Is anyone else bothered by paperless billing

J

Jeni

Senior Member
Many utilities and such have gone to paperless billing ...
lately when i get the email notice of bill ....... i go in to schedule payment..............Auto billing is out since as i have had too many friends and family screwed over by automatic billing........... charged twice/ incorrect bills / not credited correctly etc. so I will NOT sign up for that

Now a week long........ the site for my internet provider (of all bills ) keeps saying "oops there is a problem connecting etc..... " they think they are clever says things like "Houston we have a problem " etc i am NOT amused.

To pay other then online ....... i could call them but it is a constant battle of tracking and trying later etc ... I have time before bill is due ......... but it is annoying there site being garbage .......... I like to handle ASAP and file emails now i have a couple lingering because their payment systems are having "issues" ....... has happened with garbage bill / utility bill etc....

If they do not want to send bills they should be FORCED to have their system up and running ........ i think they do this to FORCE access to your bank account IMO.
 

I'm not keen on paperless Billing. I do pay a few things in that way, but the more important things I still insist on having the paper bill sent to me.. which is a choice we have here. We can opt for paperless or Not , and I choose not when it comes to my Bank statements , credit cards , and a few other things , albeit that I pay them online..
 

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No, and I use automatic payments. I know people who are always having problems because they don't pay their bills. They have plenty of money, but they lose the bill, forget the due date, etc.

Recently a company triple-billed me (it was a smallish sum), but they refunded the extra amounts right away, without my saying anything.

I do have a problem with some online stuff. The company that owns my apartment building wanted me to register for a "portal" where I could request repairs, etc. But it was impossible to sign up. So I understand how these things can be nightmarish.
 
hollydolly said:
I'm not keen on paperless Billing. I dod pay a few things in that way, but the more important things I still insist on having the paper bill sent to me.. which is a choice we have here. We can opt for paperless or Not , and I choose not when it comes to my Bank statements , credit cards , and a few other things , albeit that I pay them online..
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Many of these things i opted out for a long time but SOME here went entirely paperless and you had no choice they keep insisting to sign up for auto deductions but i am not comfortable with that as i have seen more then one nightmare to resolve their mess.....
 
As I always say, 'Technology is great as long as it works'. Paperless billing is not a problem, but auto payments are. Some companies & utilities are charging a fee for not signing up. Inhibites my control over my budget.
 
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I automated payments and deposits a few years a go with no problems.

Most companies send an advanced notice of upcoming payments and a confirmation or receipt of the actual payment.

The only website thatā€™s down from time to time is Consumer Cellular, to check my remaining data.

IMO the automated payments have less risk than entering data on each account each month to make individual payments.

The bottom line is that we should each use the method that we are most comfortable with.,

Good luck!
 
I still receive some paper bills. I have some basic criteria to go paperless or auto pay. They business needs to offer a discount, and the business needs to allow me to use a credit card without charging a service fee.

I refuse to use debit or any automatic drafts from my checking/savings account. In my opinion allowing access to my personal accounts opens the door to potential problems. My credit card is with a company that I do no other banking with so feel it's a bit insulated from my personal accounts.

Truthfully I like receiving a bill and writing checks. It's always easier for me to track and review spending plus the hassle of writing and recording checks is good for you, any time you spend money you should feel a bit of pain.lol
 
We, too, prefer receiving a paper bill. We usually only get 5 or 6 bills per month, and pay them within a couple of days. That gives us a "hard copy' of any expenditures to verify if the billing is correct. "Paperless", IMO, just increases the chances that some "employee" might make a mistake that can result in a hassle to resolve. Plus, I take the payment to the local post office...less chance of our rural mailman misplacing the bill during his extensive route.
 
i still like paper bills, keep them a few months, go over the card charges and just keeping track. they keep asking to go paperless but not yet. yes, I still use my credit cards, pay them off each month, in the last three months just for regular bills and gas we have 105 dollars cash back.
 
shedevil7953 said:
I agree. I've always kept the paper billings because I'm OLD and whoever will pay my bills when I'm gone needs the papered billings!
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That is the main reason that I chose automated billing and payment.

I was concerned that if I was hospitalized I would have no help in doing my banking or bill paying.

