Chiclanagir

I went to cancel my DD with my bank for the illegal card I get here as I am going to join Sky proper with a UK address etc and found that I do not have a direct debit for them and as they are no longer a traceable company I appear to be stuffed until I can find a way around this. Any one else come across it.

manamama

Yes I had this problem.

I had my monthly payments set up which I thought was with Sky direct but I don't think it was really. When it came to cancelling the payment I wrote to my bank to cancel but they say that its not a direct debit.

In the end I called my bank in the UK and cancelled the debit card that they had and asked for an new one.

Best way I think.

Chiclanagir

Did this work? Did you have to stop your bank account?

Chiclanagir

I have just read the following which has to put it lightly put the wind up me!
BEWARE.

What's the problem with Recurring Payments?

A. It's not just the fact you have far less protection with Recurring Payments than Direct Debits; there's one simple fact that makes them terrors...

You CAN'T CANCEL them. Only the company you're paying can do that!

This means you have no automatic right to ask your bank to stop the payment. You have to go to the company you're paying and ask it to contact them.

While with a reputable company that's usually fine, it only takes a small glitch for this to become a nightmare. If the company's difficult to contact, going into administration or, worse still, dodgy - you can find yourself stuck paying again and again for something you don't need or want with no recourse.

At that point you need to get into a dispute procedure with the bank, and it can sometimes mean huge effort to stop it.

The worst cases come from when it's a little known company, based outside the UK, so there's less legal recourse. Let me speak plainly here, one of the greatest Recurring Payment danger areas are overseas internet adult entertainment or pornography providers.

The difficulty of cancellation, combined with the embarrassment factor many feel about taking this to their bank in these cases make rich pickings for unscrupulous operators. You could be paying unnecessarily for years.


I THOUGHT I WAS SIGNING A DIRECT DEBIT MANDATE.

jdr

Never heard of a Recurring Payments scheme, do you mean standing order ?

Tell your bank the problem and tell them you want to change your account to a different one, if they havent got your personal acc number then they can`t draw anything out.

Chiclanagir

No not a standing order. If standing order you are in control. Basically this recurring payment means a company, reputable or not, can take a payment from your account or credit card for however long they want. The Bank has said that I have to get the company to cancel the payment, I cannot. The company is no longer operating. I can go to the disputes department of the Bank but apparently this can take a long time to resolve meanwhile they can still take the payments out of my account. Even if you have an old credit card which you did this on and you have forgotten about this will be your debt and can be chased by the credit card company. It is a nightmare scenario.

manamama

I think it has. I am going to check my bank account later to make sure.

The other posters are correct, you can't cancel it as you can with a direct debit.

I called up my bank in the UK and explained my problem.

He cancelled my debit card immediately and issued me a new one.

This was only last month - so I will check if the company have taken a payment since.

Our bank account is a joint one and it didn't effect my husbands card.

Fredbargate

If the company is no longer operating then whoever is taking the money from your account is doing so fraudulently and the bank is party to this fraud

Chiclanagir

Ahh but is that money going to Sky. That is what it says on my bank statement.

Apparently the company that is no longer operating but which many of you out there may unwittingly be paying through is based in Marbella and was closed down in February by the Guardia Civil. I can give you the name of the company if you PM me but more than likely other people will have signed up via a third party user.

Green_shutters

Direct Debits, Recurring Payments and Standing Orders are all different animals.

Direct Debits and Standing orders that debit your bank account are easy to control and you just have to tell you bank to cancel them. They may ask the reason why as in the case of a Direct Debit they will get a transaction that they have to pass back which costs them time and money of course but you have an absolute right to issue a cancellation.

Recurring payments to a credit card or debit card are more difficult. Things are supposed to be changing but as far as I know they have yet to do so.

You must in the first instance tell your supplier that you wish to cancel. Keep records of this even if it is a telephone conversation. (By the way there are service provides that allow you have a telephone conversation recorded just like big companies do). If you can write to them requesting them to cancel - so much the better.

Then if they fail to cancel you have a right to issue an "unauthorised transaction" notice to your card issuer. (Make sure you keep records)

If they drag their feet complain to the financial ombudsman or even issue a summons in the small claims court - these seem to work wonders!

Good luck

Chiclanagir

None of this applies as the company is no longer in business.

Mitzyboy

May not be as simple for you, but if it had been me I would have told the bank unless they stopped it (under those circumstances) then I would close my account and go elsewhere

Fred James

A bit like the Spanish taxman!

manamama

Also few more details.

I did send an email to the company that we got our sky card from (who are based in Estepona) telling them I wanted to cancel it and they acknowledged my email saying OK.

I then sent a letter to my bank to tell them to cancel as from May 2009. I checked my bank beg of July and saw that they took May payment and June. I then smelt a rat and queried it and found that the payment was not a direct debit and bank couldn't cancel it. (they should of told me when they got my letter).

I called up my bank again and they said to cancel my debit card and they could issue me another one.

Did not have to change bank account or cancel my husbands debit card.

Still haven't checked if they took Julys yet so saga may be ongoing - let you all know!

Chiclanagir

manamma - please keep this updated. I have written to Lloyds TSB but the wheels turn slowly. In the meantime the new white cards which we will need are floating around the ether so as some stage we will be cut off and then still paying.