If certain "special people" have "offshore trusts", and "avoid" tax, then why can't we All have them?you pay it so i dont have to
If certain "special people" have "offshore trusts", and "avoid" tax, then why can't we All have them?you pay it so i dont have to
This loathing of straightforward methods of DD payment comes over as completely nuts to me. You seem to be unaware of the fact that there is a Direct Debit guarantee. If in error you were charged too much you can get it back by simply telling the bank.I'm not trying to avoid paying tax, like anyone else I could use Bitcoin, Etherium, Monero etc. and a bunch of tumblers tranferring small quantities to make conversions and ownership untraceable for that. I wanted to stop Octopus removing whatever the hell they like from my bank account every month, using their non-transparent estimate system, removing extra for energy I might use next winter... and I think I've succeeded by insisting they accept payment in cash! Yesterday, I withdrew £100.56 from an ATM and paid in cash for last month's actual energy use at a Paypoint, instead of £165 being dragged out of my account kicking and screaming. £64.44 extra! Every month! For energy I MIGHT use next winter! I can afford it, but it does seem many people can't and become trapped by their energy supplier, unable to switch because when they try, they discover their final bill includes weird estimates amounting to massive debts. My very elderly neighbour for example: after giving his final meter readings while trying to switch suppliers, he was slapped with a massive bill and is still paying it off after ending up with a pre-payment meter. Some people I know are paying hundreds fo pounds more every month by direct debit. I'm certainly not jumping through hoops while begging to apply for my money to be returned to my bank account, and I object to my money being used by Octopus to invest without giving me a cut of however they profit by doing so, with my money. For all I know they're investing in odious Space X, which is filling up the sky with space graffiti satellites, obscuring our view of extinction event asteroids, burning my oxygen and poisoning my air in the process. There are no beaches on Mars.
Octopus told me they'd cancelled the direct debit, but after logging into my bank account I discovered it hadn't been, so I've cancelled it. If they object, I'll want to know why. It's not always true that you can manage monthly direct debit payments using their website, that feature was blocked for me, despite being in credit - as soon as I saw that something snapped. If energy companies want to operate as crap banks you can't easily withdraw your money from, they should be regulated as such. They don't even pay you any interest on your "savings"! Why the hell aren't they regulated by the FCA?!??!!?
Of course I have an online Octopus account. Please read my other posts.This loathing of straightforward methods of DD payment comes over as completely nuts to me. You seem to be unaware of the fact that there is a Direct Debit guarantee. If in error you were charged too much you can get it back by simply telling the bank.
I have an OCtopus account for my gas and electricity and they are by far the best and most efficient supplier I have ever had out of British Gas (useless and unresponsive) and others. I have smart meters and can see at any time what I am using so if I was interested I can check what I used in any 30 minute period. I don't have to take manual readings, though I can do if I want, and my bills are calculated accurately and I am charged correctly and without fuss. Right now, I owe them £2.28. I set my own Direct Debit amount and by being a DD customer I get a discounted rate over what I got when I made quarterly payments. As I recall, the price per unit went down when I set up the DD - somewhere around 8% cheaper because they did not have to fork out for three months for the fuel I was using.
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If you build up too great an amount of your money in their bank, you can set the DD lower or you can claim it back and have it refunded to your bank account. It could not be simpler. If you register on their website, you can do either of the above any time you like. What's not to like?
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Some people are just cantankerous trouble makers. If i was Octopus CEO, I would just cut them off and have a lot less nutter trouble. There is bugger all money to be made out of supplying gas and electricity for companies like Octopus. There is a mpot more to be made in generating the stuff though - especially in recent times since the invasion of Ukraine.
The latest wrinklei still get free electric in prison
So why the paranoia? Smart metering works. You can change what you pay them or reclaim any surplus if you want. What's the problem?Of course I have an online Octopus account. Please read my other posts.
I know a lady who had to not only get a new card, but close her credit card account to stop a tv streaming Co. from taking money for the service she had already cancelled.This loathing of straightforward methods of DD payment comes over as completely nuts to me. You seem to be unaware of the fact that there is a Direct Debit guarantee. If in error you were charged too much you can get it back by simply telling the bank.
