#consumer pain

[kazifatagar]

Economists: Trump Tariffs to Trigger Global Consumer Pain

A global survey by Germany’s Ifo Institute reveals that economists expect “considerable” tariffs in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies, with consumers worldwide bearing most of the cost.  Economists: Trump Tariffs to Trigger Global Consumer Pain The survey of 1,340 experts from 121 countries found average expected tariffs of 30% in Middle Africa, 21% in South Asia, 11% in…

Economists: Trump Tariffs to Trigger Global Consumer Pain

[hizibiz]

The e-bills and me

I was grown up in an era where having a telephone at home was considered as a status symbol in our society. I still remember when my father got his official residential phone after becoming the head of administration of his organization roughly four years before his retirement. Every two months a clear bill used to get dropped in our letter box by the postman. My father used to pay it within due date, always. No failure on either side, my father was never a defaulter!

Fast forward 20 years - we have “Grown”. Now the family is split in three geographical locations in different cities around the globe and we as a family use, four landline and nine mobile phones from six different telecom service providers. This is apart from the three different broadband Internet connections our homes are having. At least 10 to 20 percent of our monthly spending goes in keeping all these conductivities live. Telecom sector should consider units like ours as their “opportunity” and really try to keep us happy. My expectation here is simple, like every other service provider, municipality, electricity etc. they should post a bill and I pay the due and not become a defaulter.

Unfortunately that seems not the case with the telecom providers, at least the new generation ones I deal with. In the name of being “green” they stop sending me the bill completely ignoring my option for a paper bill. Every month I spend nearly 40 mins to 1 hour to run through the same iteration:

Call the customer support

They lie that that the bill has been sent

Then verify my address suggest me to move to e-bill

Register request for a duplicate bill

Not doing anything in first round about the request

Receive an escalation 

Then mail a duplicate bill.

While the operators want me to become “green” by opting for e-bill, they never tell that they are increasing profit by reducing printing and postal cost that way. They want me to

Closely watch my e-letter box for their mailer - use their broadband more that way.

When it arrive text for e-bill password - use their sms service more that way.

Open the bill using the password

Take print out or save the email and write the corresponding password somewhere for future reference in case of an unforeseen litigation.

Pay them if the bill is flawless or else get into another iteration for correction of bill for their “errors” which are induced by some “algorithm”.

Not sure if TRAI is aware of this menace.