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I’m in the US for what that’s worth. What you’ve posited assumes you can get someone on the phone which is no small task these days. Also, keep in mind that something like 60% of Americans are a single surprise $500 expense away from going into debt[0]. (Luckily I’m not one of them.) But generally, it takes weeks to months to get your money back if something like this happens, and that assumes everything goes well, which it rarely does.

[0] https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2016/01/06/63-of-...



Yeah that does sound like a nightmare.

The UK direct-debit guarantee includes the provision that you must get a full and immediate refund on error, to prevent this sort of thing, and while I'm sure it doesn't always work as smoothly as you'd want, they are very commonly used and not a great source of complaints.

https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/complaints...

That said, fuckups do still happen! https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/dec/07/kent-family...




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