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ESB's Laser Payment Option

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  • 22-06-2009 9:59pm
    #1
    Fnergg
    Registered Users Posts: 270 ✭✭


    I see ESB Customer Supply now has a facility on its website whereby you can pay your bill by Laser.

    https://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/your_account/pay/startPayInit.do

    You can also of course make part-payments towards your next bill rather than waiting to pay the full amount in one go. This is a very handy budgeting facility.

    Regards,

    Fnergg


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    #2
    danjo-xx
    Registered Users Posts: 5,393 ✭✭✭danjo-xx


    Yup I have just terminated my direct debit with them and will now pay by laser, and at least they don't charge me a fee for non direct debit payment like the mafia over in NTL, hope I'm allowed say that. :(


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    #3
    parsi
    Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    Fnergg wrote: »
    I see ESB Customer Supply now has a facility on its website whereby you can pay your bill by Laser.

    https://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/your_account/pay/startPayInit.do

    You can also of course make part-payments towards your next bill rather than waiting to pay the full amount in one go. This is a very handy budgeting facility.

    Regards,

    Fnergg

    What was even handier was the ability to pay by direct debit from your credit card but the muppets removed that option.


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    #4
    danjo-xx
    Registered Users Posts: 5,393 ✭✭✭danjo-xx


    parsi wrote: »
    What was even handier was the ability to pay by direct debit from your credit card but the muppets removed that option.

    why not pay by dd from ur bank a/c:)


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    #5
    parsi
    Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    danjo-xx wrote: »
    why not pay by dd from ur bank a/c:)

    Hmm. I wonder why ?


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    #6
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Oh for fecks sake. Any wonder there's a cashflow problem in this country. You already get a bill for up to 2 months arrears of electricity used. You get 2 weeks credit on it and then you want to extend that credit by a further month on a credit card.:rolleyes:
    It's really false economy and just a frame of mind thing. What real gain do you get when the debt is still outstanding?


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    #7
    madmik
    Closed Accounts Posts: 423 ✭✭madmik


    Sonny Easy Ruby wrote: »
    Oh for fecks sake. Any wonder there's a cashflow problem in this country. You already get a bill for up to 2 months arrears of electricity used. You get 2 weeks credit on it and then you want to extend that credit by a further month on a credit card.:rolleyes:
    It's really false economy and just a frame of mind thing. What real gain do you get when the debt is still outstanding?

    You earn the interest on your money for the extra month because its your money for a month longer before its their money ;)


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    #8
    parsi
    Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    Sonny Easy Ruby wrote: »
    Oh for fecks sake. Any wonder there's a cashflow problem in this country. You already get a bill for up to 2 months arrears of electricity used. You get 2 weeks credit on it and then you want to extend that credit by a further month on a credit card.:rolleyes:
    It's really false economy and just a frame of mind thing. What real gain do you get when the debt is still outstanding?

    1. The debt to the ESB is paid off from the credit card. That doesn't impact anyones cashflow. Using credit cards doesn't impact cashflow - not paying bills impacts cash flow.

    2. The longer the money is in my bank account the better. Sort of like the way utility companies (all) take way longer to issue refunds than to collect monies due.

    3. I get cashback on my credit card. Seeing as I don't pay interest this makes perfect sense.


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    #9
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    parsi wrote: »
    Sort of like the way utility companies (all) take way longer to issue refunds than to collect monies due.

    Just as a point of clarification. I checked the ESB Customer Charter on refunds and they refund within 7 days for ESB Customer Supply and 5 days for ESB Networks or pay you a compensation of €35 irrespective of the value of the refund. Hardly longer than the 14 days payment terms on an ESB bill which you can in effect take almost 2 months to pay without penalty.


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    #10
    parsi
    Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    This seems to be a self-congratulatory thread.

    Op comes on and tells us "we now accept laser online". Woohoo - the largest utility company in Ireland can now take laser online. Just like my dry cleaners.

    Of course no mention is made of the fact that the CC payment option was withdrawn.

    Then we have more laudatory comments about the ESB being kind enough to let folk pay after they've consumed as if this is some strange and wonderful idea unique to the ESB.

    Sheesh...


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    #11
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    parsi,
    I don't know how you can use the expression "self-congratulatory" when I for one congratulated nobody and was referring to a third party with which I have no involvement other than being one of 1.5Million customers. :confused:

    I couldn't give a toss either way what company anybody, except myself, buys their electricity from, or what their means of payment may be. I just state the facts. All I'll add is; wait and see the approach of BGE and others when payment terms are not strictly adhered to. I'm not going into details but I know they won't, as ESB does, give 14 days to pay but accept if it takes 40 days, or more, as long as the next bill is not issuing in arrears.


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    #12
    Fnergg
    Registered Users Posts: 270 ✭✭Fnergg


    parsi wrote: »
    This seems to be a self-congratulatory thread.

    Op comes on and tells us "we now accept laser online". Woohoo - the largest utility company in Ireland can now take laser online. Just like my dry cleaners.

    Of course no mention is made of the fact that the CC payment option was withdrawn.

    Then we have more laudatory comments about the ESB being kind enough to let folk pay after they've consumed as if this is some strange and wonderful idea unique to the ESB.

    Sheesh...


    Well, as far as I know, ESB is the only utility that will allow you to pay by Laser online without having to register. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

    The advantage of the online facility is that any customer can make a payment at any time. Given the overall high cost of electricity in this country and the state of the economy, a facility that allows people to better budget for their usage - to pay as they use it for instance rather than waiting for their two-monthly bill - must surely be welcomed.

    I agree that the removal of the CC direct debit option was a retrogade step. I understand that the reason for its removal was the high cost of security upgrades on ESB's IT system necessary for a relatively small number of credit card direct debit customers. The ESB had long since removed the option for the generality of customers - it was only a few thousand who had retained the option. Still, they were prompt payers and it's regrettable that they should have had it removed from them.

    Regards,

    Fnergg


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    #13
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    You know it's always worthwhile talking to people.:) I've been on the phone to ESB (Corporate Centre I think they said) who contacted their Supply people and confirmed that, at it's peak, less then 0.2% of customers paid by DD on Credit Cards. Well, I now have to agree that doing away with the considerable costs of maintaining that option is of benefit to the other 99.8% of their customers.
    Hopefull more will use the Laser option and it will be kept.


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