Postmasters move to protect paper bill service

Postmasters have asked ComReg to intervene to protect phone customers’ ability to receive paper bills.

Meteor and Eircom have launched an effort to get customers to switch to electronic bills, but the Irish Postmasters’ Union has said the companies’ actions so far have been heavy-handed.

Customers are not obliged to make the switch but they have to actively opt to remain as paper customers to avoid getting transferred.

The IPU’s general secretary, Brian McGann, said some people prefer to have printed documentary evidence of their bill as it helps them manage their money.

Mr McGann said people had been put under pressure to switch and were being moved online by default.

Active Retirement Ireland said the decision to push paperless options would disproportionately affect older people.

In a statement issued last night the companies said: “Eircom and Meteor will be moving some customers to paperless billing from this month onwards. This includes 242,000 customers who have registered their account and email address with My eircom (30,000) or MyMeteor (212,000). These are online tools for viewing accounts, bills, checking usage, making payments etc.

“This move has been limited to those customers that are in a position to easily access their online bill, since they have all registered online.”