An update:
I used Live Chat to try to get to the bottom of this. Apparently:
"I have identified that your cease order was completed on the 12th of March 2025, and your account was under investigation for a potential bill after the cease. This means the bills were suppressed during that period, so we were unable to generate bills or take payments, which is why your bill was delayed."
and relating to me still having an active direct debit:
"Since the account was under suppression, we are unable to process payments. This means that since the bill due date has passed, you will need to make a manual payment."
It is unclear when the bill was produced. I didn't get a notification about it. It wasn't there when I checked on my usual billing date, and again at the end of March. It is dated 18th March, almost a week after cease (charges from 18 Mar-17 Apr).
I have been told I must manually pay ASAP, the bill cannot be cancelled even though the charges are incorrect and that I will receive another bill in a month's time, which may include late payment charge which I can ask to be waived, and which will refund the days after my disconnection date (i.e. the whole bill).
I have no words to describe how I feel about that. 😠
Edit: I made the mistake of holding on for a manager in the live chat who has now thrown into the works:
"The cease order that I'm looking at right here was placed on the 12th of March 2025 and was estimated to complete on the 13th of March 2025 however looking at the effective date it stated on the 8th of April 2025."
To be clear, my new services started on 12th March.
Manager was unable to confirm whether the charges would be refunded, so formal complaint raised. I even took the trouble to check on 13th March all was ok with the cease and left that live chat suitably reassured. I don't know what more I could have done as a customer.
