T-Mobile going to charge $1.50 for paper bill.

[aceO07]

After considering a number of factors including rising costs for paper, printing, and postage, as well as environmental impacts associated with printing paper bills, T-Mobile has started to charge customers who would like to receive a paper bill. The charge does not directly reflect our costs of printing and distributing bills. The company has provided alternative options for our customers to receive the information on their bills and continues to promote paperless billing as a "free" option (www.my.t-mobile.com or www.t-mobile.com/billingupdate)

Beginning with August bills, current T-Mobile customers will receive notification that provides them with instructions on how to "opt out" of the paper bill charge by receiving a paperless, electronic bill. If customers do not sign up for paperless billing, then those receiving ?summary" paper bills will begin to see a charge of $1.50 on their bills after September 12. Customers who currently receive ?detailed? paper bills will see a $1.50 charge for the paper bill, in addition to the existing $1.99 charge for detailed billing information (totaling $3.49).

Most new customers will see a $1.50 paper bill charge on their first bill -- this charge will be credited for their first month, allowing customers time to opt out if they wish to receive paperless bills free of charge.

Certain T-Mobile customers are exempt from this charge, including prepaid and government customers, among others.

Credit to Eric Z at http://www.phonescoop.com/news...m=m&ff=4680&fi=2128508

I'll probably write an email to T-Mobile to complain about this.

 

[pm]

IANAL, but wouldn't a change like this constitute a material breach of contract?

 

[aceO07]

I don't know about breach of contract. Others have stated that it wasn't a breach when they charged $1.99 for detailed listing on bills..

All I know is that it's going to suck for the people who didn't read their paper bills for the notice and get screwed for a couple of months or more. Or for people who don't have computers or don't really know how to use them.

My bills are sent to another location and I skim through them every couple of months. I would have been charged for awhile if a friend didn't tell me about this.

 

[corkyg]

You can look for this in many situations. I just went electronic only on a savings account in a credit union. They started to charge 50 cents a month for a mailed paper - so I threw it out.

I have my cell phone accounts on auto pay to a credit card. And, I eliminated the paper each month - I threw it out anyway. This is the future.

Monthly hard copy mailed reports are getting to be a big expense, and that can be critical in this economy.

Of course, there are downsides - one being seniors who do not have computers nor will they ever get them. (Like my wife.)

I daresay that no one has a contract that specifies a monthly, hard copy report.

 

[akugami]

Originally posted by: corkyg
You can look for this in many situations. I just went electronic only on a savings account in a credit union. They started to charge 50 cents a month for a mailed paper - so I threw it out.

I have my cell phone accounts on auto pay to a credit card. And, I eliminated the paper each month - I threw it out anyway. This is the future.

Monthly hard copy mailed reports are getting to be a big expense, and that can be critical in this economy.

Of course, there are downsides - one being seniors who do not have computers nor will they ever get them. (Like my wife.)

I daresay that no one has a contract that specifies a monthly, hard copy report.

Agree 100%. A lot of times I don't even look at the mailed hard copy. I just log in online and look up the bill.

 

[Deeko]

That could be convenient. I personally don't care about the paper bill, but I've been considering leaving T-Mobile, and if this gives me an avenue to avoid the cancellation fee, that'd be swell.