Landmark Court case may see end to unfair bill charges

[bomb #21]

Originally Posted by foreverwar

Having working in Telecoms and Cable billing in the past, I do know there is a lot of manual and additional systems processing needs to be done for non-DD payments, which involves not only the running costs, but also the set up costs and lost of revenue whilst cheques etc are being processed (interest on money in accounts).

Hmm, cheques ... so, the cost to VM would vary according to the (non-DD) method?

[foreverwar]

As I said, it's been a while.

However, with DD, the system produces a list of DDs, which are drawn from the banks, and if there are any defaulters, the bank produces a list of these, which will feed back automatically into the billing system, which will automatically produce feeds to the credit control and services activation/deactivation systems, which then produce appropriate actions (lists of people for the Credit Controllers to ring, automatic letters to be posted, reduction/deactivation of services).

Any non-DD payment means these processes have to be done differently - I don't know how the billing system would know you had used a debit/credit card, cash, cheque, but would imagine that in each of these cases there has to be manual intervention and processes/systems (all of which cost money, time and resources).

[bomb #21]

Thanks for the info.

[bomb #21]

According to this, Orange charges £1 per month, so presumably that's enough to cover the extra cost to them.

EDIT: and from here:

"Banks have invested more than £65m on a new faster payments service to be unveiled in May, which should mean that the difference in cost of paying by direct debit, compared with paying online and over the phone, is minimal."

[BenMcr]

www.fastpayments.co.uk

And if that is the case, and it makes online and telephone banking payments cheaper all the better, which may prompt a review of how much Virgin charge for the non-dd fee

Doesn't make cheque/bank giro and paypoint payments any cheaper though

Love this quote though from APACS

But if billing companies go down this route of wanting customers to pay by direct debit, that will make this new service less attractive. It has had a lot spent on it and increasingly reflects how customers want to pay their bills.

It is kinda like 'we've spend all this money, people better flipping use it'

[frogstamper]

Originally Posted by saabmania2

i don't either i pay by debit or credit card over the phone and i don't pay any extra for it but then again i havn't had a correct bill for 7 months but that's another matter lol

When I set up my BB about 8 months ago I was paying all my VM bills by paypoint [TV and Phone] and the billing dept said for BB I had to pay by DD or credit/debit card, so I opted for credit card. A couple of days later the BB gets set up and it doesn't work, after god knows how many times of being bounced all over VM it turns out the billing dept say to me that a credit card is not acceptable for BB so I had to set up DD
Now surprise surprise apparently you can use a credit card.

[popper]

Originally Posted by Itshim

Surely the answer is easy to see ( look what happened to old age pensions).

a) you put the charges up to every one & make even more money.

or

B) All get charged the higher rate with a discount for paying by direct debit. Strange as it may seem its not the same thing. Its an incentive not a penalty.

one small wrinkle with that, a Direct Debit is tantermount to a cash payment in UK law.... so will the cash payers also get that discount.

[BenMcr]

But the whole issue over this is things like cash and cheque payments are the ones that cost the company the most money in the first place

[popper]

not our problem, the law is the law after all, its called the price of being in business.

[lostandconfused]

Originally Posted by popper

not our problem, the law is the law after all.

Its not your problem if you dont currently pay by DD. However it is the problem of the people that do as they will be the ones subsidising those that dont.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by popper

not our problem, the law is the law after all, its called the price of being in business.

Can you please direct me to the revelvent information that says that D/Ds are cash payments?

And which companies that currently offer a discount for D/D customers give it to cash customers as well?

Thanks

[popper]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Can you please direct me to the revelvent information that says that D/Ds are cash payments?

And which companies that currently offer a discount for D/D customers give it to cash customers as well?

Thanks

LOL, i will, if you can find me a law or ruling that says the CRA'a must keep your VM (and other companys)supplyed personal account data (not court orders etc) for X amount of time.

a clue, i think i posted that "a DD is.." ruling URL somewere on here, and it does exist, iv seen it.

just because a company or collection of companys make up a rule to follow and call it industry practice does NOT make it a real Law....

and likewise ,just because the UK company employees dont know or abide by a ruling, doesnt mean they or you are right to ignore it, thats what due diligence and company lawyers on retainer are for right! not ignore OC, but know and find these obscure things.

perhaps their far to busy looking into this potential EU conduit protection loss, RIPA, DPA, copyright,etc etc thing right now though.

[BenMcr]

Eh?

How have we gone from Direct Debit to Credit Reference agencies and RIPA?

[popper]

im busy with other things and catching up,but ill spell it out for you.
if you look for the Direct Debit is tantermount to a cash payment ruling, you will find it,as i did long ago,it exists.

you wont find any CRA data retension law, it doesnt exist.

read the Phorm thread to better understand.

[BenMcr]

That is not how a discussion works you know.

You raise a point, YOU have to provide proof.

I could say the moon is made of cheese, but unless I can provide proof that it is, I'm lying