NTL ISP Direct Debit
Steve B
permission?
NTL are setting up DD's on my account!
Thanks.
Steve B.
peterwn
Steve B wrote:
> Are NTL allowed to set up A direct debit without my knowledge or
> permission?
>
> NTL are setting up DD's on my account!
>
would depend on what sort of account it is.
Firstly you must have done some business with NTL or an affiliate in
order for them to get your bank / credit card / debit card account
number.
If you have given them a DD authority for your bank account in the
past, they are probably able to use it in your current situation, this
being regarded as a general convenience for both parties. AFAIK the
services must be invoiced prior to the debit, and you are free to
rescind the authority at any time.
However if it is for a credit card or debit card account (in which case
it is nor strictly a DD AFAIK), then NTL are 'free' to debit such an
account to the extent you gave authority initially. The details of
this unfortunately may be buried deep in a heap of small print which
you put your signature to on some previous occasion. You can only
'rescind' such contractural terms by giving notice as required in the
contract, or overturning the contract in court.
Such payments are theoretically 'unstoppable' at your end as long as
NTL can present to its 'merchant' bank evidence (generally including
your signature or PIN number verification). The 'merchant' is entitled
to payment and why should you be able to stop it? This explains the
extreme reluctance of banks to 'stop' such payments at the customer's
end, meaning that closing the account may be the only option. Your
legal remedy is to sue NTL if you consider they are extracting monies
in breach of contract.
The moral here is never to give authority to any one that enables them
to take continuing payments from your credit card or debit card
accounts. In some cases you may have to give the supplier limited
latitude, for example allowing a rental car company to charge speed
camera tickets, parking tickets or road or congestion tolls to your
card.
Steve B
Hi Thanks for the reply,
I indeed set up the DD over the phone to acquire TV, Broadband and
phone amounting to £33 a month.
Now the thing is, when money is tight you know how much you have to
spend and allow that in the bank, but NTL are evil wicked money
grabbing muggers! (not quite robbery with violence but getting there.)
Why on earth do they Not send out an itemised monthly bill so as to pay
them correctly to make sure the correct amount of money is in the bank?
They are impossible to reach by phone now (I'm incoming calls only and
it can take ages to find anyone with an ounce of brain to bounce things
off.)
After the Direct Debits were cancelled they set them up again without
my knowledge!
I'm not going to pay...I will take my chances in court!
Steve B.
Michael Swift
Steve B <stev...@gmail.com> writes
>Hi Thanks for the reply,
>I indeed set up the DD over the phone to acquire TV, Broadband and phone
>amounting to £33 a month. Now the thing is, when money is tight you know
>how much you have to spend and allow that in the bank, but NTL are evil
>wicked money grabbing muggers! (not quite robbery with violence but
>getting there.) Why on earth do they Not send out an itemised monthly
>bill so as to pay them correctly to make sure the correct amount of
>money is in the bank? They are impossible to reach by phone now (I'm
>incoming calls only and it can take ages to find anyone with an ounce of
>brain to bounce things off.) After the Direct Debits were cancelled they
>set them up again without my knowledge!
I pay NTL for phone and broadband by DD, they bill me a good week before
they take the money, I assume so I can make sure adequate funds are
available.
Mike
--
Michael Swift We do not regard Englishmen as foreigners.
Kirkheaton We look on them only as rather mad Norwegians.
Yorkshire Halvard Lange
Iain
news:1151007493.5...@r2g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
The bottom line is 'NO', they cannot do that.
From reading the other posts, if you have cancelled a previous one, a new
one cannot be started without your authority.
With my previous ISP, because of poor service over a period of time, I
eventually managed to cancel my credit card payments, and they then started
taking money out of my account. When I asked them what they were doing,
they then put the money back into my account.
After lengthy discussions with my bank and their fraud department, they
informed me that this was not illegal. However, I then issued instructions
to my bank and credit card co. that no money was to be taken from my account
by my ISP without my explicit instructions. I copied these to my ISP. This
was strictly followed. (In fact the continuing credit card payments were
immediately credited back to me.)
If you have issued instructions to your bank to cancel you DD, then this
should be honoured by your bank. You should have also sent this information
to NTL. If you incur any costs as a result of the DD coming out of your
account, you should be able to recoup these charges.
Iain
Steve B
Thanks everybody,
NTL have more or less admitted a cock up..and are supposed to inform me
of when the money was due out and how much but failed to do so.
NTL "Notes totally Lifted"
They as you say are NOT supposed to help themselves and are now being
investigated by there own dept.
Steve B.