Appreciate this is off-topic, and of no interest to the majority, but wondered if anyone could help me with an issue I've got regarding an overpayment of wages dating back to September/August last year.
I worked at M&S throughout the summer in order to get out of my overdraft whilst off University, and have just had a letter come through to me asking for £290 odd due to an overpayment of wages. Thing is, I wasn't receiving payslips (it was a temporary contract and thus payment just went into my back account and i'd check it that way) and so although I noticed a couple of payments the week after leaving the company (and following week), I didn't realise they were overpayments.
Thing is, the entire system was so confusing on a number of levels, for example the first weeks pay wasn't paid until you left the company (or something similar), and there was thus always a backlog of a week. There were also issues with me being taken off training pay (and onto qualified pay), which was a difference of about 60p an hour, which never happened despite me being qualified after 3/4 weeks, AND I was sure I was underpaid for some of the overtime that I had done for them. I therefore thought that these payments were what was genuinely owed to me, and accounted my spending as such to include them in my savings.
A couple of mates of mine (law students at Uni) have told me that If I claim to have spent the money genuinely believing it was correct payment, then there is little they can do (whether this is true is a mystery to me). I appreciate it's probably me in the wrong for not chasing it up at the time etc, but was just wondering if there is anything I can argue against them, given I genuinely don't have £300 spare with rent payments and living costs etc.
Thanks in advance.
I worked at M&S throughout the summer in order to get out of my overdraft whilst off University, and have just had a letter come through to me asking for £290 odd due to an overpayment of wages. Thing is, I wasn't receiving payslips (it was a temporary contract and thus payment just went into my back account and i'd check it that way) and so although I noticed a couple of payments the week after leaving the company (and following week), I didn't realise they were overpayments.
Thing is, the entire system was so confusing on a number of levels, for example the first weeks pay wasn't paid until you left the company (or something similar), and there was thus always a backlog of a week. There were also issues with me being taken off training pay (and onto qualified pay), which was a difference of about 60p an hour, which never happened despite me being qualified after 3/4 weeks, AND I was sure I was underpaid for some of the overtime that I had done for them. I therefore thought that these payments were what was genuinely owed to me, and accounted my spending as such to include them in my savings.
A couple of mates of mine (law students at Uni) have told me that If I claim to have spent the money genuinely believing it was correct payment, then there is little they can do (whether this is true is a mystery to me). I appreciate it's probably me in the wrong for not chasing it up at the time etc, but was just wondering if there is anything I can argue against them, given I genuinely don't have £300 spare with rent payments and living costs etc.
Thanks in advance.