I have an OCtopus account for my gas and electricity and they are by far the best and most efficient supplier I have ever had out of British Gas (useless and unresponsive) and others. I have smart meters and can see at any time what I am using so if I was interested I can check what I used in any 30 minute period. I don't have to take manual readings, though I can do if I want, and my bills are calculated accurately and I am charged correctly and without fuss. Right now, I owe them £2.28. I set my own Direct Debit amount and by being a DD customer I get a discounted rate over what I got when I made quarterly payments. As I recall, the price per unit went down when I set up the DD - somewhere around 8% cheaper because they did not have to fork out for three months for the fuel I was using.
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If you build up too great an amount of your money in their bank, you can set the DD lower or you can claim it back and have it refunded to your bank account. It could not be simpler. If you register on their website, you can do either of the above any time you like. What's not to like?
View attachment 56901
Some people are just cantankerous trouble makers. If i was Octopus CEO, I would just cut them off and have a lot less nutter trouble. There is bugger all money to be made out of supplying gas and electricity for companies like Octopus. There is a lot more to be made in generating the stuff though - especially in recent times since the invasion of Ukraine.
What you describe is something on a credit or debit card, called a Continuous Payment Authority. It is not the same as a Direct Debit and does not have the automatic refund guarantee. If the company you have such an arrangement is a reputable one, you will likely be OK. Not all are - especially some dodgy ones on the Internet.I k
I know a lady who had to not only get a new card, but close her credit card account to stop a tv streaming Co. from taking money for the service she had already cancelled.
The supposed rolling monthly "not a Con-tract" arrangement.
Have they ever refunded any "overpayments" they took?
I give up.So why the paranoia? Smart metering works. You can change what you pay them or reclaim any surplus if you want. What's the problem?
Fully agreed, though I'm an electricity only customer.This loathing of straightforward methods of DD payment comes over as completely nuts to me. You seem to be unaware of the fact that there is a Direct Debit guarantee. If in error you were charged too much you can get it back by simply telling the bank.
I have an Octopus account for my gas and electricity and they are by far the best and most efficient supplier I have ever had
Some people are just cantankerous trouble makers. If i was Octopus CEO, I would just cut them off and have a lot less nutter trouble. There is bugger all money to be made out of supplying gas and electricity for companies like Octopus.
I had the old SMETS1 meters fitted by British Gas in 2016. The gas meters are battery powered and mine started to go wrong around 2023. I spent ages talking to BGas about getting the gas meter replaced or its battery, and they fobbed me off for months doing nothing. I had to send in my gas readings several times and was although inconvenienced never over charged though I had built up about £150 surplus on my account, but I could have got it back, had I bothered to ask.Fully agreed, though I'm an electricity only customer.
I cancelled my mothers sky subscription when she moved as she didn't want it anymore but they still took another payment the following month . So had to cancel again no but reimbursement of funds (all this was 24 years ago). When I now cancel anything I call again the next day to check and had one once say to me you did this yesterday. I replied that I was just checking.taking money for the service she had already cancelled
We can all use the provisions of the tax codes if they apply to our situation. My current income is all taxed PAYE, but at different times I have paid myself in dividends for business income.If certain "special people" have "offshore trusts", and "avoid" tax, then why can't we All have them?
Good point. After Octopus said they'd cancelled my direct debit, there was no mention of it being cancelled on their website. After I cancelled via my bank's website, this message appeared in my Octopus account:I cancelled my mothers sky subscription when she moved as she didn't want it anymore but they still took another payment the following month . So had to cancel again no but reimbursement of funds (all this was 24 years ago). When I now cancel anything I call again the next day to check and had one once say to me you did this yesterday. I replied that I was just checking.
I won't deal with Sky at all because of their tenacious policies to try and stop anyone leaving. Like you I would NEVER let any company pull a fast one like that. I know a couple of friends who had the same kind of experience as you did with SKY and they make it very hard to leave them.I cancelled my mothers sky subscription when she moved as she didn't want it anymore but they still took another payment the following month . So had to cancel again no but reimbursement of funds (all this was 24 years ago). When I now cancel anything I call again the next day to check and had one once say to me you did this yesterday. I replied that I was just checking.
With energy companies, it's best to get them to agree to it first, as you don't want to give them legal non-payment grounds to force install a prepayment smart meter, or ask you to leave if you don't want to.just cancel the dd
Leaving Virginmedia was also tricky, I now use cheap and easy to exit Smarty for home "broad" band instead. Unlike Virginmedia, it has never conked out (yet):I won't deal with Sky at all because of their tenacious policies to try and stop anyone leaving. Like you I would NEVER let any company pull a fast one like that. I know a couple of friends who had the same kind of experience as you did with SKY and they make it very hard to leave them.