Warning! BT increase charges for non direct debit payers

Heinz

heather38 wrote: »

what other companies will be charging? i pay powergen when the bill comes in as they kept putting up my dd and i was always in credit by at least £50.

I must've changed supplier at the right time then. I pay my gas and electric by fixed DD each month and am only in credit once a year - when they ask me to catch up on the repeated monthly underpayments!

marcellep

Mecoconuts wrote: »

I don't think you understand Watchdog's idea.

I think each individual/household is to send a letter so as to cost the company your complaining to the time and effort for opening and replying to each individual letter.

So i don't think a single letter from MSE will have the same impact.

Sorry I dont think I made that clear,

You may recall that BBC did letters for people to send to reclaim there bank charges, Now MSE where quick to say that they where not up to standard.
I was suggesting that MSE staff create a standard letter and people like me can download and print out. Similar to the bank chages letter.

Hope that clears this up

Jenko2006

Yea good idea i would download and post it :T :T :T

MOONBEAM_3

BT have received all this bad press for something that other companies have been doing for years. The impact of this charge will only be 1.50 as BT is lowering the line rental charge by a pound a month, so there will be a saving of 3.00. BT offers 46 different ways to pay your phone bill and they are not forcing you to pay by Direct Debit, other companies will not even speak to you if you do not pay by this method. If you have a line and broadband service with BT you actually make a saving of 50p a month if you pay by direct debit

Spark

They are not forcing you to pay by direct debit, but they are blackmailing you into it by penalising you if you don't pay by direct debit, and if other companies will not even talk to me if I don't pay by direct debit, they'll have to go and talk to someone else (to put it politely)as I will not be told what to do with MY money, and I will certainly won't let any company who is unashamedly penalising people that way have full control on when and what amount of money they decide to take from my account.
The difference with BT is that, at the moment, they have the monopoly of the line rental, that's why they think they can do this and get away with it, on the contrary of British Gas, where people can make a choice to leave for another company.
I decide when I want a direct debit, and companies who are trying to blackmail me into it, force me to NOT even consider paying them by direct debit.

Cardew

A. There is an outcry because BTare going to charge customers extra if they don't pay by DD.

B. Yet many(most?) companies for years have offered a discounted tariff(including BT) if you pay by DD and this has never seemed to bother people.

If 'A' is unfair, is not 'B' unfair?

All companies agree that paying quarterly in arrears for goods/services is(for them) the more expensive option. It eases their cash flow costs and there are less costs chasing unpaid/late bills.

Incentive or penalty? is it just a matter of presentation?

hurrah

Spark wrote: »

The difference with BT is that, at the moment, they have the monopoly of the line rental

Their are a number of alternative suppliers of landline rental other then BT ,but they either want sign you up unless you pay by d/d or credit card,or they raise a charge for not paying by d/d.

Unlike BT they will charge you for caller display which is virtually free on BT,and they want allow you to use the likes of 1899/18185/ or CPS your calls.

Another alternative is Cable Phone but Virgin Media charge £15 a quarter to pay by d/d as opposed to BT,s existing £3 a quarter which goes up to £ 4.50p a quarter from the 1/5/2007.

BexTech

Previously BT had stated their line rental was £12, but you got a £1 discount if you paid by direct debit, now BT have changed this to £11 line rental, but you are charged a £1.50 non-DD fee, people have started to complain.

Maybe BT should simply increase line rental to £12.50 and offer a £1.50 discount for paying by DD.

BBC Watchdog letter template.

MissBehaving

I have just sent an email requesting my 1571 be cancelled.... I use Talk Talk too for my calls and I never ever remember to listen to my messages on the phone when I get in.

Why waste a couple of quid on something I dont use anyway!

I have to admit that I dont mind using DD but my mum and dad would NEVER ever entertain the thought. They are like a previous poster who pays weekly on a card. They are on a pension which gets paid weekly so it is harder for them to have one lump sum coming out their account when for the last 40 years they have paid things weekly. I guess change is never easy!!

Cardew

MissBehaving wrote: »

I have just sent an email requesting my 1571 be cancelled.... I use Talk Talk too for my calls and I never ever remember to listen to my messages on the phone when I get in.

Why waste a couple of quid on something I dont use anyway!

1571 is free is it not?

I appreciate that some people think it is a scam because people phoning you pay for the call(as if it were a normal call) if it is answered by that service and they don't have an all calls inclusive tariff.