People who bank with NatWest have been urged to check their accounts after the company confirmed a glitch had led to many people being charged twice. Customers have complained of going overdrawn as a result.
Around 112,000 customers are affected due to the double debits. NatWest has said it would ensure that anyone affected is not left out of pocket as a result. They went on to apologise for any inconvenience caused, reports the LiverpoolECHO.
It said: “Some customer accounts are showing debit card purchases twice, and in certain cases their available balance will be lower than it should, we’re really sorry for any inconvenience.”
A NatWest spokesperson also replied to a customer complaint on Twitter, saying: “We are aware that some NatWest customers’ accounts are showing some Visa debit card purchases twice, and in certain cases their available balance will be lower than it should. We are working to fix the problem, and will ensure that no customer is left out of pocket.
"Our customers can be assured that payments to retailers/merchants have only been made once, so there is no need to contact them. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.”
What to do if you're double-charged
If you find that you’ve been debited twice or more for a single payment, then contact your bank or card provider and explain the situation. Getting a refund shouldn’t be a problem – in fact they can usually sort out the problem right away.
This is because it should be clear to the card provider that the debit as a result of an error. Payments have codes and information attached to them that allow the business to see when and where the payment occurred.
It should be clear from this information that the duplicate payment is in error. There are occasions where the bank may ask you to sign a document to confirm that you didn’t authorise more than one payment. This tends to happen with high value amounts.
It’s only when banks spot their own technical glitches or there’s a big error that they tend to notice a problem with duplicate payments. So get in to the habit of checking statements for all the payment systems you have every month. If you spot anything you don’t recognise, go through the appeals process for disputing transactions.
Still not happy? You can go to the Financial Ombudsman for any dispute involving a financial product, like plastic cards and third-party payment systems. The Ombudsman can look at your complaint for free too.
