"Failed Payment" - but nobody knows?
Discussion
I have found myself in a very simple but weird situation - that I can't fathom. This has been going on now for 16 days.
On the 20 August I paid off a balloon on a car lease and cancelled the ongoing direct debit. Payment was 4.5k - paid over the phone using my Visa debit card, authorised, everyone happy, didn't think any more about it. The money left my account within a few minutes of paying.
5 days later, the money comes back to my account. Odd, but no problem, I call up the bank to clarify status and they tell me that the car company has "not claimed the money" within the allocated time period. So I call the car company who tell me payment has been received, and they have no further interest with me. But, money is still in my account. So I have now transferred it into a sideline account I have, to keep it seperate and available as something is clearly not right and it is going to need to go to the car company.
Fast forward to now, 16 days later, and after copious calls to both bank and car company, nothing has changed. The sum is still sat in my sideline account. Car company says they have been paid and have sent out numerous confirmation letters ( auto done when I call them each time ) stating they have no further interest in me. Bank just says money has not been claimed and even, would you believe, intimated that "lucky me I might get a free car".
So for the time being I am stumped. I have the money and will keep hold of it for when I eventually need to pay, but car company won't take payment and have no interest as records are all closed on their system - and bank says to call car company. Am I misssing something?
The only thing that has happened other than the above, is that later on in the same day I made the transaction to the car company, and hours after it had successfully been authorised and gone through, I had to report my card missing as I lost my wallet. I had a new card issued days later. But despite this, and having asked the bank, the payment was not cancelled or questionned as far as anyone knows.
On the 20 August I paid off a balloon on a car lease and cancelled the ongoing direct debit. Payment was 4.5k - paid over the phone using my Visa debit card, authorised, everyone happy, didn't think any more about it. The money left my account within a few minutes of paying.
5 days later, the money comes back to my account. Odd, but no problem, I call up the bank to clarify status and they tell me that the car company has "not claimed the money" within the allocated time period. So I call the car company who tell me payment has been received, and they have no further interest with me. But, money is still in my account. So I have now transferred it into a sideline account I have, to keep it seperate and available as something is clearly not right and it is going to need to go to the car company.
Fast forward to now, 16 days later, and after copious calls to both bank and car company, nothing has changed. The sum is still sat in my sideline account. Car company says they have been paid and have sent out numerous confirmation letters ( auto done when I call them each time ) stating they have no further interest in me. Bank just says money has not been claimed and even, would you believe, intimated that "lucky me I might get a free car".
So for the time being I am stumped. I have the money and will keep hold of it for when I eventually need to pay, but car company won't take payment and have no interest as records are all closed on their system - and bank says to call car company. Am I misssing something?
The only thing that has happened other than the above, is that later on in the same day I made the transaction to the car company, and hours after it had successfully been authorised and gone through, I had to report my card missing as I lost my wallet. I had a new card issued days later. But despite this, and having asked the bank, the payment was not cancelled or questionned as far as anyone knows.
Thats what I am wondering though. If I simply do nothing, whats the chances of the noticing that my payment, amongst the many thousands of payments they will be receiving, has failed?
Something similar happened to me a long time ago where had I not have been honest about a credit to my account, I would have been £600 better off thanks to a bank error, where two different departments refunded me twice for the same thing.
Knowing how complex things can often be, I am already suspecting this may go unnoticed. I have already made copious efforts to pay, there will come a point when I desist.
Something similar happened to me a long time ago where had I not have been honest about a credit to my account, I would have been £600 better off thanks to a bank error, where two different departments refunded me twice for the same thing.
Knowing how complex things can often be, I am already suspecting this may go unnoticed. I have already made copious efforts to pay, there will come a point when I desist.
Cheers, yes absolutely I intend to have it kept to one side, I certainly can't spend it as firstly I don't see it as my money and secondly I wouldn't be able to afford to cover the cost if in 5 months they asked for it.
I mainly wonder why and how this has happened. I understand that the computer will have the box ticked about balance being paid, but if they have to physically claim it from my bank then presumably the department who are responsible for this will still have a box which is unticked.
But my instinct tells me by the time this is picked up, just as has been written above, the fine details will be locked away in electronic data and the company may chalk it up to natural losses. That would present me with a further dilemma, as if that were to happen, I am not convinced I am legally culpable. I have gone to repeated effort to settle despite their error, so I am not being dishonest or making misrepresentation.
I will no doubt end up calling them a few months down the line and once again informing them the money is sat in one of my accounts.
I mainly wonder why and how this has happened. I understand that the computer will have the box ticked about balance being paid, but if they have to physically claim it from my bank then presumably the department who are responsible for this will still have a box which is unticked.
But my instinct tells me by the time this is picked up, just as has been written above, the fine details will be locked away in electronic data and the company may chalk it up to natural losses. That would present me with a further dilemma, as if that were to happen, I am not convinced I am legally culpable. I have gone to repeated effort to settle despite their error, so I am not being dishonest or making misrepresentation.
I will no doubt end up calling them a few months down the line and once again informing them the money is sat in one of my accounts.
Well it has been a month now since I made the payment and the money initially left my account.
Since my last post I have contacted both car company and bank again. I have had a statement of accounts which I requested from car company. It shows the amount paid off, with a rebate of 81 pounds (whatever that is, I presume less the interest for clearing the balance early).
I am starting to believe now that I may end up with a car that should have cost 8 grand in total, for 3.
Since my last post I have contacted both car company and bank again. I have had a statement of accounts which I requested from car company. It shows the amount paid off, with a rebate of 81 pounds (whatever that is, I presume less the interest for clearing the balance early).
I am starting to believe now that I may end up with a car that should have cost 8 grand in total, for 3.
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