CUSTOMERS at a major bank are furious after being charged twice due to a technical glitch.
People have complained to the Co-operative Bank that payments have been debited twice from some small business account holders.
One irate customer on
It is unclear how many accounts were affected by the outage.
The bank apologized to users on X.
Below one user’s post, a response was made: “Our business team is aware of duplicate historical transactions and they are working to resolve this as quickly as possible.
“I am sorry for the inconvenience and concern this has caused,” it added.
Co-op Bank’s website says it has around 96,000 small business customers and 3.1 million retail customers.
One person, claiming to be a customer, reported having “many duplicate transactions from months ago.”
Another wrote: “Can anyone in authority tell us what happened to our business account?
“We’ve been in the red all day and are still waiting to hear from you.”
A third posted: “Utter shambles regarding duplicate historical transactions being pulled from customer accounts without any notice from you that this has happened.
“Thousands of £ taken from people’s accounts without even informing customers. Tell us how this will be resolved?”
In a statement, Co-op Bank said: “We are aware that there are a small number of SME account holders who have duplicate payments on their balances and are working to correct this issue.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused and are supporting customers during this time.”
How can I switch bank accounts?
Switching bank accounts is a simple process and can usually be done through the Current Account Switch Service (CASS).
Dozens of major banks and building societies have signed up; there is a full list on the CASS website.
With the switching service, switching banks would take seven working days.
You do not have to remember to transfer the direct debit when you move, as this will be done for you.
All you have to do is apply for the new account you want, and the new bank will notify your existing account that you are moving.
However, there are a few things you can do before you switch, including choosing your switch date and transferring any old bank statements to your new account.
For old statements, you must contact your existing bank.
When switching to another checking account, consider what other benefits come with membership of a specific bank or building society.
Some banks offer 0% overdraft fees up to a certain limit, and others may offer better rates on savings accounts.
And some banks offer free travel or cell phone insurance with their checking accounts, but these accounts may charge a monthly fee.
What are my rights if I have to pay twice?
It is not yet clear how customers will be refunded.
It’s worth gathering evidence of any problems so that you can make a formal complaint directly to the bank if necessary.
Make a note of the costs you had to pay because of the disruption and any other costs you incurred.
This could include overdraft fees, or fees for declined payments if you do not have enough cash in your account to pay a bill or payment.
If your credit has been affected because, for example, you were charged a late fee after being unable to complete a transaction, you should also keep a record of this.
If you spoke to someone to resolve the issue, write down their name and when you spoke to them, as well as roughly what you discussed and what they advised you to do.
You can file a complaint with Co-opbank in an office or online.
Consider how much you expect to be reimbursed, and when you expect to receive it, and include this in your complaint.
Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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