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Not clever

Fuck me! - wrong thread.

Petallus, did it make you jump?!

do you not notice they are disposing of staff too; as well as papers and `shops' where one could go into to pay bills and make inquiries, plus complain??

only phone numbers for any service these days, no face to face!
nothing is personal , yet they try to tell us they care about how we feel ??

this is also happening with the rules and laws being handed out by the European union; they wish to tell us how we should live here in our ENGLAND;

ITS OUR MONEY - OUR LIVES- WE CHOSE!

I agree that there are still many reasons for keeping paper billing especially the need for paper proof of ID and the fact that many people do not have internet access and should not be penalised for this.
However personally I prefer to keep it on line. The amount of paper shredding I had to do after my father died was immense and required the purchase of a new shredder to cope. A big burst of decluttering at home resulted in many more sacks of confetti. I find it so much easier to have it all online, if I can remember all the wretched passwords of course!

I prefer paper billing because my broadband connection is unreliable and I like to see everything on paper

companies want me to be online and try to pressurise me by charging more for paper bills

I do feel the right to receive paper bills should be protected by regulation because not everyone goes online

If paper bills are phased out entirely this will be a problem for people without internet access

I have been managing most of my financial affairs online for ages, not really encountering any difficulties apart from needing to keep a secret checklist of passwords! Just spent an annoying couple of hours, however, having to devise new passwords after following Apple's instructions to rid myself of an annoying 'malware ad' that popped up all over the place. The jargon confused me!! Easily done...

* I manage finances on line and by using DD don't have to worry about bills. Use Papal a lot.
*never been pressurised but as I do most things online would not worry me so no pressure.
*yes paper should remain, including cheques! for those that need it. Also talking bills for those with sight problems.
*the use of any paperless system makes it more inflexible and unable to cope with the exceptions that prove the rule! Need to be able to talk to humans with the authority to make changes, to cope with the exceptions.

It is easier to cross-check receipts against bills when they are both on paper in front of you. We should have the choice as technically it is our money and custom that is keeping the company going.

I do 95% of my finances online - bills, banking, meter readings, etc. but think that anybody who wants paper bills should be able to have them. Quite a few of my older friends do not feel happy or secure with online banking.
There was a similar thing with banks wanting to phase out check books but they had to succumb to pressure. Eventually everything will be done on line but for the foreseeable future there must be choice.

* I'm 69, computer savvy and prefer the convenience of managing my finances online. Given the increasing cost of postage, I imagine this must be cost effective all round.
* I've no experience of feeling pressured to move online.
* I agree with others that there needs to be choice, and that those preferring paper bills etc. should not be penalised. Further, I do feel that the right to receive paper bills should be protected by regulation.
* Re. issues if paper bills are phased out completely, I believe that there should be enough flexibility in any system to accommodate those who wish to continue receiving paper bills etc. and not to penalise them for so doing.
* Re. power of attorney etc.(...and even before it gets to that!), I believe we owe it to our nearest and dearest, or whoever is likely to be picking up the pieces, that we provide them with clear instructions as to what can be found where, list of passwords, memorable information etc. so that our affairs can be accessed as required.
* An interesting thread...with lots to think about....!

There should be a choice with no penalty or reward for going digital or postal.

Even though I get some of my statements on internet, I have decided to change to paper because internet is not always up to speed and when I need to cheque something, what the internet tells me is different to what they say on the phone.

I think it's really unfair that some companies charge a fee for not going paperless! I think it would be more helpful to most of us oldies to have paper Statements, firstly because our memories are not so great, so if we forget how to do things on the Computer, at least we will have the paper in front of us and secondly, when we 'pass on', family may not know our passwords to get into our different accounts etc.

I think it should be legislated.

Don't know much about the Power of Attorney bit though.

Whilst I can see the benefits of a paperless society, the practicality of it being suitable for everyone is unrealistic. Power of Attorney is another area that has changed recently and doesn't have the same powers that it used to in regard to someone acting on your behalf - the best solution which I have done with my aging mother is to have my name put on all of her accounts including bills so that in the event of her passing I am still able to access everything including money rather than it being frozen. I have access to everything electronically as I live over 3oo miles from her and she gets paper copies - this means also that if she has a query about anything she can ring me and immediately I can log on and see what she is talking about and also help her to sort out any queries. I dont have a cheque book, I dont have a bank card so her money is only touched by her but my name is on everything so in the event of needing to access it all, I can.

