The following information is taken from the GoCardless website and any further information can be found at

https://support.gocardless.com

 

Who are GoCardless?

GoCardless process Direct Debit payments on behalf of other businesses and organisations.

These businesses and organisations create payments for their customers using the GoCardless system and we then process these according to the parameters they have set.

 

What is a Direct Debit mandate?

A mandate (also known as a "Direct Debit Instruction") is set up on a customer's bank account when a Direct Debit is authorised for a specific nursery, usually via the GoCardless online form. An active mandate needs to be in place before any Direct Debit payments can be collected.


How do I set up Direct Debit?

The nursery you wish to pay through GoCardless will need to provide you with an authorisation link, most commonly via email. Clicking this link will open a payment page for you to fill in with your details and submit. Once active, we will then be able to charge your account according to the payment parameters set for you by the nursery.


What if my account requires multiple signatures to authorise Direct Debits?

When you complete the online payment page, you will find a check box at the bottom that indicates More than one person is required to authorise Direct Debits on your bank account. Select this option and you will be directed to complete a mandate form after submitting your details online.


How will payments appear on my bank statement?

A reference will appear on your bank statements in the following format:

GOCARDLESS-[NURSERYNAME]-XXXXXXX

  • [NURSERYNAME] refers to what the nursery you’re paying through GoCardless has registered against their account with us.
  • The "XXXXXXX" represents a unique reference, usually between five to seven characters, that relates specifically to your Direct Debit mandate with a specific nursery. This reference helps to locate the associated customer account in the GoCardless system if additional information about a payment or corresponding customer account is requested.

Please note: For customers who bank with NatWest, HSBC, and some other high street banks, it will only say “GoCardless Ltd” on your bank statement. These banks simply put the GoCardless company name as they are processing the payment through their Direct Debit Service User Number (SUN). 

 

How long does it take to process my payment?

Due to the nature of the Direct Debit scheme, payments are charged three working days after they are created in our system. Providing your payment is not part of an ongoing subscription, GoCardless will notify you of the payment via email when it is created.

Your payment will be paid out to the nursery two working days after the charge date.


What emails can I expect to receive from GoCardless?

You will receive emails for the following:

To confirm the setup of your Direct Debit mandate, or if the mandate should fail or is cancelled.

Payment notification, three working days before an ad-hoc (one-off) payment is due to be charged.

If a payment is cancelled or fails. (Please note failure notifications are sent the next working day, after the charge date).

When a failed payment is retried.

When a new subscription (recurring payment) is set up. The email will contain information to let you know the amount of your payments and how often they are collected. (Please note that if your payments are part of a subscription you will not receive an email before each payment is collected).

If your subscription amount is changed or when a subscription expires or is cancelled.


Why am I not receiving my notification emails?

If you have not received an email it is worth first checking your Spam or Junk folder to make sure it has not been diverted there. We would advise you to add ‘notifications@gocardless.com’ as a contact to make sure their emails are not blocked.

If you are still not receiving your notification emails, please submit a ticket with the GoCardless Support team so they can investigate further. Please ensure you include the email address you have registered against your Direct Debit authorisation.


How do I update my registered email address?

To change the email address registered to your Direct Debit payments please please submit a ticket with the GoCardless Support team or send an email to help@gocardless.com. If emailing, please send your request from your registered email address if possible.

Please ensure you include the current email address registered to your payments, your new email address and the name of the nursery on whose behalf your payments are collected.


How does GoCardless keep my details safe?

Security is of utmost importance at GoCardless and they take a number of steps to ensure customer data remains safe at all times:

  • Their access to the Direct Debit system is provided by some of Europe's major banks, who have approved our systems
  • All customer data is treated in accordance with European data protection laws, including the Data Protection Act 1998
  • All client-server communication is 256-bit SSL encrypted
  • GoCardless regularly perform internal and external security audits on all our systems and processes
  • GoCardless will never share any data they collect from you with third parties, except for the specific purpose of processing your payments

GoCardless are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide payment services as an Authorised Payment Institution and serve more businesses than any other Direct Debit provider. All money collected is held in a secure client monies account with either the Royal Bank of Scotland, Barclays Bank or SEB before being paid out to the nursery you're paying.

You can view the full GoCardless Privacy Policy on their website.


How do I find out what company I’m paying?

If you do not recognise a payment GoCardless has collected from your account, we recommend using the GoCardless Payment Lookup Tool to help identify it.

If for any reason, this doesn't return a result, please submit a support ticket to GoCardless or email them at help@gocardless.com and they can provide you with some more information. Please send them as much of the following information as you can to help them locate your payment:

  • Your billing postcode
  • The amount paid
  • The date it was paid
  • The mandate reference*

* Every payment GoCardless collect is submitted to the bank with a mandate reference which can help GoCardless identify your payment. This reference is a mixture of letters and numbers and should be available from your bank.

 

How do I update the bank account I'm making payments from?

There are two ways you can update the bank account you make your payments from.

  • The first method is over the phone with the GoCardless Support team. If you would like to do this, please call the Support team on 020 7183 8674.
  • Alternatively, you could cancel your current Direct Debit authorisation and complete a new authorisation form with your new bank details. If you would prefer to do this, please get in touch with the nursery you're paying who will be able to cancel your current authorisation and send you a new payment form to complete.

How do I cancel a Direct Debit mandate?

You can cancel a Direct Debit mandate in one of the following ways:

  • Directly with your bank or via your online banking;
  • By contacting the nursery you're paying and request that they cancel it;
  • By submitting a ticket with GoCardless to request the cancellation.

If submitting a ticket with GoCardless, please ensure you include the email address you've registered against your authorisation and the name of the nursery you're paying.


How can I reinstate a cancelled Direct Debit mandate?

Once a mandate has been cancelled in the GoCardless system, it cannot be reinstated by GoCardless. If you accidentally cancel your mandate, the best thing to do is contact the nursery you're paying directly and ask that they send you a new authorisation link.

Please note that GoCardless will not be able to send you a new mandate link.

 

You’ve taken a payment I didn’t authorise. How do I get my money back?

If a payment has been collected from your bank account that you didn’t authorise please don't panic!

Under the Direct Debit Guarantee, as a customer you are afforded the right to obtain a refund for a Direct Debit payment collected from your account in error via your bank. Once it is established that an error has occurred, your bank will return those funds on the same working day.

Please note that GoCardless are unable to claim a refund on your behalf as this must be done by the account holder.

Please do inform the GoCardless team if a payment has been collected from you in error so that their accounts team can investigate further.


What if my funds don’t reach the nursery?

GoCardless are not aware of a payment having ever failed to reach its destination. If, for any reason, the nursery you’re paying contacts you to advise that they have not received your payment, we recommend the nursery contacts us directly, so we can investigate this further.


What do I do if I believe I have been a victim of fraud?

Please let GoCardless know immediately by contacting the support team either by email at help@gocardless.com or by raising a support ticket on their website. They will then investigate the matter further and advise on how you can reclaim your funds if required.