Globe Telecom agreed to wave paper statement delivery fees for postpaid clients who are senior citizens and person with disabilities (PWDs), upon the prodding of Laban Konsyumer Inc.
Laban Konsyumer president Victor Dimagiba said the National Telecommunications Commission and the Globe legal counsels discussed measures on how to resolve consumer issues specifically for the P50 charge imposed by Globe.
Globe earlier announced it will be charging postpaid subscribers who opt to receive paper billing statements to pay for the paper statement and the delivery cost, as well.
While the NTC currently drafts the guidelines for telecommunication’s e-billing, the regulatory agency and Globe were initially in agreement that Senior Citizens and PWDs will not be charged for any request for paper billing effective immediately.
In line with this, Globe mentioned that the company is now offering free courier service to senior citizens and PWDs and other persons on a case-to-case basis.
Globe shall study further the possibility on how to make the same charge-free option available for other postpaid subscribers.
Laban Konsyumer suggested that there should be no added charge to other postpaid subscribers, except those who, since October 2015, agreed in writing to pay P50 in lieu of paperless billing.
Globe initiated e-billing to improve timeliness of bill statement delivery to customers and in line with its sustainability practice of protecting the environment.
Globe’s total mobile subscribers stood at 59.33 million at end-September, lower by 9 percent compared to last year’s 65.36 million subscribers.
Of the total, Globe had 2.47 million postpaid subscribers and 56.86 million prepaid subscribers.
The company’s home broadband subscribers totaled 1.26 million, up 9 percent from last year’s 1.15 million subscribers.
Meanwhile, Citibank has also postponed the charging for paper statement delivery fee until further notice.
In a letter to Laban Konsyumer, the bank said it values consumer feedback and will use the time to educate and encourage clients to enroll to e-statements for security and convenience.
Citibank also clarified that the Consumer Act requires a creditor to send a periodic statement of charges to borrowers but the law does not specific how the charges should be transmitted.
“We are also not aware of any provision in the Consumer Act or the Electronic Commerce Act that prohibits the imposition of a reasonable fee to produce physical copies of statements, particularly when there are ways to access the statements free of charge,” it said.
The bank added it has given ample time for clients to familiarize themselves of the bank’s digital initiatives.