extra $1.50 charge for posted bill

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jim.cox

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#28155 20-Nov-2008 14:13

Got a letter from Vodafone with my latest bill

Apparently they now want to charge an extra $1.50 each month for sending the bill

Can they do this?

Seems to me it is altering the terms and conditions of an existing contract

=mjc=
.

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#179076 20-Nov-2008 14:25

Hi Jim,

You'll only be charged $1.50 if you want to receive a PAPER bill each month in the mail.

Instead, you'll be sent a TXT or email alert telling you the due date/amount and directing you to the online version of the bill which you can download and print off/read/ignore as you wish. We are investigating whether or not to email a PDF of the bill out to customers as that's what we do with fixed line bills.

That service is free.

Cheers

Paul

Paul Brislen
Head of Corporate Communications
Vodafone

http://forum.vodafone.co.nz

jim.cox

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#179077 20-Nov-2008 14:36

So, Yes. Vodafone will be charging more money for their existing service.

How can they get away with this?

I thought we had a contract....

=mjc=
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zocster

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#179080 20-Nov-2008 14:43

for what it's worth .... online bill rocks, at least I can say I had a part in saving the trees for the future of my children's children .... let's go green

VFNZPaulBrislen

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#179082 20-Nov-2008 14:44

We're still giving you a bill. It's the medium that's changed.

Also I think if you read your T&C it won't say "we will send you a paper bill and it will be posted in an envelope on a monthly basis"... at least, not that I'm aware of.

Cheers

Paul

Paul Brislen
Head of Corporate Communications
Vodafone

http://forum.vodafone.co.nz

jim.cox

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#179085 20-Nov-2008 14:52

Paul

So why dont you guys turn it around,

and offer a discount for those who, unlike myself, actually want the online bill

Vodafone's "We dont care, We dont have to, We're the phone comany" attitude is getting a bit much :(

=mjc=
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Jama

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#179093 20-Nov-2008 15:09

Penalise or incentivise

Sometimes service providers get it around the wrong way.

Genesis Energy gives me 'Brownie Points' for not having a printed/mailed monthly bill with which I can redeem products or services (in 2015 when I have enough points!).

I actually doubt that $1.50 even covers the cost of printing a Vodafone bill, let alone the postage. Think of it as your contribution to the ETS (emission trading scheme).

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dan

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#179094 20-Nov-2008 15:13

having to log into the vodafone website, download the pdf, every month to get the my bills is frankly annoying,

Everyone else i can think of who issues invoices by email, sends it as a pdf with the email, im suprised this
would require "investigation"

TinyTim

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#179095 20-Nov-2008 15:14

Getting $1.50 off for not receiving a paper bill sounds like a much better idea to me. I bet BT's You Fail plans works this way.

Jama

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#179096 20-Nov-2008 15:25

dan: having to log into the vodafone website, download the pdf, every month to get the my bills is frankly annoying,

Everyone else i can think of who issues invoices by email, sends it as a pdf with the email, im suprised this
would require "investigation"

Genesis Energy started out emailing the PDF each month. They then moved to online bill but still emailed as well. They now send an email which shows total money owed along with a link to view full bill.

Great idea and an evolved service.

sbiddle

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#179102 20-Nov-2008 15:43

I think the whole change has been very poorly handled by Vodafone, especially from a PR perspective.

I have no issue against online billing and to be honest couldn't care less about receiving a paper bill but the approach Vodafone have taken of implimenting a sudden switch to abandon paper bills for all customers and then tell them it'll cost them is quite frankly taking things too far.

The cost of providing this paper bill is costing Vodafone somewhere along the lines of $1.50 - $2 to provide so the $1.50 is merely covering costs. This price however has been factored into the price I've been paying for services for 12 years - you are now saving that money only a monthy basis but not passing any savings onto me.

How is that fair for me? You have received an extra $1.50 off me and given me nothing in return.

I to am surprised that Vodafone didn't automatically impliment the functionality to email bills with the ability to set this from MYA - to me this would have been a basic requirement to look at when the decision was made to abandon paper bills. Many companies now do this.

I can see the irony now that NZ Post's eBill service was a product that was far too early for it's time!

ajw

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#179109 20-Nov-2008 16:24

PaulBrislen: We're still giving you a bill. It's the medium that's changed.

Also I think if you read your T&C it won't say "we will send you a paper bill and it will be posted in an envelope on a monthly basis"... at least, not that I'm aware of.

Cheers

Paul

What about people who do not use a computer and want an itemised bill. This is not available via a text message.
If Vfone get much greedier I am going to take my business to another provider. And I believe there will be more players entering the mobile market next year. Lets see, Orcon, NZ Comms, M2, Compass, and of course Telecom launching it's new UMTS network just to name a few.

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DataCraft

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#179119 20-Nov-2008 17:49

Charging someone to receive a bill? Next they will charge you to ring the help desk.

ajw

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#179120 20-Nov-2008 17:53

DataCraft: Charging someone to receive a bill? Next they will charge you to ring the help desk.

They already do on Vodafone prepay. $1 per call.

manhinli

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#179125 20-Nov-2008 18:41

Quite a few of us talked about this a while ago.

I do feel that it should be done the other way too - this is just saying that paper bills are a new thing, with a new charge.

And of course comes the situation of where someone has no Internet access and gets punished (as described earlier).

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zocster

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#179129 20-Nov-2008 19:34

manhinli:

And of course comes the situation of where someone has no Internet access and gets punished (as described earlier).

Geekzoners with no internet access?

in this day and age, everyone has internet, or at least can get access to one. You get SMS notification of it, and you can click on the link on your email to get an 'itemised' bill printed off or looked on your PC. I as a business owner is more than happy to say that I prefer online bill as it eliminate the excuse of 'the postie has misplaced my bill, can you send me another one' and hopefully reduces the response 'the cheque's in the mail'

My 2c

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