Slightly confuzzled

[Danni]

This isn't worrying (yet) just slightly confuzzling.

Today is the day my second Direct Debit to IDNet is meant to come out from my bank account. It hasn't. However, the invoice is marked as paid in my customer account. As I don't think IDNet can be paid before the money leaves my account (I'm assuming it will in the next couple of days) does this mean the invoices are marked automatically, whether the payment has been received or not?

[Simon]

I think this is something you would need to contact IDNet about, Danni.  My last invoice was issued on 20th June, for the payment due on 21st July, and it's still marked UNPAID in my IDNet account, as the direct debit won't have gone out yet.

[Ray]

I think it's probably delays between your bank and Idnet's bank and how quickly the bank updates your account information, Danni, I've just checked my July payment and I've got the opposite, according to my bank it's been paid today but it is still down as unpaid with Idnet. I don't think that there is a problem.

[Danni]

For direct debits, my bank normally takes them from my account the day they're due (or the Saturday if they're due on a Monday). The amount isn't even deducted from my available balance (unlike last night's Asda shop) so it hasn't left it at all.

I don't want to contact IDNet about it, as I don't think there's a problem (unless it doesn't go out by Friday- then I'll contact them). It's just odd.

I've also realised that my broadband account was activated on 11th June, yet I've been charged from the 9th. I may contact them about that one

[Sebby]

The whole billing thing confuses me as IDNet made some changes a little while back, and I believe there were some problems. If you're concerned at all that there may be in this case, just drop support a quick email and they'll check it out for you.

[Rik]

I'm the same as Ray & Simon, Danni, all my invoice are marked paid except the one due for August 2, which has not yet been collected. On the date issue, payment date is usually when you order, not when you're connected.

[davej99]

In my account it seems, until May, IDNET used to post the invoice on the due/payment date. Thereafter they seem to be invoicing one month ahead of the due/payment date. I noticed there were two invoices posted in May - one due May and one due June.

It seems now that during the period from the posting of the invoice and the payment date the account shows unpaid, but not overdue. I was slow to work this out and I called IDNET to ask if my payment had bounced and was assured on this point. I am happy to be corrected, but I think this means that if you PAY one month in advance, you are now INVOICED two months in advance.

Again please correct my understanding anyone, but I think this also means that if you were to give one months notice of termination all or part of the last invoice posted will have to be credited and/or paid, depending on how the termination date falls with respect to the last payment date.

I would be particularly careful not to give notice and cancel payment authority at the same time because a part unpaid invoice and thus a bad debt might arise. Though I am sure IDNET would deal with this properly, as ever, and keep customers fully aware of the situation.

Disclaimer: Please do not rely on my observations, which may be misinformed.

[Danni]

It's gone out today, but it still feels like I've lost two days of usage (I ordered on the 4th, so that doesn't fit either). Like I said in my first post, it's not worth contacting IDNet about (I have far more important things to worry about) but it just seemed odd.

Okay, to respond to davej99:

I was confused as yesterday I had two invoices in my IDNet customer account, both marked PAID. The first included my activation fee and was for the 9th June - 9th July, and was taken out on the 18th June (it went out of my bank account fine that day). The second was for 9th July - 9th August, with a payment due date of 9th July (yesterday). What was confusing me was it had been marked paid but the money hadn't left my bank account at all (the amount hadn't been deducted from the available balance, which sometimes happens if I payment hasn't fully left). It's been paid today (as I expected) but the invoice was marked paid before it actually was.

Oh yes: I now have a third invoice in my customer account, that wasn't there yesterday. As that's due 9th August it's marked UNPAID.

[davej99]

Perhaps IDNET are showing the payment request date rather than the funds transfer date. You will have to ask them. I do not think "unpaid" means overdue, more like "to be paid."

[Simon]

I think it's safe to assume that with cancellations, the billing date would be the relevant factor, not the invoice date.

[Rik]

Part of this issue stemmed from the availability of Direct Debits, which mean that IDNet have to give notice of the payment due. It was at that point that I first saw an invoice appear 3 weeks before due date.

[Lance]

When i first set up my direct debit it didn't work right and i didn't notice the payments not going out. The result was me not making payment for three months! I phoned Simon and soon got it sorted but during the whole time i never once got a threatening letter. All i got was a statement showing the unpaid invoices!

[Danni]

Simon_idnet has sorted out my billing date. Squeeness

[LesD]

I find the invoice dates versus payment dates a bit of a mystery too as they seem to move about but after a few months you will see the pattern of one payment being taken from you bank account on a monthly basis so on agregate the anomalies in the specific dates even out.

I like order and regularity in matters like this but have let it ride as in the long term all appears to be in order.

Here for example you can see the invoice dates and payment dates that I have copied from My Account details:

Type       Date                  Payment Due    Status
PAYMENT 9 July 2008          8 August 2008  UNPAID
PAYMENT 8 June 2008         8 July 2008      PAID 
PAYMENT 16 May 2008      16 June 2008      PAID 
PAYMENT 24 April 2008       8 May 2008       PAID 
PAYMENT 25 March 2008     8 April 2008      PAID 
PAYMENT 23 February 2008 7 March 2008     PAID 

As I said they move about a bit within each month but work out at one payment per month in the end. 

[Tina]

I too am confused about when DD's get taken out of my bank.. in June it went on on

17/06/08     DIRECT DEBIT IDNET

But in July  it went out of my account on

03/07/08     DIRECT DEBIT IDNET

With most DD's I know the date they are going to go out on. Been on benefits I can't afford to go over drawn cos a DD has come out when I wasn't expecting it. I am probably missing something obvious here LOL

[Simon]

So, you've had two direct debits taken in just over two weeks?  That doesn't sound right, unless IDNet have adjusted your payment date for some reason.  If you don't think it's correct, or you don't understand why it's changed, give them a call, and they will sort it for you. 

[Tina]

Yeah now I look at the dates it is two DD's in just over  2 weeks. I found this in my customer account

75203     PAYMENT     3 July 2008     1 August 2008     £17.99      UNPAID       View Invoice [PDF]
65977    PAYMENT    2 June 2008    2 July 2008    £17.99    PAID    View Invoice [PDF]
61555    PAYMENT    16 May 2008    16 June 2008    £17.99    PAID    View Invoice [PDF]
55179    PAYMENT    18 April 2008    2 May 2008    £17.99    PAID    View Invoice [PDF]
48146    PAYMENT    28 February 2008    13 March 2008    £17.99    PAID    View Invoice [PDF]

So its like the one that went out of my account on the 3rd July  is for the August payment.. i will phone them.

[Simon]

Those payments look oddly spaced out.  13th March to 2nd May is about 6 weeks, then around another 6 weeks till the next payment on 16th June.  Maybe something slipped out of sync, and this is the catch up? 

[Tina]

Maybe. I will phone them. I just need to know what date the DD is coming out so I can budget. DSS don't give me enough money for DD to come out when I am not expecting them

[Baz]

I thought the rule for DD was that the company wanting payment cant take it out before the date arranged by the customer and thats for every bank/building society.

[Simon]

I think they can, within reason, Baz, but with a monthly payment, it's reasonable to expect it to be at around the same date each month.

[Tina]

I phoned and spoke  to a lovely lady It's because a payment was missed earlier in the year - my payment should come out of the 2nd of each month. Oh I love Idnet CS, such a delight to deal with after pipex 

[Simon]

That would have been Miriam.    Glad it's sorted! 

[Rik]

My payment last month was two weeks late, back to normal this month though.

[Sebby]

Same here, Rik.