Contents
Today, more and more people prefer a bank card to pay for goods and services as the most convenient and secure method of payment. A huge number of non-cash transactions are carried out on the network, where the card is the main tool for online payments in online stores. However, despite the convenience and speed of virtual purchases, there are also a number of negative aspects, one of which is the problem of repeated (double) debiting from the card account. In the article we will talk about what the problem is, and how to get the money back after re-debiting from the card.
Repeated debiting of money from the card. What is the essence of the problem
Repeated debiting of money from a bank card is more likely a system error (technical error) than malicious intent or bank fraud. How does it usually work? After you have paid for the goods with a card on the Internet (see how to do it correctly) or at a regular outlet, you receive an SMS message about the completed operation and the amount of the purchase being debited from your account. After a while, you receive a second message (this can happen immediately or after a few hours) about the withdrawal of the same amount, and you are aware that you have not made any purchases again.
The thing is that on your card there was a repeated debiting of funds for a previously performed operation. Interestingly, a double write-off can occur not for the most recent transaction, but for one of the previous ones, when you paid for a purchase in a certain store.
To understand the essence of the problem, let's look at a simplified card payment scheme.
As you can see, the payment process consists of a "chain" of requests and responses between its different links. This process is called authorization. And the error can occur at every stage of authorization.
Initially, the request goes from the store to the acquiring bank, which serves requests for cards of any banks (not only their own). Next, the acquirer forms a request to the payment system (the basis of online card payments). The most famous are such international payment systems as Visa, MasterCard, and let's not forget about the domestic WORLD. The acquiring bank can send information twice - this is one of the reasons for the secondary write-off.
Another unlikely reason is a failure in the payment system itself or in the processing center where transactions (requests) are being processed. Equipment may fail, signal interference, or staff misconduct (when repairing a breakdown or performing maintenance) may affect the signal.
But the most common reason is a problem with payment terminals in stores or retail outlets, or inability to use them (human factor). If the terminal fails and sends a second authorization request, then the request will be processed and "passed" as a repeated purchase.
Here it is important to notice in a timely manner the fact of an unauthorized operation, in which the connected SMS-informing service will help you. That is why it is recommended to connect it without fail, even though it is a paid service.
A similar problem can occur not only with a payment, but also with a bank transfer. Cases of fraud are not excluded. As noted in the reviews on this topic, small companies, for example, car rental offices or small outlets, sin with secondary payments.
When faced with the problem of the secondary withdrawal of money from your bank card, you should not panic, since this situation is not so rare and quite solvable. First of all, you should understand that it will be the "banking system" that is to blame for this, and not specifically you.
It is also worth noting that if the system recognizes an error, the bank will automatically refund the re-debited money to you. However, there are situations when, in order to return their money, the buyer needs to act independently by calling the operator or sending an application to the bank, which we will talk about later.
How to protect yourself from possible double write-offs
You are unlikely to be able to fully insure yourself against problems and sudden financial difficulties, and the recommendations below will minimize the risks of double write-offs.
When paying on the Internet, you shouldn't show your credit or debit card at all - start a virtual one (it's a matter of 2 minutes) or open an additional card. At worst, get a special debit card (with the overdraft service disabled). Before buying, top up the card balance for the purchase amount - they will not physically be able to write off money from your account again.
When traveling abroad (or to distant corners of our Motherland), it is foolish to rely on a single card - get two or even three (let it be credit cards and debit cards), and be sure to have cash - at least a third of the planned expenses. Plastic can be suddenly blocked (why?) Or an ATM, the only one in the district, can be without money.
In either case, adhere to the rules for the safe use of cards.
How to get money back after re-debiting. Instructions and recommendations
If you feel that something was wrong, then the only right decision is a call to the bank's contact center (usually such calls are not charged).
In order to completely, without unnecessary stress and ambiguity, convey the essence of your problem to the support officer of your bank, you must prepare in advance all the available data on the secondary write-off:
For your identification, the employee will ask you to voice your passport details, so it will be better if you have your passport with you when you call. Surely the employee will want to know your control information that you came up with when filling out an application for a card (if you forgot, then you should not be upset, the passport data is enough).
Now you can dial the hotline number of the bank, on the card of which the debiting was made (look for the number on the back of the card or on the bank's website). Talking to the call center operator should be calm and intelligible, he is definitely not to blame for what happened.
The main purpose of your call is not to prove someone's fault, but to get your own money back quickly. In the case of structured communication and a clear message of the essence of the problem (sometimes it is worth being persistent), the operator will quickly respond to your request. As a rule, any bank already has a worked out set of actions to return a double write-off or for another emergency situation - this will quickly fix the problem (if it is of a technical nature) and return the money in the coming days.
