@rbs_mediateam RBS take DD 4 days early! Due 28th, leaves my account 24th!

[gemspan]

My bank account is with RBS. I have a few direct debits set up with them.

 

I recently had to give up my job due to health reasons and had my first payment of ESA on Friday 23rd December. I paid a couple of things and was left with some money to do my christmas food shopping on Christmas Eve.

 

Before I went food shopping on the 24th I checked my bank account online. Good job I did because I had no money in it. A DD due to come out on the 28th had been taken from my account. The DD was dated 28th, the transaction was dated 28th but this was on the 24th.....4 days before 28th.

 

I got on to phone banking and asked them what was going on as this should not be leaving my account until the 28th. They told me that due to the bank holiday it had left early and they wouldnt be able to refund the money into my account. At this point I was sitting with £168 overdraft and no food in the house....absolutely no food...de nada! I demanded to speak to a manager and was told they would phone me back. I stayed on the line until a Manager spoke to me.

 

They credited my account with the amount of the overdraft plus £50 so that I could get food. I was so distressed at the time that I accepted this but I've been thinking about it since. I've cancelled the direct debit now so it will not come out of my account and, because it had put me into overdraft, I will get charged for it.

 

There will not be enough money in my account tomorrow to cover the DD but I have until 2pm to credit money to my account for this to be paid. Unfortunately, it won't be paid until next week but that's not the point.

 

If a DD is due to come out on the 28th...that's the date it should come out. The 24th December is not the 28th and I just wondered if anybody else had experienced this before. RBS systems seem to think it's OK to take the money out 4 days early rather than on the morning of the 28th. I have been without money over Christmas and I'm really angry about it.

 

Is this wrong? Is the bank allowed to do this? It clearly states on my statement that the payment is dated 28th but has been out of my account since the 24th. Something wrong here! I have never had this in all my time using banks. The DD comes out on the day it is due....not 4 days early if it is a bank holiday. The 28th is not a bank holiday.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

Gempsan

[maroondevo52]

Hi, Gem.

 

I know Barclays direct debits between 24th and 28th went out on Friday 23rd but were dated 28th on statements ?

[gemspan]

Hiya

 

Nice to speak to you again!!! Not been on here for a long time but sorting out a few bits and pieces at the moment....PPI and mis-sold bank loans. Hope you had a lovely Christmas!!! xx

 

I can see it coming out early if the due date was 26th or 27th...but it was the 28th and that's a banking day so there was absolutely no need for it to come out then as it could easily have left my account on the morning of 28th! If you see what I mean. After all, if I was being paid on the 28th, it wouldn't go into my bank account on the 24th.....it would appear on the 28th! As I have up to 2pm to credit my account with the money to cover the DD then they had no right to take the money out of my account on the 24th as it could still have been paid into the account on the 28th as the bank is open. It's not as if the bank is shut tomorrow. I just think this is another way that the banks are ripping us off. They're slow to pay money in - but quick to take it out.

 

I just wondered if this was legal or considered to be treating their customers unfairly.....as the customer cannot to anything to stop this happening. It even states on the online statement is being paid on the 28th -and has been paid on the 28th.....when it was actually paid on the 24th!!

 

I hope I'm making sense here.

 

Thanks a lot

Gemspan x

[maroondevo52]

Hi, Gem.

 

Good to see you back on the site, I know where your coming from, they seem to make the rules up as they go along. I've had a look around and can't find any sort of definitive answer for you, I think D/ D's are down to the company concerned and are erratic to say the least sometimes around bank holidays.

[gemspan]

Yeah I do agree with you there but........the bank is open on the 28th and the debit is showing on my bank account as the 28th - but it was taken on the 24th. I think I'll drop them a line and quote the trading guidelines to them. This seems very unfair as there is absolutely nothing that can be done by the customer to stop this happening. If they show a transaction happening on the 28th then IMO that's when it should happen.....not the 24th! If it comes out on the 24th then it should be shown as the 24th.....they've basically had my money 4 days before the due date and left me with nothing.... If I hadn't demanded to speak with a manager I would have had no money over Christmas. I know there will be a lot of people who aren't as strong as I am and will have gone without over this time. It's just not fair....or indeed ethical..... So why am I surprised!!!! lol:wink:

[jackieandwayne]

Yep, same thing here with RBS. But in my case, I was quite pleased as it stopped me spending the bill money. I do get the point though, 28th is a working day so this shouldn;t have happened. So you save a little for Xmas, leave it in your current account so you can do your Xmas shopping, you know you get paid 28th as is the norm, your bills get paid out of the money you receive on 28th as is the norm, but in the meantime RBS decide to pay early and use your Xmas shopping cash to do it with! Yes, very good of them.

[iant54]

I'm afraid that I have to disagree with you. I do work in the banking sector, but not for RBS - however, my account is with them. If my payday falls on a Monday, the balance shows that it is available from Saturday, though the actual debit date shows the Monday's date.

 

What has happened here is that 24th December was a Saturday, so is not a 'true' banking day (it's only been recent times that banks open on Saturdays). In my own company, to avoid clogging up online transactiions, scheduled payments occur during the daily computer batch processing - as this wouldn't run on Saturdays and Sundays (nor Bank Holidays which fall at the begiining of the week), the process is done on the Friday overnight process.

[gemspan]

I appreciate that iant54. I have never had this with any other bank I have banked with so I don't know if its a new thing. There's nothing that can be done but it just annoyed me at the time and caused even more stress at a very stressful time of the year.....lol

 

Thanks for your input. I still don't think it's fair as my wages have never shown on the Saturday....lol

 

Gemspan

[breakaway]

I understand your frustration with this - I used to have a business account with Lloyds and this was an ongoing issue for me as everytime a dd fell due at a weekend or around a bank holiday they paid it early - it was incredibly difficult to manage my money! When i went in to complain I discovered that it is common practice to pay dds early - sometimes for no apparent reason - if the receiver calls it. British gas once took my electricity payment (around £400) on 15th when it was due to come out on 28th!!! And the bank simply allowed it!

 

I don't know if it helps but i set up a lot of my payments on standing order instead. If a standing order falls due on a weekend or bank holiday it is not paid until AFTER the date as it cannot leave your account before the date authorised by you. This means that bank holidays and weekends work in YOUR favour rather than the bank's

 

Just something to think about for the future maybe