Globe: 80% of subscribers prefer paperless billing

MANILA, Philippines — Majority or 80 percent of postpaid mobile subscribers of Ayala-led Globe Telecom Inc. prefer electronic or paperless billing. 

“Understanding that we are now in the digital age, most of our customers prefer to do their regular transactions online. We are encouraged that majority of our customers have decided to choose e-billing,” Yoly Crisanto, Globe senior vice president for corporate communications said in a statement. 

Globe has been pushing for e-billing amid numerous customer concerns on delays in the delivery of monthly billing statements.

The delays were mostly due to incomplete or changes in customer address, absence of a person to receive the bill, inclement weather, or difficulty experienced in delivery in far-flung areas. 

Following the company’s drive for e-billing, customer complaints on delayed billing statements have significantly gone down.

To discourage paper billing, Globe customers who opt for delivery of bills are charged P50 per month to cover the cost of printing and courier services. 

Earlier, Sen. Nancy Binay filed a resolution to call for an investigation on the P50 fee being charged by telcos to customers who still choose paper billing. 

Binay said it would be better to provide incentives or promos to encourage subscribers to choose e-billing, instead of charging those who decline the paperless billing system. 

In response, Crisanto said the P50 charge applies to new postpaid mobile customers on October 2015 onwards who chose paper billing, representing 2.4 percent of the total postpaid mobile customer base. 

She also said senior citizens and Globe Platinum customers who choose paper billing are exempted from the fee.

“We recognize that the level of adoption in using digital technology is not the same across all customer segments.  This is the reason why certain customers especially senior citizens are exempted from the paper billing fee,” she said.