Direct Debit Guarantee Scheme Question (Halifax)

coolesticeking

opinions4u wrote: »

It is strange, because their telephone banking service is capable of organising this.

Sounds like a training issue to me.

How many of the 650+ Halifax branches have you actually been in? Your statement is incorrect.

rb10 wrote: »

Halifax can refund under the DD guarantee straight away. But in this case, it's not the DD guarantee that applies, it's a fraud claim. (However, they can also refund fraud claims straight away ... but like everywhere, they don't always get it right).



I have never ever seen a Halifax branch that doesn't have any private rooms.

Maybe if you're concerned about other people overhearing it would be worth either calling telephone banking from home, or asking when you're in the branch to speak to them somewhere private?

Really? I called three times to see if maybe one didn't know what they were doing etc and each time I was told I would have to go into branch for them to do this? No one at telephone banking had the power to recall a Direct Debit only to cancel them.

I've been in around 5/6 and none of them have private rooms and most of them are not what I call small branches or remote branches. All just open plan with no rooms to go to just three desks etc near the walls for Customer Services and you had to sit at the desks each time.

Bar-Code

opinions4u wrote: »

It's fraud. This FOS Ruling is strongly suggests that the Direct Debit Guarantee doesn't apply.

That said, the bank should be progressing this as a fraud investigation. If I've understood the latest regulations correctly, the account should be refunded with the missing funds until the investigation is completed.

Not defending the staff in any way shape or form. They should have identified the problem when you've flagged things and dealt with it accordingly.

You have had money fraudulently removed from your account. Stop talking about Direct Debit Guarantees and start talking about fraud. This isn't a misunderstanding over the date or amount of a utility bill. Until you have a fraud claim submitted you are wasting your time. Given the delays I would also be asking for out of pocket expenses for their failure to act.

Iam sorry there,
but here is my interpretation of FOS Ruling
FOS ruling of 27/4 said that that direct debit guarantee was not strictly relevant in that case ...where the customer was asking for the refund of additional costs apart from the direct debit claims. and that strictly part in FOS ruling refers to not refunding the additional losses.. but paying the direct debits losses normally under the direct debit gurarentee ..?

as you can see in the In the ruling of 27/4 FOS it says that bank has already accepted to repay the fraudulent direct debit...but bank doesnt want to pay the additional losses. but my scenario is that bank doesnt even want to refund the direct debit (atleast with out giving me a hassle) I dont want to claim any addtional losses as the person in the FOS ruling wanted to,,

please correct me if Iam wrong

many thanks ,

rb10

coolesticeking wrote: »

I've been in around 5/6 and none of them have private rooms and most of them are not what I call small branches or remote branches. All just open plan with no rooms to go to just three desks etc near the walls for Customer Services and you had to sit at the desks each time.

I would be very, very, very surprised if this was true.

Maybe they are so private that you didn't spot them?

Could it be possible that they were through a door? Around a corner? Upstairs? Downstairs?

JohalaReewi

Unfortunately we are talking about HBOS whose telephone banking staff seem to have their own idea of what the DDG scheme is and what they can and can't do with direct debits. You might be able to do this at an HBOS branch but you are banging your head against a wall trying to get telephone banking to do any of those things. Been there, done that, closed the account.

coolesticeking

JohalaReewi wrote: »

Unfortunately we are talking about HBOS whose telephone banking staff seem to have their own idea of what the DDG scheme is and what they can and can't do with direct debits. You might be able to do this at an HBOS branch but you are banging your head against a wall trying to get telephone banking to do any of those things. Been there, done that, closed the account.

Glad someone who does agree with me here, cause I feel that I am being treated as a lier...

opinions4u

coolesticeking wrote: »

Glad someone who does agree with me here, cause I feel that I am being treated as a lier...

I said I thought the Direct Debit Guarantee problem with the call centre was a training issue. I was blaming the bank.

Do you suffer from a persecution problem?

Your claim that "most Halifax Branches don't have private rooms" is complete nonsense though. I have worked in many and have visited dozens more (not to mention been involved in refurbishment decisions for the network). While there are a handful of premises that are inadequate, the number without private rooms is somewhere between tiny and none.

Private interview rooms are often located on upper floors, out of sight of the counter area.

coolesticeking

opinions4u wrote: »

Do you suffer from a persecution problem?

Nope! - I just say how things are on how I experienced them.

I *DO* remember though in the 90's at my home branch the Halifax *USED* to have Private Rooms and they decided I think around the 2000's (don't quote me on the years itself though) they opted for this open plan type of branch.

Since then, they don't have private rooms in the branches I have visited...

The only one I have seen has a room, but it's far from private - its simply a bit of glass around a table and chair but you can hear everything that is said and is not fully enclosed.

Mikeyorks

JohalaReewi wrote: »

You might be able to do this at an HBOS branch but you are banging your head against a wall trying to get telephone banking to do any of those things.

Nope - the branches clearly trained the telephone staff! It comes from management down, I'm afraid.

From post #26 of this thread :

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=7752705&postcount=26

opinions4u

Mikeyorks wrote: »

Nope - the branches clearly trained the telephone staff! It comes from management down, I'm afraid.

From post #26 of this thread :

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=7752705&postcount=26

I'm currently sub-contracting to LBG and took a moment to check the Halifax and BOS staff procedures for Direct Debit Guarantee in the online instruction manual.

While I won't copy and past the full thing there are two key points:

1) Branch and call centre can both deal with requests. They should not refer the customer from one channel to the other.

2) It is made quite clear that customers should not be referred back to the originator of the direct debit - it should be dealt with there and then.

There is little excuse for staff not knowing what to do. It took me less than 10 seconds to find what I needed.

System

opinions4u wrote: »

There is little excuse for staff not knowing what to do. It took me less than 10 seconds to find what I needed.

Indeed. Just possibly, some staff have been confused by customers mistakenly mentioning direct debit indemnity (the scarey inter-bank thingy), which staff then search for on their screens? Instead of the direct debit guarantee, which should be simples.