Have anyone else noticed the increase in the number of bills, especially monthly bills like credit card bills, utility bills, mortgages, etc. that are pushing "save the trees", "go paperless"? Now I'm no Luddite having begun to pay my bills electronically as soon as my bank was prepared to handle the process. But I also remember when the mortgage payments were pre-printed cards similar to a check that you tore off a pad and sent in with your check. Now we get a three page (or more) statement with all but the first half page devoted to advertisements of the banks services.
Same thing with utility bills. I recall getting a bill from one of our utilities in the form of a 80 column Hollerith card, also known as an IBM punch card, that was designed so that you would break it along a distinct perforation and send 5 inches of the 8 inch card back, the part of the card containing your account and billed amount information. Now that same utility does indeed include a tear off return slip but with four full pages as well.
So I say, "Companies, clean up your act and save some trees by cutting down your billing package before asking the customers to save trees. Your actions speak louder than your words."
Every once in awhile, I will get fed up and stuff a bunch of shredded junk in the prepaid envelopes some companies send, then mail it back to them, just to use their account's money for something as infuriating as all those ads.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you there...paper waste is greater now than I can ever remember in the past.
ReplyDeleteAh, but if they cut down like that they would lose the advertising. If you accept electronic bills they can add all sorts of advertising to it.
ReplyDeleteLee
This whole billing process sucks. Autopay eliminates the junk paper, but the electronic stuff continues.
ReplyDelete