BT Disconnection Scam?

kaya

Just be grateful you are with bt and not virgin media like I am , they really are a bunch of useless lying *insert swear word of choice here*

karvala

Update: well it turns out not only did BT lie to me about who cancelled the direct debit, but they also lied to me about waiving the charges, because I've just received my bill, and there in black and white is an "late payment charge".

So in a nutshell:-
(1) BT cancel my direct debit on August 27th after taking a payment.
(2) BT tell me on my next bill sent two week later that the direct debit is still in place and I don't need to do anything.
(3) BT fail to get in touch with me to tell me they have been unable to take a payment.
(4) BT disconnect me on October 9th after failing to take a payment because they cancelled the direct debit.
(5) When I phone to resolve the issue, BT lie to me about who cancelled the direct debit.
(6) BT promise to waive the reconnection and late payment fees out of "goodwill".
(7) I receive my bill and find that I have been lied to again and the late payment fee has not been waived.

Neil, I appreciate the offer of help and I have put these details in my contact form to you. I now expect:-

(a) The £7.50 late payment charge to be removed immediately.
(b) A discretionary compensation payment of £25 to cover my costs in contacting BT to resolve an issue of your making.
(c) A discretionary compensation payment of £25 to cover the growing number of hours of my time it has taken to resolve this issue of your making.
(d) A discretionary compensation payment of £25 as an apology for the fact that I was lied to twice by someone who is supposedly a customer service manager.

That totals £82.50; I'll take a cheque. I won't accept any less than that in the circumstances, and should your company continue to try and deny that they caused this problem, or that they lied to me, or that they have any responsibility for this situation, then I would like a letter of deadlock to take to the ombudsman. Should you fail to provide even that, I will contact my solicitor, my local MP, the consumer association of which I'm a member, and the regulator to inform them that are you failing to honour your code of conduct and the ombudsman process. There IS going to be a fair and reasonable settlement in this case, one way or the other.

spenderdave

Direct debit arrangements can only be cancelled by you or the bank, not the company they are set up with.

Prothet_of_Doom

BT_company_representative wrote: »

Hi Karvala,

I'm really sorry about this, if you need any help with your BT service please contact me using the link found in my profile.

Thanks

Neil

I feel your pain mate.

You must be pulling your hair out at the bloody incompetence and ineptitude that we, your loyal customers are having to endure. What a !!!! job you have.

I was lied to by a customer service rep, who I assume is not UK based, who told me that my line had been repaired and it was suddenly faulty again. Well hey in that case why when they fixed it the first time did they not remove the temporary call forward to my wife mobile. Ah well yes sir I can understand your logic, and can not explain that. Erm because you didn't fix it in 3 days, and you are trying to pretend you did.... so you don't have to pay compensation perhaps? ..I'm just looking at other options, because after 30 years as a loyal customer I've decided that as an organisation you don't need my money. :rotfl:

brewerdave

spenderdave wrote: »

Direct debit arrangements can only be cancelled by you or the bank, not the company they are set up with.

Wrong - I've had a number of DDs cancelled by the originating company when an arrangement had ended eg car hp, sports club membership, BT !(when I switched to Plusnet) etc:)

karvala

spenderdave wrote: »

Direct debit arrangements can only be cancelled by you or the bank, not the company they are set up with.

That's incorrect: they can only by cancelled by you or the company who originated them. A bank cannot cancel them without instructions.

teddysmum

I think it's time that someone contacted Watchdog. However, they do need to be contacted by a number of people in order to take up an issue.

WTFH

teddysmum wrote: »

I think it's time that someone contacted Watchdog. However, they do need to be contacted by a number of people in order to take up an issue.

Why?
We have one case here where a direct debit was cancelled and then a fee of £7.50 applied. I don't think there's a conspiracy, nor do I think it's the end of the world. Frustrating for the one person who was involved, yes.

macman

karvala wrote: »

That's incorrect: they can only by cancelled by you or the company who originated them. A bank cannot cancel them without instructions.

No, the account holder is the only person who can cancel them. BT can stop drawing on them, but that isn't the same thing as cancellation-if that is done, the DD remains active and can be 'resumed' at any time without the account holder's approval.
DD's can be cancelled simply by one click in your online account, so if the OP didn't do it, then the bank are liable.

brewerdave

macman wrote: »

No, the account holder is the only person who can cancel them. BT can stop drawing on them, but that isn't the same thing as cancellation-if that is done, the DD remains active and can be 'resumed' at any time without the account holder's approval.
DD's can be cancelled simply by one click in your online account, so if the OP didn't do it, then the bank are liable.

Sorry -but this not so; for example,when I completed an HP deal on my current car last March ,the DD showed up as cancelled on my online account without any input from me. So I presume that the originating Company had cancelled it with my bank as payments were complete. Also BT cancelled the DD themselves after I switched to Plusnet for the phone last year,once the final "bill" had been settled.(in my case a credit)
I have just manually switched current accounts and the gaining bank took over DDs - these were then all cancelled with the old bank without any input from me.:)