If you were unable to return the funds "by phone" after the second write-off, proceed to the next step - prepare a written claim to the bank. It must be taken to a bank branch or sent by registered mail. In the body of the letter: a description of the problem and a request for a refund.
A complaint can be sent in other ways (for a start, you can try them): to the bank's e-mail address, through the feedback form. But a written complaint is the most powerful way. And if you demand to make a copy of your application with a mark of acceptance, then the bank will not "get out of the way". In both cases, if possible, you should have on hand confirmation that your application was accepted (application number, copy of the application, etc.).
After all the operations described above, the bank may take no more than a week to consider the application you sent (depends on the internal rules of the credit institution). The bank starts investigating a specific case, and if the bank employees do not have any suspicions about the technical nature of the write-off, then, most likely, you are guaranteed to receive the money back to your card account in a few days.
Otherwise, if in their opinion there were two purchases in a row, then the investigation may take longer - up to 120 days.
If you have booked hotel rooms, bought plane tickets or carried out similar operations on websites, and a double amount was debited from your card, then, as advised in the reviews, you can contact the online services support service directly. Usually, well-known Internet companies meet customers halfway and resolve the issue of refunds at their level.
In general, nothing is impossible, and the money will be returned to you, though you will only slightly tighten your nerves. But there is a small nuisance that can happen if you are charged again with the purchase amount if your card balance is insufficient, i.e. the balance will go negative. This phenomenon is called unauthorized or technical overdraft - it turns out that you borrow unnecessary loans from the bank for a while and are forced to pay interest for it.
It would be good form for the bank to return the accrued interest to the cardholder for a technical overdraft that occurred through no fault of his. But usually banks do not do this, although you, as an illegally "robbed" one, could argue with them - write claims demanding a return or make them anti-advertising on the Internet, but is it necessary, because the interest is usually not high, the main thing is return the re-written amount!
We hope that you have received enough information on the question of “how to get money back after a second write-off”, and in case of such a nuisance, you will know the algorithm of actions for returning the second-written funds for a previously made purchase.
- 1. Repeated debiting of money from the card. What is the essence of the problem
- 2. How to protect yourself from possible double write-off
- 3. How to get a refund after a second write-off. Instructions and recommendations
Today, more and more people prefer a bank card to pay for goods and services as the most convenient and secure method of payment. A huge number of non-cash transactions are carried out on the network, where the card is the main tool for online payments in online stores. However, despite the convenience and speed of virtual purchases, there are also a number of negative aspects, one of which is the problem of repeated (double) debiting from the card account. In the article we will talk about what the problem is, and how to get the money back after re-debiting from the card.
Repeated debiting of money from the card. What is the essence of the problem
Repeated debiting of money from a bank card is more likely a system error (technical error) than malicious intent or bank fraud. How does it usually work? After you have paid for the goods with a card on the Internet (see how to do it correctly) or at a regular outlet, you receive an SMS message about the completed operation and the amount of the purchase being debited from your account. After a while, you receive a second message (this can happen immediately or after a few hours) about the withdrawal of the same amount, and you are aware that you have not made any purchases again.
The thing is that on your card there was a repeated debiting of funds for a previously performed operation. Interestingly, a double write-off can occur not for the most recent transaction, but for one of the previous ones, when you paid for a purchase in a certain store.
To understand the essence of the problem, let's look at a simplified card payment scheme.
As you can see, the payment process consists of a "chain" of requests and responses between its different links. This process is called authorization. And the error can occur at every stage of authorization.
Initially, the request goes from the store to the acquiring bank, which serves requests for cards of any banks (not only their own). Next, the acquirer forms a request to the payment system (the basis of online card payments). The most famous are such international payment systems as Visa, MasterCard, and let's not forget about the domestic WORLD. The acquiring bank can send information twice - this is one of the reasons for the secondary write-off.
Another unlikely reason is a failure in the payment system itself or in the processing center where transactions (requests) are being processed. Equipment may fail, signal interference, or staff misconduct (when repairing a breakdown or performing maintenance) may affect the signal.
But the most common reason is a problem with payment terminals in stores or retail outlets, or inability to use them (human factor). If the terminal fails and sends a second authorization request, then the request will be processed and "passed" as a repeated purchase.
Here it is important to notice in a timely manner the fact of an unauthorized operation, in which the connected SMS-informing service will help you. That is why it is recommended to connect it without fail, even though it is a paid service.
