Greed Is Behind Online Billing Plan

“Pushing the Envelope” [Feb. 9] shows another example of corporate greed.

For more than a year, I have been paying my gas and electric bills automatically. The utility companies offered the option of taking the payment out of my bank account each month. This saved them the time and effort of opening an envelope and entering and checking data. They were also assured of regular payments.

My bank also benefited by not having to process and return my checks.

I benefited by saving postage as well as the time, cost and effort of writing a check and pasting a stamp on an envelope. It also helps me when I am away on business or vacation since I don’t have to worry about paying those bills.

This is a win-win-win situation.

Now, according to the article, the utility companies have found a way of saving more money. They will no longer have to send out bills, saving postage and handling. But I will have to look on the Web to find and pay my bill.

This will have little or no effect on my bank. But look at what it does to me:

I have to have a computer, a modem, an Internet service provider and the necessary software. I happen to have all of these, but there are still the minor costs of electricity as well as wear and tear on my equipment. These are real but negligible.

What the real disadvantages to me are: I have to spend time looking for my bills, and when the Internet is busy it can take 10 minutes or longer to connect to the proper Web site. I have to download and/or print the bill if I want a record. When I am not home, I have to pay the telephone company for a toll call because my ISP does not have a toll-free number. And I have to remember to do all this.

That is bad enough. But to add insult to injury, they want me to pay 20 cents for each payment so they can make an additional profit while saving money.

DAVID FEIGN

Santa Ana