Help! Being Charged For Things I Haven't had in 10+ Years! 15 March 2022 at 12:46PM in Phones & TV 5 replies 241 views

xTheDonx

Hi everyone, the situation is this. Phones4U sold me a phone when I was a teenager of about 16 that came with phone insurance. I am now 29, and they went bust long ago. With that phone came an insurance policy, that i cancelled YEARS AGO when I was with HSBC. Some years later (still early 20s at this point) I discovered they were charging me "Policy Admin Servs" every month without my permission. I cancelled it again, and was angry about it but didnt have the time to deal with it. They have since, been fined £2.8m by the Financial Conduct Authority for just this thing. Now, in 2022, I check my new bank - Halifax - and find out they are charging me here for something i havent used in years and have cancelled twice! What can I do, and how do i get back the now over £1000.00 they have taken from me over the years?

cx6

Who is 'they' that are charging you? Which insurance company?

As for stopping the payments, you log onto your new bank (Halifax) and cancel the direct debit. If it is not a DD but a CPA on your debit card then you ask Halifax to cancel the CPA.

To (try and) get the £1000 back you contact the insurance company and raise a complaint.

Brie

Cancelled with whom?  The insurance company or your bank?  You should do both.  And do you have proof of having cancelled it?

Cornucopia

How did the DD get setup at your new bank?    How long has it been being paid by them without a clear authority?   If there is a possibility of fraud or bank negligence, then the DD guarantee may apply, and you may be able to get a backdated refund.   

Brie

Cornucopia said:

How did the DD get setup at your new bank?    How long has it been being paid by them without a clear authority?   If there is a possibility of fraud or bank negligence, then the DD guarantee may apply, and you may be able to get a backdated refund.   

I suspect if the OP did a bank switch all the DDs would have been moved whether they are right or not rather than it being fraud or bank negligence.  But by calling the bank some money might be recovered.

Cornucopia

Brie said:

Cornucopia said:

How did the DD get setup at your new bank?    How long has it been being paid by them without a clear authority?   If there is a possibility of fraud or bank negligence, then the DD guarantee may apply, and you may be able to get a backdated refund.   

I suspect if the OP did a bank switch all the DDs would have been moved whether they are right or not rather than it being fraud or bank negligence.  But by calling the bank some money might be recovered.

Yes... although if cancelled DDs were reactivated when transferring them to the new bank, that would be negligence, I would have thought.   Ultimately, the OP needs to raise the issue with their bank, and go from there.