A similar problem can occur not only with a payment, but also with a bank transfer. Cases of fraud are not excluded. As noted in the reviews on this topic, small companies, for example, car rental offices or small outlets, sin with secondary payments.
When faced with the problem of the secondary withdrawal of money from your bank card, you should not panic, since this situation is not so rare and quite solvable. First of all, you should understand that it will be the "banking system" that is to blame for this, and not specifically you.
It is also worth noting that if the system recognizes an error, the bank will automatically refund the re-debited money to you. However, there are situations when, in order to return their money, the buyer needs to act independently by calling the operator or sending an application to the bank, which we will talk about later.
How to protect yourself from possible double write-offs
You are unlikely to be able to fully insure yourself against problems and sudden financial difficulties, and the recommendations below will minimize the risks of double write-offs.
When paying on the Internet, you shouldn't show your credit or debit card at all - start a virtual one (it's a matter of 2 minutes) or open an additional card. At worst, get a special debit card (with the overdraft service disabled). Before buying, top up the card balance for the purchase amount - they will not physically be able to write off money from your account again.
When traveling abroad (or to distant corners of our Motherland), it is foolish to rely on a single card - get two or even three (let it be credit cards and debit cards), and be sure to have cash - at least a third of the planned expenses. Plastic can be suddenly blocked (why?) Or an ATM, the only one in the district, can be without money.
In either case, adhere to the rules for the safe use of cards.
How to get money back after re-debiting. Instructions and recommendations
If you feel that something was wrong, then the only right decision is a call to the bank's contact center (usually such calls are not charged).
In order to completely, without unnecessary stress and ambiguity, convey the essence of your problem to the support officer of your bank, you must prepare in advance all the available data on the secondary write-off:
- Website web address or the name of the store (outlet);
- Date and time of the duplicated operation;
- The exact amount of the purchase;
- Operation number.
For your identification, the employee will ask you to voice your passport details, so it will be better if you have your passport with you when you call. Surely the employee will want to know your control information that you came up with when filling out an application for a card (if you forgot, then you should not be upset, the passport data is enough).
Now you can dial the hotline number of the bank, on the card of which the debiting was made (look for the number on the back of the card or on the bank's website). Talking to the call center operator should be calm and intelligible, he is definitely not to blame for what happened.
The main purpose of your call is not to prove someone's fault, but to get your own money back quickly. In the case of structured communication and a clear message of the essence of the problem (sometimes it is worth being persistent), the operator will quickly respond to your request. As a rule, any bank already has a worked out set of actions to return a double write-off or for another emergency situation - this will quickly fix the problem (if it is of a technical nature) and return the money in the coming days.
If you were unable to return the funds "by phone" after the second write-off, proceed to the next step - prepare a written claim to the bank. It must be taken to a bank branch or sent by registered mail. In the body of the letter: a description of the problem and a request for a refund.
A complaint can be sent in other ways (for a start, you can try them): to the bank's e-mail address, through the feedback form. But a written complaint is the most powerful way. And if you demand to make a copy of your application with a mark of acceptance, then the bank will not "get out of the way". In both cases, if possible, you should have on hand confirmation that your application was accepted (application number, copy of the application, etc.).
After all the operations described above, the bank may take no more than a week to consider the application you sent (depends on the internal rules of the credit institution). The bank starts investigating a specific case, and if the bank employees do not have any suspicions about the technical nature of the write-off, then, most likely, you are guaranteed to receive the money back to your card account in a few days.
Otherwise, if in their opinion there were two purchases in a row, then the investigation may take longer - up to 120 days.
If you have booked hotel rooms, bought plane tickets or carried out similar operations on websites, and a double amount was debited from your card, then, as advised in the reviews, you can contact the online services support service directly. Usually, well-known Internet companies meet customers halfway and resolve the issue of refunds at their level.
In general, nothing is impossible, and the money will be returned to you, though you will only slightly tighten your nerves. But there is a small nuisance that can happen if you are charged again with the purchase amount if your card balance is insufficient, i.e. the balance will go negative. This phenomenon is called unauthorized or technical overdraft - it turns out that you borrow unnecessary loans from the bank for a while and are forced to pay interest for it.
It would be good form for the bank to return the accrued interest to the cardholder for a technical overdraft that occurred through no fault of his. But usually banks do not do this, although you, as an illegally "robbed" one, could argue with them - write claims demanding a return or make them anti-advertising on the Internet, but is it necessary, because the interest is usually not high, the main thing is return the re-written amount!
We hope that you have received enough information on the question of “how to get money back after a second write-off”, and in case of such a nuisance, you will know the algorithm of actions for returning the second-written funds for a previously made purchase.
