Direct Debits.

[SpamJavelin]

Why on earth would I authorise anyone other than my mortgage provider to take money from my bank account as and when they please for any amount they wish.

Does anyone else pay over the phone like me and stick two fingers up to those who want me to set up a direct debit? You may not notice this but companies like SKY who insist on Direct Debits or Credit Card on file can just bung a few pence on you bill for nothing really and you wouldnt even notice it. If they did this to all there millions of customers, well you do the maths.

Stick the Direct Debit up your arse.

Im getting a grip on my finances and getting back 100% control over my account.

That is all :-)

[craft1948]

I love my direct debits, they make bill paying easy and allow me to budget correctly each month. Having said that anyone who doesn't check their bills is an arse.

[mccfluff]

"as and when they please for any amount they wish. "

that's not strictly true,

The direct debit guarantee applies to all banks and building societies taking part in the direct debit scheme. It says that:

if there is a change in the amount to be paid or the payment date, the person receiving the payment (the originator) must notify the customer in advance.
if the originator or the bank/building society makes an error, the customer is guaranteed a full and immediate refund of the amount paid.
customers can cancel a direct debit at any time by writing to their bank or building society.


having said that, its humans inputting and there can be errors made.
i pay by a mix of dd and online depending on whether the provider can offer me a convienent date for the debit to come out

[redcrx]

i do all by DD apart from my credit card (which is strange really as i always pay full balance anyway)
Its much easier and i know that payments wont be forgotten if I'm away or busy with family life etc.

[ladybirder]

Oooh dear! Had a bad experience Spam? You sound very angry.

[Old_Geezer]

I agree with the OP. Direct debit is one of the most daft things I have ever heard of, only necessary now because the majority accepted them and now it is forced on the rest of us. And where it isn't forced we are charged extra for the "privilege" of having control of our own finances. Madness. Do folk give everyone in the world the keys to their car and house on the promise they won't use them unless we've agree ? I despair at folk sometimes. We have a standing order system that worked perfectly well until the majority were suckered into this evil transfer of control of our savings/wealth into the hands of corporations. I try not to think about it these days. It reminds me what the public are capable of accepting.

[vivandorron]

I am in favour of Direct Debits and agree with those who have contributed to this thread.

There is no guarantee that paying by telephone is any safer.

Ron.

[Old_Geezer]

You don't need a bad experience to see the dangers.

[ojread2]

I prefer standing orders, but, RH, any DD's that differ will mail or snail mail before changing the amount
You get further discounts paying the paperless way with lots of companies now

[ojread2]

as RH*

[vivandorron]

Quite often I agree with O_G but not on this occasion. Sorry O_G.:-)

I once had a bad experience having paid by cheque my electricity bill. The cheque went astray in the post , so I then paid by telephone and cancelled my cheque. However, because my cheque then arrived shortly after my telephone payment, the telephone remittance was cancelled by the electricity company. Consequently, my bill was still listed as outstanding for payment.

Anyway, I now get a discount for paying monthly on Direct Debit and everything appears to work o.k.

Ron.

[trt]

I am also in favour of Direct Debits and company's give you a discount because they dont have to keep sending you reminders that your bill is outstanding,

Makes sense to me!

[grasscarp]

I authorise direct debits which include things like energy and telephone payments in addition to mortgage. As McFluff says there are things predefined that if anything is wrong it can quickly be rectified. Over many years I can honestly say that nothing has gone wrong and it gives you peace of mind that you dont have to remember to pay something in time.

[daffy654]

I pay lots of stuff with DD. Years ago whjen I used to subscribe to SKY I had to cancel the DD to them as they kept trying to charge me 2 or 3 times every month, with me not allowing for funds to be there to cover the extraneous payments I kept getting charged by my bank for insufficient funds. I had several months where I barely ate and got into debt because of SKY :(

[vivandorron]

daffy...I am thinking that.... Sky caused a tear in your eye.:-)

Ron.

[factor-fiction]

I've never had a problem with DDs, although I only take them up with reasonably well known organisations and I choose the Standing Option alternative if it's available. The direct debit guarantee system offers protection. No-one has ever bunged on a few pence for nothing on my DDs. I get discounts for paying by DD and I save on postage/phone calls and potential fees for late payments for overlooking a payment.
So I disagree.

[NOX]

I don't pay anything by direct debit unless I absolutely have to, mainly because it forces me to actually look at my bills and helps me identify if anyone has got anything wrong. I also don't like the idea of anyone being able to debit amounts and have had things go wrong with them in the past, so not a big fan, I prefer to pay everything as it appears.