2 Responses for "T-Mobile to Charge Extra Fees for Paper Billing"

1. r. bianchino August 15th, 2009 at 7:33 pm 1

   i’ve been with t-mobile for over 5 years. i always like the company, that is, until now. i don’t have a sidekick, but t-m just gave me an a _ _ kick! i believe their customers were coerced into switching to paperless statements. of course they say noo because they gave us a choice, and that it is an option. actually for me the increase would be $3.49 since i receive a detailed bill. and what about all those out there that don’t have a computer, they’re being punished for not owning a PC. Come to think of it, in a way, i’m being penalized for having one. i say let’s band together and punish t-mobile. so write, email, and call t-m and let them know what you think of this pay-for-paper crap.

   ps: i really like to know how much paper t-mobile corporate employees are wasting.

   pss: btw, i hope i’m not billed for all the energy i wasted in replying to this article.

   thanks for listening

2. Nancy Ony September 7th, 2009 at 10:00 pm 2

   Write Richard Dotson, T-Mobile CEO, at rdotson@t-mobile.com. Sample letter:

   Mr. Dotson:

   I have received notice that T-Mobile would be adding a $1.50 per month charge to my account for receiving a paper bill, and I wish to register my dissatisfaction with the company’s unilateral decision. Prior to September, T-Mobile provided paper bills to its customers; this normal cost of doing business was covered by the monthly fee for service. Therefore, the new, additional fee of $1.50 amounts to an increase of the monthly service fee, as it covers no new service provided by T-Mobile to its customers. Among these reasons that T-Mobile has put forth for the new fee are:

   > Increases in postal charges and printing costs. From one year to another, postal charges, especially in bulk business shipments, such as those for mobile phone bills, have not increased by more than a few pennies, at a maximum; the same is certainly true of printing costs — much likely less, in fact. Clearly, these are not a valid reasons for charging the new fee.

   > An interest in preserving the environment. This is certainly a noble cause. However, if T-Mobile were truly interested in promoting environmentally-friendly action, it could simply encourage paperless billing by sharing the associated cost savings with customers; imposing a confiscatory fee is disingenuous in this regard, with T-Mobile providing nothing of its own toward the stated noble end while reaping considerable profit from its customer base. Would you be lobbying for a new fee on US businesses to promote recycling if this fee did nothing to provide T-Mobile with a competitive advantage and there was no means of recouping this fee? Again, charging a new fee for this reason is certainly invalid.

   > T-Mobile employees will also be paying the fee. This is virtually meaningless, as these T-Mobile employees are simply a subset of T-Mobile customers. Would you be happy to accept the above-noted recycling fee simply because government agencies were similarly forced to pay it? I think not, and using this as a support for charging your customers a new fee is rather pitiful.

   T-Mobile used to be a company that prided itself on its customer relationship. The unilateral imposition of the paper bill fee is a decided step in the opposite direction of this philosophy. I suggest that you direct your company to reconsider its choice in this matter.

   Sincerely,

   T-Mobile customer