Why have I received a payment request?

When buying with SEPA.net, you have instructed us to collect the payment amount from your bank account. To this end, you have provided us with your account details (account holder, account number, bank code), and confirmed said account as suitable for direct debit. Unfortunately, your bank was unable to charge your account via direct debit. As a result, we shall incur additional costs in the form of so-called “return debit fees” charged by the bank. Accordingly, you should now transfer the original payment amount plus the incurred costs.

Please ignore this reminder if this amount has already been paid.

Why did my direct debit fail to execute?

The bank you specified could not execute the direct debit, or the direct debit was rejected. This may be due to different reasons:

• Your account had insufficiend funds as of the debit date
• The entered account number or routing number was wrong
• The name of the account holder was wrong
• The account was blocked or deleted
• The direct debit was rejected

The payment request you shall receive via email describes the exact reason why your direct debit failed.

How come the rejected debit does not appear on my bank statement?

As a rule, you will receive a letter from your bank should it fail to execute the direct debit for any of the reasons stated above. Please verify whether your have already received such a letter in your mailbox. Otherwise, please contact your bank and use the payment request as reference. Unapplied direct debits do not appear on your bank statement.

What should I do now?

Given that we failed to collect the amount owed from your account via direct debit,  you now must manually transfer the amount owed (at the bank counter or via online banking). Please refer to your payment request for transfer details. Please be sure to provide the document number so we can register your payment correctly.

Why does the return debit generate further costs?

To understand why banks charge fees for return debit, we must briefly describe the principle underlying return debit: To start with, we submit your order to our bank for direct debit. This verifies our authorisation to do so and passes the order on to your bank. Your bank verifies whether the account exists and sufficient funds are available. If this is not the case, your bank returns the direct debit to our bank, and charges the corresponding fees (“fee for return debit of other bank”). In turn, our bank submits the rejected direct debit including fees back to us, and charges its own fees ( “fee for return debit of own bank”). The sum of fees were deducted from our bank account. As provided for in the Money Transactions Law, we pass these charges on to you as the ultimate cause thereof. Annoying as this might be for both of us, it cannot be unfortunately avoided.

Please note: As we have no influence on the return debit fees charged by banks, we strive to keep our processing fees as low as possible.

What is the purpose of the direct debit process?

The direct debit process is especially convenient and consumer-friendly, as it offers a simple way to settle payments. If the account holds sufficient funds, no problems arise and the transaction is settled in a cost-effective and convenient manner for both parties. Conversely, if the account lacks sufficient funds or the account details are incorrect, the bank charges return debit fees, which neither we nor the service provider can influence, making it an onerous transaction.

What is the purpose of the direct debit process?

The direct debit process is especially convenient and consumer-friendly, as it offers a simple way to settle payments. If the account holds sufficient funds, no problems arise and the transaction is settled in a cost-effective and convenient manner for both parties. Conversely, if the account lacks sufficient funds or the account details are incorrect, the bank charges return debit fees, which neither we nor the service provider can influence, making it an onerous transaction.

What happens if a payment request remains unpaid?

If a debtor fails to pay the amount owed within the time limit specified in the payment request, the claim is passed on to the dunning service. At this point, the debtor is issued a first reminder, and the owed amount is increased by the dunning fees (7.90 €). If this amount also remains unpaid, the debtor receives a final written reminder with additional dunning fees (15.80 €). The claim is subsequently handed over to an attorney, who will request a legal pay and an enforcement order. This entails requesting a chargeable address report, the cost of which (€ 64.20) shall be borne by the debtor, further to any legal costs. The order to pay is brought before the Court, among other things, pursuant to § 823 para. 2 BGB, in conjunction with § 263 of the Criminal Code (fraud).

It is advised to settle the outstanding amount immediately, making reference to the document number.