Were Meteor in the right here?

slimjimmc

foggy_lad wrote: »

They have at least 10 days notice of me cancelling the debits and switching to paying in the post office. There is little i can do when my own bank refuses to do anything without "proof" of me cancelling with Meteor, I no longer have the emails sent between us but Meteor should have all those on file!

http://www.ipso.ie/section/DirectDebitScheme

This is ridiculous from Ulster Bank.
It's got nothing to do with Meteor, the DD is an instruction from you to your bank (usually via the vendor). If you instruct your bank not to process DDs then the bank is obliged to follow your instructions not Meteor's. It's none of the bank's business what debts you have or what method you choose to pay your bills.
You should instruct the bank in writing not to process any more DDs from Meteor and to cancel your DD facility with Meteor. If UB continue to release payments without your authority after a reasonable period they could be in deep #@%*. The only reason you need to inform Meteor is so that they know not to keep making requests, but even if they did your bank is no longer authorised to pay them and shouldn't.

You could also threaten to close your accounts and move your banking elsewhere. Banks are crying out for customers.

foggy_lad

They want me to close my account because it is one of a few Step accounts which offer most of the benefits of a current account with free banking:D They would prefer to have me paying quarterly fees.

dub45

slimjimmc wrote: »

http://www.ipso.ie/section/DirectDebitScheme

This is ridiculous from Ulster Bank.
It's got nothing to do with Meteor, the DD is an instruction from you to your bank (usually via the vendor). If you instruct your bank not to process DDs then the bank is obliged to follow your instructions not Meteor's. It's none of the bank's business what debts you have or what method you choose to pay your bills.
You should instruct the bank in writing not to process any more DDs from Meteor and to cancel your DD facility with Meteor. If UB continue to release payments without your authority after a reasonable period they could be in deep #@%*. The only reason you need to inform Meteor is so that they know not to keep making requests, but even if they did your bank is no longer authorised to pay them and shouldn't.

You could also threaten to close your accounts and move your banking elsewhere. Banks are crying out for customers.

You are right in what you say in theory. But the reality is particularly in the case of UB's behaviour that no matter how badly they behave (and they are totally in the wrong here) they have nothing to fear from anyone.

There are no consequences in Ireland for banks or companies that do not comply with dd rules - the only ones who ever suffer are the bill payers. Simple fact proved time and time again. Lob on the fees there lads!

IPSO's website proudly proclaims:

Over 110 million direct debits are processed every year in Ireland

And yet most bank staff (including supposedly senior staff) do not have even the most rudimentary understanding of how the scheme works or most importantly the basic knowledge of how to cancel a direct debit!!!!

It is hard to read this with a straight face (from the dd scheme rules about the so called obligations of the paying bank)

must assist its customer, to the extent practicable, in the resolution of disputes arising under or
pursuant to the Scheme

Isnt it great to think that Ulster Bank are there to assist you?:eek:

Anyway if there was any properly regulated dd scheme Eircom, Meteor and emobile would have been suspended from it with immediate effect when it emerged earlier in the year that through sheer negligence a considerable of customer data have been lost through the theft of laptops. The data of these laptops had not been encrypted as per company policy.

If a Company cannot comply with its own policy in relation to data security then it should not be in the dd scheme. I am sure the sponsoring banks didnt even raise the issue with them.