Honda accidentally charges many customers twice for single car payment

Many Honda owners woke up this morning to discover that their monthly car payment had been deducted twice from their bank account. In a statement, the car company said the double-billing was a "payment processing error." Nonetheless, the glitch caused many customers to overdraft their account, leading to fees and a possible inability to pay other bills.

Because of the sheer number of customers affected (though the company has not shared the number), Honda's customer service phone lines have been overwhelmed. Unable to get through to a customer care representative, stressed customers have taken to Twitter and Facebook in frustration.

A "payment processing error"

Honda said that American Honda Finance Corporation, its auto finance arm, was "working urgently to resolve the issue." A spokesperson for AHFC apologized and said the company would "make this right for our customers."

The full statement is below:

American Honda Finance Corporation (AHFC) has experienced payment processing errors affecting a number of customer accounts on hondafinancialservices.com. The company is working urgently to resolve the issue and will ensure that any excess billing for finance payments is quickly corrected.

Due to the high call volume from customers in response to this error, AHFC has been unable to speak with each customer in a timely manner. Updates have been issued through social media and hondafinancialservices.com in an effort to reassure customers.

"We recognize that payment processing is a serious issue to our customers and we have a team actively working on this issue to resolve it and take care of our customers," said Senior Vice President of AHFC David Paul. "Customers are our top priority and we apologize for the inconvenience and any concerns that have resulted. We will make this right for our customers."

Update 7:36PM ET: In a new post on Facebook, Honda said affected customers would begin receiving refunds tomorrow, Thursday April 7, and that any overdraft fees would be waived or reimbursed. Additionally, Honda will help customers who have credit concerns caused by the double payment.

• SourceHonda