So, I've been having issues when purchasing anything online using my bank debit card - no matter which online shop or method of transaction and card authentication, all have been "declined" for no reason. After the first issue, I checked my bank to make sure that everything was OK, as I knew I had WAY more money in the account than I was trying to spend. In the end I moved a significant portion of those funds into another account 'just in case'. Bank cannot find any issues.
So another payment to a web store fails, tried several times, each failed in the same manner. Phoned up the customer helpline, and as this is a major worldwide distributor for electronic parts and equipment, they were able to help get me sorted by transferring my order to a collection from the local trade counter rather than home delivery (fair enough, I'm just over a Mile from the trade counter so no biggie). They did try twice to process the order themselves, each time with me double checking the order info and payment details, but it kept failing.
Yesterday I tried to order a washing machine for one of my properties, it was a major retailer both online and highstreet shop, and yet again the card was verified but the transaction was declined by the bank. Ended up trying three more times, but it was no go. Ended up going into the store and paying on the exact same debit card as keeps getting rejected. payment was flawless (although the guy who served me was a complete di$%head and so unpleasant, that I made a formal complaint before I left the store).
Went to see my bank (
again) today to find out what was happening, no issues they said, but agreed they could see an incomplete order in my account history. They rang the bank's head office to see if there was any reason for the card to be declined - "nothing, no problems" was their answer. I was not exactly happy with that explanation...
After another call to 'Head Office', which took some time, they fed me a BS line about there being an issue that the
"personal details didn't match" and that an
"incorrect postcode" (actually it was the postcode for the delivery address) was used for the billing address -
NO F$%&ING WAY I MADE THAT MISTAKE FOUR TIMES IN A ROW! BULLSHIT!!

However after I got back home, I tried an online order for some electronics parts (from a company that previously had payment issues) and guess what....all worked just fine, no problem. Plenty of problems for the last three weeks though, and now miraculously fixed on the same day as I complained at my local bank branch..... A link? NOOOOooooo. Couldn't possibly be....

I think they cocked up something with my account or something they have been doing has caused an issue with my account, and they have quietly swept it under the rug... The reason I say this, is that as I was making the complaint / reporting a problem, I overheard another customer mentioned something similar happening to them with the card being declined recently (she was opening up another account for traveling to other countries, and didn't want this to happen again while on the cruise ship).

So yeah....my card is working again. Probably...