Odd restriction on payment options

@Asylum (47893)

Manchester, England

December 5, 2017 3:08pm CST

My experience has usually been that companies will offer a variety of payment options in order to get your cash. My home insurance is due to expire this month and rather than simply renew I considered changing my insurer. Earlier today I visited a site online and entered all my details in order to get a quote, which definitely seemed a decent improvement on my current insurer. However, the only payment option available was credit or debit card. I prefer not to use this method because it carries the risk of the company automatically renewing my policy next year and claiming the cash. I telephoned the company to enquire about this and explained that I would prefer to transfer the money directly from my bank to their account. The reply was that this option was not available because the company was too large for such a system. That was clearly nonsense because I pay such companies as British Gas and British Telecom this way. That option is also available with Amazon. I can understand why they would prefer to know my debit card details, but also wonder how much business they have lost due to this.

26 people like this

24 responses

@WorDazza (15830)

• Manchester, England

5 Dec 17

Business must be good if they can turn it down. They probably just can't be bothered to offer alternatives as most people will just pay up once they've got so far through the minefield of arranging new insurance.

6 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Dec 17

That is a fair point because many questions can be quite difficult. A hard question for me was how many claim free years I had because it is not the kind of data that you save.

2 people like this

Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44998)

• Preston, England

6 Dec 17

I can understand a company being too small for direct debit payment plans but too large to use them is clearly nonsense @Asylum hope you find a more suitable one soon

3 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

Too large is clearly nonsense, yet the woman expected me to believe this. It was not Direct Debit that I wanted, just the option to manually transfer the money to them.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

@arthurchappell I still have 12 days in which to find an appropriate choice.

1 person likes this

Arthur Chappell

@arthurchappell (44998)

• Preston, England

6 Dec 17

@Asylum hopefully you'll find a good deal where that is possible soon

1 person likes this

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@AmbiePam (91970)

• United States

5 Dec 17

That is a good question. I have quit using some companies because of their payment options.

3 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Dec 17

This is the only poor choice that I have encountered.

2 people like this

Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61102)

• United States

5 Dec 17

The fact that they pay fees for the credit or debit card transactions makes their decision rather stupid and better to know up front that theya restupid and find another carrier.

3 people like this

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Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61102)

• United States

6 Dec 17

@catsholiday Me as well.

Susan Humphries

@catsholiday (460)

• Derby, England

6 Dec 17

@BelleStar I agree it cost them for us to pay by card. I prefer paying by card as it is extra insurance

1 person likes this

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@JudyEv (338682)

• Rockingham, Australia

5 Dec 17

If they are losing business and there seems no doubt about this then they obviously don't care.

3 people like this

@BellaDoc (762)

• San Diego, California

5 Dec 17

I agree. Could you use a different credit card for this?

3 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Dec 17

I could use my debit card and request a new one after the payment has been made, which would cancel this one and provide me with a new number. The reality is that if transferrng the cash is not acceptable then I will go elsewhere.

1 person likes this

@celticeagle (165959)

• Boise, Idaho

5 Dec 17

I use my debit card. I don't like the autopay options some places have because once I signed up for this and the company didn't take it out the same day each month. I don't care for that. So I pay some by check, some debit and some over the phone or go to the site. Sounds like this company you are dealing with doesn't want to make the customer happy. It's all about them.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

I was not referring to Direct Debit. My preference would be a manual transfer, which involves myself using online banking to transfer the money to their account. My intention was to pay the annual fee at once, so the company would not have to request payment.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

@celticeagle It does seem futile to refuse business.

1 person likes this

@celticeagle (165959)

• Boise, Idaho

6 Dec 17

@Asylum ......Makes you wonder what they think they are doing for themselves. Not much of a set up it doesn't sound like.

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@allknowing (135331)

• India

6 Dec 17

That is an odd reason. What has this got to do with their business being large

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

Nothing whatsoever as far as I can see. Clearly she assumed that I would not know any better and simply accept her word.

1 person likes this

changjiangzhibin89

@changjiangzhibin89 (16750)

• China

6 Dec 17

Strange as it sounds,they are so rigid that don't accept payment in cash.They would lose a lot of possible business.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

Insisting on debit or credit cards is certainly a sign of the times.

1 person likes this

changjiangzhibin89

@changjiangzhibin89 (16750)

• China

7 Dec 17

@Asylum It may be the case.Here scanning a Quick Response Code has replaced the swiping cards.

1 person likes this

@rebelann (112759)

• El Paso, Texas

5 Dec 17

I use my credit card to pay for insurance all the time, not once has an insurer automatically debited my card without me first initiating a payment. Of course I make sure that all the check boxes to allow a renewal are unmarked.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Dec 17

I cannot recollect seeing any such check boxes.

