Debits for a forgotten subscription, a canceled contract or for services that you never ordered – money disappears unnoticed from many checking accounts for completely useless things. How you can protect yourself.
The most important thing in brief:
- It can happen that money is unknowingly or unlawfully deducted from your account.
- Check your account statements regularly to notice and prevent incorrect postings.
- A critical look at the account statement also helps to defend yourself against fake contracts. If you have any problems, your consumer advice center will also support you.
Don't waste money: pay attention to your account movements
Many consumers have no idea that they are constantly giving away money unintentionally. Over the years, 1,000 euros or more can come together. One day, a consumer from Heide noticed that the monthly costs for a telephone and internet contract that she had canceled almost two years earlier were being debited from her account. The contract provider had confirmed the termination, but still continued to collect payments by direct debit.
In this case, a cost breakdown at the consumer advice center showed an amount of more than 1,000 euros, which the person concerned had paid over two years. With the support of the consumer advice center, she was able to obtain a full refund from the provider.
What about foisted contracts?
A critical look at the account statement reveals unauthorized debits and also helps to identify unknowingly foisted contracts.
In order for direct debits to actually be collected from your account, you must provide bank details – i.e. your own IBAN. If you click on a button on the Internet or say “yes” in the wrong place on the phone, unfair providers could claim that you have concluded a contract. Technically, this does not result in a payment.
If you regularly check your account statements for dubious debits, you should not be too quick to object to bookings. In some cases, service providers collect funds that were commissioned by supermarket operators, for example, to process payments. If you cannot assign this name, you should first check the receipts to see whether the charge is justified.
This is how you protect yourself from unwanted account debits
- Check them regularly Debits on your bank statements. This often reveals legacy issues that cost money unnecessarily. These usually involve contracts that were concluded at some point without thinking or by mistake. Typical examples are useless insurance, magazine subscriptions, collectible coins or cell phone ringtones. The debits are not immediately noticeable, especially for smaller amounts.
- If you look at your account statements and discover suspicious or unauthorized debits, object to this It is best to contact the company concerned directly.
- In the event of unauthorized debits, you can also have the direct debit sent within eight weeks refunded by your bank let.
- If unauthorized debits occur repeatedly, you can contact your bank account Block the company for debits leave (black listing).
- Important: That alone Revoking the direct debit is not enoughto withdraw from an existing contract.
- The advisors at the consumer advice centers can also offer you personal advice, further information and support in disputes with companies.
