(Click for larger if it's unclear)Now, to explain what you see here. The first transaction is the University of Durham taking £88.75 from my bank account. The second is £20 paid in to cover my contact lens costs. The third is the return of the £88.75 that the University of Durham took from my account, and the fourth is a £35 charge my bank has made for bouncing the payment that I did not authorise.
I know what has happened. Last month, I couldn't pay my bill, the last of my tuition fees, in full. I went to the payments office and asked for help. I explained that I could pay £150 of the £238.75 last instalment on time, on the 1st of June. I said that I couldn't afford more, and that if they could do nothing to help me and the payment had to go ahead as I had previously agreed, then the payment would bounce and I would accept the consequences of this. Preferably, though, I would like to split the payment into two.
The lady I spoke to was very kind and helpful, and agreed to change the direct debit agreement. £150 would come out of my account on the 1st of June, and I would pay the balance within two weeks by handing in a cheque for £88.75 in person, before the 14th.
This I did. The cheque was dated the 12th, handed in that day, and was honoured by my bank and drawn from my account on the 17th. After this, I got a letter which was dated the 13th (and so was at least printed after I had handed in my cheque) informing me that a direct debit for the amount I had just paid would be coming from my account on the 1st July. I reasoned that I had been sent this because my cheque had not cleared when the system was checked, or something, and forgot about it.
Today the payment was removed. I am so angry. I don't have £35 to just throw away. I called the payment office as soon as I saw what had happened, at 17.04 still, and discovered that the staff had already left. I have left a terse but polite message on the voicemail service explaining the situation and giving my name and phone number. I will be even angrier if I am not called back before ten o'clock in the morning. I understand that mistakes happen but if I have to phone them, again, to get this sorted, I will file a formal complaint with the University. Twenty minutes later and I'm still seething.
They will have to cover the charge of my bank fees, won't they? It's their mistake, not mine. I had already paid when they decided to take a direct debit.
I know what has happened. Last month, I couldn't pay my bill, the last of my tuition fees, in full. I went to the payments office and asked for help. I explained that I could pay £150 of the £238.75 last instalment on time, on the 1st of June. I said that I couldn't afford more, and that if they could do nothing to help me and the payment had to go ahead as I had previously agreed, then the payment would bounce and I would accept the consequences of this. Preferably, though, I would like to split the payment into two.
The lady I spoke to was very kind and helpful, and agreed to change the direct debit agreement. £150 would come out of my account on the 1st of June, and I would pay the balance within two weeks by handing in a cheque for £88.75 in person, before the 14th.
This I did. The cheque was dated the 12th, handed in that day, and was honoured by my bank and drawn from my account on the 17th. After this, I got a letter which was dated the 13th (and so was at least printed after I had handed in my cheque) informing me that a direct debit for the amount I had just paid would be coming from my account on the 1st July. I reasoned that I had been sent this because my cheque had not cleared when the system was checked, or something, and forgot about it.
Today the payment was removed. I am so angry. I don't have £35 to just throw away. I called the payment office as soon as I saw what had happened, at 17.04 still, and discovered that the staff had already left. I have left a terse but polite message on the voicemail service explaining the situation and giving my name and phone number. I will be even angrier if I am not called back before ten o'clock in the morning. I understand that mistakes happen but if I have to phone them, again, to get this sorted, I will file a formal complaint with the University. Twenty minutes later and I'm still seething.
They will have to cover the charge of my bank fees, won't they? It's their mistake, not mine. I had already paid when they decided to take a direct debit.
2 comments:
That's so bogus!!! I hope they refund your overdraft fee since it was their error. *glare* They have to credit your account for the missing money so adding the od fee shouldn't be a problem. Grrr
Does your bank give you any recourse to put this back on the school? Like a charge back with credit cards? I can't remember what we used to do in these cases back when i worked at a bank.
They have also effected yoru standing with the bank by causing that od so have them write a ltter or something saying it was their fault.
Gift idea for dad: on the same theme of the photos... Rather than a big group shot you could get individual photos of people. Maybe father and child. Child on its own etc and mount them collectively in a frame. That doesn't require people to be around just a camera some tiem to crop the photos. Or you could go with a gift cert to a store he likes. That always works too. LOL
Argh, this is difficult. I didn't get a call back and called them myself at half past ten. The woman whose voicemail I spoke on is on annual leave at the moment, so the others in the office didn't get my message but picked up her line when it rang. Ergo, I can't be cross that I didn't get a call back.
Also, the woman I talked to was really very pleasant and understood immediately why I was stressed and actually asked me if I had any charges on my account before I brought it up. I've sent her the above screenshot of my bank charges and she's going to refund them.
I'm still really cross that it happened at all but that lady has taken the sting right out of it. God, I'm such a push over!!
That photos idea is really good. I'm going to try and do that! Thanks Nahbois! :D
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