Payment by credit card changes?

[jimwillsher]

Hi all,

Just received an email saying that anyone paying by card must now login each month to make the payment. They are citing this as "improved security".

Quite frankly, I think this is utter bollo*cks, it's just ADSL24 trying to get people across to Direct Debit in order to avoid the credit card handling fees.

How am I supposed to handle 7 of my 12 accounts where we are not permitted to set up direct debits (account restriction) and we have to use card? if ADSl24 think I'm going to login to 7 accounts every month and enter a 16-digit card number, they're having a laugh.

Anyone else get a similar email?

Citing "improved security" is just a cover-up. If their security is rubbish then they should improve it, not use it as a lame excuse to push people into the direction that best suits them.




Jim

[imoit]

Yes just got one. This is absolutely ridiculous. So they don't mind keep my bank details on line for a direct debit set up but just not credit card details. It seems a rather dishonest tactic to me just to force clients on to a direct debit way of paying. I'm the customer and I want to pay for my service via credit card and I'm not going to be typing it in every month to ensure my service. I am really livid about this.

[jimwillsher]

I too am livid. I really can't be ars*d hunting around for a new ISP, not for 12 separate accounts, but I've no choice. A real shame, as this is the best ISP I've ever dealt with.


Jim

[imoit]

Me too Jim. I've been with ADSL24 for 3years at least. Actually so long I cannot remember! Its obvious is just the ISP avoiding charges and has nothing to do with security at all. As storing credit card number or bank numbers require exactly the same level of encryption. I wish they won't treat us customers like idiots. If they just put there prices up £1 to cover the credit card fees if we wanted to pay by credit card then I'd be happy with that. To be forced almost at gun point into something I'm not comfortable with its just disgusting frankly. Which ISP will you be switching to Jim?

[jimwillsher]

Not sure yet. In fairness to James he's trying to help, and has responded to my emails this afternoon. But there's no resolution in sight so I've a feeling I'll need to move. Most of the accounts I manage are owned by a local businessman and they're all separate business entities. He doesn't allow staff to set up direct debits as he doesn't like them.

No idea where to go now, as this was a bolt from the blue. I'm just glad the email arrived today and not last week, since I was in New Zealand at my brother's funeral and this would have tipped me over the edge! I've no idea who I'd move to, I'll need to start the dreaded hunt again...



Jim

[imoit]

I don't like direct debits either and don't bank on-line at all. We all know why banks like us to do it; its cheaper for them to get the customer to do their jobs! Instead people have to put their financial details or sometimes their identity at risk as there is no such thing as a secure computer. Yeah, I'm paranoid! lol

[paulbacon]

I don't like direct debits either and don't bank on-line at all. We all know why banks like us to do it; its cheaper for them to get the customer to do their jobs! Instead people have to put their financial details or sometimes their identity at risk as there is no such thing as a secure computer. Yeah, I'm paranoid! lol

yea but your bank have your details on a computer. So its not like they arent out their in cyberspace somewhere

[jimwillsher]

The security thing doesn't really bother me, my cards are registered on dozens of sites. What really p155es me off is the complete hassle I'll face each month - 12 accounts, 7 or 8 cards. Month in, month out.

I fully intend to trawl the broadband market this weekend. 40GB/month, 832Kb upload, 8128Kb download, static IP, no throttling, and happy to pay £40. Any suggestions?



Jim

[paulbacon]

I only have 1 account and DD setup so not got this problem, but it cant take that long can it? 10-15 mins max a month to sort it, if that

[Solway]

can we get some offical response?

what the f'ing is all this about?

we can't pay for net with credit card now? i don't want direct debit!

[boysteve]

Solway
You can continue to pay by Credit card,it just means logging in to your billing account every month and paying as ADSL24 will no longer keep your card details on file

[imoit]

My big issue is really entering my bank details using the billing portal. I mean if ADSL24 don't consider their system safe enough to store credit cards numbers, why is it safe for bank account numbers? Has anyone else set up DD using the on-line blling portal - is it safe?

[multisync666]

I went just over my useage last month and had to send a cheque as they do not take Maestro/switch card just Visa.

[string]

Not amused, I don't want to swap. Change it back.

[buster1967]

I can see your problem but if this is ADSL's new rule what can you do other than look elsewhere, But how do you know a new ISP wont do the exact same thing.

[Dae]

My big issue is really entering my bank details using the billing portal. I mean if ADSL24 don't consider their system safe enough to store credit cards numbers, why is it safe for bank account numbers?

It's got nothing to with supporting VerifiedbyVisa / MastercardSecureCode on card transactions has it?

I've noticed a lot more sites are now supporting these "security" measures for cardholder-not-present transactions, of course the only thing it really protects is the issuing bank from card fraud claims.

Shame that 3D-Secure's site - securesuite.co.uk - looks like a phishing attempt every time :)

[Dae]

Not amused, I don't want to swap. Change it back.
Swap? :s You can still pay by CC, you just have to login to the billing portal each month.

Possibly a slight blag with several accounts, but probably not an issue with an individual account or two.

[Gremlinx]

I've always had to log in each month to manually make payment by credit card ever since i switched over to Murphx anyway.

