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Thread ID: 120272 2011-09-01 08:01:00 Contact Energy Online Discount SP8's (9836) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
1228092 2011-09-01 08:01:00 To quote from the article below:-

"People wishing to take up Contact's offer who do not have a home computer can easily access the internet at community facilities such as libraries and community centres or by using a relative's, family member's or neighbour's internet connection,'' Ms Bound said.

www.odt.co.nz

Interesting .... and not the safest way to pay your power bill.
SP8's (9836)
1228093 2011-09-01 08:30:00 All internet payments should be banned forthwith as being cruelly discriminatory against Luddites.
Paying at Post Shops should carry a surcharge to cover the collection costs incurred by people who insist on paying in cash (which they have in small denomination coins hidden away) at their back door. It is the right of every Electricity user to pay as slowly as they wish, at a time and place of their choosing. The evil Electricity Suppliers should accept their responsibilities and if the collection of the usurious charges takes half an hour per consumer, then so be it.
I intend to demand I be allowed to pay my tax this way, if I am out at the beach when the Taxman calls, well, if I can find my way to the beach, surely with all the resources of the state, the IRD should be able to find a beach. ;)
R2x1 (4628)
1228094 2011-09-01 08:44:00 All internet payments should be banned forthwith as being cruelly discriminatory against Luddites.
Paying at Post Shops should carry a surcharge to cover the collection costs incurred by people who insist on paying in cash (which they have in small denomination coins hidden away) at their back door. It is the right of every Electricity user to pay as slowly as they wish, at a time and place of their choosing. The evil Electricity Suppliers should accept their responsibilities and if the collection of the usurious charges takes half an hour per consumer, then so be it.
I intend to demand I be allowed to pay my tax this way, if I am out at the beach when the Taxman calls, well, if I can find my way to the beach, surely with all the resources of the state, the IRD should be able to find a beach. ;)

A good example of verbosity, thanks K9.
Cicero (40)
1228095 2011-09-01 09:09:00 Blatant discrimination! What amazed me were the comments:

"Contact does not accept that the discount is discriminatory to either the elderly or those on low incomes as internet use and access in New Zealand households is extremely high," Ms Bound said.
and

People wishing to take up Contact's offer who do not have a home computer can easily access the internet at community facilities such as libraries and community centres or by using a relative's, family member's or neighbour's internet connection," Ms Bound said.

It is discrimination. And it is cruel to suggest that it is a simple matter to pop into the library to pay on the net. The couple almost certainly do not have online access to bank account. They are an age where learning how to manage internet banking would be a very difficult hurdle - and imagine them sitting in the library peeping at passwords and bank account number and electricity account numbers all on bits of paper. Not everyone over 60 has the capacity to learn enough internet to handle finance online. Contact should have offered them the same discount for Direct Debit as an alternative - something perhaps within their reach.
coldot (6847)
1228096 2011-09-01 09:32:00 Awww, wibble wibble. It's not like they've suddenly changed it so you have to pay online, they've just introduced a new incentive to do so. It is no more expensive now to pay other methods than it was prior to this being introduced. There are lots of things that are cheaper certain ways - lots of places charge a markup for paying by credit card, too, for example, but it's the consumers choice to do so. inphinity (7274)
1228097 2011-09-01 10:34:00 A good example of verbosity, thanks K9.
You are most welcome; glad I could help with a bit of exuberant verbosity. ;)
R2x1 (4628)
1228098 2011-09-01 20:32:00 Ah yes, Contact.
Friend was with them and I suggested she get the discount. She does not do internet banking but so what, it's either internet banking OR direct debit.
She just filled out the DB form.
pctek (84)
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