BT late payment charge

Ralph777

i wonder if anyone can help.

last month on the 25th october i noticed when i dialled out it was going straight to BT. we could receive but not dial out.
i had a sneaky suspicion that they hadnt received my cheque(for september), what with the royal mail strikes and all.

so i called BT, sure enough they hadnt received my cheque.
i pointed out that it was a bit harsh cutting me off without any notice.
they said they had sent out a red letter, which i pointed out that i hadnt received(probably due to the post strike). they went on to say they called on the monday(22nd). i just happened to have been home all day and they never called, nothing on the caller id list either.

So i decided to pay with my card over the phone, i asked to confirm what i owed, £20.06p, and paid.
the BT man also assured me if they found the cheque it wouldnt be cashed as i had settled the account.

now today ive noticed the cheque for £20.06 has been cashed.
ive been online to check my account and it now says this months(oct) bill is £48.24. the breakdown shows £20.06 brought forward, and a Late Payment Charge of £7.50.

the bill is showning as "paid" yet my balance is £8.12 owed (obviously £48.24 - 2 x £20.06)

i am going to ring them up and dispute the late payment charge as i really dont think this is my fault.
the cheque was posted same time as usual. the BT man said it wouldntve have been cashed if they found it, and even said it may have gone missing at their end, in their building, and not in the post at all.

if i was having them on i wouldnt have posted the cheque after i paid over the phone. and now they have the cheque its clear it was either in the post all that time or they lost it.
both hardly my fault.

no doubt ill get fobbed off over the phone, but i wondered if there was anything i could say that would sway them, or some other action to take if i get nowhere?

many thanks

Heinz

Welcome to the MSE forums Ralph777.

Best of luck with your dispute.

Anyway, in the spirit of MSE (money saving) may I recommend you change to Whole Bill Direct Debit a.s.a.p.. and save yourself £1.50/month which you're currently paying for not paying by Direct Debit and any chance of further £7.50 late payment charges.

Ralph777

thanks heinz, i was actually thinking of doing just that

BritBrat

Then pay any other way including online banking and you still save the £4.50.

I know I do it every month.

Smiley_Mum

Paperless billing brings it down by another 50p also. I just pay the basic line rental, usually pay £12 a month, but in credit at moment so took D/D down to £10 for 3 months to get rid of the credit and then put it back to £12 for a few months.