Can you be forced to pay by Direct Debit only?

[neddyw]

Can a supplier force a client to pay only by direct debit and on any day he chooses to take the money (ie not on the same date each month)?

[Ethel]

A supplier can stipulate any terms and conditions he likes, within the law, so if he states he only accepts direct debit that is perfectly legal.

Now, the varying dates is a worry. You are supposed to be notified in advance if the dates change, but it is common practice for companies to take the money on either a Friday or Monday if the due date falls on a weekend.

[neddyw]

Thanks for info.
They work on 14 day payment terms so every two weeks they take a payment for any work done within the last 2 weeks so if we submit work on day 13 we have to pay on day 14. We feel it is totally unfair

Some of our clients work on nearly 60 day terms so our argument with the supplier is that we cant pay them til we get paid! There is no way round it because we have to submit all our work via them.

We are Domestic Energy Assessors so trying to get any work at the moment is difficult.

[R1Geezer]

As ethel says, they can demand adherence to their T&C's you can accept it or go elsewhere. No one is "forcing" anything on anyone.

[sandmaster]

You will probably find that the supplier will quote on the invoice or statement the date on which (or shortly thereafter) they will take payment. This will keep them in accordance with the terms and conditions for direct debits. They are quite at liberty to state how they require payment - it is up to the purchaser as to whether or not to do business with this firm. Some suppliers demand cash on delivery.

[Nannyjill]

The only way I know round this is to quote your terms on the purchase/work order and if you've put you pay 60 days they will have to accept it. Many sales departments don't read that and just process the order.