My Appeal To A Minority Group - BT Customers

Good afternoon good people of uk.telecom & uk.telecom.broadband
I would like to appeal to a minority group, BT customers who get a paper 
bill, to join with me in sending BT a right old royal message.

Perhaps you hate BT because you have had appalling customer service? 
Perhaps you hate them for the paper bill and cash payment charges? 
Perhaps you hate them for sending you unwanted leaflets with your bill? 
Perhaps you just hate them!

If you fall into any of the above categories simply fish out the little 
envelope that comes with your bill, put the junk leaflets inside of it 
(remember to keep your bill) and write something suitable across them - 
such as 'you waste much more ink printing this leaflet than you do my 
bill' and pop it back in the postbox WITHOUT A STAMP ON IT. For extra 
effect stick a 'special delivery' sticker on it (available from any 
remaining open Post Office) to ensure BT get a surcharge for your 
unstamped mail.

If only enough people would do this....

In news:4821c8e2$0$2481$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk,
Christian  typed, for some strange, unexplained 
reason:
: My Appeal To A Minority Group - BT Customers
:
: Good afternoon good people of uk.telecom & uk.telecom.broadband
: I would like to appeal to a minority group, BT customers who get a
: paper bill, to join with me in sending BT a right old royal message.
:
: Perhaps you hate BT because you have had appalling customer service?
: Perhaps you hate them for the paper bill and cash payment charges?
: Perhaps you hate them for sending you unwanted leaflets with your
: bill? Perhaps you just hate them!
:
: If you fall into any of the above categories simply fish out the
: little envelope that comes with your bill, put the junk leaflets
: inside of it (remember to keep your bill) and write something
: suitable across them - such as 'you waste much more ink printing this
: leaflet than you do my bill' and pop it back in the postbox WITHOUT A
: STAMP ON IT. For extra effect stick a 'special delivery' sticker on
: it (available from any remaining open Post Office) to ensure BT get a
: surcharge for your unstamped mail.
:
: If only enough people would do this....

While I applaud your sentiments, has it occurred to you that BT will 
recoup the extra expense incurred through people doing this in a very 
simple way, i.e. putting up their charges..?

You'll end up paying for it one way or another, trouble is so will I.


Ivor

"Ivor Jones" <ivor@thisaddressis.invalid> wrote in message 
news:68e77tF2sic71U1@mid.individual.net...
> In news:4821c8e2$0$2481$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk,
> Christian  typed, for some strange, unexplained
> reason:
> : My Appeal To A Minority Group - BT Customers
> :
> : Good afternoon good people of uk.telecom & uk.telecom.broadband
> : I would like to appeal to a minority group, BT customers who get a
> : paper bill, to join with me in sending BT a right old royal message.
> :
> : Perhaps you hate BT because you have had appalling customer service?
> : Perhaps you hate them for the paper bill and cash payment charges?
> : Perhaps you hate them for sending you unwanted leaflets with your
> : bill? Perhaps you just hate them!
> :
> : If you fall into any of the above categories simply fish out the
> : little envelope that comes with your bill, put the junk leaflets
> : inside of it (remember to keep your bill) and write something
> : suitable across them - such as 'you waste much more ink printing this
> : leaflet than you do my bill' and pop it back in the postbox WITHOUT A
> : STAMP ON IT. For extra effect stick a 'special delivery' sticker on
> : it (available from any remaining open Post Office) to ensure BT get a
> : surcharge for your unstamped mail.
> :
> : If only enough people would do this....
>
> While I applaud your sentiments, has it occurred to you that BT will
> recoup the extra expense incurred through people doing this in a very
> simple way, i.e. putting up their charges..?

Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
cash is beyond me.

-- 
Falcon:
fide, sed cui vide. (L)

In news:68eoriF2r7dk5U1@mid.individual.net,
Falcon  typed, for some strange, unexplained reason:

[snip]

: Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything
: with cash is beyond me.

Paper bills are proof positive that you've paid them for a start, with the 
datestamp from the bank, post office or whatever. Anything on a computer 
is fickle, one minute it's there, then (disk) crash it isn't. Or, as what 
happened to a friend of mine once, they paid £29,000 of *his* money into 
*somebody else's* account (why am I never on the receiving end of anything 
like that..?!)

As to cash, it's untraceable. Sometimes I don't want Big Brother knowing 
where I've been or what I've bought. Not that I get up to anything dodgy, 
you understand, but I like my privacy.


Ivor

On Wed, 07 May 2008 23:28:53 +0100, Falcon wrote:

> Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with
> cash is beyond me.

Perhaps this will help: www.google.com

On Wed, 7 May 2008 22:28:53 UTC, "Falcon"  wrote:

> Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
> cash is beyond me.

