Non-direct debit payment charges

almeida8

Hi,

Sorry if this isn't on the correct board, I wasn't sure where best to put it...

I'm a customer of Telewest (TV only), have been for nearly 7 years. In that time I've seen my bill treble because I refuse to give them my phone and broadband business or to let them dip their paws into my bank account.

That they made me pay for the most expensive package was galling enough (I threatened to leave and they allowed me to downgrade to the one below), but what really gets my goat is that they now charge extra if you refuse to pay by direct debit: this figure has just gone up to £5 per month! Surely this is disproportionate to the costs they incur, particularly as I pay using their automated phone payment service. Oh, and I always pay timeously to avoid incurring their £10 late payment fee...

Does anyone have any idea of any law this might be in breach of, or what I can do about this? They've waived it for 6 months at the moment to keep my business, but I really can't be bothered with the hassle of upgrading the aerial so we can get Freeview...

And no, it's not a discount for paying by DD, the bill clearly states that there is a £5 additional charge for non-DD payments.

Thanks for any advice.

uktim29

Can't you just compare their prices with other service providers and if you find a cheaper alternative go with them?

Just find yourself the best deal, what are you trying to fight?

If Telewest is the best deal, why are you trying to fight that?

Mark7799

As the previous poster has said, given your unhappiness with Telewest, why are you seemingly determined to stay with them?

almeida8

Why have I stayed with Telewest? Various reasons.

I don't know about this particular issue but Sky seem to be pretty bad as well (money grabbing, poor customer service, etc). Other than Freeview, they are the only alternative.

We have very poor terrestrial TV reception here so can't go back to that.

If we went the Freeview route, getting an aerial upgrade on the roof of tenement flats isn't as easy as if we lived in a house; and given that roof repairs are likely to be carried out in the next few months it's a bit daft to get that done anytime soon.

But that still leaves my question. Anyone...?

nickyhutch

Sky charge me £4 per month extra too. Really annoys me, so much so that I'm going to pay by DD from now on.

poppy_f1

what gets me about the £5 telewest charge is they email me my bill, i dont get a paper copy so i just set up a dd

Fifer

What's the problem with DD? They aren't allowed to take any money without informing you first. We've used DDs for all our regular bills for decades and never once had a problem.

almeida8

Yeah, well, that's the theory. I've had problems with DDs in the past and Telewest gave me so many problems when I started with them that I'm loth to give the numpties free rein with my bank account. Phoning up once a month and paying by their automated service (which surely can't cost £5 per customer per month to administer) makes it much easier to ensure that the cash comes out when I want it to - which is not necessarily at the same time every month.

advent1122

almeida8 wrote:

Yeah, well, that's the theory. I've had problems with DDs in the past and Telewest gave me so many problems when I started with them that I'm loth to give the numpties free rein with my bank account. Phoning up once a month and paying by their automated service (which surely can't cost £5 per customer per month to administer) makes it much easier to ensure that the cash comes out when I want it to - which is not necessarily at the same time every month.

They can charge you £500 a month if they want, it is then up to you to go with another supplier.
I dont understand your gripe.
You either.
A) Pay the £5 and stay as you are.
Move to DD and dont pay the £5.
C) Change suplliers.

yummymummy79

As long as they tell you it is going to happen, then they can charge what they want and you are left with the 3 options that advent 1122 lists. It's the same principle as shops charging extra to pay by credit card, as long as they tell you it will be more there is no problem.

If you haven't been told about the charge beforehand (including being notified of it increasing) then they have technically breached their contract with you.

lottee

Not sure if this is a help or not.... I'm with NTL, & rang up to query if I could change packages in order to save, as my phone & broadband bill seems to be getting higher. Within 5 minutes, for the next 3 months, he knocked off the non DD charge (which is £5 a month aswell), reduced my broadband by £4.99, & a couple of other extras - caller display for free was one of them.

He then told me to call back in 3 months - when these offers are due to expire & they will see what else they can do. Couldn't believe it! Worth atry maybe? NTL have a freephone number, so the call was free also!