Help needed - what can I do re money paid into account

[adviceneeded0101]

Have name changed for this as is very specific. I have had a payment made into my company account back in October last year let’s say from company A. I assumed it was from a client and attributed it as such (it was for an amount which is regularly paid for my services).

Anyways I get a call from company B (a client I worked with once) saying that they had made a payment to me in error etc could I refund. I stared to do this and then realised that they are not company A. I assumed that they were maybe a subsidiary and asked that they give me the bank details for the company that the mistaken has come from.

Well it turns out - they have nothing to do with company A. They had filled in a refund form and put my bank details rather than their own on a form! So I have suggested that they get company B to contact me and I will obviously deal with them (it’s a significant amount and I fear that refunding this to company b still means that company a can come after me - as they are the ones who made the payment).

Now apparently company A won’t contact me as- to their mind, company b gave them details, and they have paid the right amount to the account they specified (mine!)

I have no issue in giving this money back - but how on earth can I when this company won’t contact me? Company b are harassing me but I’ve pointed out - when it comes to this payment I have absolutely no reason to give this to them and leave myself liable to company b coming back to me.

Am rather worried about this - but what can I do??

[adviceneeded0101]

Gosh sorry that’s long!

[Igmum]

Can you get written authority from company A to pay this? It would reassure you it is all legit and should mean they are involved in the payment (might be an idea to speak to a lawyer if it gets more complicated)!

[adviceneeded0101]

Company A apparently won’t even call me as they feel it’s compnay Bs problem. (Which is true really). I’m also a bit at the sticking my bank details on a third party form as well.

[DontCallMeCharlotte]

I've got that Andrews Sisters song on the brain now...

[WWWWicked]

I think you got your A’s and B’s mixed up in the telling

but I would write to B telling them that due to data protection you will not discuss any payment made to you by anyone other than them, and B needs to take it up with someone other than you to resolve this.

The only company/bank account I would refund is the one that paid you in error, so there is a full paper trail to evidence the repayment.

[adviceneeded0101]

I really have got my A’s and B’s muddled there but yes I think that’s the answer! I will just refuse to discuss it with them further and await A to contact me (which it sounds like at the moment they are refusing to do).

[imnottoofussed]

Could you speak to your bank and ask them to return the money to the sender. Then you're out of the equation completely.

[Damia]

Definitely only do a refund to whoever paid you. Aren't there money laundering implications about transferring money between companies for no apparent reason?

[Fluffyears]

I would return the payment to the originating bank account then let them sort it out. We donthosoften, incorrect payments get returned and the accounts department it goes back to sort it out. As long as it’s the the original payer there is no issue.

[adviceneeded0101]

May phone my bank - as the payment was made over 4 months ago - I don’t think they can just return it - I probably need the bank details of the company that paid it (which I don’t have - have never dealt with them etc).

[adviceneeded0101]

Does anyone work for a bank - can you just return it (bank transfer not a card payment).

[NewPapaGuinea]

Surely the company that hasn’t been paid should be going after the company that owes them money. If that company has paid you instead then they need to contact you to get it returned. I’m lost who’s A and B in this scenario.

[VladmirsPoutine]

Can you please just not do anything until someone contacts you. There are all sorts of GDPR issues here. My advice would be to sit tight until you have further clarification. Remember that YOU did not cause the problem in the first instance therefore it should not be YOU who's running about the place trying to resolve it.

[NewPapaGuinea]

The outstanding debt is still with the (mis) paying company so they should be contacting/chasing them.

[lyralalala]

Whatever you do do not pay money to a company that haven't paid you!

This happened to my MIL, although thankfully for a tiny amount of money. She paid Company B, then eventually the wheels turned in Company A and they did some sort of claimback or payment reversal and took back the money they'd paid her in error. So she ended up out of pocket. As I say thankfully for her a tiny amount.

I would in your shoes write to both companies. One to Company A telling them that you have been informed they've given your bank details to another company and complain about that (what other details have they been giving out?) and secondly to Company B stating that you have no payment from them and therefore you cannot 'refund' them. They have to take up any issues with the other company.

[adviceneeded0101]

Sorry was so unclear! So B for some reason required payment from A. However when they gave bank details to A - instead of their own they gave mine. I received payment from company A.

Company B are chasing me - however I have said that I will only deal with company A - as they are the ones who I owe this to. However company A are saying to B that as far as they are concerned - they paid the amount to the bank on the form.

[Mitzimaybe]

If I've got my As and Bs right, the situation is:

A owes money to B

B fills in a form telling A where to pay it - but mistakenly puts the OP's bank details in there instead of company B's bank details. [How? How on earth could they do this?]

A pays the money in accordance with the form submitted to them by B. This means that A pays the money into the OP's bank account.

B has not received the money. Presumably they chase A and A says "we paid it in accordance with your instructions." B checks the instructions they gave and realises that they put OP's bank account instead of their own.

B then chases OP. OP says, [fairly enough, imho] "The money came from A. I could refund it to A if they will give me their details. I can't send it to you, B, because I have no proof that it should have been paid to you. Therefore if I transfer it to you, A could still come after me asking for their money back. Get A to ask for it back."

A says "I made the payment in accordance with B's clear written instructions. It's not our fault if the instruction was wrong; you should have checked it before giving it to us. Therefore our debt is discharged and we don't have to do anything further. Sod off the lot of you."

Difficult to know what OP should do; sorry this is no help to OP but might clarify the A/B situation for some PPs.

[Mitzimaybe]

Cross-posted, sorry.

[adviceneeded0101]

Oh and I’m seriously out of pocket anyways as the amount was incorrectly matched to an invoice (completely not related this - but for the same amount) which I’m very unlikely to be able to get paid at this stage

[Purpleartichoke]

Company B never sent you any money? Do not speak to them at all.

Company A should contact you and ask for a refund. This is assuming they don’t owe you any other money. Since you said you assigned it to their account, does that mean they currently have a credit with you?

[adviceneeded0101]

Think you Mitzi! That’s exactly it.

[adviceneeded0101]

@purple - no - I have no relationship at all with A (I don’t even have their details). Sadly it was a round figure (that I often get paid), and it we indirectly attributed to an overseas buyer - so I won’t be seeing that again sadly.

[adviceneeded0101]

Incorrectly not indirectly! God no wonder everyone’s confused. Imagine it came from a company with a name along the lines of “Jones” - so a mr jones owed me the same amount - I get a payment labelled “jones” and assume Mr Jones has paid and match the invoice.

[TyrionsNextWife]

Since company A owed you money, they are not entitled to have any sent back to them - the payment was accepted as settlement of their debt.

Since you have no part in the dispute between a & b, they need to sort it out between themselves.

Why didn’t company A pay your invoice last year?

[TyrionsNextWife]

JUSt saw your update, so ignore my post about clearing a’s debt.

In that case, you refund A and they refund B - send a firm email stating that payments will only be refunded to the originator and that you won’t get involved in any dispute between them.

If A don’t send you bank details to refund, then that’s up to them.