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T-Mobile Backs Off Plan To Charge $1.50 For Paper Bills

Posted by timothy on from the just-send-me-a-pdf dept.

netbuzz writes "Following a torrent of customer complaints, bad publicity and the threat of a class-action lawsuit, T-Mobile has abandoned a plan announced this summer to charge any customer wanting a paper bill $1.50 per month. While the news is being cheered by many T-Mobile customers, it's not going to be as popular with others who praised the extra fee as an environmentally sound inducement to reduce paper use."

11 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. Just reduce the bill by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    They could do just the opposite and give people a $1.50 reduction in their bill if they opt-in to a paperless billing system.

    1. Re:Just reduce the bill by mrdoogee · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I came here to say this. Why not encourage environmentally friendly behavior, instead of punishing for adhering to the status quo.

    2. Re:Just reduce the bill by sakdoctor · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And they could claw back the lost revenue by adding $1.50 onto everybody's bill!

    3. Re:Just reduce the bill by Smitty825 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'd love to go to a paper-less billing system...except for one thing...

      Why can't the companies just email me a PDF of the bill I normally receive? It would contain the due-date of the bill and how much I owe. If I am splitting the bill with roommates, then it's easy to forward to each other. If I want to keep a record of what I've been charged for, then it's easy for me to store it, etc.

      Currently the way "paperless" billing works is that I receive an email from saying my bill is ready to be seen. I then have to go to their website, enter my username/password (because they've written some sort of Javascript to prevent the browser from remembering it for me), click 3 or 4 times to find my bill and then discover that all of the information is located on 3 or 4 different pages.

      To me, the hassle of receiving a paperless bill isn't worth it...

      --

      Doh!
    4. Re:Just reduce the bill by spitzak · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Stores don't do that because it hurts impulse buying. If a customer goes in the store with $20 and a credit card, and sees something desirable for $100, but $95 with cash, they are likely to say "well I will come back when I have the cash" and then forget about the purchase entirely. But if there is no price penalty for the credit card then they will probably use the credit card right away.

    5. Re:Just reduce the bill by Obfuscant · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Just set up autopay and you get both benefits.

      Yes, you get the benefit of not having a paper record of your bill to use for tax or other purposes, not having a reminder that a bill is due, having the vendor suck the money out of your account before you even know there is a problem with the last bill, and the fun of trying to get the money back when you prove they overcharged you for something.

      Like Comcast, which offered me a "delivered, no cost digital self-install kit" and then went ahead and charged me $10 for it anyway.

      Thanks, I think I'll keep the bill and pay after I see it is correct.

  2. i like paper bills by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I personally like paper bills... It helps me keep track of when I've PAID those bills...

  3. discount by lapsed · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I doubt that they would have gotten the same reaction if they had offered a $1.50 discount to customers agreeing to receive electronic bills.

  4. Paper bills = accountability by stillnotelf · · Score: 5, Insightful

    While I understand the environmental argument, paper bills make for accountability. With online-only billing, you have no way to resolve certain account disputes, because they hold all the data! I'm not putting on my tinfoil hat and saying they'll deliberately screw up the records and double bill you - but mistakes do happen. Having a paper trail is the best way to protect yourself from mistakes. Also, consider this: what happens to your account when you close it? How can you prove that you had the account once it's closed if it's online-only? With a paper trail, you can prove it! (This applies more to banks than cell phones...)

  5. Dear T-Mobile... by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Give a "$1.50 a month Discount" to all customers asking to not have a paper bill sent.

    This goes over very well if you give a discount instead of trying to boost your profit margin.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  6. I hate the lies by Lord+Byron+II · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Companies always pass it off as being "green", but that's not the real reason. T-mobile stores are still overly-lit, selling merchandise that's over-packaged, and handing out paper fliers.

    The truth is that its expensive to print bills. And I don't blame them for wanting to get rid of them, but if you're going to save money, then pass a little of it on to me.

    My bank just paid me $5 to go to e-bills and for me, that was enough.

    Carrot vs. Stick