Mistaken bank withdrawal costs couple

TULSA - They have a little more peace of mind now,  Sharon and Mike say.

So different from how they felt at the beginning of  last month.

"Devastating, I didn't know how I was going to pay my rent, and the rest of my bills," Sharon says.

When Sharon and Mike found out DirecTV had taken more than 700 bucks out of their checking account, for bills Sharon says they didn't owe, after cancelling their service.

After several calls, they eventually  received a statement from DirecTV Showing they were owed that $706.

"I thought we got it settled and fixed."

But then, Sharon says she was told different stories about when the money would be put back into their account.

First, Sharon says it was just a few days, then a couple of weeks, and finally, almost a month.

And that, she says, was unacceptable.

"It was a lot of weight on my shoulders, I lost sleep over it."

Especially after receiving two eviction notices.

"There's nothing like worrying about where you're going to be if you're going to lose your apartment and everything you've got."

So Sharon and Mike finally called the 2News Problem Solvers, and we contacted Direct TV.

A representative looked into the situation.

She says the company was more than happy to resolve that earlier billing issue.

And Direct TV was able to get that $700 back into Sharon and Mike's account the next business day.

"Oh, I was really happy, I was elated, all the weight was lifted of my shoulders."

And now, after paying the rent and other bills, Sharon and Mike can relax, and rest a little easier.
 
It's important to remember, if you sign up for a service using a debit card,  the fine print in many contracts says a company can take money from your account to satisfy past due bills and early cancellation fees.

The solution? Sign up using a credit card which often makes any disputes easier to resolve and protects your available cash.