Claims extracted
21
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 21 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Evening Standard's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
A family have told of their “shock” after a water bill blunder led to £145,000 being taken from a bank account.
asserted
145,000 → tell → account
Teacher Adam Bainbridge discovered while routinely checking his accounts early on Thursday morning that a payment of £145,562 to Thames Water had been debited from his bank account.
asserted
payment → discover → account
Thames Water said it apologises “unreservedly” to Mr Bainbridge and his family and is introducing additional checks to its processes to prevent such an incident from happening again.
asserted
it → say → incident
She said: “It was pre-8am when we looked at the bank account.
asserted
we → say → account
“And, obviously then you try to do some ring rounds, no one’s online, no one’s answering any phones.”
asserted
one → try → phones
Mrs Bainbridge said her husband got through to a chatbot and was told the error would be rectified in the next payment.
asserted
error → say → payment
Mrs Bainbridge, a partner at a public relations firm, said of the £145,000 bill error: “It’s not easy if it happens to anybody, and we’re a family rushing around looking after a three-year-old trying to get ready for the nursery run and all the rest of it.
“
asserted
we → say → it
But even more concerning is if you were a pensioner or not able to think about the various options, if you were in a more vulnerable position it would be absolutely terrifying and totally debilitating.
asserted
it → think → position
“As it was this morning, Adam had some bills he wanted to pay off his card and things that were due out of his account and everything was blocked.
asserted
everything → have → account
It’s such a staggering amount of money.”
asserted
It → ’ → money
Mrs Bainbridge questioned how such a significant amount of money could be debited from her husband’s account in the first place, adding that this was supposed to be a “monthly” payment.
uncertain
this → question → place
Read More
Mr Bainbridge said that when he saw the debit he felt “really shocked, because you don’t feel in control of what’s being taken from your account.
asserted
what → read → account
“It seemed that the numbers being calculated had absolutely nothing to do with reality at all.
asserted
numbers → seem → reality
We’re a residential house in north London.”
asserted
We → ’re → London
Mr Bainbridge said: “It just seems that the billing is completely detached from reality.”
asserted
billing → say → reality
A Thames Water spokesperson said: “We apologise unreservedly to Mr Bainbridge and his family.
asserted
We → say → Bainbridge
This was the result of human error originating from an incorrect meter reading.
asserted
This → originate → reading
“We can confirm the money has been returned to Mr Bainbridge’s bank account and we have spoken to him today to say sorry.
“We are introducing additional checks to our processes to prevent this from happening again.
asserted
We → confirm → this
“We have also offered Mr Bainbridge a gesture of goodwill and are continuing to work with him to ensure the matter is fully resolved.”
asserted
matter → offer → him
In terms of direct debits generally, Halifax said mandates relating to these payments are held by the organisation collecting the payment, rather than by customers’ banks.
asserted
mandates → say → banks
It said the amount to be collected is determined by the provider and a direct debit guarantee gives consumers protection against any errors made when a direct debit is taken.
asserted
debit → say → errors
The Aporia
