Key Post Be very careful about agreeing to Direct Debits

[hippy1975]

Your issue appears to be with your bank!
Your bank cannot allow any third party to control your bank account!

....I think Alwyn meant DD....like so many posts on this thread it proves the OP's point - most people aren't clear on the difference between SO and DD and are therefore at risk of giving an originator power to take any amount at any time from their account without understanding what it is they have agreed to.

We might see a lot more of these issues in future, Vodafone are now insisting on DD when you upgrade, I spent 4 months last year calling and writing to them about bills (issue was I wasn't getting billed, so at least in this case there wasn't money being taken from my acc that shouldn't have been, but nevertheless demonstrated their inability to solve a simple problem quickly).
I called vodafone recently to cancel the DD and the agent clearly didnt have a clue about the difference between SO and DD either, so OP is correct, people should be wary, even if you're in the right / eventually get your money back etc why give any company the opportunity to cause you that hassle, much better to keep control yourself. Ramble over now!

 

[Crugers]

....I think Alwyn meant DD....

Standing Order or Direct Debit - if the bank allowed money to be taken from the account when the required authorisation was not in place then the issue is still with the bank!

...I called vodafone recently to cancel the DD and...

That is where you went wrong!
From the "Scheme Rules"

[FONT=&quot]“Cancelling a Direct Debit Instruction (DDI)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The Payer may cancel the DDI by informing his/her Bank. In these circumstances, the following[/FONT][FONT=&quot] procedures must be followed:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Step Description[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1.Advise Originator Payer’s Bank must inform the Originator using an “Advice of Instruction[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Amendment/Cancellation Form” substantially in the form as set out in[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Appendix 8[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]2.Originator’s Action An Originator must not present a Direct Debit on a DDI that has been[/FONT][FONT=&quot] cancelled.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]NB It is not possible to reactivate a direct debit after cancellation. If a payer wants to reactivate a[/FONT][FONT=&quot] direct debit a new DDI must be set up. The first 6 characters of the alpha-numeric reference number[/FONT][FONT=&quot] on the new debit must be different from those on the cancelled DDI”[/FONT]
​

I'm not naive enough to believe that nothing will ever go wrong when these procedures are followed but if you don’t follow the procedures it makes it harder to make your case if and when things do go wrong!