If, as one of our correspondents alleges, Acenden are losing trace of payments made via their much trumpeted website that gained so many gold stars and Blue Peter badges from S&P only one of two conclusions can be drawn. These are as follows:
a) Acenden are incompetent and cannot be entrusted with any licence to trade, or
b) Acenden is deliberately siphoning of these payments in a criminally corrupt conspiracy to defraud customers and the SPVs, in order to hoodwink courts and maximise repossessions and their own profit margins.
(Do they really secrete overpayments into a separate account if the total overpayment is less than £1000?)
Anyway, being charitable I’d go for incompetence.
But then again seeking to be charitable to this filthy bunch of liars, cheats and thieves takes several leaps of faith too far. My betting is on b).
The regulators should really take a look, providing of course that there is no conflict of interest that might actually prevent them from regulating in the first place.
I have found their site very tricky to use and poorly set up. It is badly put together for a start. The problem is an Acenden loophole that I have never come across before which is when you pay by debit which leaves your account immediately AND you are given an authorisation code which confirms that it has been received – you’d think – Acenden reserve the right to later (and it can be 8 to 12 days later) cancel the payment on the grounds that they perform some sort of manual check to prevent “money laundering” – or so they have told me on two separate occasions, and they do say on their site that if the card is not registered to the same address as the mortgaged property they will subsequently refuse the payment. As the money has already left your account, it then doesn’t get recredited, we don’t get told what has happened, there is another alleged “missed payment” and someone somewhere has trousered the payment. Sorting this out is nigh impossible since they will deny ever having had the money, despite the bank statements and the authorisation code, and the printout of the transaction. Now is this company policy or is it individual employees helping themselves to a quiet bunce?
I have successfully managed to claw some charges back through a protracted claim which took over a year via the FOS. After some months the money finally got recredited. I was notified by Acenden when they sent me two default notices, which they helpfully explained was because I have received a negative debit. In any sane world this would be a credit but no, it’s the excuse to register two defaults. I have complained again and asked them to remove the defaults, and apologise and explain just what they think they are doing. However, they have refused to remove the defaults and their “final response” is that they are acting under the CCA and have no choice as the ONLY way in which we can be notified of money going in to the account is by means of a default notice. I have tried to explain this to the CAB and a solicitor and they think I must be making it up until they see the paperwork.
This, Sappho, is an outrageous breach of the Data Protection Act. Specifically section 10 of the said act is there to protect you from false and damaging entries. Raise immedite complaint with the Information Commissioner. They will be slow to respond (very) but once on it they appear to be very good. I would also raise complaint with the credit reference agencies. Once you have an information commisioner complaint reference they should also act. They have a lawful duty to ensure they data they process on individuals is accurate.