Nothing changes, Emmie. It's always been like that. Firms love to take your money but they're not too keen to pay it back.
About thirty years ago, I moved from Sheffield to Suffolk. Some time later, I made the mistake of actually waiting for the red electricity bill, before then paying up immediately, two quarters in succession. I got a very nasty letter from Eastern Electricity (as it was in those days), telling me that if had the temerity to wait for a red bill again, they'd take immediate court action to get their money from me. In the same post I had a cheque from the Yorkshire Electricity Board, refunding an overpayment on my old Sheffield account, which had taken them just under two years to process!
As I say, nothing ever changes where money is concerned ;-)