BT`s new BILL charge

alan cottrill · Post by **alan cottrill** » 13 Jun 2007, 07:32

Anyone who pays by cheque,weather on time or late,you will see an extra charge added,under the title PAYMENT CHARGES,to your bill of Â£4.50,i for one will be complaining to them,i suggest everyone else who pays thier bills in this way,should also complain,i think this is an ilegal charge that they are making. :shock: :curse:
regards alan.

Nigel H-J · Post by **Nigel H-J** » 13 Jun 2007, 09:40

Could this be an extra because you are paying by cheque and BT are charged by the banks for this privelidge? What-ever the reason, I think it is all part and parcel to get customers to change their payments to direct debit but having said that, this sort of practise should not be allowed without prior consultation with their customers.

How-ever, large corporate companies seem to be able to do what they like and when they like, customer care has long since dissapeared........more like arrogance to me.

cstorey · Post by **cstorey** » 13 Jun 2007, 11:49

very typical of BT which was of course Post Office Telephones, which tells you all you need to know. It was once Britain's largest capitalised quoted company. It is now rapidly headed in wrong direction , having failed to realise that once competition appears, it is best to try and provide some service. I should use the simple solution : go to another provider, as the vast majority of people are now doing

Post by **DaveB** » 13 Jun 2007, 13:01

One of my girls here is in the same situation Alan and she's not a happy bunny. On a limited income, she's been in the habit of buying phone stamps from the Post Office so when the bill comes in, she takes the card to the PO and the bill is paid. She's been on the phone to BT asking if she could pay weekly or even monthly instead of quarterly but BT are having none of it. A poor state of affairs :roll:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

alan cottrill · Post by **alan cottrill** » 13 Jun 2007, 16:06

I can afford the Â£4.50,its the principal i am against,why should i be penalised,when i pay on time,in full,by cheque.
They still have to handle direct debits,they have to tell the bank how much they are taking,so why the illegal charge,thats what i am against.
I have also told them so on the freephone number,which they did not answer for at least 15min,i dont suppose i am alone in telling them so.
I am now looking at alternative suppliers,failing that,i will do without a phone.
I just dont like being ripped off,DICK TURPIN LIVES,he is now calling himself BT.
regards alan. :curse: :shock:

Post by **DaveB** » 13 Jun 2007, 17:11

Understood completely mate and I'm with ya 100%

The girl here at the pub who received the same news can say exactly the same only she pays cash.. as she does for a myriad of other bills that can be supported by buying stamps. Her husband is weekly paid too (he's a printer by trade) and as she goes to the PO once a week anyway (she takes an old biddy to collect her pension).. paying by cash is convenient.

Of course, Â£4.50 is within her tight budget but like you say.. why the hell should customers be penalised for paying cash as all other methods of payment also require some human intervention too. I believe that as she also has BT Broadband.. there will be an additional charge for that even though she only receives one bill :shock: Madness mate.. complete madness :curse:

ATB

DaveB :tab:

speedbird591 · Post by **speedbird591** » 14 Jun 2007, 08:49

Calm down, dears

Before you get the lawyers involved, check the BT website for an explanation.

http://www.switchtodd.bt.com/

They've reduced the monthly charge by a pound for both line rental and broadband and then added a Â£1.50 charge for paying by labour-intensive methods. So if you have one or the other you will be paying 50p a month more. If you have both you will be paying 50p a month less!

Ian

alan cottrill · Post by **alan cottrill** » 14 Jun 2007, 10:14

speedbird.
You need to look further,the cost per min on calls as increased,what little you save on the deductions,as been wiped out by the increases,so you are being robbed by these idiots,they are pulling a fast one,also why do you have to pay extra,when you pay on time,direct debit needs just as much man power as any other means of payment,they still have to contact the bank,so the bank knows how much is being taken,IT IS A CON,its the principal here that i am against,what they are doing is morally wrong. :sad: :shock:
regards alan.

speedbird591 · Post by **speedbird591** » 14 Jun 2007, 11:31

Nigel H-J · Post by **Nigel H-J** » 14 Jun 2007, 11:59

One of the biggest problems when people pay by cheque is the way the cheques themselves are cleared and when you look at technology within businessess you wonder why this archaic method is still used.

My wife is doing an ATT (Accountancy Course) and explained to me why it is so costly to clear cheques.

When a cheque is produced to a company it is then forwarded to their bank, from there, the bank sends it to their own clearing bank in London........ that bank then sends it to the customers clearing bank.......then it is returned to the original clearing bank.......who then give the green light to the company bank from where it originated :brick: ........hence the five days one has to wait.

This of course is a total waste of time and money when you consider that cheque clearances could be done through electronic means cutting out the need for this procedure...........but then again, I just think banks like to make it hard for themselves and cash in on some more funds.