I am a victim of card fraud and am struggling to be reimbursed.
On August 27 I walked into Abbey's Harrow branch in North London. I had
hardly crossed the threshold when I was accosted by a woman, then a man.
They were both dressed in black, like the Abbey staff. They coerced me into
inserting my card in a cash machine inside the bank - the man stood by my
shoulder while I punched in my PIN. The card disappeared and the screen went
blank.
Thoroughly confused (I am 86), I decided to go home. I had hardly walked a
few yards when I realised that I had been conned. I immediately went back to
the bank to report the scam and asked for my card to be blocked. I was
assured that this would be done.
Had Abbey done this, I would not be writing to you. It did not, and my
accounts were raided to the tune of £53,426.96, with £8,315 spent on Louis
Vuitton bags alone. The CID is investigating. Abbey's manager said that I
will get my money back but will not put anything in writing. Its ambivalence
worries me. Please help.
C.H. GARTHWAITE, Stanmore, North London
An 86-year-old walks into an Abbey branch and says: “I think I have just been
robbed by two people dressed as staff in this branch.” As a branch employee,
should you: a) Ask if he is OK, make him a cup of tea, take down an account
of what happened, cancel the card, recommend he informs the police and
assist with any inquiries thereafter? Or b) Ask if he
is OK, assure him that you will cancel the card and then make yourself a cup
of tea and forget about it? We all have absent-minded moments, but wouldn't
you think that the sight of a distressed old man who has just been the
victim of a very scary crime would be enough to jolt even the most jaded
employee out of the torpor of his or her daily grind?
Troubleshooter was incensed by your tale - not least because you recount it so
apologetically, as if you feel that you should be saying sorry. Abbey has
now credited your account with the stolen money, as well as lost interest.
It has also offered £100 in compensation. This would not cover the cost of
post-traumatic stress counselling should you need it. However, you sound
remarkably together, not to mention forgiving, and are perhaps happy enough
to have the matter resolved.
Marks & Spencer's Summertown branch in Oxfordshire has an ATM facility
that dispenses in either pounds or euros. The service is not operated by
Marks & Spencer, but by Travelex.
On August 28, before a holiday in Germany, I inserted my Lloyds TSB debit
card and requested €500. The machine accepted my PIN and the sum of £418.31
was deducted from my bank account. I heard the machine counting out the
money, but the drawer remained closed.
I went to the Marks & Spencer customer service desk and was told that,
as it does not operate the machine, I should contact Travelex. When I
arrived home, I called Travelex, which could not have been less helpful. It
said that its machines “never fail” and that I should contact my
bank.
I completed a complaint form with Lloyds TSB, but have heard nothing.
MICHAEL GAUTREY, Oxford
Troubleshooter finds it absurd that someone could claim with a straight face
that an ATM machine “never fails”. Clearly, in human history, there have
been several instances where machines that “never fail” have done exactly
that. Travelex needs to reprimand whoever told you this for making the
company sound stupid.
It made amends, though. After investigating your case, Travelex told
Troubleshooter that it is Marks & Spencer's responsibility to take
charge of these machines. Travelex develops and operates the software and
licenses this out to Marks & Spencer, which is responsible for looking
after the cash supply, maintenance and customer support.
Travelex confirmed that there was a discrepancy at the end of the day between
the amount of cash in the machine and the record of debits made that day.
The money has now been credited to your Lloyds TSB account.
I switched to Churchill Home Insurance in July because it was cheaper than
my previous provider, RIAS. Unfortunately, a direct debit kicked in for a
renewal with RIAS and £225 was debited from my account. RIAS assured me that
the policy would be cancelled and the premium refunded. The policy was
cancelled, but no refund.
D. READ, Surrey
After you contacted Troubleshooter, RIAS not only refunded you, it also sent
you what you described as a “fulsome” apology and left you several
grovelling messages on your answering machine while you were on holiday.
It's nice to feel important for once, isn't it?
To tell us your problems, visit timesonline.co.uk/troubleshooter or write to
Troubleshooter, Times Money, Times House, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TB
On the bright side
Suzanne Howitt, of Lyme Regis, Dorset, says: “I e-mailed ScottishPower
overnight to complain that I didn't agree with the estimated gas and
electricity readings that it had used to calculate my bill when the
increased charges were applied on September 1.
“Within five working hours I received, by e-mail, a personal reply saying that
it had looked again at the figures used, had adjusted them accordingly - in
my favour - and would issue an amended bill.
“It is reassuring to know that at least one big organisation still
believes in customer service.”
Readers to the rescue: missing mobile
“Carphone Warehouse wrote to me on May 10 offering an upgrade on my mobile
phone. I accepted and my credit card was debited with £69.99 but I have not
received the phone. Despite calls and letters to the customer services
director, I still have not received my handset, nor a refund. Any
suggestions?
ROB CARTER, Reading, Berks
Michael Couch, of Chippenham, Wiltshire, writes: “Contact your credit card
company and explain the problem, pointing out the steps you have taken to
resolve it. Request that it reclaims the money from Carphone Warehouse on
your behalf.”
Ian Strand, of Goring, Oxfordshire, who wins this week's £25 voucher, agrees:
“When you call the card company have your statement to hand and quote the
date and reference shown. If this doesn't work contact the county court -
the staff will help you to make a small claim - and then inform the chief
executive officer of Carphone Warehouse that you have done so. Often the
threat of court action is enough, as companies want to avoid bad publicity.”
Can you help? E-mail troubleshooter@thetimes.co.uk with your answers to the
following problem for a chance to win a £25 gift voucher.
“The renewal for my Churchill home insurance cover seemed overpriced so I
contacted Cornhill Direct for an alternative quotation. The latter told me
that I am ineligible for cover as its computer shows that I live on a flood
plain. We are 500ft (150m) above sea level and a small stream half a mile
away is at the bottom of a steep valley. It is inconceivable that my house
would flood. I contacted the Environment Agency and was told that Cornhill,
and other companies, are wrongly assessing its information as some, but not
all, properties in the TR20 postcode where I live are at risk. Have any
other readers had this problem and managed to resolve it?
DAVID COLES, Penzance, Cornwall
Do you have a problem you would like other readers to solve?
E-mail troubleshooter@thetimes.co.uk with your query and write “readers” in
the subject line. Please also include the name of your town.
