A Halifax customer received a puzzling response when they asked about blocking an erroneous payment.
The person got in touch with the bank over X as they had tried to stop regular payments going out of their account to their local gym, which had now closed.
They explained: “My local gym became insolvent and closed. Contacted Halifax to stop regular card payments. Told only (defunct) merchant could to that.
“Persisted and secured 12-month block only. Disappointing and unhelpful approach to my money.”
The bank replied to explain the rules when it comes to blocking payments. The group said: “The block would last for 13 months, and you need to contact the company directly to cancel the agreement with them also.
“If they have become insolvent, their account should automatically stop requesting payments as part of that process.
“If for some reason, a payment to them left your account in the future, it can be disputed and claimed back.”
But the bank further warned that it could only stop the payments going out for a certain timescale.
A representative said: “We only have the facility to block payments for a limited period of time, not indefinitely. I hope this helps.”
The customer was also unhappy with the customer service they received when they tried calling up about the issue.
They said: “Your unhelpful representative’s telling me to email/phone contact she looked up on Google was utterly patronising.
“I had to bully her and threaten escalation to be told that a stop could be done. Not happy – please look into this and get back to me.”
The bank apologised for the customer’s unpleasant experience, informing them they could make a complaint through the Halifax website.
If you want to file a complaint over the phone, you can call 0800 072 9779 or +44 (0)113 366 0167. The phonelines are open at any time.
A Halifax spokesperson said: “Customers can view, block or cancel a subscription payment using our mobile banking app. A block is in place for 13 mths, allowing customers time to contact the subscription provider to make sure it is cancelled at their end.
“Some subscription payments cannot be permanently cancelled, such as if a customer has a binding agreement with the provider. If this is the case, customers should contact the subscription provider to discuss the payment.
“If a company becomes insolvent, their account should automatically stop taking payments as part of the insolvency process.”
