Labour TD Kevin Humphreys has urged ComReg to intervene in a campaign by utility companies such as Meteor and Eircom to switch people to paperless billing.

Mr Humphreys said: "I have received a number of reports from concerned householders who have been switched to paperless billing recently without their knowledge. This has arisen as a result of recent drive by utility companies to move people to paperless bills, whereby only customers who actively opted out of the switchover continuing to receive the paper variety.

"Understandably, many people were unaware of the drive for one reason or another, and were caught out, only to realise this after the deadline had passed.

-- Advertisement --

"I don't doubt for a second that paperless billing is the more environmentally-friendly approach - but it is not for everyone. It can pose problems for some households who may forget they have received an online bill or have difficulty accessing it because they aren't online. They can also incur costs because of the likely need to print off a bill or to log online to view it.

"Paper bills, on the other hand, can sit on a kitchen table or hang on a fridge, acting as physical reminders to people that they need to be paid. They also help people to better manage their finances because they are more conducive to sitting down with your family and planning your weekly or monthly outgoings.

"This is a worrying development, because it could potentially lead to situations where people have no access to their bill for a while, leaving it to mount up over time.

"I am disappointed by the actions of Meteor and Eircom because I understand many consumers have been caught out lately. It calls for an intervention by ComReg to act in the customer's best interests and inform people of their a basic right to have access to a bill - whatever type they wish."

(CD/JP)