Telus to start charging $2 for paper bill - Page 3 - Canadian TV, Computing and Home Theatre Forums

buyabridge · 2010-07-25, 08:01 PM

My argument is not that costs can't increase and I am not particulary interested in getting out of my contract. But I do object to being bound to terms while the other party is free to nickle and dime me.
This is typical behaviour for a large oligopoly that lacks integrity.

popular_Dale · 2010-07-30, 05:46 AM

whats funny is after i got that bill in the mail telling me it was going to go up, I got junk mail from Telus 2 days later addressed to me trying to convince me to sign up for Telus TV.

x katt x · 2010-07-31, 02:57 AM

This is nothing new. Telus is not the first to do this.

Both PDF and paper can be forged, altered or counterfeit.

Just because you don't physically have the paper bill doesnt mean you dont have to pay and late fees wont apply. You know what the monthly fees are, your billing cycle date. It's your responcibility to know what is due and when. There are many ways to find out such as self serve IVR, online, with an agent, e bill and lastly, paper bill. The bill can be disputed usually up to three months.

This reminds me of how supermarkets charge for plastic bags when you can easily bring your own reusable ones and avoid the fee.

I know they have special set ups for hearing and visually impaired customers. They will need to add technologically impared for their senior clients :P

MarcP · 2010-07-31, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x katt x

It's your responcibility to know what is due and when.

Since when is it too much to ask to be told how much we owe and when is it due? Seriously... Customers are that much of a burden?

xray · 2010-08-02, 10:38 PM

I agree with katt.

Most people know what monthly bills they have. Even if you don't know the exact amount you should know that something is due. Waiting several months before realizing you're late on payments is just irresponsible. Time to grow up people and stop making excuses.

pulla · 2010-08-03, 07:50 PM

come on people this is just a cash grab by telus if they were so concerned about cost efficiency and the planet they would not be sending out billions of pieces of junk mail bi-weekly across canada
there seems to be people out there
with the bend over attitude
I am paying for a monthly service send me a bill
I will be changing service providers ( nothing may change ) to let telus know I am not happy with what they have done

united we stand divided we fall

MarcP · 2010-08-03, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xray

Most people know what monthly bills they have. Even if you don't know the exact amount you should know that something is due.

Absolutely not! I do not accept that. I want a detailed breakdown of what is owed so I can verify myself that I'm being charged properly and that nothing extra is added without my knowledge. I don't want to just guess or just be given a final amount. I want to know what makes the final amount detailed on an actual bill (be it mailed or emailed).

We just moved from Ontario to Alberta and in order to have our driver's license changed, apply for provincial healthcare, etc, we needed to provide a few proof of residency and one of those proof has to be a bill addressed to our house and with our name. They specifically said that internet bill printouts were NOT accepted. Imagine if everything becomes eBills...

reidw · 2010-08-03, 09:08 PM

Interesting ramifications. I guess what Alberta wants for proof of residency is a bill that was actually delivered by Canada Post (a reputable and offical agent) to your claimed residence address. As a result an e-bill doesn't prove a thing to Alberta. Which kid of reinforces what I said earlier about whether or not an e-bill would stand up in court.

What surprises me is how many here seem to have accepted the "less is OK" philosophy of Telus. With all the billing mistakes made by the various cable/satellite companies I would have expected more scepticism and insistence on receiving a real paper bill. Might be interesting to see if there is an age/sex/income divide on this subject.

TorontoColin · 2010-08-04, 01:07 AM

You can still access a detailed breakdown online and have reminders emailed to you. You won't lose access to any information.

Which provider are you going to switch to? Bell already charges for paper bills and if Rogers doesn't I'm sure they will soon. Wind and Mobilicity don'e even send bills. Like it or not this is the reality of telecom service now. Why don't I have a problem with it? I think e-billing is a much better and more efficient method anyway, and I don't like that I'm subsidizing the people who refuse to move to the new system because they don't like change.

I am honestly surprised and unimpressed when companies will tell me I have to wait for a paper bill.

xray · 2010-08-04, 03:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcP

Absolutely not! I do not accept that. I want a detailed breakdown of what is owed so I can verify myself that I'm being charged properly and that nothing extra is added without my knowledge. I don't want to just guess or just be given a final amount. I want to know what makes the final amount detailed on an actual bill (be it mailed or emailed).

