How to protect oneself from evil Broadband suppliers

pietromas

Like so many I have been shafted by every broadband supplier I've ever used. They are a law unto themselves as far as I can see. Now I need to sign up with one of them again, and I'm wondering what I can do to protect myself from their nasty business practices.

In particular I want to make sure the service works before paying for it. In the past I've signed up for a service, been charged immediately, waited several days for the equipment to arrive, found out it doesn't work [in my area], and cancelled. Cancellation was a protracted nightmare and I had to pay for the service I wasn't getting during the process (so I ended up paying best part of a months subscription for precisely no service). Does any provider allow you to ensure their service works as advertised before charging you?

Secondly, can you refuse to pay by direct debit? In the past I have had ridiculous sums of money taken by direct debit and not returned by a broadband provider. I want control over payment, i.e. if the bill is correct I'll pay immediately, otherwise I will query it. I know some providers give you the option not to pay by DD (for which you are penalised) but others seem to demand DD. Is there any right to refuse to pay by DD? Or is there any way you can instruct your bank to only make the payments up to a limited amount (i.e. the correct monthly fee).

What else can you do to try stop them ripping you off?

watty

Banks don't implement their own DD rules so I pay by Credit Card. I will refuse to take any service that requires DD. A S.O. is OK, because YOU set that, not the supplier.

pietromas

watty wrote: »

Banks don't implement their own DD rules so I pay by Credit Card. I will refuse to take any service that requires DD. A S.O. is OK, because YOU set that, not the supplier.

Does a credit card have an advantage over direct debit? If I'm supposed to pay 39.99 but, oh I don't know, say UPC, help themselves to 70.94, I'm still in the same boat right? They have my money and they will refuse to give it back.

I'd be happy with a standing order, but a number of suppliers seem to insist on direct debit/credit card. I guess it's their right (in the loosest possible sense) to do so.

watty

Credit card transactions can be reversed or cancelled by you without Vendor agreement, DD is problematical, though it shouldn't be. DD the vendor has to reverse it, The Bank won't.

vibe666

just don't pay by direct debit. i pay everything via online banking manually due to exactly the problems you have faced. just don't let them bully you into DD's and pay your bills yourself on your schedule.

CptSternn

watty wrote: »

Credit card transactions can be reversed or cancelled by you without Vendor agreement, DD is problematical, though it shouldn't be. DD the vendor has to reverse it, The Bank won't.

Not true.

About two years ago I had BT bill me incorrectly for over €300 in services they never provided. I rang them and they said they would 'look into it'.

I rang the local citizens advice office and they told me thanks to new legislation introduced just weeks before that ALL direct debits can be reversed by banks now.

I went down to my bank, they had me fill out a few forms, and six weeks later the money was back in my account. Six weeks may sound like a long time, but it took BT four months to get it sorted on their end. They kept hounding me for the money after I got it back until I started ringing them every week and they finally found the error (on their end) and got it sorted.

Just in case you are interested I moved from one house to another and moved my account. They left the other account active (no one was using it but they were billing it every two months for half a year), charged me connect fees for my change of address (which should have been waived as it was a transfer not a new connection), and charged me for a new router, which they sent to the old address and I never received.

In the end it was sorted, but I had my money back in my account well before I got a solution from them sure.

watty

Yes, that is the rules. But often the Banks ignore them and continue to allow the vendor unfettered access.

jor el

CptSternn wrote: »

I rang the local citizens advice office and they told me thanks to new legislation introduced just weeks before that ALL direct debits can be reversed by banks now.

As watty said, banks and bank staff can often ignore the rules around direct debits, and even worse, in a lot of cases they don't even know what the rules are. I have successfully cancelled direct debits by writing to my bank, and the bank have not reinstated them even after the company tried to have it reinstated. This is not always the case though, and I know of several people who've been told by bank staff that the account holder has no right to cancel a direct debit. This is complete fluff.

The IPSO is in charge of the direct debit system, but they don't care how it's implemented by banks, or abused by companies. This makes it very hard for the consumer. Use the Small Claims Court if you are over charged and the company refuses to return your money. Complain to the Regulator if the banks are complaisant in it too.