Entanet UK Attacks Call to Bring Back Annual Paper Billing for ISPs

Communications provider Entanet, which supplies broadband and other services to a number of ISPs and businesses around the United Kingdom, has today warned that those calling for a return to annual paper statements from broadband ISPs should “Get real!” and be mindful of the costs.

A recent uSwitch survey (here) found that many consumers supported the return of annual paper billing, which the study suggested could be both more informative (e.g. details of the contract start/end dates) and help to save money by supporting annual discounts (e.g. Pre-Paid Phone Line Rental Saver). But this might also have overlooked some of the potential pitfalls.

Neil Watson, Entanets Head of Service Operations, explained:

“Seriously? So uSwitch thinks in an age of online portals, social media, mobile comms and email we should resort to paper; and holds up utility companies as the beacon for success? Get real! Any ISP worth its salt is already, like Entanet, presenting customers with all the information they need to track their usage, monitor and even control their spending and note when their contract is up for renewal.

Furthermore, looking at this from a practical point of view, the majority of our contracts are only 30 days. So what then, should we issue a separate paper statement for each contract issued?“

Watson, aside from pointing towards the negative impact that more paper billing would have on recycling, also criticised the claim that annual paper billing would help to cut costs for consumers. In particular they echo our fear that some ISPs might feel the need to raise their prices in order to protect against future hikes from their own suppliers and not to mention the extra admin costs.

Neil Watson continued:

“Has uSwitch actually considered the possibility that certain ISPs may in fact raise their prices in order to safeguard against the likely higher costs of providing paper statements? … We just can’t believe [they] want it provided on paper. In this day and age online billing is the way forward and is certainly becoming the ‘norm’.”

It’s worth pointing out that most ISPs still offer paper billing as an option but you often have to pay around £1-£2 extra for it a month.