This is one of the advantages of direct debit: in the event of an undue debit, it offers you the possibility of contesting the transaction and obtaining, before or after, that it has been carried out. Reminder of the rules of the game.
The information is revealed by 60 million consumers: since the beginning of March, certain former clients of SFAM, a company specializing, in particular, in mobile phone insurance, have seen, on their account statements, appear undue levies. A practice which unfortunately does not surprise, on the part of a brand, affiliated with the Indexia group (Foriou, Hubside, Info Presse), customary in fact and moreover taken to court for its practices.
Insurance: Indexia (ex-Sfam) judged in 2024 for misleading commercial practices
This type of mishap can happen with any of the creditors to whom you have granted a direct debit mandate, that is to say an authorization to withdraw sums from your account on a recurring basis. Even if you have broken off the commercial relationship with this creditor, the mandate is not automatically closed. To do this, you must make a request to the creditor, or wait: an unused direct debit mandate becomes expires after 36 months after its last use.
However, there is solutions in the event of illegal collection, in other words not corresponding to payment for any service, as ex-SFAM clients recently suffered. It is, in fact, possible to object to a debit, before or after it has been debited. Here is a reminder of the rules.
Parades before and after the flow
First scenario: you have been notified of the upcoming debit of a chance and you wish to object before the amount is taken. It is possible: your bank has an obligation to offer you this possibility.
Second scenario: the direct debit deadline has already been debited, but you consider that it is undue. You then have the possibility of contest the transaction And request a refund. This request can be made within 8 weeksfrom the debit date if the withdrawal was authorized by a mandate; within 13 months if it is an unauthorized withdrawal.
Finally, some banks allow you to temporarily suspend a creditor or mandate, from the online customer area or the mobile application. A solution used, however, with discernment. It can, in fact, expose you to payment defaults, and therefore service interruptions, or even the invoicing of fees by the creditor.
Opposition or revocation of a direct debit: How to do it? What costs?