Talktalk charging for late payments every month

showmethemoneyuk

Talktalk are a charging a relation of mine on a lower income for late payments every single month. The reason for this is primarily down to their their monthly wage payment date having changed, and talktalk will not adjust the payment date to suit them. The companies reason for charging each month is the fact that they are not on direct debit. I could not change the 'last payment date' for them via their website. For card users, this setting is withheld, although expected.

I have found out that they have contacted Talktalk twice through their standard free IT helpline, in which they were told on each occasion that they had looked into their account, and the date had been changed for them just this once, without any problems. Unfortunately this has turned out to be untrue, as the bills thereafter showed the final payment date as unchanged, and due to what they need to spend their money on in order of importance, they have been given a £10 additional fee on top each month.

They are not the best online so I have tried contacting the community forum for them. The staff insisted to contact their complaints line which might help out, but when they attempted to call, they have refused to change the date at all via card payment, insisting on direct debit as the only solution.

From the community forum and on here, I do not think I would pay Talktalk via direct debit, given the number of continuous complaints on incorrect payments, wrong dates taken etc each month, so they are also wary of using this method. What is most concerning here in my opinion is some of their IT staff's incapability of doing their job in deciphering a card account vs direct debit, and untruths of payment date changes, but I am wondering if any other phone companies also refuse to change a final payment date unless they are on direct debit? Can anyone suggest anything to encourage the company to change this date, or are they essetially stuck, if by contract no dates can be altered unless on the related payment method? I am not sure if the latter is stated in any contract or small print, but they have paid the late payments to date, and will continue in future until their contract is up. Thanks

wealdroam

showmethemoneyuk wrote: »

Talktalk are a charging a relation of mine on a lower income for late payments every single month. The reason for this is primarily down to their their monthly wage payment date having changed, and talktalk will not adjust the payment date to suit them. The companies reason for charging each month is the fact that they are not on direct debit. I could not change the 'last payment date' for them via their website. For card users, this setting is withheld, although expected.

I have found out that they have contacted Talktalk twice through their standard free IT helpline, in which they were told on each occasion that they had looked into their account, and the date had been changed for them just this once, without any problems. Unfortunately this has turned out to be untrue, as the bills thereafter showed the final payment date as unchanged, and due to what they need to spend their money on in order of importance, they have been given a £10 additional fee on top each month.

They are not the best online so I have tried contacting the community forum for them. The staff insisted to contact their complaints line which might help out, but when they attempted to call, they have refused to change the date at all via card payment, insisting on direct debit as the only solution.

From the community forum and on here, I do not think I would pay Talktalk via direct debit, given the number of continuous complaints on incorrect payments, wrong dates taken etc each month, so they are also wary of using this method. What is most concerning here in my opinion is some of their IT staff's incapability of doing their job in deciphering a card account vs direct debit, and untruths of payment date changes, but I am wondering if any other phone companies also refuse to change a final payment date unless they are on direct debit? Can anyone suggest anything to encourage the company to change this date, or are they essetially stuck, if by contract no dates can be altered unless on the related payment method? I am not sure if the latter is stated in any contract or small print, but they have paid the late payments to date, and will continue in future until their contract is up. Thanks

I really don't understand the reluctance to change to Direct Debit.

The Direct Debit Guarantee ensures a prompt repayment if the wrong amount is taken.

Also remind your friend that Talktalk charge an extra £4.50 or so for not paying by direct debit (or card Continuous Payment Authority).

Click here for information on changing your payment date... but you're right, you need to be on Direct Debit (or CPA) first.

£14.50 every month for the privilege of paying your bill when it suits you... I know what I would do.

To get out of this, you need to save enough to pay the next bill on time and then change to direct debit.

That's £174.00 saved every year... and you can still choose your billing/repayment date.

showmethemoneyuk

ps the 'friend' isn't me :cool: it really is an older relative.
I don't use d'debit myself (although also Talktalk), based on the number of complaints I find in relation to this payment method online-being overcharged, charged unexpectedly early etc. I understand how much money can be saved, but for my relative, due to how they handle their bills in general and the possibility of the latter, I don't think it would be wise for them. Personally I prefer looking at every bill before paying because mistakes do happen, and any extra unexpected charges, would be a disaster for my relation. This seems to crop up from time to time on the TT community board with not so happy customers.

It is possible that they won't change the date because they know the customer will cave-in and accept the direct debit, which (might) in affect re-start their contract. Even if that is not the case, as before I was more concerned about the staffs inability to change the date permanently just once. The company should have every phone call on record, and I think if I ever had to contact them, I would record each call for future reference. Saying a date change went ahead successfully on more than one occasion, then charging them that fee continuously thereafter for late payment, is pretty low.

Staff seemingly give out false information and assurance over the phone to get customers off their back. Personally I would certainly not want to handle control of any finances over to such a company as a result.

I have also noted customers being charged long after their contract has ended. I would have thought that was the customers fault however in not keeping an eye on their bank account, as I am pretty sure your bank can stop any suspect direct debit activity? A couple of the worst recorded examples of TT's over the phone service are easily available online, although to be fair, to end in a positive, despite any false information, I am told most staff over the phone are at least fairly polite.

