TESCO Phone Shop
Code of practice
Managing your bills
Helping our customers to manage their bills and avoid disconnection
Introduction
Also see:
Tesco Stores Ltd wishes to do all it can to help its customers to manage their bills and to avoid disconnection and has set out this code of practice with the objectives of:
- Promoting responsible behaviour by ourselves and you our customers.
- Encouraging prompt and full payment of bills.
- Minimising debt and disconnection.
- Explaining our procedures and building your awareness of them.
- Promoting good customer service.
General procedures
Paying your bill on time will keep our costs down. This will allow us to share the savings with you via low call prices. Please contact us as soon as possible if you have difficulty in paying your bill. Our Customer Service team will be able to agree with you:
- Alternative methods of payment.
- International and/or premium rate call barring, where these types of calls have contributed towards your payment difficulties.
If you regularly fail to pay your bills on time, we may ask you for a deposit as security against non-payment of future bills or we may cancel your service.
Credit checking
We may refuse an application for reasons such as:
- An undischarged bankrupt;
- Applicants under 18, who are not able legally to enter into a contract with us; or
- If we have reasonable grounds to suspect fraud.
Security deposits
We may ask for a deposit for the following reasons:
- Calls to countries specified by our network partners; or
- If you have a history of non-payment with Tesco home phone.
- The deposit will be used as a credit for future calls. When this credit limit has been met we will ask for a new deposit to allow you to continue to use the service.
Bill payment methods
Tesco home phone preferred payment method is Direct Debit. This allows us to keep our costs down.
We will take payment from your bank account at least 6 working days after we have sent you your telephone bill. The date that we take payment is shown on the bill. You can view your bills online at www.tescohomephone.com. Please call Customer Services on 0845 300 70 80 (8am - 8pm Monday to Saturday, 10am - 4pm Sunday and Bank Holidays. Calls may be recorded. Calls charged at up to 4p per minute from BT landlines. Other providers may vary.) to set up your online account if you haven't already.
Company non-payment procedures
If the Direct Debit fails we will:
- Write to you and ask you to calls us
- Try to contact you by phone to arrange for the funds to be available when we make the second attempt; or
- If we do not get to speak to you then we will send you a letter and a copy of the bill explaining that the Direct Debit failed and we will make a second attempt to take payment. We will ask you to ensure that funds are available in your bank account.
Supporting customers
If you have payment difficulties, it is important that you contact us straight away if you are unable to ensure the funds are available in your bank account when we take a Direct Debit payment. The number to ring is shown on your telephone bill. We will discuss the following solutions with you:
- An alternative method of payment.
- If you haven't already, set up an internet account on www.tescohomephone.com so that you can monitor how much you are spending in between bills.
- International and/or premium rate call barring, where these types of calls have contributed towards your payment difficulties.
Disconnections
Company procedures
We wish to avoid suspending your telephone service. Listed below are some of the circumstances in which we reserve the right to disconnect your telephone service:
- If you are found to have given incorrect or incomplete information when you applied for our telephone service.
- If you break your contractual agreement with us, or if we believe that your service is being used in a way forbidden by your contractual agreement.
- If you fail to pay your telephone bills.
- If fraud is suspected. If we detect abnormal usage, we may restrict your service immediately to avoid the build up of further debt until we can contact you and establish the reasons for this abnormal usage. If appropriate, we will then investigate further to establish if fraud is taking place.
We reserve the right to prosecute in all cases of fraud. If suspension takes place, we will not reconnect your service until we are happy that the problem has been resolved.
Debt collection
If you do not pay your telephone bill we will bar all of your outgoing calls (apart from calls to emergency services). We will pass details of the outstanding amount to a debt collection agency to collect the money on our behalf. The Debt Collection Agencies are professional, are members of a recognised association responsible for regulating the debt collection industry and are licensed by the Office of Fair Trading to undertake this type of work. Information about your debt may be shared with other organisations that give credit. We may raise a County Court Judgement against you.
Disconnection without notice
We will suspend a service without notice if we suspect fraud due to abnormal usage. This will ensure there is no build up of further debt until we can contact you to discuss the abnormal usage. If appropriate, we will then investigate further to establish if fraud is taking place. We reserve the right to prosecute in all cases of fraud.
Erroneous disconnection
If your service is suspended because of an error by us, then you will not incur any penalty charges. And the service will be resumed within 48 hours.
Reconnection charges
You will be responsible for a penalty charge payment for any failed Direct Debits from your bank account. See our latest prices and charges.
Useful addresses
Ofcom: Ofcom Contact Centre, Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA. Tel: 300 123 333. Fax: 020 7981 3333. www.ofcom.org.uk
Otelo: PO Box 730, Warrington WA4 6HL
Tel: 0845 050 16 14 or 0330 440 1614 www.otelo.org.uk