Who else thinks that companies charging you extra for not paying by direct debit are out of order?

Question

I pay an extra £3 on top of my mobile bill for not paying direct debit.

An extra £3.50 for my landline/internet service (+ £1.25 for a paper bill charge!)

£3.50 for my electric....

Anyone else think this is a con??

Answer 1

That is rip of britain for you.

Answer 2

If you are that upset about it - pay by DD!

Answer 3

It is more economical to pay by direct debit. Why not?

Answer 4

I work for a Utility company that charges a premium for non dd payers. Every day I speak to customers not on DD who cannot/will not pay for the services they have already received.

The cost of pursuing the debt from these bad payers gets passed on to the good payers. Even good payers cost more to service than bad payers, processing an incoming cheque costs much more than processing an incoming bank transfer by DD, and even good payers sometimes forget and generate expense by needing reminders issuing etc.

A discount for DD payers recognises the reduction in cost to the company, that sounds fair to me.

And yes, I pay for my utilities by DD and reap the benefit.

Answer 5

Is it that they charge you more, or do they charge those who do pay by DD less? Most utility companies run a scheme whereby you can pay a monthly amount by DD based on your annual usage, balancing at the end of the period.

Answer 6

I agree with you completely, it is out of order :)