Verizon: the false dilemma

I find Verizon untrustworthy, like other telecom companies. It's their business model. You must accept a 1-2 year service contract for service, meaning you cannot cancel no matter how poor their service becomes. Their wireless business model seems designed to set up an adversarial, unpleasant relationship with paying customers.

This is the twenty-first century, and I'm tired of buying stamps, filling out paper checks, and sealing envelopes with spit to pay Verizon Wireless.  So I tried out their online billing service and I've been using it without too much trouble.

Here's an email I received recently:

Date: 7/10/2007

To: JOSHUA LEDWELL

From: Customer Service

Subject: Verizon E-Bill Trial Ends Soon

You already experience the convenience of receiving, tracking, and paying your Verizon e-bill in a secure location. Your e-bill service is always available at no additional cost to you.

It takes thousands of trees to print bills each year in the United States. Help reduce waste by canceling your paper bill. The environment will thank you.

To continue receiving Verizon e-bills, you must stop your paper bill before the trial period ends on 07/24/2007.

This message only applies to the e-bill feature of your bill payment service. The trial period does not affect your ability to make online payments through this service.

My question is, why must I stop paper billing to receive electronic bills?  My utilities, bank, credit card, mortgage ... every other company that bills me is content to send bills both by snail mail and email. I find it easier to file records when I receive them by mail, so paper bills have value to me.  But I also like email reminders to pay on time.

Since I know Verizon is presenting me with a false dilemma, and I'm conscious of their business model, I'm very suspicious of all their points. E-billing is saving the planet? Please. Even if it's true that paper bills are wasteful, I'm thinking instead of Verizon's ulterior motives in depriving me of easy recordkeeping.

Verizon, let your customers pay any way they want, or give them an incentive to switch. What about a discount for however much paper bills cost you, if they cancel paper billing?  If not, they'll remember your shabby treatment when their contract expires and they can afford to switch to AT&T iPhone service.

Comments

[James Breeze]

I hear you!

I thought I'd transfer all my services to Telstra (Australia) in an effort to simplify billing (and save paper...).

So I got a:
- Mobile wireless card
- Land line
- 3 mobile phones
- ADSL
- Foxtel

Over the last 4 months I have been trying to get them on one bill...And spent at leasta day doing it. Last week I got 4 bills and one of them (the smallest) was unpaid as it arrived late... The next day my landline and Foxtel were cut off. So I called them and they reinstated the service... kindly reversing the late payment fee!

However, the Foxtel didn't come back on and when I rang them about it they said, that's not our problem, call Telstra!

Where's the CUSTOMER SERVICE!?

Anyhow, the Foxtel came back on - I still ave 4 bills... in 3 different names...

AHHH

[Dr. Pete]

I react the same way: even as someone who's sympathetic to environmental causes, I almost want to request paper bills just because I know they're being disingenuous. It reminds me of the signs in the hotel bathrooms asking me to reuse towels, usually accompanied by pictures of the forest and a horror story about all of the water and detergent the hotel is using. Here's an idea for the hotel owners: if you're so concerned about the environment, why not do something about it, instead of dumping the problem on your customers?