Billing notices

[#1]

Why in gods name don't you think before you write and get it all onto one post instead of a string of one line post?

[#2]

I've just emailed your customer services
only to receive plusnets customers  services standard auto response

therefore I'm asking you publicly to stop spamming my email address with your  internet adverts ?

[#3]

Quote from: giro

It  can be  said as you refuse customers more than 3 days advanced warning of changes when the DD guarantee says alternatively

Right I've read the guarantee now and you're right about the three *working* days thing. That means that what I said here isn't correct. Sorry about the confusion
We notify you on the 12th that the funds will be taken on or after the 15th. Despite the fact that the email quotes the 15th, it will always take three *working* days for the funds to be debited from your account after the request for payment has been submitted to our intermediary.

Quote from: giro

i will email this reply to both ombudsmans

Quote from: giro

your attempting to cheat  customers  out of their  DD protection rights

Quote from: giro

I am going to email into  the FOS  and  OFCOM

I'm not sure why you couldn't have put that into a single forum post? I've corrected what I said earlier and I think you should at least allow us the opportunity to notify and bill you correctly before causing unnecessary problems for yourself by taking action like:

Quote from: giro

and then cancel my DD for failing to give 3 working days advanced warning excluding  w/e

Quote from: giro

I've just emailed your customer services only to receive plusnets customers  services standard auto response therefore I'm asking you publicly to stop spamming my email address with your  internet adverts ?

We don't typically offer customer support over email. You would need to raise a support ticket but I'd urge you not to if it's just to question what's already being discussed in this thread. I've provided you with all the information you need.
If you don't want to receive auto-responders, then don't email an unattended mailbox!
If it's some other marketing email you're talking about then you might want to consider opting out from receiving these. This is a preference you choose when your account is signed up and can be changed here.
[quote author="Plusnet autoresponder"]Thank you for your email. Unfortunately we don't pick up any emails sent to this address. That's because emails can easily be lost, misdirected or even deleted and we think it's better if this doesn't happen.

Quote from: glloyd

Not really Bob. Although I've never had any problems in the past (except when they insisted in rounding up my payment by 1p each month when I first joined) I do think it's only right and proper that all customers are informed how much is going to be deducted from their account be it DD or CC in good time so that any mistakes can be rectified before payment is taken. If mistakes are made they can be very costly and painful for the customer, as I found out to my cost with BT. Look at it this way - Would you go into a shop or restaurant and allow them to deduct money from your credit or debit card without first knowing how much they were going to take? I rather think not so why does PlusNet expect customers to? If you pay your BB and home phone by credit card all you get in the email is we are going to collect the payment for your BB on such a date. No mention of how much and not even a mention of home phone. All you get AFTER the money has been taken is how much, you then have to log onto your account to see what you have been charge for.

I'm onside with this reasoning and will certainly bear it in mind should an opportunity arise where we can safely change the way this works. As I've alluded to elsewhere though, I don't think it's as simple as it may seem on face value. As much as I'd like to remedy the situation for you now, it's not something I'm able to do
Slightly OT but I wonder if this works the same when paying things like credit card bills? I pay one of mine via Direct Debit and all I receive is a reminder email two days before payment is due (whether I've already paid or not). There's not amount on this email either!
Edit: added clarification on changing your marketing preferences.

[#4]

Tesco Credit Card sends me an email around the 15th - I can then log on and get a full statement. The payment is taken on or around the 5th of the following month.

[#5]

Mine's MINT and all I get is a single email on the 30th of each month saying that my payment is due in 2 days. I get this whether the payment has been made or not. I received these emails before I set up the Direct Debit instruction, so from what I can tell I'm not gettign any correspondence specific to the Direct Debit itself.

[#6]

I believe companies like BT and credit card companies give more than 10 days notice is the day the money is taken is not fixed. My credit card statements can be generated in a 10 day window and my BT  quarterly bill can also move around. Companies that use a fixed day, like PN and my Utility provider, give less notice period.

