cancelling BT direct debit online ?

timmmers

I have a DD on my BT account, I only use it for internet access and not often for calls.

I paid my last bill after I got charges on my bank AC and the DD failed...online.

I thought then, better to cancel that and pay the bill as it comes so I don't get stung with charges again for a day being overdrawn I didn't need.

Today I got a call, 1471 it, and when I try to ring the number it redirects to BT (where no-one is home to talk to me) ..so my landline isn't working for outgoing calls.

I go to the BT site, login and there is my payment list and the last bill was 15th Sept and is marked paid. My account balance is ZERO on the site.
as I thought, I am paid up to date and owe them nothing.

I only started the DD to prevent the legalised mugging that is the payment charge on a paper bill...but decided to remove the DD just in case. There is no option to do so on the site. More than that, among the maze of pages it seems that the DD system may have been trying to collect this DD since then ?

It looks very much like they have cut me down to incoming calls...automatically despite their own records telling them I owe nothing.

Has anyone managed to kill the DD on the BT site I wonder?

t

Mark_In_Hampshire

You cancel the direct debit with your bank, not with BT.

You can do this online - log into your online banking portal.

I'd send written confirmation to your Bank too; bear in mind that while you can cancel a direct debit, there's nothing to stop the payee setting it up again without your consent.

macman

Mark_In_Hampshire wrote: »

You cancel the direct debit with your bank, not with BT.

You can do this online - log into your online banking portal.

I'd send written confirmation to your Bank too; bear in mind that while you can cancel a direct debit, there's nothing to stop the payee setting it up again without your consent.

If your bank allowed that to happen, they would clearly be obliged to repay you immediately under the terms of the direct debit agreement. Once you have cancelled it, it should stop.

Mark_In_Hampshire

macman wrote: »

If your bank allowed that to happen, they would clearly be obliged to repay you immediately under the terms of the direct debit agreement. Once you have cancelled it, it should stop.

Agreed. However, that's in the event it was paid. If the payment failed, as you didn't have sufficient funds since you weren't expecting the debit, you're liable for the bank charges. Hence worth a letter in case that happens; still doesn't mean you'd get the charges back, but strengthens your case.

timmmers

Silly me...reading what BT say in letters and believing it, it wasn't a DD but a reccuring card payment.
Phew..I wondered how they had managed to do that. :rolleyes: They don't seem to know the difference between a DD and card payment.

I rang today and got a very polite and helpful Indian man who couldn't explain how they managed to restrict my line despite my bills being paid, or why they hadn't told me they were doing so.....but promised not to charge me for reconnecting it (how kind). I felt sorry for him doing that thankless job.

My line should be back to usable in 24 hrs...how lucky am I ?

t

macman

The card holder cannot cancel a recurring card payment, only the payee can. The only solution is to close the debit card account. Whe I realised this I switched all mine to conventional direct debits, which you can control yourself.