Warning! BT increase charges for non direct debit payers

Heinz

littleboo wrote: »

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 .

No, you're not, that's all they accept (and Martin's advice is avoid continuous credit/debit card authority).

littleboo

OK.I just cant see why everyone gets so emotional about this. BT wants people to pay by DD as it suits them best, but you still have an option to pay by other methods, for a charge. Most (all?) of the their competition do the same, or charge more for the same, or dont even give you a choice of how you pay.

BritBrat

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 .

No your not missing anything, but if they want to force me to direct debit so I don't have to get charged for paying my bill on time. Then I may as well go for the cheapest direct debit call costs I can find.

And it's not BT.

BT wants people to pay by DD

What about what the customer want's ?

Just my little protest, Charge me £4 for not using DD when paying my bill on time. (It's a corporate decision they made) as I told the CEO of BT, that's fine I can make a customer decision and take my DD to the cheapest call rates.

I was already on BT option 1.
I now pay by direct debit.
I have canceled all our call plans. (Apart from the free privacy one)
I am signing up for Primus option 2.
I was already signed up to 18185.

Mind you he did reply to my Email and I had a phone call the next day, so I can say his comunications is very good.

Weldone Ben.

Ben Verwaayen: Chief Executive


ben.verwaayen@bt.com

Heinz

littleboo wrote: »

OK.I just cant see why everyone gets so emotional about this. BT wants people to pay by DD as it suits them best, but you still have an option to pay by other methods, for a charge. Most (all?) of the their competition do the same, or charge more for the same, or dont even give you a choice of how you pay.

And, unfortunately, that emotion appears to blind people to the savings to be made (the "raison d'etre" of this site) by paying by DD.

BritBrat

If everyone just takes it as read and whats thrown at them, then yes they will all do it in the end.

But If people would stand thier ground a little maybe we would all be better off.

Take broadband caps, yes broadband used to be always on and no caps and when BT first introduced them most people just accepted it but I never, now with download TV on demand shortly to become main stream how many will be able to use it due to the caps on their service.

Yes you can still do it but pay when you have gone over your cap limit.

Just another rant, sorry for being off topic.

hurrah

Out of interest how long have you had a BT line Brit Brat ?

darwin-rover

I dont understand why people dont want to pay by Direct Debit . Its the safest , easiest way . Remember the Direct Debit Guarantee is designed to protect the consumer NOT the big companies . If you have an issue with a DD payment you can go into your bank and claim it back with no hassle . In the same way if you were paying by cash etc. , if you were overcharged you wouldnt pay the overpayment and then phone up asking for your money back would you ?! If you are overcharged with DD you claim the money back and its the companies responsibility to then get it sorted .

BritBrat

Out of interest how long have you had a BT line Brit Brat ?

Don't know but a long time, 20 years on this one maybe.

You going to say I was always charged? because I was not, yes I payed more because I did not take the discount. There is a difference, if they had given more discount I would not have minded as that was my choice.

But I have no choice in being charged. Although the result may have been the same, to me a charge is a charge and a discount is a discount and they are not the same thing.

GIRLPOWER_2

BritBrat wrote: »

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 have been looking into whats the best bet for me as I have just had the pleasure of a 240.00 (3 months) bill.

I have been reading Heniz advice post which is very good but as Heniz has inserted on it BT now costs less for daytime calls to 01/02 numbers that 18185.

We use the phone mostly in the day (business run from home) so from what I can see BT are still the best option for us.

Usless I am missing something.

Heinz

GIRLPOWER wrote: »

I have been looking into whats the best bet for me as I have just had the pleasure of a 240.00 (3 months) bill.

I have been reading Heniz advice post which is very good but as Heniz has inserted on it BT now costs less for daytime calls to 01/02 numbers that 18185.

We use the phone mostly in the day (business run from home) so from what I can see BT are still the best option for us.

Unless I am missing something.

Ouch with regards the bill.:o

You most certainly are missing something (I don't think I inserted on it "BT now costs less for daytime calls to 01/02 numbers that 18185").

18185 charge 5p for a UK 01/02 call of ANY duration at any time - so such a call costs a maximum of 5p.

BT charge 3P 'call set-up fee' + 3p per minute (i.e. 3p for each and every minute) between 6am and 6pm Monday to Friday and 5½p for up to an hour evenings and weekends.

So, a peak UK 01/02 call of, say, 50 minutes on BT costs 3p + 50 x 3p = £1.53 whereas the same call on 18185 costs 5p (i.e. an immediate saving of £1.48).

Oh how I wish I'd be eligible for a mere 10% of the saving as commission every time someone saves!