when i say whoah, i mean WHOAH!
several years ago, when my cash was flowing a little better, i made monthly donations to a certain children's charity by direct debit. unfortunately, the cash flow dried up and i had to put a stop to these donations. i wrote to the charity, explaining my situation. i received a very nice letter in return, thanking me for what i had already given and wishing me well for the future.
i then phoned my bank, NatWest. i explained that i needed to cancel the direct debit payments, which they assured me they would take care of immediately.
imagine my surprise when, one month later, my statement showed a direct debit payment to the aforementioned charity! not wanting this to happen again, i decided to forgo the telephone and go to my bank in person. i told them of my displeasure at their inability to handle a simple instruction and demanded that this be rectified.
once again, i received their assurances that this would be taken care of. however, as they had "no record" of my previous instructions, a refund was not forthcoming.
fast forward another month. guess what? the same thing happened again! not only had they made another charity payment, but they had charged me £50 for being overdrawn by 2p!
angry? i was furious! i was so incensed by rage that i could have ridden a column of my own vitriolic flame to the bank. instead, i got a bus.
i demanded to see the branch manager, saying that, if he didn't see me now, he'd be seeing both me and my lawyer within the hour.
i informed him in no uncertain terms that i would not be paying a fee for being overdrawn, as it was clearly the fault of his bank. i also said that, if my direct debit wasn't cancelled there and then, i would sue. i said a great many other words, most of which would be spelled in genteel circles like this: *!@"*!
my direct debit was cancelled, i didn't pay the fee and i've never had another problem with them in the 20 years i've been a customer.

still didn't get a fucking refund, though.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Thu 16 Jul 2009, 23:17, 11 replies)

I'd nuke the branch from orbit
Just to be sure.
(powervator and NONE SHALL PASS, Thu 16 Jul 2009, 23:19, closed)

that's what i felt like doing at the time
but, like i said, i've never had another problem with them. i never bank over the phone, though, i always go into the branch
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Thu 16 Jul 2009, 23:28, closed)

That am all of teh suck.
At least your money went to a good cause, though, rather than the bank.
(ThomsonsPier consumes, Fri 17 Jul 2009, 11:24, closed)

true
i was a world vision sponsor for 6 years. still would be, if i could afford it.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 18 Jul 2009, 0:26, closed)

That am all of teh suck
You have a way with words, I shall remember that one.
(WillI'mNot logs in twice a year, every year, Sun 19 Jul 2009, 3:02, closed)

you should have got a refund
Direct Debit Guarantee. Means that if *anything* fucks up with a DD, the bank are obligated to refund first, ask questions later. They don't like it, but they do it if you ask nicely*

You clearly didn't swear enough.

*nicely may not be the most appropriate word.
(bblgoose, Fri 17 Jul 2009, 14:05, closed)

i discovered this
far too late to do anything about it
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 18 Jul 2009, 0:27, closed)

Great imagery
This gets a click simply for "Could have ridden a column of my own vitriolic flame to the bank. instead, i got a bus."
(Obi wanker nobi Its not a bug, its an unexpected feature, Fri 17 Jul 2009, 14:27, closed)

heheh
i was rather annoyed ;)
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Sat 18 Jul 2009, 0:27, closed)

Always,,,
I had this exact issue with ShatWest for ages when I wanted to cancel some direct debits.

Now everytime I call them I cheerfully inform them that I record all my calls to the bank which usually does the trick.
(aroe_m0rre, Mon 20 Jul 2009, 10:45, closed)

that's why i never bank by phone anymore
i do everything in person
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Mon 20 Jul 2009, 18:10, closed)