A family have spoken of their “shock” after a water bill blunder led to £145,000 being taken from a bank account. Teacher Adam Bainbridge discovered while routinely checking his accounts early on Thursday morning that a payment of £145,562 to Thames Water had been debited from his bank account.
Immediate overdraft and blocked payments
Mr Bainbridge’s wife, Julia, told the Press Association that her husband “got the shock of his life” and was “immediately in his overdraft, considerably.” She said: “It was pre-8am when we looked at the bank account. And, obviously then you try to do some ring rounds, no one’s online, no one’s answering any phones.”
Mrs Bainbridge said her husband got through to a chatbot and was told the error would be rectified in the next payment. She said her husband then contacted his bank, Halifax, adding: “They have now returned the money.”
Concerns for vulnerable customers
Mrs Bainbridge, a partner at a public relations firm, said of the £145,000 bill error: “It’s not easy if it happens to anybody, and we’re a family rushing around looking after a three-year-old trying to get ready for the nursery run and all the rest of it. But even more concerning is if you were a pensioner or not able to think about the various options, if you were in a more vulnerable position it would be absolutely terrifying and totally debilitating.”
“As it was this morning, Adam had some bills he wanted to pay off his card and things that were due out of his account and everything was blocked. It’s such a staggering amount of money.” Mrs Bainbridge questioned how such a significant amount of money could be debited from her husband’s account in the first place, adding that this was supposed to be a “monthly” payment.
Thames Water apologises and adds checks
Mr Bainbridge said that when he saw the debit he felt “really shocked, because you don’t feel in control of what’s being taken from your account. It seemed that the numbers being calculated had absolutely nothing to do with reality at all. We’re a residential house in north London.” He added: “It just seems that the billing is completely detached from reality.”
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We apologise unreservedly to Mr Bainbridge and his family. This was the result of human error originating from an incorrect meter reading. We can confirm the money has been returned to Mr Bainbridge’s bank account and we have spoken to him today to say sorry. We are introducing additional checks to our processes to prevent this from happening again. We have also offered Mr Bainbridge a gesture of goodwill and are continuing to work with him to ensure the matter is fully resolved.”
In terms of direct debits generally, Halifax said mandates relating to these payments are held by the organisation collecting the payment, rather than by customers’ banks. It said the amount to be collected is determined by the provider and a direct debit guarantee gives consumers protection against any errors made when a direct debit is taken.
