Which one of you? …

[Menelaus]

I got one digit wrong on the reference for an online credit card payment for a new card a few months ago. The money was refunded about 6 days later, but the first I knew about it was the letter from the credit card company threatening me with debtor's prison for missing a £10 minimum payment.

Surely it's trivial for Barclays online banking to do a simple check of the reference against a company name and refuse it straight away? Which overpaid IT contractor numptie came up with that?

I worked on a design of a system for APACS when at HBOS in late 2001/early 2002 under the banner of "regulatory risk" where we looked at the possibility of, in addition to transmitting the sort code and account number, we'd also transmit via APACS a code which was relevant to the account name as well and - in so doing - reduce the risk of paying £1000 from Mr Smiths account (a) to Mrs Smiths account (b) inadvertently ending up in Mr Ageboyas account (c).

Oddly enough, no-one gave two hoots for it under the belief that they had a >99% success rate in money transfer and the occasional complaint could be handled and monies moved around to make the necessary refunds. Pity.

Oh, and, as others have said, the £0.01 should've been either rolled over to the next billing cycle or - if you'd left SP for another provider - written off.

[VectraMan]

I got one digit wrong on the reference for an online credit card payment for a new card a few months ago. The money was refunded about 6 days later, but the first I knew about it was the letter from the credit card company threatening me with debtor's prison for missing a £10 minimum payment.

Surely it's trivial for Barclays online banking to do a simple check of the reference against a company name and refuse it straight away? Which overpaid IT contractor numptie came up with that?

[Paddy]

I think Paddy's blaming Scottish Power for his decreasing eyesight, old age does that to you..

it wasn't like it was in the old days eh paddy, when you had to dig for the gas yourself and used the static from jumpers as your main source of electricity.. there there, have a nice cup of tea and a biscuit and calm down..

[TheFaQQer]

Good billing systems would either write-off small sums or merely carry over the 1p to the next quarter

Really good billing systems take all those fractions of pennies and channels them into the software developers bank account as well.

[chef]

I think Paddy's blaming Scottish Power for his decreasing eyesight, old age does that to you..

it wasn't like it was in the old days eh paddy, when you had to dig for the gas yourself and used the static from jumpers as your main source of electricity.. there there, have a nice cup of tea and a biscuit and calm down..

[Paddy]

This is a software problem? How?

Good billing systems would either write-off small sums or merely carry over the 1p to the next quarter

[Churchill]

Which one of you did the billing system for Scottish Power? I had a bill sent to me for £326.01. Paid the bill at the bank but did not see and pay the odd 1p.

Got a red bill for 1p yesterday with a threat to cut off the supply. The postage cost thirty times the outstanding amount. I will put 1p in an envelope and send it to them, without a stamp of course.

This is a software problem? How?

[jmo21]

Which one of you did the billing system for Scottish Power? I had a bill sent to me for £326.01. Paid the bill at the bank but did not see and pay the odd 1p.

Got a red bill for 1p yesterday with a threat to cut off the supply. The postage cost thirty times the outstanding amount. I will put 1p in an envelope and send it to them, without a stamp of course.

I blame the requirements document.

And the testers.

The PM should take some responsibility too.

And the cleaner didn't keep the toilets clean enough.

It was probably the agents fault for creaming off too much money for a poor 'tractor dev.

[NotAllThere]

I checked my mobile bills online recently, and found that I'd switch a couple of digits when paying one of them electronically. Instead of 35.75, I'd paid 35.57. They've not chased me up about it.

[Paddy]

Which one of you did the billing system for Scottish Power? I had a bill sent to me for £326.01. Paid the bill at the bank but did not see and pay the odd 1p.

Got a red bill for 1p yesterday with a threat to cut off the supply. The postage cost thirty times the outstanding amount. I will put 1p in an envelope and send it to them, without a stamp of course.