The Commissioner for Consumer Protection, Trish Blake has warned people receiving bills and other correspondence through the mail that they may be being charged extra for the ‘service’.
Ms Blake said a growing number of service providers now charged a fee to cover the costs of printing and posting their bills.
She said that list recently expanded to include Telstra, which reportedly cited ‘environmental reasons’ for charging customers $2.20 every time they received a bill in the mail after 20 May.
“Not all of Telstra’s customers will need to pay the paper billing fee — those who have a valid health care, pension concession or Department of Veteran’s Affairs card are exempt,” Ms Blake said.
“The charge will also not apply to customers who don’t have an email address or access to an active internet service, as well as those who require special bill formats, such as braille or large print.”
She said there were numerous reasons why other companies might elect not to charge fees, such as to those customers who received income support or were on a hardship program.
“The best way to find out if you are eligible for an exemption is to contact each of your providers to ask if you qualify for an exemption from paper bill fees, and how to apply,” Ms Blake said.
“If you’re not eligible, then the easiest way to avoid paying a paper billing fee is to switch to online billing and receive your bills by email or via the company’s app or website.”
She said that over the course of a year, charges for paper billing would add up, especially for people on a low income.
“By opting out of paper billing or claiming the fee exemption, you could save a considerable amount each year,” Ms Blake said.
