Warning! BT increase charges for non direct debit payers

Casserole_2

Paperless billing with BT might now save me 25p/month but their payment processing fee is now £4.60. I thought standing charges had been abolished but this seems to have replaced it. BT Blatently Trustless!

gt94sss2

Casserole wrote: »

Paperless billing with BT might now save me 25p/month but their payment processing fee is now £4.60.

BT currently rebate 50p/month if you choose paper free billing.

The discount is going up to £1.25/month from April.

As to get paper free billing you need to pay by direct debit or monthly payment plan those customers are exempt from the payment processing fee which is £4.50/quarter (not £4.60) and only charged to those who don't pay by direct debit/MPP..

Regards
Sunil

Heinz

BT's 'non-DD charge' is £18 p.a. and, rightly or wrongly (depending on your point of view), BT is taking a great deal of flak for that.

OTOH, Virgin Media's 'non-DD charge' is £60 and Talk Talk's is £42 - but, for reasons I cannot fathom, nobody appears aggrieved.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/03/nfees103.xml

Drunkstar

Heinz wrote: »

BT's 'non-DD charge' is £18 p.a. and, rightly or wrongly (depending on your point of view), BT is taking a great deal of flak for that.

OTOH, Virgin Media's 'non-DD charge' is £60 and Talk Talk's is £42 - but, for reasons I cannot fathom, nobody appears aggrieved.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/03/03/nfees103.xml

:T

I have said a few times I didnt agree with BTs charge, but why only BT take the flack is beyond me.

Lancy_2

Since last October I have been having a battle royal with BT over their infamous payment charges.
Over 80 e-mails have been flowing to and from their customer services dept.
I have stated that I do not communicate by e-mail or phone with call centres outside UK but keep getting replies from India.
I have been in touch with Ros Fernyhough who took them to court but lost her case. However her case related to paying by cash or cheque rather than Direct Debit.
Mine is slightly different:
Having been done a couple of times by other companies with DD I object strongly to using DD.
I pay online and on time.
I have 2 questions for BT which they seem unable to answer:

1. If payment is made by DD payment goes direct to BT Bank.
   If payment is made online payment goes direct to BT Bank.
   SO WHY THE CHARGE?
   I have consulted with 2 bank managers who state there should be no charge since by paying online I am doing the work. BT's bank doesn't even have to contact my bank to withdraw the money.
2. BT say there is a payment charge of £1.50 per month.
   But if the bill is paid quarterly why is there a payment charge for the 2 months when no payment is made?
   
   I have had 2 letters from a "customer services manager" which both ramble on about advantages of DD without any attempt to answer the questions

meester

BT are a horrible company with appalling customer service.

I would recommend you try another provider.

Seiken

Without some kind of legal ruling, BT will not change their position. The call centre advisors are instructed to never refund this fee outside of the first two quarterly bills since the fee was introduced. Even if you change to direct debit and pay your bill with the fee on it by direct debit, it won't be refunded next month/quarter. I don't see them doing a u-turn any time soon.

deklan99

There's someone on here that has ticked the box for DD payment but pays the balance before it's due by direct transfer I think. Qualifies for the discount but doesn't actually pay by DD since his balance is nil.
DD is, at present, the recommended moneysaving, safest method of payment but if that's not your thing then knock yourself out.
Many other companies charge similar fees for non-DD payment - Primus, a favourite on here charge £5 and UW charge 10% of your total bill.
Strangely enough not many complaints about them, only BT seems to get the flack.

Lancy_2

But how do I get an answer from bT for the 2 questions:
Why is there a charge when the payment is made by me direct to BT's bank with no work involved by BT
Why is there a payment charge when no payment is made.

normanmark

Well you'll get the answers of those questions by calling them up, not holding out on here waiting for someone to answer them