Direct Debits and how to rob your bank account.

[Gastines2]

Having moved back to UK,don't ask, the only problem remaining is how to stop various suppliers to stop taking prelevement payments.Orange/Radiance both had 2 months notice and confirmed our leaving date.These and and copies of follow up letters given into our bank with letter of complaint. After taking the required sale papers of our French car to the bank as they arranged our car insurance,another years payment has just been taken from our account. Letters totally ignored to our queries from them all. It leaves us with the only bad taste of France and feeling bl---y annoyed at the hand behind the back position it leaves us in.

[krusty]

My sympathies Gastines , I have been watching this posting for guidance on the correct way to go about it .

[NormanH]

Well for a start you should 'faire opposition' to every standing order before you leave.

[idun]

I have to say that we had absolutely no problems at all with anyone taking anything from our french accounts for anything.

I contacted all the companies and cancelled everything and it worked.

The MAIF car insurance was cancelled and we were reimbursed part of the year and they sent an international 'no claims' form to us. They also reimbursed part of the year for the house insurance too.

We got money back from the EDF and GDF. We had already made a partial payment for our water and I'm pretty sure that they owed us money too.

My remaining problem remains and that is the tax fonciere they reimbursed to us and won't take back, I have even begged, we owe it and they refuse it.

I had allowed the taxe fonciere and habitation bills to keep coming out until Oct/Nov in case there was any extra payment to be made, but soon as I knew when and what the last prelevement was and it was paid, I cancelled both prelevements on the internet.

It isn't as if we never had problems as we did have problems in France when people occassionally took money that they shouldn't have done. And we suffered some very bad accounting procedures by Tiscali and then Alice.

NormanH is right, cancel everything with your bank.

[Gastines2]

We have actually been into our french bank with ll the required paperwork and copies of the original 2 months notice. Most did as instructed but Orange and Radiance seem to be unable to reply to anything,including letters to the bank.When I take the lot out in a couple of weeks I expect they will wonder why?Anyone ever tried contacting Orange FR. and getting a response?

[rustic]

I do not live in France,  I read these forums (fora?) as I find them interesting, having often visited on holidays. With my bank in England,  I can cancel a direct debit on line, which would simplify the house-moving process,  in that it lets the account-holder control withdrawals to some extent.  I had assumed this was now the practice in Europe, however it would appear not the case.   

[Will]

No, you should not cancel (résiliation or révoquer) a prélèvement except as a last resort, or when you are absolutely 100% certain that no more payments will be taken. Cancellation gives no guarantee that some payees will not still be able to take money, plus penalties, and it could do serious harm to your credit rating in France. The correct way to do it, as NormanH says, is to 'faire opposition', which is a rather different thing.

Some banks will allow you to 'faire opposition' on line.

When everything works and the payments stop, as n Idun's case, then cancellation won't actually give you any problems. It's when either something is still owing, or an organisation still tries to take payments that the hassles start - and bodies like RSI/Radiance, as well as insurance and telecom companies, are notorious for taking money when they shouldn't.

[Gastines2]

We have now had letters from C.A's office in Paris saying they are stopping payments,perhaps after they had proof that we have been in UK since 3rd Sept and copies of the relevant cancellations sent 2 months prior. Absolutely no response from the companies involved or any repayments.

[Gastines2]

Now sorted and even repayment from Orange /Car ins,but no communication whatsoever.