[#7]

Just been into my Bank to ask a few question,  I will try and put it all into one post unlike the galloping p------n--s
the caring NatWest
A) when you sign up for a variable DD, they dont have to give you notice.
B)you can cancel the payment 3 days before
C)the payment comes out of the account at Midnight, my last month end 23rd, new 24th, e-mail Sun 25th, taken out 28/29th midnight
D)you can immediately get a guarantee payment back on the day its taken
E)  if you are not a trusted customer, you will be liable for overdraft charges
F)If you stop a DD, you can restore it - providing that the other party hasnt closed it
I have been mucked up by previous billing
Qty    Description    Unit    VAT    Gross
1 Value charge for the period 26/10/2009 to 25/11/2009 £5.21 £0.78 £5.99
1 Home Phone Anytime charge for the period 10-11-2009 to 09-12-2009 £9.52 £1.43 £10.95
1 Caller Display charge for the period 11-11-2009 to 10-12-2009 £0.86 £0.13 £0.99
1 Call charge for the period to 24/11/2009 £0.18 £0.03 £0.21
1 Home Phone Anytime charge for the period 24-11-2009 to 23-12-2009 £9.52 £1.43 £10.95
Net Amount £25.30
VAT Amount @ 15% £3.79
Invoice Total £29.09
1st Dec
Qty    Description    Unit    VAT    Gross
1 Customer has been double billed -£9.52 -£1.43 -£10.95
Net Amount -£9.52
VAT Amount @ -£1.43
Credit Note Total -£10.95

and  
1   Value charge for the period 26/07/2009 to 25/08/2009   £5.21   £0.78   £5.99
1 Talk Anytime Line Rent charge for the period 24-08-2009 to 23-09-2009 £9.52 £1.43 £10.95
1 Call Plan charge for the period 24-08-2009 to 23-09-2009 £4.35 £0.65 £5.00
1 Home Phone Anytime charge for the period 24-08-2009 to 23-09-2009 £9.52 £1.43 £10.95
Net Amount £28.60
VAT Amount @ 15% £4.29
Invoice Total £32.89
2/9/091   Overbilled   -£13.01   -£1.95   -£14.96
Net Amount -£13.01
VAT Amount @ -£1.95
Credit Note Total -£14.96

[#8]

I don't know about other banks but with HSBC I can go to Pending Transactions and see what DDs will be going out the next working day.
I can also view pdfs for past six months credit card statements. As my instruction is to pay in full the statement gives a specific date when this will happen.

[#9]

OFCOM should have a good laugh when they get that rubbish from Giro  

[#10]

Hasn't anyone told him/her that Ofcom don't answer emails 

[#11]

i'm sure many here will understand plusnets take on the DD guarantee they signed upto a  little better
except for being disturbed by the forum to_o _l  think some will be grateful to know about whats been said

[#12]

I have two different types of monthly Direct Debit arrangement:-
A)  fixed amounts are taken on a given day of the month, in which case I usually receive no notice, except that I get at least 10 days notice of any impending change to the amount or payment day;
B)  variable amounts are due at a billing date, in which case I usually receive more than 10 days notice of the payment being taken -- for instance (to use jelv's example), the billing date for my credit card is the 12th of each month, at which point I am told what will be taken on the 1st of the following month to clear the balance.
It seems to me that Plusnet's system is appropriate for payments of type (A) -- the three days notice is a courtesy reminder, to give me time to ensure the funds are available in my current account (something I could do with from *annual* fixed payees whose DDs creep up on me!).  I bet this system was set up when fixed monthly subscriptions were the norm.
Plusnet's system is totally inappropriate for payments of type (B), where notice is required to allow for the bill to be queried. Three days is just enough time to cancel the DD arrangement -- not something that makes sense when a simple billing error is involved. Whatever it says in the DD Guarantee and elsewhere, I can't help wondering if the system is now unreasonable in the legal sense, and so open to challenge if it leads to a customer being damaged.
I should say that I have never been affected by this problem, since I don't have variable costs like phone calls or extra bandwidth on my account, but as a disinterested customer with Plusnet's interests at heart, I think they should take a serious look at how they operate the Direct Debit system now that variable charges are commonplace..
For what it's worth
Chris

[#13]

Quote

It seems to me that Plusnet's system is appropriate for payments of type (A) -- the three days notice is a courtesy reminder,

Quote

Plusnet's system is totally inappropriate for payments of type (B), where notice is required to allow for the bill to be queried

I think you've hit the nail right on the head there ChrisL. Like you I'm a disinterested customer whose payments are always the same since I only have a BB account and never go anywhere near my allowance, but it does appear that the system needs some modification to cope with accounts where variable payments are the norm. 

[#14]

It's fair to say that a lot of work has been carried out (and still is) to make improvements to our billing system.
So far we haven't received a lot of feedback along the lines to what has been mentioned on this thread, however some very good points have been made and I'm certain considerations will be made to making some further improvements in terms of notice periods where variable bills are concerned.

[#15]

Like MisterW I only have a BB account with regular payments that do not change.  I have no problem with the present system.