Taking money from my account and holding my bank details without letting me know

[Hawkini]

Hey. I'm going to a photographic studio in London in about 2 weeks. They asked me to pay a £50 deposit in case that i do not turn up - i paid with a card over the phone If i do turn up they are going to give me my money back. Everything seems to be all right. Although i have read on the internet a lot of bad feedback about them and one person said that they didn't manage to get to the studio on that they and apart from not getting their deposit back, the studio took from their account an extra £150, without letting them know anything about it. I phoned them up and asked what was all that about and why did they not let me know about taking £150 if i do not turn up. They started explaining that they have to cover up the costs of something - i didn't even manage to hear a lot, cause they guy was speaking very fast. I asked why did they not tell me about it before i paid the deposit and the guy said "well now you know about it so it's all good" and hung up.

I live in Devon and i am scared that i will not get there on time. My question is - is it legal for them to randomly take this extra £150 from my account if i do not turn up and hold my bank details without me knowing about it?

[Old_Geezer]

I do not know but it seems you are in a potential pickle. Maybe ensure you are scheduled to arrive a few hours early; see the sights, grab a coffee ?

Sometimes it's not the legality that is the problem, it is the hassle of getting justice. But maybe all will be ok anyway.

[dzug2]

If you fail to turn up they are legally entitled to payment, so yes and yes.

[Hawkini]

Would they be allowed to take it if they didn't tell me that they will?

[vodkancoke]

What does it say in their Terms and Conditions?

[Messi_Ten]

These people are scammers. You won't get your deposit back whether you turn up or not. £50 is just the start, they'll be looking for hundreds more for a load of useless pics.

The bad feedback should have been enough to put off. Don't get conned out of more money, change your bank account and stay well clear of the place.

[crystalbee27]

If they took the money from a visa or MasterCard CREDIT card then call the card company asap and explain the situation and ask them to put a stop on any further payments to this company. If they have your DEBIT card details then a call to your bank will sort that out. Do it now before they can take any more money and if you do go to get the photos pay in cash - you may have to say goodbye to your deposit, though if you pay what you owe them minus the deposit they can't complain.

[NKDK]

firstly i had the same kind of company try and get me to do a photoshoot with them. Personally i wouldnt have paid the deposit and i bet they used the line that they have photographers who shoot for designer brands? They work on a free shoot buy photos basis, i dont really know how to term it but you pay for your photos basically and they probably wont come cheap. If your willing to do it then just make sure you turn up. If you dont wanna go you might have the right to cancel. Check the term on the website. You'll be entitled to your deposit back and ring your bank and change your card. They wont be able to take money from an inactive card. Cut your losses change your card and look locally because it'll be cheaper and more reliable or make sure you are able to turn up. hope i helped a bit