You Keep Using That Word

[lucy24]

This morning I got an email from the utility company. Lightly paraphrased, it said: “We’ve noticed that you use your bank account to pay your bill. Wouldn’t you rather pay with a credit or debit card so we can stick you with a monthly ‘convenience fee’?”

Um...

Let me think about that...

Gosh, it’s so hard to decide...

[not2easy]

Points for honesty? OK, it was paraphrased, but the mention of fees sounds like it was noticeable at least?

[lucy24]

it was noticeable at least?

Oh yes indeed, in fact about half of the email was concerned with explaining why they can/should/must charge a “convenience fee”. That’s on top of the added convenience of having to remember to update the information every 2-3 years when the credit card rolls over. (In the same day’s mail, I got a registrar notification about a failed auto-renew because, you guessed it, I’d forgotten to update my credit card info.)

[JS_Harris]

I get those too but it gets better....

Way back when I had to submit an email address to my bank so they could send me the monthly updates. I stupidly entered my gmail address which told Google all about my bank practices. A few years ago I removed my gmail address and almost immediately my bank wanted me to prove the new email address was mine by linking a recovery email address from a source THEY trust, which was gmail or a top level domain with non-private registration in my name.

I still cannot stop them from emailing me a monthly "update" alert. They cannot comprehend why I do not want them emailing me at all, for any reason, even though I've explained that if someone access my email address they would see which bank I use because of those....

Just think what would happen if I added the mobile phone number they've been PLEADING for too.

[Marshall]

Just think what would happen if I added the mobile phone number they've been PLEADING for too.

They would sell it, make some money, and you would get robocalls.