Thanks for the links. If there is enough protection, perhaps direct debit is not a bad method of payment, but in the short term, mistakes might still be stressful to the customer, especially if they need to phone any helplines as a result.

wealdroam

showmethemoneyuk wrote: »

...based on the number of complaints I find in relation to this payment method online-being overcharged, charged unexpectedly early etc. I understand how much money can be saved, but for my relative, due to how they handle their bills in general and the possibility of the latter, I don't think it would be wise for them. Personally I prefer looking at every bill before paying because mistakes do happen, and any extra unexpected charges, would be a disaster for my relation.

Did you read the Direct Debit Guarantee I linked to?

In particular, this bit:

If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by the organisation or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society

So if you are charged early a full and immediate refund can be made by your bank.

Similarly, if you are overcharged, a full and immediate refund can be made by your bank.

Likewise, if you are charged unexpectedly, a full and immediate refund can be made by your bank.

I too like to look at bills before I pay them, and Talktalk, like every other DD 'user', has to send a bill before taking the money. You will have read in that DD guarantee that the the organisation usually gives two weeks notice of taking the money.

I really do believe that there are enough safeguards built into the DD system.

Just to add... anywhere I've mentioned you or your, I do of course mean your relative.

showmethemoneyuk

Whilst it is true that an immediate repayment can be given wherever a mistake is made, the account holder will still need to contact their bank, and possibly even give note to the phone company in order to make sure the correct amount is taken from then on. Given that the staff know what they are doing in order to correct any problem, the process of contacting the bank and phone company may still be stressful for the person I mention. Not to mention the frequency that such mistakes may occur, which is what I most question. Thanks

unholyangel

showmethemoneyuk wrote: »

Whilst it is true that an immediate repayment can be given wherever a mistake is made, the account holder will still need to contact their bank, and possibly even give note to the phone company in order to make sure the correct amount is taken from then on. Given that the staff know what they are doing in order to correct any problem, the process of contacting the bank and phone company may still be stressful for the person I mention. Not to mention the frequency that such mistakes may occur, which is what I most question. Thanks

Well they seem to be far too worried about what might go wrong if they change to DD rather than what IS going wrong right now.

I don't mean to be cruel, just sometimes blunt is best.

Also to add things they may not have considered, even if they were to change the billing date at present (without DD set up), they'd incur pro-rata charges most likely and be paying even more on that bill.

The only other solutions I can think of is to get a loan of money from someone until they've caught back up (even giving them the £10 a month they'd usually pay as a late payment charge - it would be paid off in a few months rather than be owing indefinitely like it is now) or ask their employer to pay them for a day/few days holiday so they can cover 2 bills off the 1 wage - or overtime if its an option.

ShadowPuma

Can they somehow set up a system where they pay a month in advance? So that they make a payment now and the payment they usually make that would be "late" is instead "early" for the next billing period?

giraffe69

I'm not sure what is expected here. Pay late and you incur a late penalty. The bit about direct debits is simply prejudice. It would be cheaper and you have recourse if things go wrong. Firms are quite keen on direct debit because it is cheaper for them and reduces the number of payments not made.

bod1467

wealdroam wrote: »

That's £174.00 saved every year... and you can still choose your billing/repayment date.

Pedant-mode-On ... With TT (unless it has recently changed) your DD payment date is linked to your billing cycle, which is linked to when your service started. You can NOT select your own DD payment date with TT.

wealdroam

bod1467 wrote: »

Pedant-mode-On ... With TT (unless it has recently changed) your DD payment date is linked to your billing cycle, which is linked to when your service started. You can NOT select your own DD payment date with TT.

But in the link I posted in the post you quoted from it says:

Can I change my payment due date?

If you would prefer for your payment to come out on a different day, you can change your payment due date online in My Account.

Please note: It's not currently possible to change the Direct Debit date for TalkTalk Mobile.

Just follow the below steps:
<snip the rest>

I do admit to assuming we are not talking about TalkTalk Mobile.

The OP should note that that webpage also says:

Will changing my payment due date affect my bill amount?

When you change your payment date, it will also change your billing period. This will result in your next bill being larger or smaller than normal and will contain part month charges for the days between when the old billing period ends and the new billing period starts.

So OP, if you go down this route, please ensure your relative has the funds available to cover this possibly larger amount.

showmethemoneyuk

Sorry for the late reply. Yes, it's a Talk Talk landline package. It's not really a prejudice over direct debit, more being wary of the company and possible hassle as a result of it's standards. Extra fees induced as the result of it not being able to handle direct debits correctly seem common. Continuously having to phone unreliable helplines is not something i would recommend to anyone, regardless of possible financial protection. Perhaps with such a large company, negatives are always going to be filling up their official forums, but current experience hasn't exactly been easy either down to staff that have not told the truth.

I have now managed to get in contact. Via direct debit, changing payment date is possible once every six months, as already noted. Your date of choice can however be very limited to choose from within a month, when questioned. They could not give a direct reason why, so I can only assume it may be down to the time of when you wish to change.

Cancellation is possible through the bank at any time but the Talk Talk online account will still remain as a direct debit account. Online, although they state you can cancel, you can in reality only change from direct debit to a recurring card payment method. To go back to manual payment, you need to phone them up. There is a charge as expected of cancelling direct debit. They could not give an exact amount. Regarding Talk Talk account status another fee may be due down to a rejected direct debit, a £10 admin fee as quoted online by some users, if you have cancelled via the bank but the account switch from direct debit through Talk Talk is slower than expected.

I asked on here for suggestions on how to encourage a company to change manual payment date for someone without having to go through direct debit, but that does seem to be impossible likely down to initial contract. Admin staff however have suggested to try a written complaint. Thanks anyway