Payit fast payment service unlawful or just completely lacking integrity?
I have just been issued a payment from GWR due to a late train and the only option for payment was using the NatWest Payit service.
I’m actually in shock that this is not anywhere else online and annoyed I didn’t take more screenshots.
There are major data privacy and customer information concerns with this service and I can’t imagine how much data they have been able to get hold of given how it’s currently set up.
The process:
- I claimed a refund
- GWR have my email and name and asked for my mobile number
- Unknown to me they shared all these details with Payit by NatWest who then emailed me and verified me with these details (mildly annoying but okay)
- I think get taken to a screen which gives me banks to choose from the top simply states to choose my bank I imagine it will be a simple fill out of details
- I choose my bank (which is also where I happen to work) and it takes me to my app and states the payment amount and a big button saying “accept access” or something like that. There is also a line in very small text which tells me once I accept it’s an indefinite agreement.
- This small line of text makes me stop for a second and I notice a drop down that says “data you are sharing” my assumption is it is simply my details to get paid, they don’t need anything more so why would it be more but I check anyway.
- I find a list of what will be shared and it’s basically all my banking details, my personal details, all my transactions both credit and debit and the details associated with those I’ve paid or received payment from etc. I have a screenshot but I can’t seem to add it to this post.
- I immediately exit and cancel the process because why would I share indefinitely complete access to my bank transactions and accounts to get a refund on a train ticket.
- On the main page I scroll all the way to the bottom and find a small “pay manually” button which is not mentioned at the top where you are told to choose a bank and I put in my account number and sort code as I expected.
I am just so shocked NatWest are basically data mining people using a service that is compensating people and making it super unclear they are doing this. Given the indefinite agreement is a data agreement I don’t get how there are no T&Cs or even contact info. I had to google who Payit was. Does anyone else know about this or have thoughts on how ridiculous this is?