We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.
This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide
Direct Debit Guarantee
Iamnothappy
Posts: 9 Forumite
My telephone provider sent me an email informing me that my “latest bill is now online”.
A week later, I signed up online with my telephone provider for a broadband and call package, and set up direct debit to pay for this monthly package.
Some two weeks after setting up direct debit to pay for this monthly package, my telephone provider tried to take the amount owed on my telephone bill from bank account without informing me of their intentions in advance.
The sum my telephone provider tried to take from my account was over ten times the cost of the broadband and call package set up to be paid by direct debit. Is my telephone provider entitled to try to take this sum from my bank account, WITHOUT INFORMING ME OF THEIR INTENTIONS IN ADVANCE?
Are they not ignoring the Direct Debit Guarantee which states that notification must be given if there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of a Direct Debit?
A week later, I signed up online with my telephone provider for a broadband and call package, and set up direct debit to pay for this monthly package.
Some two weeks after setting up direct debit to pay for this monthly package, my telephone provider tried to take the amount owed on my telephone bill from bank account without informing me of their intentions in advance.
The sum my telephone provider tried to take from my account was over ten times the cost of the broadband and call package set up to be paid by direct debit. Is my telephone provider entitled to try to take this sum from my bank account, WITHOUT INFORMING ME OF THEIR INTENTIONS IN ADVANCE?
Are they not ignoring the Direct Debit Guarantee which states that notification must be given if there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of a Direct Debit?
0
Comments
-
Was the "sum" they tried to take equal to the latest on-line bill you mention? Usually the bill says somewhere that the DD will be taken on or around such & such a date and that is deemed as the notification to satisfy the DD guarantee rule. Are you saying that you hadn't set up a DD arangement before you took out the BB & calls package and so they shouldn't have tried to collect previous bill by DD?0
-
If you really want to use the Direct Debit Guarantee, then ring your bank and tell them that your telco has breached the agreement.
I personally cannot understand why, having set up a DD with them, you are somewhat surprised that they then use it to clear the outstanding amount.0 -
My question is, given the wording of the Direct Debit Guarantee, before trying to take this sum from my account, should they have INFORMED ME OF THEIR INTENTIONS IN ADVANCE?0
-
Iamnothappy wrote: »My question is, given the wording of the Direct Debit Guarantee, before trying to take this sum from my account, should they have INFORMED ME OF THEIR INTENTIONS IN ADVANCE?
They should have. No need to shout though
And that is why there is a Direct Debit Guarantee. So that, in case like this where there is (to say the least) some confusion, you can go to your bank and reclaim the money from the people that took it.0 -
Sorry. New to this. Unaware block capitals indicates shouting0
-
Saying your bill is now available online to view ... I'm not sure that this constitutes formal notification of amount and date, and so a claim under the DD scheme would be valid?
I know with my ISP (BE) I receive an email saying they will take £X on <DATE> and that the invoice can be viewed online. (I also receive a text saying much the same thing).
Were you previously paying by DD before you took out broadband?0 -
As others have said, the bill that you have received is likely to be sufficient notification that they will be collecting money via the Direct Debit you have in place.
I have a similar situation with my credit card. I have it set up to pay the balance in full each month. On around the 10th of the month they send me a statement and that includes the line on it that X amount will be debited from my account on Y date.0 -
-
At the time I was informed that I could view my bill online, I had no direct debit set up with my telephone provider.
I set up the DD after.0 -
Yes, they do appear to have broken the rules.Iamnothappy wrote: »At the time I was informed that I could view my bill online, I had no direct debit set up with my telephone provider.
I set up the DD after.
As I said earlier, ring your bank and ask them to refund the money taken, under the DD guarantee.
Of course, this in no way means you no longer owe them the money.
What have the telephone company said about this?0
This discussion has been closed.
Confirm your email address to Create Threads and Reply
Categories
- All Categories
- 354.5K Banking & Borrowing
- 254.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
- 455.4K Spending & Discounts
- 247.4K Work, Benefits & Business
- 604.2K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
- 178.5K Life & Family
- 261.7K Travel & Transport
- 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
- 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
- 37.7K Read-Only Boards