7th July 2017 10:06am
I was horrified to see that I had “Purchase Interest” of £37.86 on my Post Office Money credit card. I was so sure that I had a direct debit in place, but maybe I had dreamt the whole thing and it was my own fault. So I phoned Post Office Money cards and after finishing security I explained the issue. The lady on the phone told me there was no direct debit set up and hadn’t been one. I couldn’t understand as I was so sure, but within a minute or two she had asked if there was anything else she could help with, but I declined the kind offer.
Online, it appears that you can only search through a years worth of statements, but luckily I have paper statements going back years. After a quick rummage I found some in 2014 and 2015 clearly showing there HAD been a direct debit set up. Redialling the telephone number and again going through the security, I then spoke to Nathan who politely took me through a few more security bits. I explained the situation to him and he said he couldn’t see back that far. Sad when technology limits you in such a way and lucky for paper, ehhh.
I reiterated that I was looking at several statements and they showed a direct debit had been in place and I wanted to know why it appeared that it was, no longer. He went away for a few minutes and came back apologising for the wait. It appears that although the direct debit had been in place, because I was a good boy and actually made overpayments so that not so much money came out of my account, this meant that NO money had been coming from the direct debit as I had been clearing the balance in full. Apparently, after a year of no direct debits, POST OFFICE MONEY, according to Nathan, cancel the direct debit, which is of course in the terms and conditions.
What should I do next, I thought. I had been polite and courteous, as it wasn’t Nathan’s fault, so decided to ask, as a gesture of goodwill, if they would refund the Purchase Interest of £37.86.
Nathan didn’t have that authority, so he went away again and apologised for putting me on hold again. He came back with a “No”.
“Wow”, I thought, “How Sad”.
I then said, I would like a copy of the terms and conditions, to which he agreed, and I believe they will be posted or emailed. I am sure the relevant text will be in there and that’s life, but how sad that I would not have been notified that the direct debit had been cancelled.
I can’t resist mentioning our sterling silver money charms B-)
https://www.maldonjewellery.net/201-banking
Doing a good old internet search, it appears that it is standard practise with banks and dormant Direct Debits.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/bank-accounts/11722826/The-direct-debit-rule-that-could-leave-you-with-bank-fees.html