3 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Dec 17

@rebelann That sounds like good news. If I could be certain that the policy would not automatically renew then any payment method would suffice.

2 people like this

@rebelann (112759)

• El Paso, Texas

5 Dec 17

Mine has an option for me to sign up for IF I want them to automatically renew @Asylum few if any insurance companies want to risk a law suit so they ask permission before renewing.

2 people like this

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@PatZAnthony (14749)

• Charlotte, North Carolina

7 Dec 17

This really sounds suspicious. They seem to be a company that will definitely auto charge you.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

7 Dec 17

That was my suspicion and why they will not get my business.

@LadyDuck (470823)

• Switzerland

6 Dec 17

They would not get me as a client either. All the big companies that want to know your debit card details, always renew even when you cancel and then it takes forever to have the money back.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

That is precisely my concern. Once the money is claimed against a credit or debit card the onus is on the customer to chase a refund.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

@LadyDuck That is a worthwhile and practical act, but avoiding the necessity seems easier.

1 person likes this

@LadyDuck (470823)

• Switzerland

6 Dec 17

@Asylum Exactly and it takes time and the company that cashed do nothing to help. A couple of years ago I was obliged to give my debit card details for an insurance, when I decided to cancel, I also asked to cancel the card and issue a new one. They had a very bad surprise when they tried to debit.

1 person likes this

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@MarshaMusselman (38867)

• Midland, Michigan

6 Dec 17

I prefer it when companies allow payments with different methods which gives us the control over how and where our money is taken from. There are things I pay online where I can only use a credit card although for many I like the option of using a checking account so I can use my business account when there's more in that than my personal funds. But not all of them give or allow me that option.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

In some cases the use of Credit or Debit card only is understandable, such as online holiday bookings. However, the restriction with home insurance is quite unnecessary.

@Kandae11 (54981)

•

5 Dec 17

I would begin to wonder if their motives are underhand.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Dec 17

It certainly seems odd to restrict options so much.

2 people like this

@TiarasOceanView (70022)

• United States

10 Dec 17

Ha what a hoot and an excuse..too large indeed lol

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

10 Dec 17

It was certainly an original one.

1 person likes this

@DaddyEvil (137249)

• United States

13 Dec 17

I am curious if you know if the credit/debit card laws are different in England that what they are in America? (There shouldn't be much if any difference since I can use my debit card for purchases there just like here. I believe most countries use similar laws for cards used in their country, no matter where the cards were issued.) If that is the case, then the company cannot simply take next year's payment without you giving tacit permission. (Here, there is always a small paragraph somewhere that says "Leave this box checked to automatically renew your service when it comes due." You take the check mark out of the box and they can't bill your card again.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

13 Dec 17

Interesting. I would assume that the credit or debit card regulations are quite similar in most countries. As for unchecking a box, this would imply that such a checkbox could have been unnoticed a year ago.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

13 Dec 17

@DaddyEvil This is a common practice these days. They never state "Check this box in order to ...", instead they have the box pre checked.

1 person likes this

@DaddyEvil (137249)

• United States

13 Dec 17

@Asylum Now, that is entirely possible! I have seen the checkbox included in the fine print that most people don't bother reading. (The checkbox was full sized but the language around it was definitely "fine print"! I had so direct light was hitting the paper before I could read the "fine print".) I have seen that checkbox (online) set over to the side of the page where it could easily be missed, also.

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@garymarsh6 (23404)

• United Kingdom

15 Dec 17

Probably because it means employing some people to over see this kind of transaction!

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

15 Dec 17

Oh yes, the good old cost cutting excercise.

@JamesHxstatic (29413)

• Eugene, Oregon

16 Dec 17

It is strange that they do not allow the payment method that you prefer.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

16 Dec 17

Very strange since it would certainly increase business.

1 person likes this

@Shiva49 (26644)

• Singapore

11 Dec 17

Maybe, they should assure no automatic renewal of policy unless you tick that box. Some companies have a take it or leave it policy without addressing the legitimate concerns of customers - siva

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

11 Dec 17

This is true, companies do not all operate the same, so I am reluctant to take the risk.

1 person likes this

Susan Humphries

@catsholiday (460)

• Derby, England

6 Dec 17

I am happy to pay by credit car as the companies always send a renewal notice and t that stage I look around and compare prices and if I want to change I just tell the old company

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Dec 17

That seems fair enough but you cannot guarantee a renewal notice.

Susan Humphries

@catsholiday (460)

• Derby, England

6 Dec 17

@Asylum So far so good for us.!

1 person likes this