Apple took money from my account in error, causing overdraft charges

[maplins]

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, please feel free to move it if not!

 

I had an out-of-warranty iPhone that needed a battery replacement.

I paid for the work online with my debit card using Apple's support site.

A hold was placed on the money in my account.

 

While I waited for them to send out the pre-paid box to return the phone,

the hold on the money was removed,

presumably because the work had not been completed and could not yet be charged.

I left the money where it was because I knew it would be taken later.

 

I returned the phone and was contacted via email by Apple who said they'd found something else wrong with it

which would also need to be repaired.

 

 

They attached a photo of my phone that supposedly gave details of what the new issue was.

It didn't give any clue as to what the problem was.

 

I called Apple, who were equally puzzled and couldn't get any information from the engineers.

At this point they told me that they would cover the full cost of the repair

- not just the mystery defect, but the original battery

The phone was returned within a week, fully repaired, and I was a satisfied customer.

 

Six days later, they took the money from my account despite being told they wouldn't.

This put me in a position of having an unauthorised overdraft, with a direct debit for car tax due out the following day.

 

I rang Apple immediately who were most apologetic and promised to refund the money.

However, it would take up to 10 days for the refund to appear in my account.

I told them that I had direct debits to pay and it was going to cost me money in charges if they bounced.

They told me to call back when the charges had been paid,

to look at claiming the value of the charges back from Apple.

 

I then called my bank.

There was nothing they could do.

They put me through to the Visa team, who said the same

- as a refund had already been started, they couldn't do anything.

 

 

I called DVLA (the car tax direct debit was due the next day), who were, surprisingly, the most helpful out of everyone.

 

The unauthorised overdraft happened over the end of one monthly charging period and into the start of the next

so it was two months before I could pay the charges and look at reclaiming them.

 

I called Apple today regarding this and they simply weren't interested, claiming they weren't responsible.

They said that they'd already refunded the money and they weren't going to pay for any charges that they'd caused.

 

The charges are only £30 but that isn't the point.

I believe that they were caused as a direct result of Apple's error.

If it hadn't caused so many problems with direct debits etc,

I probably wouldn't have bothered about them.

 

 

But it did cause problems and after having to spend an hour an a half on the phone to them today, I'd like to pursue this.

 

Do I have a case? And if so, how would you recommend I go about it? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.

[dx100uk]

have you got it in WRITING that they will refund the charges?

or did you record the call?

 

 

dx

Edited August 12, 2015 by Conniff

[maplins]

have you got it in WRITIN that they will refund the charges?

or did you record the call?

 

 

dx

 

Neither, unfortunately.

[JoeyJoeC]

Your bank can refund the charges, they are stubborn but keep on the phone long enough with them and they will give in.

[maplins]

I think you're probably right, pursuing this with the bank has more chance of success than with Apple.