Warning! BT increase charges for non direct debit payers

BritBrat

deklan99 wrote: »

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.

That could be me

BT send me an Email with what the DD will be, I go to my online bank account the same day and send the payment

Been doing it nearly a year now and not any mention of any payment charge.

BT Direct Debit, How To Beat It

Full Thread Here:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=446084

JohnCGibbs

Are these BT payment charges legal? After all it has now been established through the Courts that extortionate bank charges are illegal! I see BT being no different, the account is being paid but not through D/D.
I can remember a private company chaseing me for an account which I had just paid and wanted to charge me £10.00 admin cost for the priviledge of them writing to me. I wrote back and thanked them for their letter advising that the account had been paid for and charged them a reciprical £10.00 admin fee.

normanmark

JohnCGibbs wrote: »

Are these BT payment charges legal? After all it has now been established through the Courts that extortionate bank charges are illegal! I see BT being no different, the account is being paid but not through D/D.
I can remember a private company chaseing me for an account which I had just paid and wanted to charge me £10.00 admin cost for the priviledge of them writing to me. I wrote back and thanked them for their letter advising that the account had been paid for and charged them a reciprical £10.00 admin fee.

Direct Debit not only saves you money, but also offers more payment & consumer protection than any other payment method! I can't see why more people don't understand this?

deklan99

Ofcom don't see anything wrong either - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/addcharges/faq/#8

littleboo

meester wrote: »

BT are a horrible company with appalling customer service.

I would recommend you try another provider.

...who in many cases will charge you more than BT do for paying by DD, or, just wont have you as a customer at all unless you use DD.

fencer123

I have noticed on my last couple of BT bills that a charge has been added of £4.50 as a payment processing fee.
Two things 1) How long has this been added to the bill and 2) as I pay my BT bill by cheque and not direct debit am I within my right to charge BT £2.50 for my admin and processing fee.
I think its about time us little people started to fight back against the big companies, they seem to forget that with out us they have no business.

Please let me know what you think.

Heinz

Welcome to the MSE forums fencer123.

Please see the below thread:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=400053

HennyPenny

Sign the petition;
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Processingfees/

skint999

1) around may 2007, 2) no as they are offering payment options to negate this fee

BexTech

skint999 wrote: »

1) around may 2007, 2) no as they are offering payment options to negate this fee

However customers have paid more for many many many years, it's just that BT inflated the line rental by £1 to make it £12 per month and then offered a £1 discount.

BT then dropped the line rental down to £11 but then charged a fee for not paying by direct debit of £1.50.

Now BT could have simply increased line rental to £12.50 and carried on like all those years offering a DD discount - this time £1.50. However they shot themselves in the foot and detailed it as a fee.

Why did these customers who are getting annoyed at this payment processing fee not get angry for the past 10, 12, 14+ years for having to pay £1 more than those who got the DD discount.

It amounts to the same thing, but people prefer to miss out on a discount then be surcharged it seems.

Virgin Media charge £5 per month for not paying by DD, others charge £4 per month, some simply don't accept customers unless they pay by DD.