We just moved from Ontario to Alberta and in order to have our driver's license changed, apply for provincial healthcare, etc, we needed to provide a few proof of residency and one of those proof has to be a bill addressed to our house and with our name. They specifically said that internet bill printouts were NOT accepted. Imagine if everything becomes eBills...

I don't mean you shouldn't expect accurate and timely billing information. As customers, we definitely should expect that. But when you don't get a monthly bill that you are expecting it should never get to the point where you are accruing late penalties. One should call before the normal due date and find out what's going on. It's likely any late fees can be waived.

I agree with your complaint about dealing with the Province where they want a "real" bill with the address. That's just plain stupid.

xray · 2010-08-04, 03:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reidw

What surprises me is how many here seem to have accepted the "less is OK" philosophy of Telus. With all the billing mistakes made by the various cable/satellite companies I would have expected more scepticism and insistence on receiving a real paper bill. Might be interesting to see if there is an age/sex/income divide on this subject.

How is a paper bill received in the mail any more accurate than one viewed online? Don't people realize that the data source for both online bills and printed bills is the same billing system? I would argue that the online bill is more up to date as it's likely viewing the data in real time (or near real time) whereas the paper bill is days or perhaps more than a week old by the time you view it.

reidw · 2010-08-04, 09:20 AM

xray, it's not stupid. It's purpose is cut down on fraud. The real problem is that the government has not kept up with the times. There needs to be a provision that either lets an e-bill (certified in some way) be acceptable as residency ID or perhaps the government would physically mail a short form/certificate to your address that upon presentation at the licence bureau would prove your residence address. Fact is with more companies going to e-billing the government is going to have to come up with some kind of solution. In a few years few of us will still be getting paper bills of any kind but we'll still want to drive/receive health care.

TorontoColin · 2010-08-04, 12:24 PM

I know several divisions of the Toronto municipal government (including the one I work for) have a system for residency proof. You come in and give us your address, we mail you a postcard to that address, and you bring the postcard in. Takes a few days but it's simple and accurate.

xray · 2010-08-04, 06:36 PM

Colin: That totally makes sense.
reidw: I agree, cutting down fraud is not stupid. Doing things old school and refusing to change with the times is very stupid. Colin's comment is a perfect example of how easy it is to be "not stupid".

jmlowes · 2010-08-07, 12:21 AM

I am not against going to e-Billing, in fact, I did sign up for it once before but kept getting paper bills in the mail. I never bothered to see why that change never happened.

Also, I do see e-bills as the way of the future for those who have the technology to take advantage of it. However, as others have pointed out, there are many people who do not have the resources and this will unfairly penalize them,

The issue I have is that Telus is touting this as a green initiative. Not sending me a paper bill will save a tree? Perhaps, but they should be thinking bigger. How about not sending me those damn glossy adverts every week and save a whole forest?

2010-07-25, 08:01 PM	#31
buyabridge Rookie Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 4	bigscreenbob My argument is not that costs can't increase and I am not particulary interested in getting out of my contract. But I do object to being bound to terms while the other party is free to nickle and dime me. This is typical behaviour for a large oligopoly that lacks integrity.

2010-07-30, 05:46 AM	#32
popular_Dale Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: patricia campus Posts: 81	whats funny is after i got that bill in the mail telling me it was going to go up, I got junk mail from Telus 2 days later addressed to me trying to convince me to sign up for Telus TV. __________________ you gotta pay the troll toll if you wanna get into this boy's soul.

