cpw refusing to refund double payment!

[MATTYFEZ]

Hi all,

 

I'm In a bit of a dilema, my dd bounced for my mobile contract,

So I called them up and advised I could settle by bank transfer. they emailed me the details and I paid, plus la late payment fee.

 

Two days later my phone Is cut off. I call them again and they say thet have not received the payment. I paid ahain via debit card over the phone.

 

Now they are saying they cant locate the payment and I will have to peruse my bank to get the money back. Now my bank, for a change, has not done anything wrong here.

 

I lba'd cpw over a month a go and they are still giving me the run around. I have extensive email history with cpw regarding this Issue, scans of bank statements sent to them etc.

 

My question is, to I now approach the bank who may not be keen to help, and prolong this further, with their process, or should I simply file a claim against cpw? I just want my money and I have cpw banged to rights.

 

Any advice appreciated.

[buzby]

The BACS transfer may well have gone to CPW, but the reference number on in inbound payment either incorrect or missing. You can give them the date and amount of the payment and the sending bank, and then ask them if it wasn't credited to your account, what did they do with it.

 

There's no need to pay them twice.

[MATTYFEZ]

The BACS transfer may well have gone to CPW, but the reference number on in inbound payment either incorrect or missing. You can give them the date and amount of the payment and the sending bank, and then ask them if it wasn't credited to your account, what did they do with it.

 

There's no need to pay them twice.

 

Thanks for the reply, Ive already paid them twice, as they say they have no record of the first payment (by online transfer) so i called them up and had to pay again by debit card to get my phone re-activated ( they were very quick to disconnect me despite my assurance the bill was paid).

 

They then informed me they dont accept payment by bank transfer, even though I have an email from them with thier bank details to allow me to transfer funds for this purpose.

 

I have given them all details of the transfer, date, scans of my bank statement etc. and they appear to be saying they cannot locate the money so basicly they cant help... I stupidly didnt put a reference number on the transfer, but then they did not advise me to either in thier instructions.

 

I have a string of emails as this has been going back and forth for about 2 months now, all fully documented, and I have emailed them a LBA stating that I will recover the money through court if they dont refund it, the deadline expires on the 12th August.

 

They just keep asking me the same or irellevent questions over and over again.

 

Thanks for any advice.

[buzby]

Your situation is not uncommon - they're following the 'Sky' approach, where they don't want customers to control the payment process, THEY want to control this, and often say the only way to pay is by giving theem a DD or plastic card number, which allows them the ability to take the money they want, when they want it.

 

Clearly you've been given the information details, and another department is unawarew this has been done. By hiding these details, it is safe to assume that they do not get paid this way often, since it usually means their IT system is not automated to allocate inbound BACS to customers accounts, and has to be done manually.

 

If you don;t want them to take subsequent payments from the card you provided, you;ll need to either tell them you've cancelled that card or tell the bank it has been compromised. As they will retain the details for future use.

[MATTYFEZ]

Your situation is not uncommon - they're following the 'Sky' approach, where they don't want customers to control the payment process, THEY want to control this, and often say the only way to pay is by giving theem a DD or plastic card number, which allows them the ability to take the money they want, when they want it.

 

Clearly you've been given the information details, and another department is unawarew this has been done. By hiding these details, it is safe to assume that they do not get paid this way often, since it usually means their IT system is not automated to allocate inbound BACS to customers accounts, and has to be done manually.

 

If you don;t want them to take subsequent payments from the card you provided, you;ll need to either tell them you've cancelled that card or tell the bank it has been compromised. As they will retain the details for future use.

 

Hi, thanks, but thats not really the issue, they owe me money and they wont refund it/credit my account as they say they have no record of the transfer.

 

I paid again by debit card as I needed to get my phone back online. I pay by DD normaly, but this situation arose as i didnt have funds a few months ago so I first settled the balance by bank transfer, then got cut off, and had to pay again to resume service.

 

So im basically about £40 out of pocket.

[buzby]

Report the failed transfer to your bank. They'll place a trace on the transaction and prove the account that was credited. Armed with this, will provide the recipient with confirmation that you had indeed paid, and require this to be credited to your account. Once you have a credit balance, you can ask it to be repaid.

[MATTYFEZ]

Ok thanks for the help! I had a feeling I would have to get the bank involved, would rather not, but needs must.

 

Oh well, there goes my lunch break tomorrow!

 

I will post back how it goes, of any one is interested, thanks.

[MATTYFEZ]

Hi,

 

Just a quick update,

 

Not had chance to get to the bank yet, will try to make it today at some point.

 

I'll post up the lates emails below - does this sound reasonable?

Thanks.

 

 

................................................................................................

Thank you for your email.

 

The banking team can't trace the payment you are referring to, the procedure now is to complete a payment release form and send it to your bank so that they can credit your account with the missing transaction.

 

Please reply with the information to the previous email, so that we can do this for you as soon as possible and progress to getting the matter resolved.

