Paperless Billing presumption.

[Londoner11]

My parents who do nothing online have been sent a letter telling them to go online to opt in to getting their Gas Bills through the post. AIBU that a presumption that everyone is online is unreasonable.

British Gas are letting them know the option exists, not ordering them to do it.

Yanbu, but unfortunately there are companies out there who will now charge for paper statements.

The letter does not mention what to do if you don't have a computer.
Parents have phoned them and they have apologised so it looks like British Gas are in the wrong - and parents have just remembered British Gas did it years ago automatically and they had to phone to get it back.

Many older people will be having serious panic over the letter through.

Yanbu

Go online to opt in to paperless is reasonable. But go online to opt in to post is ridiculous

If they want to cut costs by defaulting to paperless, they need a better way for people to opt out (a slip to return in the post or a number to call) rather than going online. Most people who would not want paperless billing are also likely to be unable or just not want to deal with an online account.

Might also be worth doing a comparison for them. If they are on a standard tariff they are wasting a fortune.

That's crazy. People who know how to do stuff online are unlikely to want paper bills, surely. And people who want paper bills are often computer illiterate so can't change things online! Absurd.

They may end up paying over the odds, though. Could you operate an online account for them with a cheaper provider? Or do you think either of them would be capable of doing a basic IT course? I think that computer illiterate people are going to end up at a real disadvantage soon, sadly.

I think that computer illiterate people are going to end up at a real disadvantage soon, They already are. Banks, building societies closing branches, you may live in a town but still need to travel an hour on public transport to get to your nearest branch. Higher interest rates on savings on line. Difficult to compare rates except on line. Phone call lines closing down, 15 working days the accepted standard for replying to letters ...

It's not just those who are not confident on-line, it's anyone who is beginning to lose short term memory and is unhappy to transfer money using account numbers which are easily mis-typed, anyone getting stiff fingers meaning typing is slow or inaccurate. Many older people find it impossible to fill in an on-line form without being timed-out. And so on.