Lowell finance storing my card details without permission...

[Ision]

Hi there,

I have setup a payment plan with Lowell (I'm sure you all know of them) and it was agreed that they would send me a letter to setup direct debit or standing order and until this was in place I would ring up and pay by card. I rang them on the 29th of last month and made my second payment which was all fine but I have come to check my account today and they have taken another amount on the 30th of Sept which has forced me over drawn and stopped a direct debit from being paid out of my account for which I have been charged by my bank. Further to this I made a one off payment to them last year and they stored my card details and started taking money from my account on a monthly basis at no point did I give them permission I changed my card in the end. Are they legally allowed to do this as I thought they could only store details with prior consent?

 

Thank you for your time, sorry if this is confusing I'm not the best with all this sort of thing.

 

Many Thanks,

Kyle

[Revenant]

Hi and welcome to CAG Ision

Sorry to hear of what Lowell have done but unfortunately once they had your details you left yourself wide open and I know it's no comfort but you're not on your own

Get straight onto your Bank and tell them that an unauthorised/fraudulent transaction has taken place and I'm afraid that your only safe guard is to cancel that card

 

Do not set up a DD as they could have an extra dip into that as well

 

I doubt if much would come of it but I would make a complaint in writing to Lowell and would not even attempt to offer any further payments

Are you sure that Lowell are in fact entitled to your hard earned cash

There are caggers on here with lots of knowledge of Lowell so more advice will follow

Good luck

R

[Nishikigoi]

Report it as fraud and ask for the payments to be reversed, let the bank know your card has been used without your permission and get them to issue new ones, these will have a different number so no more payments can be made. I'd write to the DCA telling them they have fraudulently taken money that has placed you in financial distress, I doubt you'll get the money back but I'd push for your bank charges to be deducted from the balance you owe them.

 

Since you now know how rubbish DCA's are, it might be time to ask for a copy of your CCA from them, you might have been paying a debt they have no right to collect!

[Nishikigoi]

Damn too slow!

[Ision]

Thank you both for your amazingly quick responses!!

 

I will phone my bank as soon as I'm home from work and cancel the card, I will also follow the rest of the advice above and report back once I have done so.

The money they are after is for a Capital One credit card i used to have before losing my job, its only 12months old the debt so as far as I can understand they are allowed to chase me for this.

 

Thank you both once again I really appreciate your help and time.

I will check back here tomorrow as I have no internet access at home until the weekend.

 

Kind Regards,

Kyle

 

P.S: @Revenant - That's a great signature!

[harrassed senior]

So sorry to hear this has happened to you, our advice is of course, too late, but goes to show that we are correct in our assumptions that if you give them your banking details they WILL miss-use them.

 

I would also suggest that you immediately follow the advice as given above, but also you need to inform your bank what has occurred and from which they will see what has caused your present problem with them.

 

I would complain to the OFT and TS online here: http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/contact

 

I would inform the ICO here: Complaints - Privacy & electronic communication - ICO

 

I would inform your MP and as stated above make an official complaint to Lowells.

[Guest Lowell CRT]

Hi Kyle

 

I have just seen your post about Lowell and am very sorry to learn of the difficulties you have experienced, regarding payments being taken from your card.

 

We would like the opportunity to deal with your concerns through our dedicated Complaints Resolution Team. The Complaints Resolution Team is entirely independent to our Collections Department. Our sole aim is to deal with customer’s specific concerns.

 

We appreciate you may have some reservations about contacting us, but please let me assure you we are here to help.

 

To ensure your enquiry reaches one of our trained Complaints Resolution Officers, please use our direct email, which can be found on my previous posts.

 

As soon as we hear from you we will be able to place your account on hold, stopping any collections activity, whilst we deal with your enquiry.

We hope to be in contact with you soon.

 

James

 

Lowell Complaints Resolution Team

[postggj]

but why did it happen to begin with

 

making this person go overdrawn through greed

 

ision

 

dont you dare contact lowell

 

you do a complaint to the ico and oft

A COMPANY IS NOT ALLOWED TO KEEP YOUR CARD DETAILS ON FILE LET ALONE DRAW AGAINST IT WITHOUT YOU SIGNING A

 

CONTINIOUS CREDIT AUTHORITY/MANDATE

 

THIS CAN BE CLASSED AS FRAUD

 

LOWELL ARE WELL AWARE OF THIS AND CHOOSE TO IGNORE

[Revenant]

Hi Kyle

 

I have just seen your post about Lowell and am very sorry to learn of the difficulties you have experienced, regarding payments being taken from your card.

 

We would like the opportunity to deal with your concerns through our dedicated Complaints Resolution Team. The Complaints Resolution Team is entirely independent to our Collections Department. Our sole aim is to deal with customer’s specific concerns.

 

We appreciate you may have some reservations about contacting us, but please let me assure you we are here to help.

 

To ensure your enquiry reaches one of our trained Complaints Resolution Officers, please use our direct email, which can be found on my previous posts.

 

As soon as we hear from you we will be able to place your account on hold, stopping any collections activity, whilst we deal with your enquiry.

We hope to be in contact with you soon.

 

James

 

Lowell Complaints Resolution Team

 

 

Here's my opinion re James' email

Don't even bother replying, from what I've read and I think others will back me up you'll just be wasting your time

James pops up with the same email from time to time but as far as I know no one has ever seen any actual follow up from him

I'd stick with the advice you're been given and keep everything in writing

R

ps Ta for the comment re my siggy

[postggj]

ico information commissionairs office

 

oft office of fair trading

[sam614]

Would have thought you would be to busy at the job centre James. post 10 as pointless as all the others.you are wasting your time popping up every 6 wks.NO ONE is going to contact you.

 

You have no intention of helping,You have not responded to any invitation to help or comment on questions asked on other threads have you? why not resolve what you call concerns on the forum.

 

or go back to

[sam614]

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?266775-Lowell-Financial&p=3039870#post3039870

[craigers]

lowell did this with me. i agreed a settlement figure of a grand (account balance £1600) and paid by debit card. yet a few weeks later they took another grand without my authority. daft buggers refunded me twice.

[Bazooka Boo]

Yay!!! James is back!!! With Post number TEN!!!

 

Slow day in the lowlifes office then?

 

As has already been said, report the fraudulent transaction to the bank, they WILL refund the money, and bank charges. As for the very incompetent Lowlifes, pay them nothing from now on, they can't be trusted with your bank details, so they will now forfeit the right to any of your money. IGNORE IGNORE & IGNORE again, they will grow bored and flog this off to another reprobate DCA foolish enough to buy it.