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Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind., Hotline column: Hotline: Why should a consumer go paperless?
Nov 20, 2009 (Herald-Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
The paperless chase isn't for everyone
QUESTION: I just recently visited Duke Energy's Web site to view my bill but learned that unless I sign up for paperless billing, I'm unable to view my bill. What a sham, to prohibit an individual from viewing a bill just to force him into going paperless. There's no discount for doing this; however, Duke saves money each time they don't print and mail a bill. Why can't paper-billing customers view their bills online? Where's the incentive for the customer to convert to paperless?
G.T., Bloomington
ANSWER: Duke Energy media representative Angeline Protogere told Hotline that customers are not required to convert to paperless billing to view account information online. If you sign up for an online profile (www.duke-energy.com/indiana.asp), you can "uncheck" the paperless billing option at the bottom of the registration page. Protogere acknowledged that by doing so, you won't be able to view a copy of your bill online but you will be able to view information about "billing amounts, usage and bill history."
To view account information online, log in with your username and password (you can register to establish these), and select "Energy Usage & Cost Details" on the navigational bar. You can view 24 months of billing history along with charts of usage so you can identify trends in cost and the average cost per day.
Going paperless has advantages for both customers and Duke. Paperless customers can pay online, view actual bills online, and help the environment. Of course paperless billing saves money for Duke, and Protogere said reducing operating expenses ultimately helps customers, too.
Collection call or phishing scam?
QUESTION: I've received three calls recently from 800-848-0981 with a recorded message from the U.S. Department of Education regarding my "student records." When I called back, the first question was "What is your Social Security number?" I did not give them that information and asked them to take me off their list, but later I received another call. I reported it to the Indiana attorney general; should I do anything else?
E.R., Bloomington
ANSWER: The number 800-848-0981 is listed on the U.S. Department of Education's Federal Student Aid Web site as the "Payment Center Collections" number. Hotline called it; the person answering identified herself as a representative of the "direct loans" office. If you have no federal student loans, it's possible that your telephone number has been mistakenly entered as someone else's number. You may report such calls to the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General Hotline at 800-MIS-USED (800-647-8733).
Here comes the bride and the bridal show
QUESTION: When is Bloomington's Bridal Expo for 2010?
L.P., Bloomington
ANSWER: The Herald-Times is one of the sponsors of the Bloomington Bridal Show (www.bloomingtonbridalshow.org), which will be Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010.
For more tips and the Hotwire blog, visit HeraldTimesOnline.com/pages/hotline. Hotline is also on Twitter.com (search "HTHotline"). Write to Hotline, c/o The Herald-Times, P.O. Box 909, Bloomington, IN 47402, or e-mail hotline@heraldt.com, using "Hotline Inquiry" as the subject line.
Include your name, city and phone number. We cannot answer all inquiries.
To see more of the Herald-Times or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.heraldtimesonline.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, Herald-Times,
Bloomington, Ind. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For
reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or
847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group
Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
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