Suspicious Direct Debit Attempt “GC re Future Publishing”

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Assuming my experience with Barclays last night isn't a one off other forum users having a magazine subscription with Future Publishing paid for by direct debit should keep a beady eye on their bank accounts.

Around 11.30 last night I had an E-Mail from Barclays saying that GC re Future Publishing had set up a Direct Debit on my bank account. First I'd heard of it so I cancelled the thing just as soon as I could figure out how to do it via the iPhone app. Maybe 5 minutes later so hopefully no money extracted.

I thought Direct Debits had to be in initiated by the customer, me, not pushed out by the firm wanting the money.

I have an annual subscription to MacFormat, grandfathered from the takeover of MacWorld, paid for by DD once a year. Doing some research it appears that Future Publishing are switching to quarterly subscriptions, at seriously increased annual cost, so I surmise this may have been an attempt to do an end run around the need to inform customers of changes in DD amount and frequency.

I shall be interested to see if anything is attempted with the existing DD. £20 odd a year for two tea breaks worth of reading material per magazine is marginally worth it. Over 3 times that, Fergedditt!

That sort of near instant alert has to be a big thing in favour of internet / online banking. Although a user I'm not objectively a complete fan but ….

Clive

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

Clive

Your experience prompted me to look online and I found this website on direct debits.

**LINK**d

It has some useful information.

Stuart

[Clive FosterParticipant @clivefoster55965]

Stuart

Thanks for that link. Seems to have everything a normal person needs to know nicely organised and clearly presented.

Encouraging to discover that my somewhat chaotic knowledge acquired over time was pretty much right. So much clearer now its been organised for me though.

Clive

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