A Direct Debit payment has been taken and I don't recognise the organisation
A Direct Debit Instruction should be set up as outlined in How to set up a Direct Debit. When the arrangements are in place you should receive advance notice confirming when the payments will be taken and how much they will be. The advance notice will also advise the name of the organisation that will appear on your bank statement – it is advisable to check this to confirm the details are correct.
If a Direct Debit payment is taken and you don’t recognise the name of the organisation then follow these guidelines.
Contact your bank and ask to see a copy of the Direct Debit Instruction, which your bank should have access to within 7 working days. Whilst the copy is being obtained you are entitled to an immediate refund of the amount debited from your bank under the Direct Debit Guarantee.
Should you confirm that the Direct Debit Instruction is bona fide your bank will re-debit your account.
If the Direct Debit Instruction cannot be provided or, following production you still do not recognise the organisation, your bank will cancel the Direct Debit Instruction and reclaim the refunded amount from the organisation.
As Direct Debit is purely a method of payment, which does not affect any underlying contract that may exist, the organisation may contact you to resolve any outstanding issues.
Should your bank fail to provide a refund under the terms of the Guarantee:
Contact them again (use the link below to download a standard Word letter template in Word format for this purpose) escalating the communication to your Branch Manager or Customer Service Manager.
Cite the Direct Debit Guarantee and state that your next step is to contact Bacs direct to seek resolution through them.
Should the matter still not be resolved:
Contact Bacs via the helpline number: 0870 049 2717 (please note that this is a national rate number and calls will be charged at standard operator tariffs, the helpline is available 9.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, excluding Bank Holidays). Before calling, please ensure that you have all the relevant details to hand, including your bank account details and full dates and details of all communications with the bank. We will then investigate via internal banking channels, responding to you within 48 hours.