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TELEPHONE customers increasingly are being slugged for receiving bills by mail, instead of electronically.
As e-billing grows, consumers are feeling the pain, with at least three companies charging monthly fees for getting their invoices on paper.
In January, Optus imposed a $2.20 monthly paper invoice charge for new mobile and landline customers.
Vodafone and 3 have similar charges. Vodafone says phasing out traditional bills for most customers saves up to 60 million paper sheets a year.
Vodafone only issues paper bills in "special circumstances". It says special circumstances apply "for disabled or disadvantaged customers, who have notified Vodafone and Vodafone has ascertained (at Vodafone's sole discretion) those circumstances".
The waiver also applies to customers connected to business call/data caps or plans and "any other circumstances as determined by Vodafone (at Vodafone's sole discretion)".
Otherwise, customers must go online to pay a bill, or agree to have their bill emailed to them.
Consumer groups say paper bill fees are unfair and warn the shift to online billing will make it harder for customers to check their accounts.
Consumers' Telecommunications Network CEO Teresa Corbin said most consumers were not aware they were being charged the fees: "People are losing their ability to check on their bills, by stealth."
She said there was not much that consumers could do to challenge the fees except change providers, but she offered advice for those who switch to online billing to avoid fees:
* Ensure you check your junk email box, to ensure your online bill has not arrived there.
* Be aware that you will not necessarily receive reminders that your bill is due. Make a note of the due date in your calendar.
* Remember that you are entitled to an itemised bill. If you are being billed online, it is easier to print out a hard copy to review the detail.
* It is a good idea to print out all your bills and keep a hard copy archive for future reference, in case you lose the electronic versions.
For more tips visit http://www.ctn.org.au
Consumer Action Law Centre spokesman Sean Carroll said he understood that companies wanted to move away from paper bills, especially for environmental reasons.
"But there is a concern about the impact of companies charging for a paper bill on more vulnerable consumers, such as many senior citizens or people who simply do not have access to the Internet," he said.
Doug Purdie, of independent phone comparison service PhoneChoice, said the fees were unfair and should be absorbed by the company.
He said it would be more appropriate to offer customers a discount for switching to online billing rather than punishing them for continuing to receive paper bills. |
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