TP: Victims on the Altar of Uniformity - "By November 1, 2009, all member states were supposed to have fully implemented the 'Directive on Payment Services.' At this point, SEPA direct debits were supposed to become 'binding' across Europe. This transition is problematic, among other things, because banks in Germany have so far refused to set up debit limits. Thus, anyone can debit an arbitrary amount from a current account without presenting a direct debit authorization. Similarly, there is no right for the consumer to limit the amount of direct debits. And neither the EU nor the federal government is currently considering limiting potential SEPA damage by introducing such rights. The consumer can only counter this risk by keeping as little money as possible in the current account and having all overdraft options definitively blocked." - we will be mocked and robbed with this. And why do we still pay the banks money when they anyway shirk responsibility at every corner and end?