grrrrrrr ntl!

[Marge]

Telephone line rental has never been part of the BB package, they are two seperate services and charges, tbh I think you're lucky to have not paid for it all this time. As far as I can see from what you've said, the charge is correct and payable

I agree with Marge, and that has never happend before!

[Acathla]

Originally Posted by Marge

Telephone line rental has never been part of the BB package, they are two seperate services and charges, tbh I think you're lucky to have not paid for it all this time. As far as I can see from what you've said, the charge is correct and payable

ok but should the money be taken from me without prior notice??

Do you not get any bills from NTL in the post?

[Acathla]

yes. i got a bill today saying i would be charged £35.06.

i usually get a bill saying £1.50/£2.00 (BB is billed seperate).

Have they actually taken the money?

Remember it's 10 days from the date on your bill they are supposed to request the money!

---------- Post added at 20:49 ---------- Previous post was at 20:42 ----------

If they take the money early you can get the payment reversed but you will still owe the money. If you fail to make the payment they will take you to court and you will end up with court charges to pay on top of the original bill.

For the sake of £30 it ain't worth the hassle and after all you do owe them the money!

Just be happy you have had a free phone service for two years!

[Marge]

Originally Posted by Acathla

ok but should the money be taken from me without prior notice??

The billing system that you are on automatically sends out a bill every month and on this bill should be the amount to be claimed and the date so in that respect then you have been notified of the charges and given notice.

Banks and Building Societies do refund to customers under the DD indemnity so you could claim back via that however ntl would look to claim the money by other means from you so you'd be back to square one as technically the only error is that the line rental wasn't applied back in 2004 when the tv was cancelled.

I do sympathise with you as this may have come as quite a surprise but as I said earlier it all does look correct to me. Maybe if you aren't using the telephone line a lot then look to cancelling that and get yourself a cheap PAYG mobile deal instead.

Sorry Acathla, I can understand you being aggrieved at it seemingly coming 'out of the blue' like that, but NTL are compliant with the DD agreement, having sent you advance notice of the amount to be taken.

Whatever the 'pros & cons' you owe them for the line rental, if you cancel the DD they will just call in a debt collection agency, honestly, it isn't worth the hassle.

- not saying it is ideal, but in my opinion it could be a lot worse.

<edit> good advice from Marge

[Acathla]

i have taken the decision to cancel my DD and argue the case with NTL. you may think I should just accept it but I was never taught to accept less than what I expected.

I have given 30 days notice to cancel my phone line and will not be continuing that service with NTL.

Originally Posted by Acathla

i have taken the decision to cancel my DD and argue the case with NTL. you may think I should just accept it but I was never taught to accept less than what I expected.

I have given 30 days notice to cancel my phone line and will not be continuing that service with NTL.

good about the phone, probably for the best

- look Acathla, I have no axe to grind, here, but please can I ask you to look at your stance on the phone rental in context of the real world?

NTL have provided, and you have accepted, a phone service which has documented charges & tariffs.

Due to an oversight you were not charged for the 'line rental' part of those charges.

When NTL discovered this, they waived most of the debt, and billed you for what they will call a 'reasonable' charge, which they will potentially seek to recover.

Bear in mind this may involve court actions, possibly even bailiffs..

- is it worth it?

[Acathla]

my concern is if NTL had come to me 3 months ago (even this month) and said 'oops we err'd and we forgot to charge you can we charge you from start of '06 and call it quits?' i would have probably been more than happy to agree. point being, if I was going to be charged line rental I would have cancelled the same time as my TV.

they cant take my money without consent. I have given permission to NTL to take the DD amount assuming it is around the same amount every month. they have increased my bill without notice and i feel i deserve an apology and await a manager callback to sort this out.

[Marge]

Originally Posted by Acathla

they cant take my money without consent. I have given permission to NTL to take the DD amount assuming it is around the same amount every month. they have increased my bill without notice and i feel i deserve an apology and await a manager callback to sort this out.

But you have given them consent to take the money, that's the whole point of the DD scheme, all a company has to do is give you notice of when and how much they will be taking. A DD is not a fixed amount each month, the amounts are variable and as a side note this is why it's important to check your bank statement and bills every month.

[Acathla]

so when a strange amount appears I am entitled to query it and prevent it going through untill the amount is agreed? i havent given NTL to charge what they like when they like!

Originally Posted by Acathla

my concern is if NTL had come to me 3 months ago (even this month) and said 'oops we err'd and we forgot to charge you can we charge you from start of '06 and call it quits?' i would have probably been more than happy to agree. point being, if I was going to be charged line rental I would have cancelled the same time as my TV.

they cant take my money without consent. I have given permission to NTL to take the DD amount assuming it is around the same amount every month. they have increased my bill without notice and i feel i deserve an apology and await a manager callback to sort this out.

well let us know how you get on, but the whole point of a direct debit, over a standing order, is that the amount can vary, provided they inform you of the amount they are taking. You say 'without notice' - your bill 'is' the notice.

I can't get my head round how you have had 9 months free phoneline & still think NTL are at fault

- as Incog would say, time for me to 'unsubscribe'

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by acoolwelshbloke

No they do not charge me for this........ Nobody has ever charged me for paying this way if i'm honest!

Actually, I am paying a £2 surcharge every month to NTL which shows up as a non direct debit charge so yes I am paying extra for it!

You just love to contradict yourself don't you!