Direct Debit amount too high?

[kamilk]

We set up Direct Debit payments for BT Infinity so that the first payment was in October. I think that while setting up DD, the website was saying that payments would be £45 each. The October payment was indeed for this amount but then the payments almost doubled, so that November and December payments were for £80.50 each. MyBT says something like:

We need to raise your monthly payments because you're using more than before. Your new monthly payment will be £80.50 a month, starting on or just after 20 November. This new amount should cover what you're using now and let you clear the balance on this bill. And we'll keep checking your monthly payments to make sure you're not paying for more or less than you're actually using.

We are not using more than before - landline is not used, brandband is unlimited.

So what we paid is £45+£80.50+£80.50=£206. But the amount of the bill for 3 months is £160.47. And so when I go to Payment History I can see the balance is positive "£45.53 CR". 

How do we get our £45 back and decrease the DD amount to what it should be?

[Keith_Beddoe · Accepted solution]

I take it you are on Monthly Payment Plan with a set amount collected every month with a quarterly bill. If you look here  and you can change the payment amount. Details are under the "Can I change my monthly payments myself?" section.

Is there any reason you wanted to be on a monthly payment plan?

If you're on the right calling package, then your bill should hardly vary at all from month to month.  If that's the case, then it's usually better just to go for whole bill direct debit.  Every month, you're simply billed what you owe for that month.  No strange BT estimates of what they think you might owe over the next few months.

If you would like to try Live Chat they should be able to help you.

[kamilk]

Thanks, I didn't realise there was more than one option for Direct Debit payments. I've just switched to monthly whole bill direct debit.

Do you know if the credit I currently have with BT will be applied to my next bill?

[pottyperson]

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kamilk wrote:

Do you know if the credit I currently have with BT will be applied to my next bill?

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Yes, that's how it should work - credit will be applied to successive bills until it's used up. For example, I switched when I had about a whole quarter's credit; the result was some monthly bills for zero, followed by one reduced by the last bit of credit.