I am supplied gas and electricity from Ideal Lloyds TSB.
I am sent details of my monthly charge with a statement dated 17th November 2005 and I received it on 24 November and the direct debit is due to come out on 27 November 2005. For many months now I only have had a few days notice. They sau I can check online from 17 November.
Is there any rule that you have to be given a certain amount of notice before a direct debit is taken out of your bank account?
In message , Peter Saxton writes
"The Guarantee If the amounts to be paid by Direct Debit or the payment dates change, the organisation collecting the payment will notify you normally 10 working days in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed."
What did you agree?
Whilst it is possible technically within the rules It sounds a bit like sharpish practice to me. I think you need more notice than that.
I'm not sure I understand. Banks are now selling energy?
Yes, its quite common down here you know.
I boiled up a few cashiers only last week on my stove, it does wonders for the chilblains and the fat is a good cure for acne.
I don't know what I agreed. I called them up and they said the could still stop the direct debit if necessary. I said it would still need me to respond relatively quickly.
They said they would log my complaint and get back to me within five working days. This amused me because I told them that they are giving themselves more time to get back to me than they are giving me to ensure I have funds to pay the bill.
I have a separate bank account that I use for recurring payments and I try to top it up on a weekly basis.
Try living in Spain - the first you know about your electricity (or other) bill is when the dosh disappears from your account. A brief description of the charge is sent to you by your bank *after the event*. Utility suppliers generally will refuse to supply other than by direct debit, so you the customer are stuffed.
Banking in the UK, like TV, has its faults, but it's a lot better than most places.
OTOH, it's not snowing here.
You are meant to get good notice of the debit. I had a similar problem with a CC company whose notes were posted within 5 days of the debit. My moan about lack of notification got an immediate apology and a change to the deb date to give 10 days from when the letter normally arrived to when they did their grab (RM gods permitting). If your co. fob you off, tell them you want same 10 days to gather the dosh, and if necessary move the debit date back to match. I'd crank up the printing press if a phone call does not deliver satisfaction.
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