Why have I received a notification about GoCardless?

GoCardless are a leading payment provider who The Arch Company have recently partnered with to offer our customers an improved payment experience for both recurring and one-off payments.

What are the benefits of using GoCardless?

• You will receive advance payment notifications – this means that you will have the opportunity to raise any issues with the payment before it is collected.
• You only need to set up payment once – complete an online Direct Debit authorisation form and, unlike with a bank transfer, cash, cheque or card payment, you won’t have to remember to pay next time. Which means no accidental disruptions to your service.
• You won’t ever need to update payment details – unless you change bank accounts, you won’t have to worry about updating your payment details either (as you would, if, for example, if your debit card expires, or is lost or stolen).
• Paying through GoCardless gives you certainty – you’ll know exactly how much you’re paying and when it will come out, which can help with budgeting and cashflow.

What is a Direct Debit mandate?

A mandate (also known as a “Direct Debit Instruction” or “Direct Debit Request”) is set up on a customer’s bank account when a Direct Debit is authorised for a specific merchant. An active mandate needs to be in place before any Direct Debit payments can be collected. All payments will be fully protected by the Direct Debit Guarantee as detailed below.

How do I set up Direct Debit?

To set up a new Direct Debit, The Arch Company will provide you with an authorisation form to complete. This is an online form and will be sent to you via email. You can email us at credit.control@thearchco.com to request a form.

Once you submit the completed form online, GoCardless will then initiate the process for your bank to set up a new Direct Debit Instruction (mandate) on your bank account. Once active, we will then be able to charge your account according to the parameters set out in your invoices.

I already have a Direct Debit set up with The Arch Company, how will this change affect me?

For existing Direct Debit payers, we will transition your existing mandate onto the GoCardless platform. You will receive a communication regarding this, but in short, there will be no action required from yourself. Your payments will continue to be processed as normal.

Can my payment plan be collected through GoCardless?

Yes, any existing payment plans currently on Direct Debit will be transferred over to GoCardless and you will receive a notification to accept the ongoing agreed collection dates.

If you have an existing payment plan not currently on Direct Debit you will soon receive an invitation to switch this over, giving you the benefit of advance payment notifications and assurance payment deadlines won’t be missed.

Any new payment plan agreements will be collected through the GoCardless platform.

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.

If you would like more information on this, please see here.

Note: This step is only applicable to customers paying through Bacs (UK) Direct Debit scheme.

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

If making payments through the Bacs (UK) Direct Debit scheme, you can either get in touch with the GoCardless Support team on 020 7183 8674 who will be happy to update the bank account you’re making payments from.

Alternatively, you can cancel your current Direct Debit authorisation and complete a new authorisation form with your new bank details. To do this please request a new mandate authorisation via email at credit.control@thearchco.com.

How do I cancel a Direct Debit?

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 Arch Company on 0203 880 0701 or email credit.control@thearchco.com to request a cancellation

How can I reinstate a cancelled Direct Debit mandate?

Once a mandate has been cancelled, we are not able to reinstate it. If you accidentally cancel your mandate, the best thing to do is contact The Arch Company on 0203 880 0701 or email credit.control@thearchco.com and request a new mandate authorisation link.

Can I pay using a credit or debit card?

GoCardless is an online Direct Debit provider and as such, does not offer the option to pay via credit or debit cards.

If you would prefer to make a payment outside of the Direct Debit system, please call The Arch Company on 0203 880 0701.

My payment failed. How can I pay it?

If your payment has failed, the collection will be retried in three business days (providing your Direct Debit mandate is still active). You will receive a notification email whenever a payment is retried.

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! You are fully protected within Direct Debit scheme regulations and will be able to receive a full refund via your bank.

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.

Why do I have a Direct Debit set up when I was only making a one-off payment?

We collect all payments, whether one-off or recurring, via the Direct Debit network. In order to do this a Direct Debit mandate must be put in place on the bank account we collect the payment from. This authorises GoCardless to process these funds on behalf of The Arch Company.

What emails can I expect to receive?

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.

How do I update my registered email address?

You can change your email address in the following ways:

• By submitting a request via email to credit.control@thearchco.com
• By submitting a ticket or sending 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 who your payments are being collected on behalf of.

How will payments appear on my bank statement?

The Arch Company will appear on your bank statement. Depending on your bank you may also see your mandate reference and a payment reference.

How does GoCardless keep my details safe?

• All customer data is treated in accordance with European data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• All client-server communication is 256-bit SSL encrypted.
• GoCardless are ISO27001-certified and regularly perform internal and external security audits on all our systems and processes.
• GoCardless will never share any data we collect from you with third parties for their own unrelated purposes, except as specifically needed to process your payments.

GoCardless are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide payment services as an Authorised Payment Institution. They 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 Arch Company.

You can view their full privacy notice here.