Call charge: Top up/direct debit

[#1]

I had a line-only broadband package. I paid my bills by direct debit (£17.99 line rental and £9.99 broadband).

The deal was that any calls I made, and we tried to make as few as possible, would be covered by my topping up an account from which calls would be paid for.

After receiving outrageously expensive telephone bills I struggled to find a call plan. They don't make it easy.

The point is I have been paying my call charges by direct debit.

Has anyone else discovered they are paying for call charges by direct debit AND top up?

[#2]

Welcome to the community forums @Telephone

---

@Telephone wrote:

Has anyone else discovered they are paying for call charges by direct debit AND top up?

---

The way the top up payments work is essentially like an advance payment towards call charges.

For example, if you have a £50 credit limit for call charges and make £30 worth of calls, then make a £20 top up payment, there would be the remaining £10 of call charges on your standard monthly invoice.

I hope this clears things up.

[#3]

Sure, I understand how the top up works, but the same call charges have also been paid by direct debit.

[#4]

No, the amount that you top up is deducted from your monthly call charges. If that is not happening then PlusNet need to look at your invoicing to see what has gone wrong.

[#5]

I'm happy to double check when I start work in an hour or two, but if I recall correctly when I checked the other day, the call charges on your recent invoice were less than the total call charges for the month and were just the difference between the total calls in the month minus the top up.

[#6]

I've gone over a couple of recent invoices and the charges do appear to be correct.

I've raised a ticket on your account Here with a more detailed response as it goes too far in to specific charges on your account to post in a public forum.

I hope this helps.

[#7]

It's already registered under Question 143242038

If what you say is correct then the phone charges are staggeringly high.

What I found was that in a month the itemised bill showed X number of calls at cost Y

Y was then paid by direct debit. If you are saying that Top Up reduces this without clarification on the itemised bill BEFORE direct debit payment there is something pretty odd. The object of variable Direct Debit is to settle the invoice in full.