Vince Cable

MP Vincent Cable reports that care groups - like Whitton Network - and constituents are protesting strongly over the penalties being introduced by BT for customers who do not pay by direct debit.

These are in the main elderly or needy people who do not have bank accounts or are otherwise not able to adjust to BT's preferred mode of payment. The new quarterly penalty is £4.50 (£18 a year).

Vincent Cable has written to Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, to ask it to investigate BT's new penalty charges. He said: "there are large numbers of elderly people who have paid their telephone bills for many years, and never defaulted, but are now being treated as second class customers. £18 a year may not seem much to the affluent but for those who have to watch every penny it is not a trivial sum. It is time these big corporate enterprises showed a little more sensitivity towards their loyal customers".