2010-08-03, 07:50 PM	#36
pulla Rookie Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 1	two dollar telus come on people this is just a cash grab by telus if they were so concerned about cost efficiency and the planet they would not be sending out billions of pieces of junk mail bi-weekly across canada there seems to be people out there with the bend over attitude I am paying for a monthly service send me a bill I will be changing service providers ( nothing may change ) to let telus know I am not happy with what they have done united we stand divided we fall

2010-08-07, 12:21 AM	#45
jmlowes Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 11	Another money grab I am not against going to e-Billing, in fact, I did sign up for it once before but kept getting paper bills in the mail. I never bothered to see why that change never happened. Also, I do see e-bills as the way of the future for those who have the technology to take advantage of it. However, as others have pointed out, there are many people who do not have the resources and this will unfairly penalize them, The issue I have is that Telus is touting this as a green initiative. Not sending me a paper bill will save a tree? Perhaps, but they should be thinking bigger. How about not sending me those damn glossy adverts every week and save a whole forest?

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2010-07-31, 02:57 AM	#33
x katt x Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Edmonton-Telus HD Rep Posts: 95	This is nothing new. Telus is not the first to do this. Both PDF and paper can be forged, altered or counterfeit. Just because you don't physically have the paper bill doesnt mean you dont have to pay and late fees wont apply. You know what the monthly fees are, your billing cycle date. It's your responcibility to know what is due and when. There are many ways to find out such as self serve IVR, online, with an agent, e bill and lastly, paper bill. The bill can be disputed usually up to three months. This reminds me of how supermarkets charge for plastic bags when you can easily bring your own reusable ones and avoid the fee. I know they have special set ups for hearing and visually impaired customers. They will need to add technologically impared for their senior clients :P

2010-08-02, 10:38 PM	#35
xray Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Calgary Posts: 90	I agree with katt. Most people know what monthly bills they have. Even if you don't know the exact amount you should know that something is due. Waiting several months before realizing you're late on payments is just irresponsible. Time to grow up people and stop making excuses.

2010-08-03, 09:08 PM	#38
reidw Veteran Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Stratford, PE. Posts: 2,471	Interesting ramifications. I guess what Alberta wants for proof of residency is a bill that was actually delivered by Canada Post (a reputable and offical agent) to your claimed residence address. As a result an e-bill doesn't prove a thing to Alberta. Which kid of reinforces what I said earlier about whether or not an e-bill would stand up in court. What surprises me is how many here seem to have accepted the "less is OK" philosophy of Telus. With all the billing mistakes made by the various cable/satellite companies I would have expected more scepticism and insistence on receiving a real paper bill. Might be interesting to see if there is an age/sex/income divide on this subject.

2010-08-04, 01:07 AM	#39
TorontoColin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Wind Mobile, Rogers Cable, Teksavvy Extreme Cable Posts: 3,232	You can still access a detailed breakdown online and have reminders emailed to you. You won't lose access to any information. Which provider are you going to switch to? Bell already charges for paper bills and if Rogers doesn't I'm sure they will soon. Wind and Mobilicity don'e even send bills. Like it or not this is the reality of telecom service now. Why don't I have a problem with it? I think e-billing is a much better and more efficient method anyway, and I don't like that I'm subsidizing the people who refuse to move to the new system because they don't like change. I am honestly surprised and unimpressed when companies will tell me I have to wait for a paper bill.

2010-08-04, 09:20 AM	#42
reidw Veteran Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Stratford, PE. Posts: 2,471	xray, it's not stupid. It's purpose is cut down on fraud. The real problem is that the government has not kept up with the times. There needs to be a provision that either lets an e-bill (certified in some way) be acceptable as residency ID or perhaps the government would physically mail a short form/certificate to your address that upon presentation at the licence bureau would prove your residence address. Fact is with more companies going to e-billing the government is going to have to come up with some kind of solution. In a few years few of us will still be getting paper bills of any kind but we'll still want to drive/receive health care.

2010-08-04, 12:24 PM	#43
TorontoColin Moderator Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Toronto, Wind Mobile, Rogers Cable, Teksavvy Extreme Cable Posts: 3,232	I know several divisions of the Toronto municipal government (including the one I work for) have a system for residency proof. You come in and give us your address, we mail you a postcard to that address, and you bring the postcard in. Takes a few days but it's simple and accurate.

2010-08-04, 06:36 PM	#44
xray Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Calgary Posts: 90	Colin: That totally makes sense. reidw: I agree, cutting down fraud is not stupid. Doing things old school and refusing to change with the times is very stupid. Colin's comment is a perfect example of how easy it is to be "not stupid".