cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

kitz
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 833
Thanks: 55
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

Can someone please sort this.

I'm not around tomorrow to spend ages on the phone or with online support.
In view of the amount you are attempting to claim for this April it looks like you may have cancelled payment for DSL but not phone. Account is in probate.  


Saturday 8 Apr 2017 #312596768
We\'ll soon be taking a payment of £24.49 for your service. This will leave your account on or after 12/04/2017
An invoice has been raised on your account for £24.49. This payment will now be processed by your bank/building society.


15 Mar 2017 #309772221
Unfortunately, we've not received the regular Direct Debit payment for your Plusnet broadband account. This was due on 08/03/2017. - Amount owed: £30.31

8th March #145611589
INTERNAL: Refund invoice 83761881, close account and ensure assets are ceased.
Cease order placed, ref: OR0000007191553.
Customer is deceased.

17 REPLIES 17
Mav
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22,369
Thanks: 4,725
Fixes: 514
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav)

I have flagged this up with the staff.

Forum Moderator and Customer
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear - Mark Twain
He who feared he would not succeed sat still

kitz
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 833
Thanks: 55
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

Thanks Mav   I also note you pre-empted moving it.   I realised after I'd hit enter that I'd posted in wrong section and was about to ask a mod if it could be moved.

Mav
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 22,369
Thanks: 4,725
Fixes: 514
Registered: ‎06-04-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

@kitz

No problemThumbs_Up

Forum Moderator and Customer
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear - Mark Twain
He who feared he would not succeed sat still

Anoush
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 2,568
Thanks: 572
Fixes: 139
Registered: ‎22-08-2015

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

Hi there @kitz I am sorry to hear this has happened.

 

I can see we've downgraded the account to a free account to retain an email address, but the phone component was not removed. I've arranged for this to be taken off, and the outstanding charges written off the account/refunded once direct debit clears within the next 5 to 7 working days.

 

I apologise for the inconvenience caused.

This is my personal Community Forum account to help out around these parts while I'm at home. If I'm posting from the 1st March 2020, this means I'm off-duty with no access to internal systems.
If this post resolved your issue, please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

 @Anoush Pardon me for jumping in

But as the customer is diseased and the estate is in probate won't the bank account have been frozen so the direct debit will fail - see the opening post where the direct debit has failed

Anoush
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 2,568
Thanks: 572
Fixes: 139
Registered: ‎22-08-2015

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

It's showing as pending via our systems, but yeah it's likely to fail. If it does fail we'll write the invoice off the account. At the moment, we can't do anything until the direct debit either completes or fails.

This is my personal Community Forum account to help out around these parts while I'm at home. If I'm posting from the 1st March 2020, this means I'm off-duty with no access to internal systems.
If this post resolved your issue, please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
kitz
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 833
Thanks: 55
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

@Anoush - Thank you for looking into this.

At the moment, we can't do anything until the direct debit either completes or fails.



The March payment has already failed - which is why I said the account was in probate and including the ticket number (#309772221) showing that it had failed the previous month.   If March failed then it should be obvious that April will too.

From my days in the banking industry there are special BACs codes passed back to the originator which lets them know exactly why the direct debit failed.
If memory serves correct 0=lack of funds, 1=cancelled, 2=deceased etc* so it should have already been flagged on your system because there's only code 0 where you can attempt to make another claim without a new mandate.

 

I think OJ spotted this too when he said "see the opening post where the direct debit has failed"

 

 

*Sheesh - Why I can't remember what I had for tea yesterday, but I can recall useless info like that no problem?  

Anoush
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 2,568
Thanks: 572
Fixes: 139
Registered: ‎22-08-2015

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

The direct debit failed last time with reason code 2.

Appreciate it's likely the direct debit will fail again, but at the moment it's pending which is preventing us from writing off the invoice/closing the account. I apologise for the inconvenience caused.

This is my personal Community Forum account to help out around these parts while I'm at home. If I'm posting from the 1st March 2020, this means I'm off-duty with no access to internal systems.
If this post resolved your issue, please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
jelv
Seasoned Hero
Posts: 26,785
Thanks: 971
Fixes: 10
Registered: ‎10-04-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

Correction:

it's likely the direct debit will fail again

the direct debit will definitely fail again

jelv (a.k.a Spoon Whittler)
   Why I have left Plusnet (warning: long post!)   
Broadband: Andrews & Arnold Home::1 (FTTC 80/20)
Line rental: Pulse 8 Home Line Rental (£14.40/month)
Mobile: iD mobile (£4/month)
Townman
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 22,919
Thanks: 9,536
Fixes: 156
Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.


@kitz wrote:

From my days in the banking industry there are special BACs codes passed back to the originator which lets them know exactly why the direct debit failed.

... 2=deceased ... so it should have already been flagged on your system because there's only code 0 where you can attempt to make another claim without a new mandate.


@Anoush wrote:

The direct debit failed last time with reason code 2.

 

@Anoush,

Not wanting to shoot the messenger but this is really insensitive of the business!!

