Cancelling a DD cancels a contract?

kuepper

My Scottish Power 12 month boiler care contract runs out in 7 days, I have made the requisite payments. I should have received a renewal notice but didn't. One of the contract terms is that automatic renewal will occur if I haven't told them I don't want to renew 14 days before renewal date. 16 days before renewal date I contacted them and asked about a renewal notice. The person answering couldn't give me any renewal terms but said she'd had a few calls about non receipt of renewal notices. On 14th day before renewal I still hadn't received a renewal notice so I was worried about my contract being automatically renewed on terms I didn't know about. I contacted SP again and again couldn't even get a verbal quote for renewal so worried about getting involved in a protracted debate I said I'd cancel my DD so it couldn't automatically renew. I've contacted them again and still no firm renewal terms but when I said I'd cancelled my DD to protect myself they said in doing that I'd cancelled my existing contract and hadn't been covered since nor would I be up to renewal date. I can't get covered with a new provider without at least a 14 days waiting period after cover starts so I have been left in limbo and without boiler cover because of not getting a renewal notice (still) and possible misinformation. Any advice, in particular how could cancelling a DD cancel cover I'd paid for?

Diamandis

Why did you not just give them the notice to cancel? Cancelling a direct debit is not a way to cancel a contract. Try talking to them to see if they can reinstate your contract for the remaining days, you may need to escalate this complaint beyond the front line staff. 

Spank

You phoned knowing that cover was bout to be renewed only to complain that you hadn't received notice but didn't bother to cancel or find out what the new terms were going to be?

You know that they send those out for people who don't remember.

If you cancel the DD they will just come after you for the payment.

Fosterdog

Spank said:

You phoned knowing that cover was bout to be renewed only to complain that you hadn't received notice but didn't bother to cancel or find out what the new terms were going to be?

You know that they send those out for people who don't remember.

If you cancel the DD they will just come after you for the payment.

Did you read any of OPs post?

They said that they did call up to say they hadn't had the renewal notice and was told that several other people had reported the same, which indicates a possible problem on SPs end with issuing the notices.

They also said that they called more than once to find out what any new terms would be but nobody could answer. OP wasn't so much concerned about forgetting the renewal date but was concerned that the price or terms had changed for renewal and wanted clarification before deciding.

Sandtree

kuepper said:

Any advice, in particular how could cancelling a DD cancel cover I'd paid for?

Cancelling a DD simply cancels the payment not the contract, in time the merchant will cancel the contract for non-payment but that doesnt mean you dont owe them the monies up to that point.

To spin the tables, how’d you feel if you checked your bank account on pay day and see you’ve not been paid... you contact your employer who says they’d cancelled your salary as they don’t want you any more and thought it’d be obvious that if they werent paying you that you’d been let go.

Spank

Fosterdog said:

Spank said:

You phoned knowing that cover was bout to be renewed only to complain that you hadn't received notice but didn't bother to cancel or find out what the new terms were going to be?

You know that they send those out for people who don't remember.

If you cancel the DD they will just come after you for the payment.

Did you read any of OPs post?

They said that they did call up to say they hadn't had the renewal notice and was told that several other people had reported the same, which indicates a possible problem on SPs end with issuing the notices.

They also said that they called more than once to find out what any new terms would be but nobody could answer. OP wasn't so much concerned about forgetting the renewal date but was concerned that the price or terms had changed for renewal and wanted clarification before deciding.

Yes I read all if it which is why I said what I did.
If SP couldn't tell them the changes in the contract there and then the OP could have cancelled and looked elsewhere, but they chose not to.

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

I have recently cancelled my DD with an organisation while a dispute is corrected. I am still under contract, and I am still obliged to pay them for the services they provide, until the end of the contract! Cancelling the DD does not affect this! 

born_again

The simple answer is to cancel the contract with SP ( on phone) then go to their site (or in MSE style one of the cashback sites) read the T/C & sign up again.
Jobs a good'un.

kuepper

Spank said:

Fosterdog said:

Spank said:

You phoned knowing that cover was bout to be renewed only to complain that you hadn't received notice but didn't bother to cancel or find out what the new terms were going to be?

You know that they send those out for people who don't remember.

If you cancel the DD they will just come after you for the payment.

Did you read any of OPs post?

They said that they did call up to say they hadn't had the renewal notice and was told that several other people had reported the same, which indicates a possible problem on SPs end with issuing the notices.

They also said that they called more than once to find out what any new terms would be but nobody could answer. OP wasn't so much concerned about forgetting the renewal date but was concerned that the price or terms had changed for renewal and wanted clarification before deciding.

Yes I read all if it which is why I said what I did.
If SP couldn't tell them the changes in the contract there and then the OP could have cancelled and looked elsewhere, but they chose not to.

born_again said:

The simple answer is to cancel the contract with SP ( on phone) then go to their site (or in MSE style one of the cashback sites) read the T/C & sign up again.
Jobs a good'un.

The trouble is that by doing that there is a 30 day period before the policy takes effect regarding call outs so I'd have no boiler cover til 2021

kuepper

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth said:

I have recently cancelled my DD with an organisation while a dispute is corrected. I am still under contract, and I am still obliged to pay them for the services they provide, until the end of the contract! Cancelling the DD does not affect this! 

Yes but I made my last payment under my existing contract so not obliged to pay SP anything unless I renewed with a new contract

kuepper

Spank said:

Fosterdog said:

Spank said:

You phoned knowing that cover was bout to be renewed only to complain that you hadn't received notice but didn't bother to cancel or find out what the new terms were going to be?

You know that they send those out for people who don't remember.

If you cancel the DD they will just come after you for the payment.

Did you read any of OPs post?

They said that they did call up to say they hadn't had the renewal notice and was told that several other people had reported the same, which indicates a possible problem on SPs end with issuing the notices.

They also said that they called more than once to find out what any new terms would be but nobody could answer. OP wasn't so much concerned about forgetting the renewal date but was concerned that the price or terms had changed for renewal and wanted clarification before deciding.

Yes I read all if it which is why I said what I did.
If SP couldn't tell them the changes in the contract there and then the OP could have cancelled and looked elsewhere, but they chose not to.

I did look elsewhere but if I left SP I'd lose continuity of cover and have a 14-30 day waiting period with other companies, I can't see any company that provides instant boiler cover as soon as you sign up.