Legal? If you think there's been an error, just ask your bank to refund the DD. 

They won't do anything, they have been told that they can't issue a direct debit indemnity against collapsed energy firms

I would most certainly raise a complaint against your bank for that little bit of misinformation !

I can see some banks putting that out as an instruction to employees though because to get a reversal under the guarantee it has to be incorrectly taken and while customers are still in the process of being moved and are still consuming energy, it isn't automatically incorrect for the DD to keep running...

Now in a case like one recently where both old and new suppliers have taken a payment on the same day it would be reasonable to reclaim the old one for example...