I joined a parenting charity at the beginning of July to take advantage of a service they offer. There were various membership options. I chose to pay by quarterly direct debit over an 18 month period.
In the second week of July on the day the first payment of £8 was due to come out they incorrectly took the full amount of £48. I phoned them the same day and they said they'd cancel my membership and re-start it with a direct debit and send me a cheque for £48.
2 weeks passed and there was no sign of a cheque so I called them. They said "yeah its being dealt with but we can't tell you whether the cheque is on its way or not" so basically I'd just have to wait.
The second week of August I sent an email of complaint. I don't think it should take a month to write and send a cheque and I really can't afford to be without the money. They emailed me back on the 9th August to apologise and say there would be a direct payment into my account in a maximum of 7 days. Today is the 8th day and there's still no sign of my money.
I'm really cross at the way I've been treated and I don't want anyone else to go through the same - I've heard of people getting 'things done' by 'discussing' them on twitter and the like... Is this a good idea? Will it actually do anything? I feel like they were quick enough to take my money but are messing about in giving it back - is it reasonable to wait this long? What should I do next?