Will this hold any legal weight?
I cancelled my account with DTV and was assessed an early termination fee. When I cancelled the gal said, “All final bills and charges will be charged against the financial information we have for you.”
I said, “I figured you’d do that so I cancelled my card today. I will pay my bill, and then $10 or $20 a month on the early termination fee. I understand it may go to collections, and that’s fine. I’ll just pay them $10 or $20 a month until it’s paid off.”
I heard a kind of “Ooof!” at the other end. :D
Well, today I made my first payment. Before I gave them the number, I made sure it was being recorded, got the rep’s name, made a note of the date and exact time and said, “This financial information may only be used at my direction. You can not take out more than what I authorize.”
So…do you think that will cover me, or are they probably going to debit it anyway?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
16 Answers
I wouldn’t bother with over-the-phone stuff with them. Send them a money order every month. You can track the payment with your receipt. Keep the receipts as proof of payment.
That’s a good idea, but too much work. I sit here at the first on the month and pay all my bills without leaving the house.
But that WOULD prevent them from getting any financial info.
@Dutchess_III I would get a prepaid credit card and only put on it what you want them to get each month. They can’t get anymore more than you want.
I don’t know how to get a prepaid card..
What store is nearby? I just got one at RiteAid. For a $4.00 fee I got a card I can recharge at anytime, as much as I want, or just $10.00. I’m thinking I’ll use it instead of my regular debit card. if someone hacks the card, they can only get what’s on it.
Yeah, my regular bank card got hacked. Someone tried to charge a $975.00 room reservation in Milwaukee. Fortunately they thought that looked wacked and froze the account. But I’m going to be much more careful with that account.
You can get one called the Green Card at most pharmacies like CVS or Rite Aid.
If I’m not mistaken, I think you can put money on the card by cash at the store where you bought it.
Or if you want to do it from home, I believe you can also recharge it by transferring funds to it from another card you have.
Some banks offer disposable credit card numbers. You can write them so they expire when you wish in any amount you decide. You can even make them for a single pages. There is no charge for this service. Call your bank or check online.
“I cancelled my account with DTV and was assessed an early termination fee.”
Did you cancel your account before the contract was up? Your initial contract was a balance of service over a specified period of time. You can change one [time], but they can’t change the other [terms]?
Yes, I cancelled my account before the contract was up. It wasn’t up until July of 2015
It should be fine. If they charged you more than you authorized you can challenge the amount and you won’t have to pay it. If they don’t have a tape recording or signature from you then they cannot prove you authorized the charge, so they would actually have to edit the recording, if they recorded you, and I don’t see that happening, but if it is a collections agency they can be total assholes and unscrupulous I guess. I only dealt with collections once.
For instance, when you buy something at a store with a credit card the store can put it through without your signature. Your signature doesn’t matter at all, the charge will still get processed no matter what the amount. This has always been the case. When I worked in retail we ran charges for thousands of dollars without signatures. It’s when the customer challenges the charge that the signature comes into play.
OK, based on your answers, here is what I did. I figured that when I gave them the card info when I made my $20 payment, they would find some excuse to hit it for the balance due after 30 or 60 days or whatever. So I cancelled THAT card and got a new one issued. At some point this month I’ll get a a pre-paid card JUST for DTV.
Thanks for the info, guys.
@Dutchess_III Yes, and only have on the card the exact amount you want to pay, otherwise they may try to sweep the account later.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
