Hint to companies: Give me a reason to do your bidding, not a threat

I recently signed up for online billing with my American Express card — and I do almost all my day-to-day banking online — but I’m often loathe to do so.

This story in the New York Times gives some of the same reasons that I have: I worry about missing a bill, I don’t want to have to go to 50 websites for all my bills, and there’s just something reassuring about the tangibility of a paper bill.

I finally caved with American Express mostly to get rid of the annoying nag screens every time I went to check my balance online, but the Times story irks me so much, I might go and sign up for a paper bill again:

In August, T-Mobile got serious about paperless billing. It started charging a $1.50 monthly fee on all accounts that continued to receive a paper bill.

In the story, it’s said that T-Mobile will “only talk of trees to be saved, not dollars,” but they send out 16.5 million invoices a month, so multiply that by paper, envelopes and stamps, and you’re into the big bucks for sure. It’s a no-brainer for a company that wants to save money.

But charging your customers $1.50 for a service you promised them for free? Especially when it’s a bill?! No wonder there’s a backlash! (The Times story mentions a class-action lawsuit.)

So here’s a hint, to any companies looking to save money by going paperless:

We consumers know that you’re saving money. Pass those savings on to me! Give me a dollar off my bill, and I’ll switch to paperless in a flat-out instant.

Geez, it’s obvious.