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Warning! BT increase charges for non direct debit payers
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Received this email today from BT:
"Service update
Changes to BT prices and payment terms and conditions
Dear Customer,
Important: there are no changes for customers who continue to pay by Direct Debit or Monthly Payment Plan.
With many more of our customers now choosing the convenience of paying for their BT broadband and BT telephony by Direct Debit (DD) or Monthly Payment Plan (MPP), we've decided to make some changes on your bill from 1st May 2007.
· A reduction of £3 a quarter for your BT Together Option.
· A reduction of £3 a quarter for your BT broadband package.
· The introduction of a new single payment processing fee of £4.50 a quarter. This charge will be made by BT Payment Services Ltd, a BT Group Company. It is one of the lowest charges in the industry.
These changes will apply if you choose to pay by means other than DD or MPP. The combined result of these separate changes will be £1.50 a quarter less on your BT bill when compared to current prices."
I thought it was the case that BT subscribers who paid by DD were given a discount because it meant less hassle for BT and helped BT's cash flow.
Yet this email seems to suggest that those not on Direct Debit arrangements, will from now on be £6 a year better off.
Or is it the case that BT is terrified of using the English language the way it's intended to be used (i.e., to explain simply and clearly) and is instead trying to muddy the waters over an actual increase in fees for those who don't pay by Direct Debit??0 -
I got that email today too. Saw this on Watchdog a few weeks back. As I understand it those of us not paying by DD or MMP will pay an extra £4.50 per quarter to BT for processing our payments.0
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Still doesn't make much sense to me, bushbaby.
All that text about £3 a quarter reductions, then £4.50 a quarter addition, and then instead of the maths coming out at a £1.50 net increase (based on the two preceding figures) BT states there'll be a £1.50 reduction.
Huh.0 -
Still doesn't make much sense to me, bushbaby.
All that text about £3 a quarter reductions, then £4.50 a quarter addition, and then instead of the maths coming out at a £1.50 net increase (based on the two preceding figures) BT states there'll be a £1.50 reduction.
Huh.
Discussed here at length.;)
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=3424530 -
Thanks u/broker: wot a fog of gibberish it all is.
BT should be compelled by whichever regulator is sitting around counting paper-clips to produce material in Plain English.0 -
I just spoke to BT (India).
The guy kept on and on missing the point. He said that as I paid by DD I would not lose out by this and that I received a discount for paying by DD. I said that what I did was irrelevant - it was the principle I objected to but he just kept saying that BT had always made a charge to non-DD customers (not true they have always given a 'discount' to DD customers).
The bit I don't get (and I know this has been raised briefly in this thread) is the principle of how come when I go to Tescos I don't get charged extra depending on the way I pay? An earlier post on this thread said that BT has to cover the costs of running the service and that someone has to pay those costs. Well, am I stupid or doesn't every business have the costs of providing a service? The larger the business the greater the costs. And the prices charged are supposed to incorporate the costs of running the service. I don' see why BT opening a letter should then be charged to non-DD customers. (Particularly when the reason they get so many letters is because their service is so crap- but that's another story).
I also object to paying my Council Tax and then paying extra for every service I use by the Council. Either you pay for every item that you cost the organisation or you pay an overall charge or a general charge and that incorporates the cost of running the business. Is BT going to ask for-non DD users to cover their electricity bills next or their toilet cleaning costs?
BT should charge for the service they provide and make their charges clear and honest - not lie about the 'benefits' of their various services, which are actually chargeable services that they are selling, and not try to deceive the people who, lets face it are often the most vulnerable people. I will be writing to my MP and to BT and OFCOM - it's no good just moaning away on this site!0 -
The bit I don't get (and I know this has been raised briefly in this thread) is the principle of how come when I go to Tescos I don't get charged extra depending on the way I pay?
I paid for my holiday by credit card and was charged x% extra. This was the additional cost of that payment method being passed on to me. I had the choice of paying by another method and not incurring the charge. Although it sticks in the throat a bit, it is a more transparent way of charging, I did have a choice and people using other payment methods weren't subsidising me.0 -
Greetings,
I am one of those who choose not to pay by Direct Debit
This morning I received my BT 'phone bill.
The advertised reduction in line rental, confirmed in their standard letter to any queries on the change, is £3-00.
The bill details a reduction in line rental of £2-56 before VAT which does indeed come to a total of £3-00.
What their letter doesn't say is that the penalty charge for not paying BT by DD is £4-50 before VAT is added, which gives a total of £5-29.
So BT have included the VAT in the reduction to make it look a large amount but exclude it from the penalty charge to make it look smaller than it really is.
The supposed increase of 50p becomes 79p or £3-16 per year.
With all their customers that should boost the profits by few million.0 -
Not with me, I am taking up the direct debit offer but at the same time I am changing to Primus option 2 and 18185.
I object to being charged for paying my bill on time when using online banking.
Now I am trying to take as many calls away from BT, leaving them direct debit for my line rental and most of that I guess they have to pay Openreach.
So who is the loser? and all because they wanted to charge me for paying my bill on time.
Heinz : Advice0 -
Am I missing something here ? I just looked at 18185's web site and they only accept Direct Debit or payments to cards. So you wont even have the option of using online banking .0
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