Bord Gais not accepting IBAN

S

SDMXTWO

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I was switching from EI to BG this morning but the form will not accept the N26 BANK GmbH IBAN. Should this really be an issue, do you have to open a new 'pillar' bank account to pay a utility bill? This is Europe.
 
Will they accept it at all, or can't accept it online?
There's a bit of an issue with the adoption of SEPA rules here. If you are paying from an Irish account, a digitally signed mandate is acceptable. However, legally, to pay from a non-irish account requires a paper mandate and a wet signature, so some companies set up their system validation to only accept Irish accounts.
Other countries adopted different rules.
 
Yes emailed them and they asked for the BIC+BAN to see what they could do. Will update as soon as I get an answer. Surely a European bank registered in Berlin should be ok. No way am I dealing with a 'pillar bank.
 
WOW - Unfortunately we are unable to use any other bank account other than Irish.

Does anyone else find this offensive to say the least. We are supposed to be an open european society. I'm not surprised at the answer. What type of welcome is that to Irish people coming back home or anyone from abroad that never heard of BOI/AIB. They have to open a new bank account to have electricity has to be questioned.
 
RedOnion said:
Absolutely correct. Legally they must have a paper mandate in order to raise a DD on an account domiciled outside the republic.
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Legally? Plenty of other companies accepting DD from non Irish accounts.
 
Itchy said:
Legally? Plenty of other companies accepting DD from non Irish accounts.
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It simply means they are willing to take the risk, since you seem to know plenty of companies can you give us say a half a dozen examples?
 
Itchy said:
Revenue for one.
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Ah yes, but only within their secure area, where everything you do has effectively the same legal standing as if you signed it on paper.

For the others, they have no legal authority to debit the customers account, so customer could request a recall of every payment on that basis. The company is giving up all the protection of the SEPA scheme by doing so.
 
So this is the reply:

Thanks for your recent email to Bord Gais Energy.
Unfortunately we are unable to use any other bank account other than Irish.
If anything else we can do for you, just reply to this email and we'll be happy to help.
 
“Under Sepa, for euro countries collecting euro, it will become mandatory from February 1st that they use the Sepa direct debit scheme to collect those. So, if you go to Spain next year and decide to buy an apartment,” he adds, “you will have the capability to give your Irish bank account details and they will be able to collect direct debits from your Irish bank account.”

SEPA Consumer (Debtor) Rights
Under the SEPA Direct Debit Core Scheme Rules and SEPA Regulation 260-2012 consumers can:

  • Use a single account to pay a SEPA Direct Debit in any SEPA country
  • Instruct their bank to refuse a SEPA Direct Debit
  • Prohibit the application of any SEPA Direct Debit to their bank accounts
  • Specify creditors who may collect SEPA Direct Debits from their bank accounts
  • Specify creditors who may not collect SEPA Direct Debits from their bank accounts
  • Limit a SEPA Direct Debit collection to a certain amount and/or period
  • Request a refund for any SEPA Direct Debit within eight weeks from the date on which the SEPA Direct Debit was debited from their account. Within the eight week period their bank must refund on a ‘no-questions asked’ basis
  • Request a refund for any unauthorised SEPA Direct Debit after 8 weeks and within 13 months from the date on which the SEPA Direct Debit was debited from their account.
More information on the SEPA Direct Debit Core Scheme is available from the
 
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Bord Gais giving me the runaround saying it's all fixed now but it's not reading the IBAN number. Ditto Energia. You may think this is a small problem but i am on electric Ireland payzone meter where you pay as you go online with my N26 card. But I cannot get off the metre because Electric Ireland and all the other suppliers will not recognise the IBAN. I can save 233€ if I could change. Who is in charge of this as it is not fair that I cannot change provider due to stupidity.
 
I'll try one more time.

Have you filled in the paper form, or are you still trying online / phone?

A DD originator cannot accept a mandate electronically for an account domiciled outside the republic.

This is not a Bord Gais or an Energia issue.
These are the SEPA scheme rules as applied in Ireland.

You can use your N26 account, but valid authorisation requires your physical signature on a paper mandate.

BPFI publish a guide for creditors that goes through the rules in detail if you want more information.
 
Reactions: Leo
I take your point on the paper bit, but there's no such thing as an Irish IBAN, under SEPA rules, all IBANs across Europe are streamlined, that's the whole point, what about all the other banks that are not Irish pillar banks? That is what the SEPA is supposed to do. N26 is just not listed on their sites yet as are a myriad of other 'foreign' banks. They are just too slow.
 
SDMXTWO said:
there's no such thing as an Irish IBAN
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What do you think the first 2 letters of your IBAN stand for?...

SDMXTWO said:
under SEPA rules
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Ok, since I know nothing about this, can you point out to me where, in either the Payment Services Directive, or in the EPC's rulebook it says a DD originator must allow a paperless mandate?

It doesn't say it. Quite the opposite - it talks about signed mandates.

It talks about being able to use electronic signatures, when they become available. Revenue can collect an e-signature. A utility company can't currently in Ireland.

The fact that Irish DD originators can collect any mandates at all electronically is a dispensation that the Irish Banks (members of BPFI) have signed up to, as an 'Additional Optional Service' over and above the SEPA rules. It was an extension of what was originally the DD+ scheme which predates SEPA. They all give guarantees to each other in relation to the creditors for which they are the sponsoring bank.
They don't have to be pillar banks - a number of credit unions now provide the service.

A lot of countries in the SEPA area require a paper mandate for every DD, regardless of location of bank account. So we're actually lucky to be able to do any of it online / over the phone.

None of your rights are being taken away, you just need to fill in a paper form so they have valid authorisation to debit your account in Germany (as per SEPA rules).
 

No such thing as an Irish IBAN. Interesting.

You've asked your question, you've been told you have to do a paper mandate. You've been told there is no other way around this. Why on earth do you not just do the paper mandate.
 
There is always another way. I contacted them by phone and they are updating their system. You do not get things changed by doing what you are told. It's supposed to be a modern service using IBAN numbers.
 
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