[Capvermell]

I just sent this email to James after discovering this complete and utter nonsense. I must say the guy he now employs to take calls about billing does not seem to even vaguely understand customer expectations that ADSL24 is a company that provides its customers with the service they want and not with the service that it feels like providing them (a la BT, TalkTalk etc).

He also lied to me that nobody else had complained about this issue when surprise, surprise on visiting the company's own forum I find several other people severely hacked off over precisely the same matter.:rolleyes:

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Please Reinstate Continuous Credit Card Authority or You Will Lose Customers
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:39:34 +0100
To: removed

Dear James,

ADSLMax Service on Phone Number XXXXXXXXXX

Please Reinstate Continuous Credit Card Authority or You Will Lose Quite A Few Customers

I am writing to complain in the strongest possible terms about your company's decision to remove payment by continuous credit card authority and furthermore also to complain about the wholly inadequate email notifying customers of this change with only the subject line Card Payments/Billing (action required).

Like most of your customers I receive a great many emails each day and emails that appear routine like the monthly payment email for the set amount do not always get read. This was the case here because you did not use a subject line like AUTOMATED PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD HAS BEEN WITHDRAWN. So the only way I found out that the change had happened was because I lost the Egg Money credit card I pay my ADSL24 bill with and when I got the new card I immediately went to your site to enter the new card details only to find that automated credit card payment had been withdrawn that way.

So far as I am concerned payment by credit card that has to be initiated manually by the customer is an almost completely useless method. So either your company restores a facility that everyone else who takes monthly payment of bills by credit card offers (that is continuous credit card authority that does not require manual intervention) or I will be forced to look around for other MurphX resellers and/or near competitors like NewNet, IDNet, Zen or possibly my local wireless broadband supplier Kijoma (who offer a faster 13MBps service than is available on my non LLU BT exchange).

It is true that some other utilities do not take credit card payments at all and only accept direct debit but in the main these are the large complacent monoliths rather than the small nimble operations like ADSL24 who have always prided themselves on offering the service that customers actually want.

I must say I was pretty taken aback by the attitude of the guy who now mans your billing phone line today that this was all nothing to do with him and there was nothing he could do to change it as his general attitude to customer service seemed to represent the very antithesis of everything that ADSL24 originally seemed to stand for.

I look forward to your comments.

Regards,

[Capvermell]

I have now had the below email back from James admitting that they are trying to discourage credit card use to improve profit margins and more or less saying (albeit politely) that I can take my business elsewhere if I don't like it.

Given that Paul in customer services has a very different sort of approach to any support person that James has ever previously employed I can only assume that the company has now changed its business focus and is no longer interested in keeping customers happy at almost any cost but instead now wants to squeeze as much profit as they can out of every single customer they have got.

I don't know if this is perhaps a sign that broadband connections are no longer increasing in total numbers and hence companies can only only improve their operating position by increasing their average revenue per customer. Either way it certainly comes as a great surprise to see ADSL24 decide to go down this particular road.:o:(

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Please Reinstate Continuous Credit Card Authority or You Will Lose Customers
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:00:18 +0100
From: removed

Thanks for your e-mail.

The decision to no longer accept card details was done largely because of card processor charges, regulatory changes and also decisions from higher within the company (I am a manager, not director).

The e-mail we sent out does have a clear subject line including the “action required” wording and came from the normal ADSL24 billing address. We’ve had over a thousand Direct Debit’s already set up so that tells us the e-mail has worked for most.

However, we realise e-mails don’t always reach the recipient so we’ve already taken measures to send letters through the post later this week to those who have not yet been in touch. It’s not our aim to upset customers, but the decision was made to not accept continuous card authority (by means of storing card details) although we are still able to accept Card for your monthly service if you login to make payment manually.

I’ll be speaking with Paul whom your call was handled by to see how it was dealt with but I can only apologise about the change to Card payments and advise that in the short term we will no longer be able to accept automated card payments as a recurring payment method for the service.

This is not to say it won’t come back at a later date but with the ever increasing fees and the very small margin we make on an ADSL connection there is very little room left. I hope you can appreciate that as a business, decisions have to be made to ensure that the company runs as best as possible and that if there was a way to avoid removing CCA as a payment option it would have been done.

Of course, we don’t want to lose your custom, but I appreciate any decision you make in changing your ISP if CCA is a must for your situation.

Thank you,

James

[James]

admitting that they are trying to discourage credit card use to improve profit margins.

Nonsense really :(

As explained in the email, its no longer viable for us to continue providing CCA for the short term. It's not about profit margins, but increased charges meant that action needs to be taken to ensure that the business continues to run as normal and the service level is not impacted, nor prices raised.

For example, if you make a 5% mark-up on a product, and it costs you 4.5% to process automated card payments each month, then it's just not viable.

I'm sure you can realise that from our past correspondence I do all I can to help keep customers happy but some things are unavoidable. I am pretty surprised about the comment on trying to make as much as possible out of customers, as that is just not ADSL24. Nothing has changed in the way ADSL24 is being run.

As said, if there was any possible way to avoid changing the CCA setup, we would have done it. We're looking for alternative payment providers to get this back for customers but it doesn't happen overnight.

That's the last I will be commenting on the situation. Direct Debit is by far more secure and gives the customer a lot more protection and control.