NTL late payment fee scam

chrisjj · 19-01-2007, 19:30

I paid a 1 Dec bill on 29th Dec, yet on my 1 Jan bill NTL added a ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£10 Late Payment Fee.

NTL Customer Services insists this is due to failing to meet a requirement for payment within 28 days set out int in the terms and conditions and on the bill back. I can find it nowhere in either place. NTL were likewise unable to identify the location in either place.

Have other users suffered this illegal levying of a late payment fee? Who should NTL be reported to in order to get this scam stopped?

brundles · 19-01-2007, 20:07

The whole NTL: TW organisation recently changed their late payment approach to an immediate ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£10 charge - no warnings or exceptions. I'm not sure about the 28 days but the 29th does sound later than usual for a bill printed on the 1st. Our NTL: TW bill is usually generated around 24th and due around the 15th - or 3 weeks later.

Paul K · 19-01-2007, 20:12

Does it not state a pay by date on your bill?

Quote:

6.2 If you do not make your payments on time, we may charge you a reasonable fee for late and/or non payment.

jellybaby · 19-01-2007, 20:19

Thats all well and good Paul, but what is a reasonable fee ?

This is the problem the banks are having also.

Paul K · 19-01-2007, 20:22

Which is why many people are contesting the fee in exactly the same way. Personally I think ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£10 is too much but then I think 28 days is a bit long to wait to pay a bill. (Just my opinion of course

)
Oh and to answer another part of the original post... you may want to ask Google if anyone else has been charged the same way. It's been going on since 2006

jellybaby · 19-01-2007, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul

Which is why many people are contesting the fee in exactly the same way. Personally I think ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£10 is too much but then I think 28 days is a bit long to wait to pay a bill. (Just my opinion of course

)

Appreciated

scrotnig · 19-01-2007, 20:37

Pay the bill on time and there'll be no fee.

I can never understand why people agree to pay something by a certain date, then object to the company charging them when they don't.

Seems simple to me. There are substantial costs involved in chasing and processing late payments. The alternative to late payment charges is spreading this cost across ALL customers. I personally object to the idea that I should subsidise late payers. So I like it the way it is.

Mr Angry · 19-01-2007, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjj

I paid a 1 Dec bill on 29th Dec, yet on my 1 Jan bill NTL added a ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£10 Late Payment Fee.

NTL Customer Services insists this is due to failing to meet a requirement for payment within 28 days set out int in the terms and conditions and on the bill back. I can find it nowhere in either place. NTL were likewise unable to identify the location in either place.

Have other users suffered this illegal levying of a late payment fee? Who should NTL be reported to in order to get this scam stopped?

Can I ask, if you don't mind, was there a charge for payment by non direct debit methods included in the breakdown of your bill?

chrisjj · 19-01-2007, 21:10

> the 29th does sound later than usual for a bill printed on the 1st

"Later than usual" is not grounds for a penalty charge.

---------- Post added at 22:10 ---------- Previous post was at 22:10 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul

Does it not state a pay by date on your bill?

No. Does it on yours?

Chimaera · 19-01-2007, 21:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paul

Does it not state a pay by date on your bill?

No. Does it on yours?

No date on ours because we only have broadband with them now and it's an email notification.

chrisjj · 19-01-2007, 21:17

> Pasy the bill on time and there'll be no fee.

And what is "on time", pray?

Graham M · 19-01-2007, 21:18

Before the due date... ?

chrisjj · 19-01-2007, 21:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

Can I ask, if you don't mind, was there a charge for payment by non direct debit methods included in the breakdown of your bill?

Yes - ÃƒÆ’Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â£4. That is not in dispute, and I do not understand why some hereaouts call that a penalty and unenforceable.

---------- Post added at 22:31 ---------- Previous post was at 22:19 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zeph

Before the due date... ?

It says "payment is due immediately".

If you have a bank account with a time machine that will allow you to pay before this date, please do tell us where to get one!

Graham M · 19-01-2007, 21:36

No need to be balshy. I don't pay the NTL bill in this house but I'm sure there must be a "cut-off date" there generally is with most billing.

Paul K · 19-01-2007, 21:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjj

It says "payment is due immediately".

So it doesn't say "feel free to wait 28 days before paying the monies owed to us" ? NTL are asking you to pay your bill as soon as you receive the paper bill so that no mis-haps can occur that may cause you to incur a penalty.