I prefer to manage my finances online and it is very useful to be able to print off statements if you need them for any reason. I find it very easy to be able to check financial details online far easier than I can sometimes find a document at home.

Lots of companies give discounts for online billing which could be classed as pressure.

I feel you should be able to opt for paper or online billing, after all not all people are confident with a computer or even have the internet. Older people who don't use the internet now are not likely to as they get older so they should be allowed to keep paper billing.

I don't have any opinions about difficulties with Power of Attorney.

sharronr, so sorry to read of your diagnosis.

I am happy with online billing for most things but I also like some things in paper format, I want to have the choice. I saw in the paper the other day that Barclays Bank are now employing people who are placed in the bank, to help customers to get the hang of online technology

It never ceases to amaze me how many people in senior jobs lack computer skills, that's often why they rely on their PAs. My daughter's friend, a Chief Pharmacist, is completely lost without her "tech-savvy" PA.

I tend to do the utilities paperless if they give a discount for doing so! However I find that I don't keep a close eye on what is going on because it's such a production to access them,please make it easier!!
For banking I do both so that I am aware of what is going on

I prefer online billing, far better than all those bits of paper. Most companies will let you have a paper copy if you really need one, or you can print one of yourself. Saves paper, postage and the environment.

Whilst some bills are dealt with online and then Direct Debit this is not really the way I want to go. I feel that I take more notice and read more of the bills I receive on paper - perhaps I am lazy via the computer or find that I am more likely to go back to looking at a paper bill more than once. I felt pressure to have my fuel bills on line but refused to pay DD and still insist on paper bills too.

I do feel that we should all have the choice of how we receive our bills and how we pay them and not be penalised for choosing one method over another.

henbane I am partially sighted and although I can cope with bills etc on line I am expected to read gas and electricity meters and that is beyond me. I ask neighbours to help with the occasional task but certainly not meter reading.

I am happy with online bills & it saves all the paper filing. I like the fact that it saves me a little bit of money. I worry that if I die, my partner will have trouble with all my different passwords to access everything on line. I am pleased that I have kept up to date with internet literacy. Sometimes I am a bit lazy & don't always check the bills on line though. Basically quite happy.

I DONT want paper statements from the Co-op bank but there is no option not to have them !!!

I am perfectly happy looking at my account online

I deal with most of my utilities/bank/insurances/car tax etc. on line but I do occasionally hanker after a piece of paper so, as in the instance of Travel Insurance, I print off a copy to take with me. I do find that I become terribly with the plethora of passwords, pin numbers and codes required to access all these on line accounts.

I haven't knowingly been pressurised to move on-line - it just seems to have happened gradually but I do think that, as in the case of my 99 year old Aunt, she should be able to continue (as she does admirably) to deal with all her affairs by phone/visits to the bank/letters and a cheque book.

There must be thousands and thousands of individuals who are not computer literate and choose to do it the 'old' way. So, yes, I feel the right to paper bills should be protected by legislation for the foreseeable future. I think it is most unfair to penalise those who cannot or will not for whatever reason do on-line business and that should definitely be sorted out by some form of legislation.

Not sure about the PoA situation. I could foresee problems for me in the case of my Aunt, but I am sure my daughters would be able to sort out my own PoA when the time comes.

Times have certainly changed over the last few decades : when I first married I had a bank a/c, a post office a/c and a building society a/c and all the bills were paid by cheque after receiving a bill through the post - somehow life was far simpler and straightforward in those days.

Further point re partially sighted - surely online potentially has advantages here? - you can zoom in on computer text and I think there are apps being developed if not yet functional to read aloud emails, text on web pages etc.

I much prefer to manage my finances online. I do file paper copies of bills & statements - but I can just print out the bits that are actually relevant, eg summary sheets, not the n pages of explanatory bumf; and I don't keep them in the filing cabinet indefinitely as I can look at the older ones if necessary, online or on my hard drive.

However, that's a personal preference and I'm all for people having the right to request paper copies - I know older people who have never had or used a computer at all, let alone being computer literate. I also know people who prefer to pay bills by cheque as they find it easier to keep track of their money.

I've never actually been pressured to do things online. Some accounts/energy tariffs can ONLY be managed online but that's fair enough as long as OFF line options are also available and the additional costs of not being online are kept to a realistic level (based on how much more it actually costs to process a cheque than a dd, or to print & post a paper bill rather than putting it on a website).

Presumably a power of attorney should include the right to manage the account online?