The business systems get a DD rejection which clearly indicates the account owner is deceased ... and the business systems continue to function regardless?  This ought to have created a very clear exception event for manual review, not carry on regardless and attempt to issue a further DD payment requests, month after month after... until bereaved relatives discern what's happening and find the strength (indeed courage) to try to get through to customer services to attempt to sort things out.  "Do you proud..." I think there's a need to find some people compassion and simply "Do better!".

I trust that this lack of respect and consideration has been passed to the business and quality team for urgent review?

For the avoidance of doubt, my sentiments are very much not directed at you personally Anoush. Wink

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

MisterW
Superuser
Superuser
Posts: 14,573
Thanks: 5,408
Fixes: 385
Registered: ‎30-07-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

until bereaved relatives discern what's happening and find the strength (indeed courage) to try to get through to customer services to attempt to sort things out.  "Do you proud..." I think there's a need to find some people compassion and simply "Do better!".

In my experience, very few companies handle the deceased customer situation very well. When my mother died some years ago I had to contact all the various suppilers to cancel things. I had some 'we need to talk to the account holder' responses and 'we're sorry you're leaving - hope to see you back in the future' letters and quite a few replies sent to the, now deceased, acoount holder, rather than to me as executor. In fact the only one I remember that got it right was Briitish Gas, which was a surprise!. In my first contact, within a few seconds of mentioning deceased, they put me straight through to their 'bereavement dept' who understood perfectly how to handle the situation.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Anoush
Aspiring Hero
Posts: 2,568
Thanks: 572
Fixes: 139
Registered: ‎22-08-2015

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

@Townman - In this instance, the account was picked up by our cancellations team and downgraded to a free account instead of closed outright, as requested, in order to retain any email addresses.

It was simply down to agent error for not removing the phone component from the account after the account type was changed, which is something I'll feedback as this situation could have been avoided.

This is my personal Community Forum account to help out around these parts while I'm at home. If I'm posting from the 1st March 2020, this means I'm off-duty with no access to internal systems.
If this post resolved your issue, please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
kitz
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 833
Thanks: 55
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

This is bad Plusnet.   Really appalling customer service.

 

TBF I left this message here last time because I could not bear to speak to support on the telephone again due to the way it was handled wasn't shall I say the best experience.

When I rang up to report the death of the EU and had to go through all the details I was quite calm and OK.  After about 10mins or so going through everything with the first agent,  I was told I would have to be transferred to COT so they could cancel the account.   At which point they cut me off.

So I had to dial again and wait ~30 mins to get through.  Spoke to another agent who had to transfer me.  Eventually got through and by the 3rd time I'd had to tell someone that the EU had died, understandably I started to get upset - remember by now its over an hour later than when I first tried to call and I'd had to explain this to 3 different people.

You should NEVER have to be passed from pillar to post in these circumstances. It is not good procedure to have to explain everything to one person, then have to go through it all again with another.   The fact that someone cut me off in between makes it worse.
Either 1) Make sure the first agent can deal with everything

or 2) Immediately pass then on to a relevant person who can.   

 

Secondly when a direct debit is returned as type 2 - its marked type 2 for a reason.  It should be flagged on your systems.  But it wasnt and we got to the point above where I had to ask to ensure it didnt happen again this month.

 

Right now Im shaking.  I'm so mad.   To quote my uncle (one of the executors)

" ****ing Plusnet.   Its been simple everywhere else except them" 

Nor is it you who had to handle my mum in tears on the phone.   

 

I specifically asked you to ensure it did not happen again this month but it has.

kitz
Aspiring Pro
Posts: 833
Thanks: 55
Registered: ‎08-06-2007

Re: Still attempting to take payment for deceased customer.

Wed 19th of April, my uncle (one of the executors) gets the following email


Unfortunately, we've not received the regular Direct Debit payment for your Plusnet broadband account. This was due on 08/04/2017.

Your payment details
--------------------
Account Name: XXXXX
Direct Debit Reference: PNET2070479-2  

Why has this happened?
----------------------
Your Direct Debit payment failed because of the following:
The Direct Debit Instruction has been cancelled by you/the payer, or the bank/building society.

 

 

This morning we get this

23/07/2017 09:00


Just a reminder that you need to make a payment that's due on your Plusnet broadband account.

To avoid any restrictions to your service you should pay within the next 9 days.

Payment due
-----------
Amount owed: £24.49
Date payment was due: 08-04-2017

 

Ive just logged in to the account and I see this

Question #148146795

 

[CS agent name removed]  - Billing Operations - Billing, Refunds and Credits
11:29am, Wednesday 19 Apr 2017
 
 

We have been informed by your bank/building society that some of the details you included in your recent Direct Debit instruction PNET2070479-2 were wrong.

Because of this your Direct Debit instruction could not be setup.


What you should do now
----------------------

You need to setup a new Direct Debit instruction. You can enter new Direct Debit details by visiting:

https://portal.plus.net//my.html?action=update_credit_card

Please make sure that the sort code, account number, account name and all other information needed is correct.


++ Internal ++

Reason Code 2

 

FGS  It even says Reason Code 2.   There's an agents name on the ticket.  Someone has looked at it and still decided to send out mail asking for a new direct debit.