A beneficiary who didn't want to be identified told the Herald he wasn't notified by ANZ about the direct debit changes and wants to be reimbursed for the penalty fees he was charged.
"I was sent a letter about a fee for dishonoured direct debits but not about this! This has impacted me because some of my bills didn't get paid because there wasn't enough money in my account. I think they ought to pay me back the bloody fees. Give us a fair go, "the man said.
Another beneficiary who went back on the job seekers benefit in August said he received a letter from ANZ on May 24 which stated that dishonoured direct debits would incur a penalty fee. The man paid little attention because he was working full time but doesn't recall ANZ mentioning anything about benefit payment changes.
"I am still waiting for them to reset my direct debits. When I was working full time, I had money to cover the direct debits. The problem arose when I went back on the benefit as three or four direct debits are taken out on a specific date, not day. A few times they've fallen on a Wednesday when I don't usually have any money in the bank and they were dishonoured. They should know penalty fees hit the poor the hardest so scrap the damn fees."
The finance manager says ANZ's error has impacted finance companies around New Zealand.
"We have seen a huge rise in arrears which has now gone on for three months. Customers that have been reliable paying customers for years are now failing payments consistently for the last 12 weeks or on and off based on which day ANZ processed their wages that week," she said.
The manager said customers who have a low credit score because of their inability to pay their debts will find it difficult to obtain a credit card in future.
"Credit score checks are run for creating accounts for power, phone and even rental properties and personal loans. The affected customers have racked up hundreds of dollars in fees which range from $10-$15 per payment. Some charge field visit fees to collect debts can range from $50 - $80. This is morally and ethically wrong."
An ANZ spokesperson said in a statement: "Payments NZ requires all New Zealand banks to move to a seven-day payments system by April 2023. This will allow New Zealanders to send and receive electronic payments 365 days a year.
"In preparation for this move, ANZ is making a number of changes to improve its payment experience for customers. This has included automating our direct debit processing, which has meant updating the way we process Ministry of Social Development (MSD) payments received from Westpac. We now process these as early as possible in the day instead of at the end of the day. All payments continue to be processed on the same day as received by ANZ.
"Unfortunately, while we did send out reminders to customers to plan ahead for their direct debits, a small number of customers, including both those receiving MSD payments and others, were impacted as we made these changes.
"We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused some customers. We encourage anyone who may have unfairly incurred a fee as a result of this change to contact us, either by dropping into their local branch or calling our contact centre on 0800 269 296."