1) Paper bills are positive proof that they sent you something. Also, BT
are not the most reliable when it comes to websites, etc. and I don't 
want to be stuck with an unpaid bill.

2) It wasn't actually about cash payment per se, but any payment other 
than direct debit. You can pay BT via Internet banking and you still get
charge 4.50 a go.

-- 
Bob Eager
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

The message 
from "Bob Eager"  contains these words:

> On Wed, 7 May 2008 22:28:53 UTC, "Falcon"  wrote:

> > Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
> > cash is beyond me.

> 1) Paper bills are positive proof that they sent you something. Also, BT
> are not the most reliable when it comes to websites, etc. and I don't 
> want to be stuck with an unpaid bill.

> 2) It wasn't actually about cash payment per se, but any payment other 
> than direct debit. You can pay BT via Internet banking and you still get
> charge 4.50 a go.



I must admit that I have considered going back to posting them a cheque.

I have paid by Internet banking for many years and I cannot see that it
costs them any more than a direct debit.  Handling a cheque in an
envelope will make them more work.

BT, banks etc want us to go paperless "to save the environment" but they
will send out advertising bumph by post.  

I would only consider going paperless with BT, banks etc if they can
guarantee that all past bills and statements will be available online
indefinitely.


MB

"Falcon"  wrote in message 
news:68eoriF2r7dk5U1@mid.individual.net...
>
[snip]
>
> Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
> cash is beyond me.
>
> -- 
> Falcon:
> fide, sed cui vide. (L)
>
>
If I pay a bill over the internet from my bank account, I have no proof that 
they have received the money. All I see is a debit in my bank statement.
If I pay by cheque, in the limit I can ask my bank for the cleared cheque 
and find where the money actually went.
Last year, my local council lost my council tax payments because of a ***-up 
between them and the bank, the bank apparently failed to attach the 
Council's ref for my home to my payments because it was too long for their 
computer, the council insisted I'd not paid and the bank insisted they'd 
made the payments. Court proceedings loomed.
I like a good paper trail every time!!

Incidentally, since I can no longer pay my TV licence at the local Post 
Office and they want me to find some new Pay Point, I've been sending them a 
cheque. BT claims it cost them money to clear a cheque, so it will 
presumably cost TV licensing. GOOD, they are trying to put my post office 
out of business.

Retired

MB wrote 
 on Thu, 8 May 2008 09:54:18 +0100 in message  
 <31303030303731354822CDCA70@invalid.invalid>: 

>The message 
>from "Bob Eager"  contains these words:
>
>> On Wed, 7 May 2008 22:28:53 UTC, "Falcon"  wrote:
>
>> > Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
>> > cash is beyond me.
>
>> 1) Paper bills are positive proof that they sent you something. Also, BT
>> are not the most reliable when it comes to websites, etc. and I don't 
>> want to be stuck with an unpaid bill.
>
>> 2) It wasn't actually about cash payment per se, but any payment other 
>> than direct debit. You can pay BT via Internet banking and you still get
>> charge 4.50 a go.
>
>
>
>I must admit that I have considered going back to posting them a cheque.
>
>I have paid by Internet banking for many years and I cannot see that it
>costs them any more than a direct debit.  Handling a cheque in an
>envelope will make them more work.
>
>BT, banks etc want us to go paperless "to save the environment" but they
>will send out advertising bumph by post.  
>
>I would only consider going paperless with BT, banks etc if they can
>guarantee that all past bills and statements will be available online
>indefinitely.
>
>
>MB


People on MSE had still been paying by Internet banking, but set up Direct
debit.  They just pay before the DD date the way they want to without
incurring the charge.

Crazy thing is look at all these years people had happily been paying the
higher price for not paying by direct debit, but because they hid the charge
in the higher line rental and then discounted the line rental if you did pay
by DD to one where they reduced the line rental charge down, but then
highlighted the extra charge if not paying by DD people started complaining
- even though it was really the same thing.

BT have been stupid that way - they could have carried on with the higher
line rental charge as they had for all those years and people who didn't pay
by DD would have carried on and not complained.  People who paid by DD would
have carried on getting their discount.

