Stupid things--I am an idiot-auto debits

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Stupid things--I am an idiot-auto debits
5
Fri, 03-03-2006 - 7:47pm
Hi, everyone. Well, I am ashamed to admit it, but I made some goofs, and set up automatic debits from the checking account to various things. Pet Insurance. Great. Other things? (i.e., monthly exercise club, music downloads for DH burning CD's, real estate stuff 101, etc.)Stupid. Sawdust for brains. Sucker for come-ons. Common sense malfunction. Danni, et al, I am trying to rectify this. DH in war room about this. Problem: some of the things on the bank e-site are just abbreviated, or they use a billing company. So, there is no e-mail site, phone number, etc. If I stopped this stuff, how do I cancel for good? It's like having an island with no listing. Potential savings? AHA! Over $100/month easily. 2) HOw to stop popups in e-mails. Tried the popup blocker. No good. Now getting 75 stupid come-on ads daily for everything from Viagra to lose weight in 10 minutes. DH says I should not open them up or reply, as it could be a worm and mess up computer. So, I delete them. Need help on this, please, please. THanks. Whiz.
Avatar for endomagazine
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2004
Fri, 03-03-2006 - 9:20pm

Hello,

You can contact your bank to find out how to stop automatic debits. You can dispute the charges. Usually when you do this, your bank will credit the charge until the investigation of the charge is done. Most merchants will cancel the account that sends chargebacks (disputes) from their bank account, since they probably will get charged a chargeback processing fee from their merchant account.

Answer: Call you bank and ask them to stop the charges.

Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke

Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke

Geeks on Tap: Mission Accomplished

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Fri, 03-03-2006 - 10:47pm
Hi, Lindsay. I am going to print my latest online statement and take it to the bank and see what happens. If the merchant in question disputes it, then does the bank still cancel or do I have to put it in writing for each merchant and present it to the bank? Thanks. WHiz.
Avatar for cl_phocid
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 03-04-2006 - 9:04am

Hey Whiz - I would work with your bank about the auto debits - I have a strict no-access policy with my checking account - I refuse to set up auto debits, so I have no idea how that all works.


As for popups, I downloaded the Google toolbar, for free, and for me, it's worked just great.

All my best,
Danni

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Sat, 03-04-2006 - 3:06pm
Hey, Danni, and Lindsay---Thank-you a zillion for coming to the rescue. Have appt on Monday with the bank re: checking account. I have to go in there in person and show what I downloaded from my e-site, so they can see it. I did have some success--I e-mailed some of the auto-debit folks that I no longer want any more e-mails, to cancel everything, etc. We'll see. Went to google website (Firewall, etc.), saw free info. Will it work with Microsoft systems? I want to know how you like it, if there is anything you dont like about it. I want to save all of my favorite bookmarked sites, and not mess anything up (again) if I download this. WHiz.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-16-1999
Sun, 03-05-2006 - 6:14am
The one that could get nasty is the exercise club. Be prepared. Exercise clubs make money off of people who join and then do not use the membership so they are really creepy when people stop payment. Really study your contract. See if you have the option of paying it yourself. I use a number of auto debits but all of them are for things like mortgage and car payments. I have had no problems and like the fact that I don't have to worry about remembering to make the payment. At one time I had a problem with remembering to pay bills before the due date even when I had the money. My credit score has greatly improved since the switch. DH and I are paid monthly on the last business day of the month. We know exactly how much money will be in our account on the first day of every month so everything is pretty predictable. Our checking account looks like a freeway at rush hour for the first couple of days each month.I also use a bill paying service which costs less per month than the stamps to mail the individual bills. We sit down once a month and authorize payments for the entire month. We like the fact that we control the dates of delivery. We have had no problems at all. I know some people have. Be careful. It can be difficult with weekly or bi-weekly pay cycles or fluctuating income.