Bt Late Payment Charge Fight

[denver]

I've had enough of this. I have paid the £5 late charge on, bar one, every bill since it was introduced. Being late once tends to produce a domino effect (well, it does with me anyway).
The "reminder" letter does not, apparently, incur the charge. Pay after that and no charge will be applied. At some mystical date after the "reminder" has been sent out (and you still haven't paid) then the charge is added to your next bill . Nothing else has happend since the "reminder" so the £5 "admin" charge covers NO admin. I've just been told this by BT. So I told them it's therefore an unenforcable penalty charge.
The dates also vary wildly - they've just admitted it. Recently, after allowing for the crap postal service, I have had about 10 days from receipt of initial bill to the £5 charge being applied. In anyone's eyes that has got to be wrong - and don't forget the bill is for 3 months service I haven't even had yet, not the previous quarter.
Here are the 4 example bills.

Bill 01/02/06 Rem. 15/02/06 Charge 26/02/06
Bill 01/05/06 Rem. 15/05/06 paid
Bill 01/08/06 Rem. 08/08/06 Charge 18/08/06
Bill 01/11/06 Rem. 08/11/06 Charge 19/11/06

It only adds up to £35 with the others but that's my £35.
They've given me all the dates over the 'phone so off goes the first letter.

[buzby]

There's nothing preventing you that your challenge their right to make the Charge under consumer law, and request that it be credited to your account. If the do not, your recours is either to pay up on time and pay the charges, or take htem to court for the amount charged and have them justify the fee to a judge.

[denver]

Just had a response from my initial letter asking for the charges back. Usual crap that we're used to with the banks. The woman ended the letter with "I will now be closing this matter".
Well I won't.
Letter before action has been sent.

[buzby]

Quite right! Good for you. keep us posted!

[robbo666]

I like your thinking, Keep us updated.

[kecimot]

Hi
it seems to be really interesting for me anyway
I had lots of this lately, maybe I will have a go as well.
Keep us posted. Thanks

[buzby]

As a point of information - British Gas has announced it will NOT implement its Late Payment fee and has abandoned its plans to do so. I'd like to think this will have ramifications for other firms that try this on.

[Bookworm]

Have they now... I wonder what made them change their minds... Couldn't be the mass exodus of customers ripped-off by the price hike/freeze/drop, could it? The late payment fee could have been the legendary straw that broke the camel's back...

[buzby]

I'd love to think so - but I thought they offered the worse Customer Services so I left them years ago. Be nice to think that Consumer Power worked to our advantage for once!

[aefab@tiscali.co.uk]

You have my wholehearted support for your battle with BT. I have a similar story dating bak to 2005. If anybody wants to hear it I'll quite happily provide all info. Suffice to say I delayed paying my Phone bill until they had sent me a copy of the February 2005 Upgrade Mag. I had a question regarding when the Surftime hours changed. I wrote, emailed, phoned, emailed, wrote etc, etc. I said I wouldn't pay my bill until I had a copy of the mag in question and an explanation of their charging policy/change regarding Surftime. I had various explanations, mostly unintelligible as they came from the 'Southern Hemisphere'. Suffice to say I sent two letters to Jillian G. Lewis, Customer Services Director. They were both sent Recorded Delivery. Surprise, suprise NO REPLY.

PLEASE also be aware that as from 1st May 2007 BT will levy £4.50 per quarter (inc. vat) if you DON'T pay your bill monthly by direct debit or by monthly payment plan. (See BT Update mag for February 2007).

Whichever way you turn they're out to get you. I am actively looking to leave BT altogether as soon as I can.

[buzby]

You can NEVER leave BT (unless you live in Hull or a cabled area - the services you receive will be indirectly supplied by them, and as Sky and others point out when you complain about the imposition of late penalties or non-DD charges, the first response is everyone else is doing it! Well, I never read 'Update' they can stick it on my bill, and I'll pay as always directly to their bank account - less any fees they cannot justify. (Being asked how it costs them extra to process my payment that arrives in full to their bank account). Let battle commence!

[denver]

As I mentioned earlier, I had a response to my initial request for a refund of the late payment charges which just fell short of implyng that my late payments have resulted in various famines and the Iraq war. Anyone who doesn't pay their BT bill immediately is the scum of the earth. The writer (Mrs Jane Thompson) told me the "issue has been closed".
Well, that was dated 1/3/07.
I responded with a "letter before action" sent on 5/3/07.
Today (8/3/07) I have received a second letter dated 6/3/07, again from Mrs. Jane Thompson. She wouldn't yet have received my "letter before action". This one says that the "issue" has been sent to the complaints department and their procedure will be followed (some sort of never-ending maze presumably). The letter invites me to call a number if I want to "discuss this further" and trusts this "clarifies the situation".
Er....no!

Oh well, if no intelligable response by the 20th, the court action starts.

[PXR5]

Good for you Denver.

I wonder two things regarding this £5 charge...

How many poeple have managed to pay their bills any quicker as a result of this charge since it was introduced?

How much have BT made from all the £5 charges they slap on us?

regards. PXR5

[devandy]

I'm inclined to think that the same would apply to BT's £10 "Reconnection Fee". Does it really cost £10 for someone in BT's billing department to take their mouse and go "click!" on my account? Or perhaps it's even automated: when the outstanding balance is paid then I'm reconnected. Any BT employees fancy revealing any secrets?

Whatever, I'll give short odds BT wouldn't be too keen on justifying their charges to M'lud.

[kfdh1962]

Hi Dev,
interesting thread.only just picked up on this.

I took on the AA this year of a smilar issue with late payment charges on my car insurance. Initially they gave the usual fob offs stating the legilsation only applied to banks..
I started to quote the unfair terms and conditions in consumer cotracts, quoting specific sections and they paid up..£60.
I hope you get a similar result, will watch with interest...good luck

[PXR5]

Originally Posted by devandy

I'm inclined to think that the same would apply to BT's £10 "Reconnection Fee". Does it really cost £10 for someone in BT's billing department to take their mouse and go "click!" on my account?

My last reconnection charge was £15! But to be fair, i am poor, and we all know BT like to charge the poor more for their service.

[devandy]

not as poor as me i'll bet!

[buzby]

Like the 'disconnection fee'? This invariably is computer controlled and often requires no human intervention either. Overdue Bill = restricted service!