Getting away from a Prevelement!

[Lautrec]

I have been advised by someone, that if you take out a standing order with your bank, in France, which I understand is a called a 'prevelement', there is no way that you can ever cancel it, even if you wish to discontinue the service that someone has been providing for you; in this case an internet connection.(Tiscali)

Can anyone enlighten me!

Lautrec.

[Baz]

A 'Prevelement' is in fact a Direct Debit and can be stopped by yourself at anytime. However, I should point out that the bank will charge for cancelling a prevelement, so to avoid this you may be better to instruct the Company to whom the payment is paid to cancel it. I think the  bank charge is around 12€ but this could vary from bank to bank.

Baz

[BJSLIV]

In the case of Internet companies you have two problems . Firstly they usually have a 12 month minimum contract, followed by a two month notice period when termination must be done strictly in accordance with the contract conditions.  Secondly they are usually pretty incompetently managed even when you do comply with the conditions.

That said, cancelling a direct debit is simple enough, just instruct your bank. However it will not stop the service provider pursuing you either for their entitlement , or through simple incompetence. They can be pretty quick off the mark in resorting to threats, and debt collection procedures.

 

[Roli]

It's true (according to Banque Populaire). I had a problem with Neuf Telecom, I had tried to make an online internet connection with them and couldn't as it refused to accept my name as being the right name for my address. The problem was I had entered my bank details and although I had never used their services  the bills started arriving and they took the fees from my account. Even when I explained the situation to my bank they said it was impossible to stop the prevelement. The only way I got out of it was when my bank card ran out Neuf Telecom requested the number of the new one which I refused to give. They then accepted that I was not a customer of theirs and apologised but did not return the fees they had already taken. I was just glad it had all been sorted out, until this month when I got another bill from Neuf Telecom and a request for my new bank card information.

Roli

[Kayjay<P> <P><P>"Passer sa vie à lutter contre la connerie est le meilleur procédé pour mourir dépuisement."<P>]

Don't want to appear pedantic, but just to avoid you embarrassment if you find yourself in a conversation about it, it's prélèvement rather than prevelement.  I know how some French people love scratching their heads and pretending to be bemused if a foreigner mixes up the odd letter in a word....

[JohnM]

[quote]Don't want to appear pedantic, but just to avoid you embarrassment if you find yourself in a conversation about it, it's prélèvement rather than prevelement. I know how some French people love scra...[/quote]

Why do they do that?????? If a French person told me that they wanted "Cad and Ships" I would smile (or take the ***** if I knew them well) and go to buy the Cod and Chips I know they wanted. But if you mispronounce a French word, they look blank while you try every permutation of the word.

Sorry, should have started another thread for this... but I know what you mean.