Now, I may be dead for several months before anyone realizes it and comes looking for me. šŸ¤­
 
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Old fangled here! Recieve bills in the mail. Put them in a pile. Pay them all by checks on a specific day.
Won't put any financial info on the internet. Been compromised too many times.
 
I prefer an old-fashioned paper bill. I have a couple of paperless bills because they gave me no choice and just went paperless. I went paperless with my bank statement because they charge $5.00/month for a paper copy. If I need a hard copy, I can just print it out. I have no bills on auto-pay. The last thing I want is for anyone else to have access to my account. I pay most of my bills with an electronic check through my bank, which I send out myself each month.

Bella āœŒļø
 
I have some subscriptions, Netflix and Spotify for instance, set for automatic payment by a credit card - - not by direct access to my bank accounts. I still get paper bills each month for everything else, and would stop doing business with any company that wouldn't send them.
 
I have thought about paperless bills but each time I do, I remember several years ago when my power and landline service was out for a week. I don't have a cell phone that will access the internet so I couldn't check my email. But, the mail kept running every day and I got my bills, etc. That is one of the reasons that makes me change my mind each time. I want a hard copy of my bills!
 
Gaer said:
Old fangled here! Recieve bills in the mail. Put them in a pile. Pay them all by checks on a specific day.
Won't put any financial info on the internet. Been compromised too many times.
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I do the same, Gaer. But in my case it is just from force of habit. Paid them that way starting back in the mid- 50's and have always (for the most part) continued. On the other hand, up 'til now, I haven't been compromised on the internet.
 
Gaer said:
Old fangled here! Recieve bills in the mail. Put them in a pile. Pay them all by checks on a specific day.
Won't put any financial info on the internet. Been compromised too many times.
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I agree here .. never been compromised as I have never done the on-line thing. My retirement system, bank , TV service etc ....... keep bugging me to switch. But no I'll keep things as they are .......... Until I'm forced, and there will likely come a day.
 
My bank where I've had a free checking account for ten years kept sending solicitations for paperless electronic monthly bank statements, but I declined. This month, without saying anything about it, they deducted $2 from my formerly free checking account. The explanation beside the deduction on my statement said "Paper Statement".
 
I get my bills online and, then, I go to my bank's bill pay center. I enter the amount and date said bill is to be paid, and that's it. At one time, I did have auto-pay, but the company messed my entire account up, so I cancelled that. Never again.
 
I hear you Jeni. I was doing online banking and actually liked it. Until. I got my stepfather's durable power of attorney and the attorney suggested I be put on his bank accounts which we did. But then his stuff came up also when I logged onto my banking to pay bills. Some may wonder why that would bother me but all I can say is, it did! So I stopped.

I pay the horrid company PG&E by paper. Cable bundle pushed online so I do that. Not automatic, I have to remember to just go in and pay every month. I do my Covered California insurance by automated phone. My consumer cellular flip phone is set up for auto pay and I've had no issues so far. It does cut down on sending out checks, I will say that.
 
I have had paperless billing for at least 20 yrs for most bills, and others were added when they became available. They are all on autopay by credit card (I collect points) with a few exceptions that are EFT (electric bill, rent) because they charge a fee for credit card payments. I keep very little in my checking account, and transfer just enough cash to cover what is needed and to pay the credit card bills.

I have also gone paperless with Medicare & Medicare supplement Explanation of Benefits. They alone were making me drown in paper and took over the mailbox.
Each one is several pages long.

So far I have had no problems....I hope that remains true.
 
Aunt Bea said:
That is the main reason that I chose automated billing and payment.

I was concerned that if I was hospitalized I would have no help in doing my banking or bill paying.

Now, I may be dead for several months before anyone realizes it and comes looking for me. šŸ¤­
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Aunt Bea said:
Now, I may be dead for several months before anyone realizes it and comes looking for me. šŸ¤­
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But what happens if you aren't found for several years? All those vendors have been drawing your monthly bills and drained your accounts, now there is no money to pass along to those loved ones! (who haven't checked on you in several years) lol
 
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C50 said:
But what happens if you aren't found for several years? All those vendors have been drawing your monthly bills and drained you accounts, now there no money to pass along to those loved obes! (who haven't checked on you in several years) lol
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I suppose that my rich Uncle Sam will be the big loser. šŸ˜‰
 

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