Since I'm approaching fifty years of age, it's fair to say that I've encountered a solid amount of ungulate excrement in my lifetime. This... is one of the very few that are legal. Don't let that fool you. It's one of the worst ones I've encountered especially because of that legality.
Just because it's legal, doesn't mean it's good.
Story One: Once upon a time, Brother-in-Law G signed up for a gym. Anyone familiar with gyms will know that they only accept direct debit as a payment method. Why? They're relying on a customer base that signs up in January, visits until late February, and then forgets about going by late April.
G realised this and, as soon as going to the gym became too inconvenient, he cancelled his membership. Surprise surprise, the payments continued because Company B didn't acknowledge said cancellation nor did they communicate with the gym. Were it not for a fatal car accident, G would have likely levelled fraud charges at the gym, at Company B, and if possible Megacorp C. Though I doubt the last would have been possible.
The scummy part was that debt collectors were calling his mum to try and get her to pay what he "owed" for a membership he'd been trying to halt payments on for months on end. His body hadn't even been released for a funeral and these bloodsuckers were chasing after that almighty dollar.
Story Two: Way back when Beloved and I were making our home as a couple, we needed a new refrigerator. The best deal we could get at the time was via an electric company that also allowed people to take out loans to buy their branded whitegoods. Heck, they would even let you buy other branded whitegoods. Contract reasonable, payments allegedly flexible, all seemed well and good.
Until it came time for the payments. My goodness, this lot were bloodthirsty. They did not care if you paid the payment amount in advance. They did not care if you paid more than the payment amount. If you did not give them money on the very day it was due, they would call you up the instant their offices open and try to get on your case about being a deadbeat.
The script from the call center included a phrase similar to, "You could sign up for direct debit and never have to worry about this ever again." Hardy firkin har, fellows. Pull the other one, it's got bells on.
The company only accepted two forms of payment - the aforementioned direct debit, and coin of the realm. The furforal mentioned in Story One above was occurring simultaneously, so I was doubly resistant to taking their bait.
I went out of my way to pay them, in cash, on the day of the payment, as soon to the opening of the doors as I could manage. And we would still get contacted by the office because the office receiving the cash hadn't processed it yet.
After G died, I would make them listen to the entire story of G's trials and what they did to his mum. Every time they rang. I wasn't going to take "Oh, that won't happen to you" or "Oh we won't do that" as an answer. I wasn't taking any chances.
Every single person who's signed up for direct debit has encountered trouble. I've heard from people who've got their Company A to agree to only take out payments after payday... only to have Company B change their minds and take money out beforehand, thereby causing bank fees and charges in the process.
There's only one way to stop this scam, and that's to stop playing. If a gym insists it's the only way to enjoy their services, tell them that it'll be cheaper in the long run to get your own gym gear and train via YouTube tutorials. If a loan company insists that it's going to be easier for you, refuse and jump through literally any other hoop to avoid using it.
When there's enough consumer pressure to not have it exist, perhaps it will cease being offered.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / cobracz]
