Why is Milk & More insisting I pay in advance?

The delivery service’s payment system means a cheque in a bottle is only option

The milk delivery service Milk & More is asking us to pay weekly in advance of our orders. We have been with variations of this service (now owned by the German dairy giant Muller) for 63 years but have never been asked to pay this way – that is, before the milk is on the doorstep.

On its website, M&M also insists we pay by giving the long number on a debit card. In an informal chat at my bank I was told this was one piece of information you should never allow anyone to use “as and when”.

Living in a rural village with no banks (any more) to withdraw cash, we have to leave a cheque in a jar for the milkman. It’s tragic. What can we do?

RJ, Hunstanton, Norfolk

It’s a great shame as Milk & More seems to be alienating long-standing and loyal customers. It tells us: “We would like to thank RJ for his long-standing support and are sorry to hear of his concerns.

“We can reassure RJ that his bank card details are held by a world-renowned banking organisation and this information is secure. However, RJ can become an offline customer and pay us in arrears by cheque. He can post it or pay by bank transfer or direct debit.”

We welcome letters but cannot answer individually. Email us at consumer.champions@theguardian.com or write to Consumer Champions, Money, the Guardian, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Please include a daytime phone number. Submission and publication of all letters is subject to our terms and conditions

Contributor

Rebecca Smithers

The GuardianTramp

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