On 6/6/11 Southeastern trains conducted a double debit on my account for a train ticket. It has taken 3 recorded delivery letters, 8 calls ( approx two hours in time ) to their premium line so called customer care. All this in an attempt to recovery money effectively stolen from my account. Southeastern have then almost demanded that I PROVE that this double debit happened and provide copies of my bank statement. They then sent a cheque for the £15 ticket and £10 goodwill. I do not wish to process this cheque as they implies acceptance of their offer. Where I to have taken a train without a ticket and should I have been caught by one of their inspectors I would have been hauled up in court. More than likely received a fine and a criminal record. And yet they believe that a £10 goodwill payment is sufficient when they are stealing from my account, which is what I consider their double debit transactions to be. They have more than made that money on the charges I will get from the phone company for the calls to their so called customer care line to cover the £10 goodwill. I believe that it is only fair that i receive a similar compensation payment from them for their criminally accessing my account and helping themselves to my money. In much the same way, that had i stolen a train journey, I would be fined. It is now two months and they continue to hold my money. If this is a common occurrence, and Laura on 22nd june from their customer care line suggested that it is, then there may well be hundreds or even thousands of commuters who are experiencing this. Providing Southeastern trains with interest payments on money they hold erroneously taken under their failing financial transaction systems which appear to generate plenty of double debit transactions, given the casual way in which they acknowledge them at their customer care line, allowing them to access commuter bank accounts erroneously and then expect the commuter to prove this theft, by them, before they return the funds. This most definitely appears to me to be the lower end of corporate theft to assist and generate interest payments and some cash flow. I wonder if double debit transactions are the sole preserve of Southeastern trains or part of a more general attitude in business. In the event that someone helps themselves to business product without payment, they deem it theft and criminal behaviour, but when business conduct themselves in a similar manner they try to "tough it out" and pass it off as a processing error. It nonetheless remains, casual criminality. Not dissimilar to the casual corruption as portrayed at News International Scotland Yard !!! We clearly have no recourse to the law whilst business' can criminalise people for similar conduct when directed at them. It appears that i am complaining about one law for the rich and another for the rest of us. Still furious despite this blog !!!!!!!
