Recommend a phone provider who doesn't charge extra for "non direct debit"

[francypants]

I`ve thought about this trite response many times over the last year whilst engaged in an ongoing battle with Scottish Power to get the electricity bills for my shop correct. Basically they`re not bothered because they`re getting paid anyway. They just fob you off every time, in fact, incredibly, if you phone up and ask to speak to a manager they just tell you there aren`t any managers on site ! A bare faced lie, who opens up in the morning ! !

Worse still, you`re in a weak position to leave because, I assume, if the bill with the existing supplier is in dispute I assume there`d be a problem over leaving them for another supplier.

I dream about the days where a supplier would send you a bill every three months, if it was right you`d just pay it, if it was wrong you`d phone through a correct reading, they`d send you another bill and you`d pay that.

 

 

Why reopen an 8 year old thread ?

[Flanker7]

I`ve thought about this trite response many times ....................................................................................

Basically they`re not bothered because they`re getting paid anyway...............

 

my bold.

 

Possession is nine tenths of the law. That's the bottom line.

All this guff about its a discount, its cheaper, blah, blah is just a smoke screen. I have a current objection at the Ombudsman Service concerning N-power where they cocked up from me being in credit to me being in deficit, a swing of over £1000 in 2 months. And all with my money because I had a direct debit on a regular monthly payment.

[Justin Smith]

Why reopen an 8 year old thread ?

 

Because it costs them more money to process and you've agreed to it in a contract you've formed with them...

Oh, just spotted that this is ancient, 8 years old and resurrected.

 

That`s irrelevant, in fact this thread (basically about paying by DD) is even more relevant today than it was in 2007....... Since my experience with Scottish Power I hate paying by DD even more than I used to.

 

But the ultimate irony is that by the time you take into account all the time they`ve spent having to try and sort out all the problems I`ve had with "their system" (and the £150* they`ve already paid me for all my wasted time.....) it would actually have been cheaper for them to use the old system !

 

* Don`t think this made me happy, I`d far rather not have ever had all the hassle and not had the £150.

[PeteMorris]

Why reopen an 8 year old thread ?

 

Maybe because it was 'suggested' when they opened a start new thread option.

 

While on the subject, I object to paying by direct debit for services too...AND being charged for not paying. But at least I'm in control of what leaves my account and when.

[RickyM]

TalkTalk charge £1.90 a month.

[Justin Smith]

While on the subject, I object to paying by direct debit for services too...AND being charged for not paying. But at least I'm in control of what leaves my account and when.

 

I particularly dislike DD for amounts which vary, sometimes by a large margin. When you link that in with power companies wanting a monthly average amount (for a varying bill ! ) the potential for problems goes up by a factor of XXXX.

I actually think that DDs (or, more precisely the fact the power companies charge you more if you don`t pay by DD) are one of the main reasons more people don`t switch their suppliers more often, it`s more hassle. That and the impenetrable impossible to compare tariffs, obviously. In my view the government should ban them, all power companies should be forced to charge in the same way with no additional charge for non DD payment, the only variable allowed being the amount per unit they charge.

 

Maybe because it was 'suggested' when they opened a start new thread option.

 

The reason I added to this thread is because I meant what I said in my initial post today. Every time I was trying to stop myself throwing the phone against the wall (whilst trying to sort out a problem with Scottish Power which is currently one year old and counting) I remembered that trite answer by Meaks "Why don`t you just pay by DD then ?". I wanted to answer the poster directly......

 

---------- Post added 24-06-2015 at 13:45 ----------

 

[who opens up in the morning ?]Err probably the security guard.

 

Ahh, so the security guard is in charge, filling out the time sheets and checking for unauthorised absences and sorting out any problems the soldier ants can`t etc etc ? Why didn't I think of that.......

For a call centre to tell you there aren`t any managers onsite is just a bare faced lie and totally totally unacceptable. But it`s irrelevant anyway, because they could still put you onto a manager at the head office or wherever.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Justin Smith

[smilersarah]

I`ve thought about this trite response many times over the last year whilst engaged in an ongoing battle with Scottish Power to get the electricity bills for my shop correct. Basically they`re not bothered because they`re getting paid anyway. They just fob you off every time, in fact, incredibly, if you phone up and ask to speak to a manager they just tell you there aren`t any managers on site ! A bare faced lie, who opens up in the morning ! !

Worse still, you`re in a weak position to leave because, I assume, if the bill with the existing supplier is in dispute I assume there`d be a problem over leaving them for another supplier.

I dream about the days where a supplier would send you a bill every three months, if it was right you`d just pay it, if it was wrong you`d phone through a correct reading, they`d send you another bill and you`d pay that.

 

oh for goodness sake set up a direct debit its not hard and if they get it wrong the banks have to sort it out within the direct debit guarantee mandate..................or do you just like to be deliberatly obtuse??

 

you must have a lot of time on your hands also direct debit is the easy and cheaper way, never had a problem myself!

[Happ Hazzard]

Phone services are much cheaper today then when BT used to send you a bill every 3 months. You used to also have to wait months to have a phone installed (BT had a monopoly) and there was a very limited choice of phones. Growing up I had friends who "weren't on the phone" and this wasn't that long ago. Unheard of today for someone not to have a telephone.

[Cyclone]

That`s irrelevant, in fact this thread (basically about paying by DD) is even more relevant today than it was in 2007....... Since my experience with Scottish Power I hate paying by DD even more than I used to.

 

But the ultimate irony is that by the time you take into account all the time they`ve spent having to try and sort out all the problems I`ve had with "their system" (and the £150* they`ve already paid me for all my wasted time.....) it would actually have been cheaper for them to use the old system !

 

* Don`t think this made me happy, I`d far rather not have ever had all the hassle and not had the £150.

 

So pay the £4 to pay manually. The reason why is because it costs them more to administer.

[Sheffvlad]

Ahh, so the security guard is in charge, filling out the time sheets and checking for unauthorised absences and sorting out any problems the soldier ants can`t etc etc ? Why didn't I think of that.......

For a call centre to tell you there aren`t any managers onsite is just a bare faced lie and totally totally unacceptable. But it`s irrelevant anyway, because they could still put you onto a manager at the head office or wherever.

 

 

No you divvy, you asked who opens up in the morning. Not who is responsible for the office admin.

Where I work the security guard opens up, people arrive and start work. I'm a manager and some days by the time I get here after going to meetings in other places half the day could have gone.