@misterman35 All I can say is that you need to move to Scotland. We have much fairer laws here. This information may not be of much help to you, and I apologise for that, but urge your local politicians to look at this. Afterall, we did do away with 'workhouses' a long time ago. It is about time the England, NI and Wales crept into the future IMHO. Bear in mind, that they cannot extract blood from a stone - if you have nothing, they cannot take anything. Do not be scared! Tom.. Xx

@BazzaS No.. Just that I like to make new ideas work, but have yet to get good at making money out of them! The ideas have worked, and I am now on my sixth startup. I didn't consider contract law in the past though. I have learned my lesson!

@Pierre GA - The jargon behind DD 'guarantees' is, to my mind, mostly marketing. Direct Debits only serve to profit banks. The consumer does not benefit at all. It is far better to pay, via instant transfer from modern digital banks, than by an outdated Direct Debit scheme. Just think for a second.. Does one really want to hand over one's (in my case 'dubious') financial wealth to a third party computer? I would far rather transact and settle my bills myself; I think I should proffer the term 'Financial Zen.'

I was with RBS. I was a student back in late 1980s. I ran up a £3.5K o/d. Could not afford to pay it back (I have Serial Startup Personality Disorder). I said that they had 'fined' me more than my overdraft in over twenty years, and that I was not prepared to engage with them anymore. They eventually gave up. Premise is: you cannot get blood out of a stone. Do not be scared by these people. They are just trying to run their business model, and as long as you have not made any untrue statements, you are morally and legally in the clear. This is just my opinion, and may not be legally binding. Tom.. Xx

Thank you dx! You have a wonderful forum here. Reminds me of the original days of the Internet! (Kudos!). Xx

Re: PayPal.. Make sure you monitor and amend any parties authorised to take automatic PP payments - I was stung by an anti-virus company yesterday, I disputed with PP, and the rejected the dispute. My funding source was NW, and I don't have funds in that account.. So NW will fine me £10, but the virus company won't get a dime. I had no idea that I had any PP authorisations to third parties. Quite hard to find, but check it out. For reference, I have a PP business account, and have had for ten years. You are doing the right thing.. I ran up £40K in credit cards bootstrapping a business, I then, in my innocence, took out a secured loan to pay off the £40K. After I paid the card companies back, they gave me even more credit, which I used. I ended up losing a house, and I didn't pay back the CC companies. After 5 years or so, they have to give up (not sure about the exact timing on this). No Direct Debits, No secured loans, No overdrafts! That is what is so nice about Revolut and Monzo. They don't sucker you into borrowing money. You have vaults where you can store cash for your bills, and you know exactly where you are. My experience, and I'm on the wrong side of 50 now, is that I didn't realise that these people are not really scary. My biggest mistake of my life was taking out a secured loan on my property, which I subsequently lost. I do have another one, fully paid for, but my ex wife is trying to grab that!. I am now financially Zen; I have had, and lost, all that I ever wanted in life. We all have our addictions, and like everything in life, you can actually get over them. All is not lost.. EVER. Life is a journey, and along the way you learn to handle it. By the time you are old and decrepit, you will be a master. The trick is, I think, to try and gain your knowledge while you can still use it. I am sure many people on this forum will have been through tough times one way or another, but I am glad to say that I lost everything, hit the lowest point, survived and am now trying to build life back up. NEVER GIVE UP! Tom.. Xx

I've just told Nationwide where to go. They were charging me with charges that their charges caused my account to incur. I have opened up many digital accounts now, and I have found the best to be Revolut, although Monzo are a great second. Direct Debits.. They just exist to make banks money. If you don't have enough to cover them, you are fined by your bank, AND your product/service provider (e.g. BT). NEVER take out Direct Debits, be in control of your cash. TC Xx