[Gllug] OT: Paying for stuff - Was: So no one has opinions about ISPs?

[DL Neil]

Quoting Ian Norton-Badrul <bredroll at darkspace.org.uk>:

> On Wed, Aug 01, 2007 at 10:48:29AM +0100, Henrik Morsing wrote:
>> I have previously been with PlusNet and they're absolutely superb.
>
> Plusnet terminated my contact for 'unspecified reasons' and continued to bill
> my switch card every month for 5 months, they refused to let me   
> contact them to
> complain because my account was blacklisted
...
> In the end I reported to my bank that 'some funny internet company is showing
> up on my statement and i've never authorised any payments', natwest   
> changed my
> card and gave me my refund.

As someone who has lived overseas and who has set up an 'Internet  
Bank', this characteristic of UK commerce leaves me with chills.

Similarly I have found component suppliers 'dipping into' my  
Switch/Maestro account after over-refunding me; and when Bulldog was  
leashed to Pipex they set up a new Direct Debit Agreement without  
reference to me (not so bad, but the old one was left 'alive' and thus  
left me exposed to 'double-dipping').

There seems to be no way to stop a Maestro repeated payment - indeed  
is there even a way to stop a single transaction  
magically/accidentally becoming a repeating payment? At least with a  
Direct Debit one can go online and cancel the arrangement (but can the  
other party then reinstate it without reference on the basis of the  
original signed document?). With Internet transfers/payments, the  
account holder is in control, eg how I pay my web host and yet cover  
'extras' such as new domain registrations.

Which regular payment method is the safest/least exposed to supplier  
arrogance/abuse, that at the same time is acceptable to suppliers?

Regards,
=dn


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