"Falcon"  wrote in message 
news:68eoriF2r7dk5U1@mid.individual.net...
>
>
> "Ivor Jones" <ivor@thisaddressis.invalid> wrote in message 
> news:68e77tF2sic71U1@mid.individual.net...
>> In news:4821c8e2$0$2481$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk,
>> Christian  typed, for some strange, unexplained
>> reason:
>> : My Appeal To A Minority Group - BT Customers
>> :
>> : Good afternoon good people of uk.telecom & uk.telecom.broadband
>> : I would like to appeal to a minority group, BT customers who get a
>> : paper bill, to join with me in sending BT a right old royal message.
>> :
>> : Perhaps you hate BT because you have had appalling customer service?
>> : Perhaps you hate them for the paper bill and cash payment charges?
>> : Perhaps you hate them for sending you unwanted leaflets with your
>> : bill? Perhaps you just hate them!
>> :
>> : If you fall into any of the above categories simply fish out the
>> : little envelope that comes with your bill, put the junk leaflets
>> : inside of it (remember to keep your bill) and write something
>> : suitable across them - such as 'you waste much more ink printing this
>> : leaflet than you do my bill' and pop it back in the postbox WITHOUT A
>> : STAMP ON IT. For extra effect stick a 'special delivery' sticker on
>> : it (available from any remaining open Post Office) to ensure BT get a
>> : surcharge for your unstamped mail.
>> :
>> : If only enough people would do this....
>>
>> While I applaud your sentiments, has it occurred to you that BT will
>> recoup the extra expense incurred through people doing this in a very
>> simple way, i.e. putting up their charges..?
>
> Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
> cash is beyond me.
>

Because you still need a paper utility bill for ID to open a bank account or 
get a residents parking permit in Trafford.

> -- 
> Falcon:
> fide, sed cui vide. (L)
>
>
>

Bob Eager  wrote:
> On Wed, 7 May 2008 22:28:53 UTC, "Falcon"  wrote:
> 
> > Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
> > cash is beyond me.
> 
> 1) Paper bills are positive proof that they sent you something. Also, BT
> are not the most reliable when it comes to websites, etc. and I don't 
> want to be stuck with an unpaid bill.
> 
Paper bills are proof of very little if you think about it, it's
trivial to produce a near enough perfect fake bill nowadays.

-- 
Chris Green

In news:48236149$0$653$bed64819@news.gradwell.net,
tinnews@isbd.co.uk  typed, for some strange, 
unexplained reason:
: Bob Eager  wrote:
: > On Wed, 7 May 2008 22:28:53 UTC, "Falcon" 
: > wrote:
: >
: > > Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays
: > > anything with cash is beyond me.
: >
: > 1) Paper bills are positive proof that they sent you something.
: > Also, BT are not the most reliable when it comes to websites, etc.
: > and I don't want to be stuck with an unpaid bill.
: >
: Paper bills are proof of very little if you think about it, it's
: trivial to produce a near enough perfect fake bill nowadays.

For you perhaps, but for the average BT customer..?

Ivor

"Falcon" typed

> Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with 
> cash is beyond me.

I am disabled and entitled to various benefits and concessions.

To renew my Freedom Pass (London bus & train pass) I needed recent proof
of address in the form of utilty bills.

Claiming some of my entitlements would be very difficult if all my bills
were paper free.

-- 
Helen D. Vecht: helenvecht@zetnet.co.uk
Edgware.

The message <48236149$0$653$bed64819@news.gradwell.net>
from tinnews@isbd.co.uk contains these words:

> Bob Eager  wrote:
> > On Wed, 7 May 2008 22:28:53 UTC, "Falcon"  wrote:
> > 
> > > Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays
> > > anything with 
> > > cash is beyond me.
> > 
> > 1) Paper bills are positive proof that they sent you something. Also, BT
> > are not the most reliable when it comes to websites, etc. and I don't 
> > want to be stuck with an unpaid bill.
> > 
> Paper bills are proof of very little if you think about it, it's
> trivial to produce a near enough perfect fake bill nowadays.



I remember a few years back reading an article about the government's
plans to impose identity cards on everyone.   Someone who had lived in
France wrote that, despite ID cards being compulsory there, any time
that they had needed to identify themselves to an offical body they
wanted an electricity bill, telephone bill etc and never their ID card.

MB

"Helen Deborah Vecht"  wrote in message 
news:3130303037363935482C102686@zetnet.co.uk...
> "Falcon" typed
>
>> Why anyone with internet access wants a paper bill or pays anything with
>> cash is beyond me.
>
> I am disabled and entitled to various benefits and concessions.
>
> To renew my Freedom Pass (London bus & train pass) I needed recent proof
> of address in the form of utilty bills.
>
> Claiming some of my entitlements would be very difficult if all my bills
> were paper free.

I recently had to provide a utility bill in support of an application. I 
downloaded and print a copy of my phone bill.

-- 
Falcon:
fide, sed cui vide. (L)

MB <MB@invalid.invalid> wrote 

> I remember a few years back reading an article about the government's
> plans to impose identity cards on everyone.   Someone who had lived
in
> France wrote that, despite ID cards being compulsory there, any time
> that they had needed to identify themselves to an offical body they
> wanted an electricity bill, telephone bill etc and never their ID
card.

Compulsory for French citizens in fact, the current UK proposals
differ.

Certainly ID cards were requested when I observed someone using a
cheque in the post office.

But when dealing with foreigners it may have been easier to recognise
and check (French) utility bills than a variety of foreign ID cards and
passports.

-- 
Mike D