Imagine having to physically walk in to your bank to pay your bills each month ... in Spain !!

That's why we love direct debits BUT - you must keep a close eye on your bank statements for debits that don't tally up with any service or product you receive.

In Spain you can claim your money back through your bank usually within 30 days and it is a fairly painless process but you can only do that if you spot the debit in the first place.

I've recently been made aware of some erronious direct debits that have come out of a number of Spanish bank accounts belonging to ex-customers of Nortons. (Satellite and Television Systems) They are a local company based in La Zenia therefore quite possibly have supplied R14 owners with services.

Nortons appear to have undergone a name change recently to "Broadband Costa Blanca" and they are also being linked with a company called Eurona.

Direct Debits attributed to "Eurona Wireless Telecom" have been taken from accounts with no service or explanation for one or two months running at the end of 2011. Luckily the bank account holders spotted the debits, claimed the funds back through their bank and then received a call from Eurona chasing the money.

The lady from Eurona was, according to her records, chasing for payments for a smartphone which had never been supplied. A Eurona/Nortons link was confirmed by the Eurona rep and as ex-customers of Nortons (having cancelled services in 2010) it seemed that their data had been incorrectly used as if they were current clients and debit claims were generated. The rep agreed that there should never have been a charge made to their account at all. Of course the quantity of false claims made is not known.

Without drawing any conclusions on the companies involved the main point here is keep a close eye on your bank account and if you're away from Spain a lot then you absolutely need to see your statements each month by post, email or online. If your bank can't oblige then sack them.