Given the mess of Bill Express and the removal of subsidies paid to newsagents by the company, some newsagents are taking steps to cancel direct debit arrangements for payment of the old Bill Express equipment. Without commenting on the appropriateness of such a step, I am grateful to a colleague who pointed me to advice on how to do this and a sample letter which could be used. An ACCC bulletin from 2002 also has some interesting comments to make about this.
Newsagents need to consider carefully the action they take. The direct debit is the monthly pain of the failing Bill Express service. The bigger picture is who “promoted” Bill Express to your business? If you relied on the advice or recommendation of an individual or some other party in making your Bill Express decision you might want to talk with your lawyer about any liability they may share.
I refer to my blog post from the weekend which outlines reasons Bill Express may be in breach of the agreement and why, to this non-lawyer, associated agreements could be terminated.
I stress, again, I am not a lawyer. My blog posts should not be taken as advice. The best advice for your business will be that for which you pay an appropriately qualified legal professional.