Furnisher 'sorry' about double-debit blunder

High street furniture chain Courts today admitted double-charging “hundreds” of customers.

The company said the problem had been happening for at least the last two months but was only noticed this week.

The mistakes relate to customers who bought goods with either debit or credit cards at one of seven branches in the south of England.

Courts, which has 97 stores nationwide, has apologised and says all those charged twice will have the second half refunded.

Robert Ayley-Dodd, 22, from Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, used a debit card to buy a £1,029 (€1,613) sofa from Courts in April.

The money was taken the same month but he says he was shocked to discover the same amount debited from his account on Monday this week.

“I got a letter from my bank to tell me I was £1,000 overdrawn which I thought was odd,” he said.

“They also said they would have to charge me £25 for each transaction I made while overdrawn, even though it was the fault of Courts all along.

“I contacted the head office of Courts who said it was the bank’s fault, but my bank said it was the other way round.”

Courts said blame for the mistakes lay with them and the company employed to process the debit and card card transactions.

The double-charging appears to have taken place at only seven stores - Peterborough in Cambridgeshire, Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, Maidstone in Kent, Waterlooville in Hampshire, Staples Corner in north-west London, and Walton-on-Thames and Kingston in Surrey.

Most customers had the money taken out of their account on the same day.

Company spokesman Andy Hickling said: “We were aware of it at the beginning of the week and put the corrective process in place. That coincided with statements arriving with customers.

“It is a shock and an inconvenience and we apologise to customers.”