 

I look forward to your reply.

 

Best Regards

 

 

 

Kerry White

Carphone warehouse customer services

Customers Message Follows: ------------------------

 

Hi,

 

In a previous email I was informed your banking team was already investigating this issue - they should have located and refunded the money by now.

 

As previously stated, I am not going to call you as it costs a fortune and I have no proof the converstaion has taken place.

 

If you had taken the time to look at this complaint properly, you would also know that this money was paid by bank transfer on the advise of Carphone warehouse, not by debit card. I paid AGAIN by debit card because you disonected my service. This is why I have been demanding a refund of the bank transfer.

 

You do not need my account number and sort code as I am already a customer who pays by direct debit, so you alredy have these details.

I do not need to make an indemity claim via my bank as they are not at fault here - they simply carried out my directions, as supplied by the carphone warehouse, to transfer the money.

 

 

I remind you that you have 6 working days remaining to recify this situation.

 

Regards,

 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

 

Date: Tue, 3 Aug 2010 10:06:20 +0000

From: [email protected]

To: XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Subject: RE: Carphone Warehouse- Complaint case id: XXXXXXXX refund complaint (XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX)

 

 

Dear XXXXXX,

 

Thanks for your email.

 

We still have not been able to trace this payment, however I will send a request to our banking team, to see of it is in our holding account.

 

To do this I would need to take a few details, however if you prefer not to put these in email, I would advise you to contact us on 0870 111 7200.

 

We need the following details,

 

Your full card number which was used to make the payment

The sort code

The account number

The transaction number or auth code ( you can get this from your bank)

Your banks fax number

 

If this payment still cannot be located, you will need to discuss with your bank to see if an indemnity claim can be done.

 

Kind regards

 

Jennifer Osborne

[MATTYFEZ]

Well I've been to the bank and they pretty Much confirmed what I thought. Cpw are basic talking nonsense. They advise I contact the online bank team to obtain concrete proof of the transaction, and It is for cpw to refund the money.

 

In the absence of a refund by the 12th, should I just go ahead and file at court? Or should I alow them more time as I don't have a formal statement of transaction from the bank yet, just a regular statement showing the transaction.

 

Thanks

[buzby]

Once thewy provide proof, you send a copy of this to CPW. You then give then 28 days to replay the mount you duplicated, and only then (if they don't) would you file.

 

HOWEVER, this can b self-defeating as if they credit it to your account, you can then use these funds to pay your next bill, so going to court should only be a last resort.

[MATTYFEZ]

Hi Just an update, success at last!

 

Recived an email from the 'high level complaints team' at CPW stating that the will credit my account. It only took about 30 emails and a meeting with a personal banker!

I did go to the bank to gain thier official view, but to be fair, they had the same view I did.

 

It just re-enforces my view that customer service these days is not customer service at all, its just a layer of bureaucracy implemented to put people off making a fuss.

 

I had intended to give them a final month to pay up as buzby suggested, as although it would be frustrating, I wanted no holes in my case.

Final email&reply is below, for info: Thank you for your response.

 

I'm sorry our previous correspondence has not fully resolved your query and for any inconvenience this has caused you.

 

I'm afraid our banking team have been unable to locate the payment you have made to us using direct banking. As you have provided proof of payment for the £42.02, I have arranged for this to credited to your Carphone Warehouse account. This will show on your August 2010 invoice.

 

Please be aware that any future payments can not be accepted by this method, you can still pay by direct debit, in any of our stores, using your credit or debit card or by cheque.

 

If you would like to arrange a refund of this credit, rather then it be deducted from your next bill, please call our customer services team on 0870 111 7200, this call is free of charge from your O2 Carphone Warehouse mobile.

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

Victoria Griffiths

High Level Complaints Team

Customers Message Follows: ------------------------

Hi,

 

I have today had to time off work to attend a meeting with a representative from the bank to discuss this issue.

I advised them of your request and proposal as a way forward with this issue, but I was advised they do not recognise your intended process.

 

It appears they share the same stance as myself, as in, I paid the money to the CPW, and if CPW cannot locate the payment then it is the sole issue of the CPW.

The bank had simply followed my instructions as I was advised by the (flawed by your own admission) advice from the CPW regarding the transfer of funds.

I have provided you with evidence of the transaction, and I have warned you repeatedly that failure to return the money would result in further action.

 

My view has not changed and my deadline for legal action remains: 12th August 2010.

I most strongly advise you return the money to me promptly, as you will incur further costs if I am forced to escalate this matter.

 

Regards,

[buzby]

All fair enough. For them to admit that they accept you paid the money, but rather than put in a mechanism to prevent such issues from happening again, their answer is to ensure nobody pays them in this way again? I's certainly ensure that I's move my business to a firm that can be trusted, not faff around with systems that THEY control (all except by cheque). If this ensures they lose customers who are looking for a more accountable system of account administration, it will be no bad thing.