BT bashing
Seems to be a traditional pastime, a bit like moaning about the TV licence fee, but why give space for it on the register rather than, say, DigitalSpy or the Daily Mail?
Several members of my extended family switched away from BT for phone & broadband. Without exception every one of them has gone back to BT, the quality of service of the others was so poor. Price isn't the only criterion.
As for the "ridiculous" charge for not using Direct Debit, it's pretty obvious why they do it. When you get a bill that says, say, £40.00 to be paid by the 23rd, BT know that with DD they'll have the money on the 23rd.
For those folks who want to pay by cheque or credit card, or manual bank transfer, a good many of them will ignore that bill. They'll wait a week or so for the red notice that asks them not to forget, and points out that they'll be disconnected in 7 days. Finally, after 7-8 days, most pay. We've all heard them bragging in the pub about how they never pay until they get the first, or even second, red notice, so they can keep the money in their account. Charging them £4 extra is partly a way to discourage it, partly a way to make up for the lost interest and bad debts that they cause. It's a perfectly reasonable approach that keeps costs down for the rest of us.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
