BT Direct Debit Steamroller

tauster

Am I alone in not wanting to give BT uncontrolled access to my bank account to pay for my landline / broadband ?

I have received my latest bill today (11th) to be paid by the 17th - thats 4 working days or 5 at best before being penalised. If I'd been away for a week on holiday, then I'd be caught out.

I'm so incensed I want to contact Ofcom / Trading Standards or A.N.Other who can stop this sharp practice but fear I'll get nowhere, hence seeing if anyone else here has similar experience /advice.

I run my own business - 4 to 5 day payment terms doesnt happen in the real world.:mad:

macman

Using a DD does not give BT 'uncontrolled access'. The DD guarantee is there for that very purpose.

ihateyes

tauster wrote: »

Am I alone in not wanting to give BT uncontrolled access to my bank account to pay for my landline / broadband ?

I have received my latest bill today (11th) to be paid by the 17th - thats 4 working days or 5 at best before being penalised. If I'd been away for a week on holiday, then I'd be caught out.

I'm so incensed I want to contact Ofcom / Trading Standards or A.N.Other who can stop this sharp practice but fear I'll get nowhere, hence seeing if anyone else here has similar experience /advice.

I run my own business - 4 to 5 day payment terms doesnt happen in the real world.:mad:

and with online accounts with bT you can track your bill daily, and view it the day the bill is generated......

midgetessa

macman wrote: »

Using a DD does not give BT 'uncontrolled access'. The DD guarantee is there for that very purpose.

Being informed of changes to direct debit amounts these days usually just means you are sent an email......which can easily be missed if you are on holiday/working away or just overlooked in the general slew of carp that appears in most peoples inboxes.

The 'mistakes will be paid back' part of the guarantee is fairly useless, too, since getting any large companies to admit mistakes is often a mammoth and time-consuming task.

I agree with the OP.....variable direct debits are an invitation to have your pocket picked and are not a good way to manage finances for many people.

I don't have any direct debits and I intend keeping it that way as I prefer that only I decide what is paid out from my bank account.

Just my two pence.

jhp

midgetessa wrote: »

Being informed of changes to direct debit amounts these days usually just means you are sent an email......which can easily be missed if you are on holiday/working away or just overlooked in the general slew of carp that appears in most peoples inboxes.

The 'mistakes will be paid back' part of the guarantee is fairly useless, too, since getting any large companies to admit mistakes is often a mammoth and time-consuming task.

I agree with the OP.....variable direct debits are an invitation to have your pocket picked and are not a good way to manage finances for many people.

I don't have any direct debits and I intend keeping it that way as I prefer that only I decide what is paid out from my bank account.

Just my two pence.

A bit more then 2p if you choose not to pay by dd.:D

macman

The DD guarantee is provided by the bank, not by the payee.

midgetessa

jhp wrote: »

A bit more then 2p if you choose not to pay by dd.:D

Depends.


Some companies it makes no difference.

Oh, and standing orders (contolled by you) often have the same discount status as direct debits do with big companies. You have to ask.

midgetessa

macman wrote: »

The DD guarantee is provided by the bank, not by the payee.

But the guarantee is not of much use to many people because of what I highlighted.


dd's favour big companies over consumers....whatever the blurb says.

Stompa

midgetessa wrote: »

dd's favour big companies over consumers....whatever the blurb says.

BT send me a bill for £x. A couple of weeks later it gets taken by DD. I'm not sure I see any great advantage (to me) in paying £x manually.

midgetessa

Stompa wrote: »

BT send me a bill for £x. A couple of weeks later it gets taken by DD. I'm not sure I see any great advantage (to me) in paying £x manually.

As I've explained, sometimes people do not see the bill (email) because of life circumstances.

Big companies love dd's because they can do everything by computer and make more money.....but the other end of the equation is not a computer, it's a person.

Stompa

midgetessa wrote: »

As I've explained, sometimes people do not see the bill (email) because of life circumstances.

The same applies with snail mail.