Hey, I never told you about the almost major goof up that I had this summer!
So, most of my bills are paid automatically, or withdrawn automatically, but there are a couple that I still pay myself, so my online banking system has the... whatever payment people in there.
So this summer, when I was in the midst of my packing, double packing, getting ready for two trips and trying to get everything all sorted and write a bunch of posts time, I went ahead and paid off my (rather large) VISA bill.
I got back from Burning Man and was going through emails when I saw that my Hydro (electricity) bill had come.
And... it was HUGE.
Like... really huge.
And when I got over that shock, realizing it must have been some kind of typo, I realized that the huge bill was actually a credit.
Thought for a moment that it must be an error on their end and I'd just... never have to pay another Hydro bill, but realized that... well, maybe I should look into what... exactly was happening.
So I signed in online and checked my statements.
Oh.
No.
Oh no oh no oh no!
That massive VISA bill that I paid?
I somehow also paid that amount to BC Hydro.
Oh crap.
At this point, the panic sets in because my financial situation is not strong right now and I'm not even sure my line of credit will cover this and my rent and ok... breathe... breathe...
At that point, I called up my bank and explained what had happened. They said they could put a trace (or something) on it and recall it but it would take a while and cost a few bucks. I said go for it!
I then called Hydro and explained and they took a look at the amount and went oh yeah sure, no problem. (I mean, we're not talking I overpaid by a buck or two... it was a LOT!) They said they'd send me a check in a couple of weeks so I called the bank back and said they didn't have to do their thing. Then I triple checked to make sure my accounts would be covered until the check came and I rolled my eyes at myself and felt very grateful that I'd caught it and that it was going to be fixed and that it all worked out ok.
But man... online banking stuff should not be rushed you guys!
Whew.
4 comments:
Been there, done that. Not fun when you realize your mistake. I've paid amounts to the wrong insurance account (house instead of car) but fortunately it was all the same company and they fixed it for us.
Also have paid amounts to a closed account...that was a more involved process to get back. I felt pretty stooped for doing that one, especially considering I'm an accountant...
Oh no! Well, at least I'm not the only one ;)
I once paid a flat deposit online where I'd gotten the sort code wrong by 1 digit. Contacted my bank and they said they'd investigate but couldn't promise anything. Received a letter from them a couple weeks later saying they tried hard (yeah right), but they considered the money un-retrievable.
I ended up searching on the sort code I'd mistakenly paid the money into (about 2k so was seriously kicking myself at this point). Apparently it had gone to the bank of Malaysia, so I called up their head office and after finding an employee who spoke English politely requested they looked into it for me. The money was back in my account the next day :)
Was lucky I guess, but it taught me to always triple check before sending money! Ugh.
Oh geez! So you know my panic well ;)
Glad it worked out for you too!
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