Categories
Bacs, Bureau Service, Direct Debit
Date
20, NOV 2014

Not one organisation is compliant with the Direct Debit scheme rules!

From where I sit this is a statistical fact. I haven’t carried out a Direct Debit Audit for every organisation in the UK but out of the 500+ companies I have worked with, 500+ are failing to comply with at least one rule – and most considerably more.  Not you? Well, if you collect Direct Debits have read and understood every single word, of every page of the Direct Debit Scheme Rules (that’s 160 pages!) then you probably need to get out more.

So does compliance matter? The simple equation is as follows:

– high level compliance = greater efficiency + happier customers + more successful collections.

The rules are written to ensure that everyone knows what they are doing and understands the process. They are there to make sure that customers have no nasty surprises; to make sure that you avoid disputes over payments and to make sure that people are happy using Direct Debit and that it remains there preferred payment method.

When we process Direct Debits on behalf of our customers we are doing our very best to make the process as pain free and efficient as possible, that’s why we try and check that they are doing things correctly. So then, as a Direct Debit company can we claim to be 100% scheme compliant? Now this could be an awkward question based on my opening statement, but, what I am prepared to say is this…we do collect Direct Debits and I have read every word of every page of the Direct Debit Scheme rules – on many occasions over the last 5 years. Saying that, even so it would be a pretty bold claim – but I am certain of 2 things:

  1. Direct Debit scheme compliance matters to us
  2. I need to get out more.

Gavin Lawrence, Managing Director, Clear Direct Debit.