THE EDITOR, Sir:
SOME OF the commentary already made on the charging of user fees by payment agencies has been uninformed, or has come from individuals lacking a true grip on the reality of the times.
Firstly, I must make it pristinely clear that I too believe in appropriate remuneration for a service rendered ... to me.
The business model (and selling point) of the bill payment companies has always been one centred on a service and convenience to the companies, moreso than to the consumers. Yes, we the consumers do benefit, but the major beneficiaries (and therefore those who had to be convinced) were always the corporate entities.
Bill payment companies marketed and sold their 'wares' to companies from the onset, then invited us to 'come on in, pay your bills here!'
A consequent, but even more important development has been the subsequent closing or merging of bill collection departments at some of the utility companies.
Walk into the JPS office at the Pavilion Mall or Cable and Wireless offices on Half-Way Tree Road and you will see Paymaster locations (original employees are oftentimes taken on by payment entities). So now we have very few, if any, options to pay bills directly to some of these companies and MUST use the bill payment agencies for many of our payments.
Were we provided with options, it would be a simple matter of choosing our poison. Those who pay their bills must now pay to pay their bills.
And, finally, a warning to the Jamaican people and the O.U.R.
Beware of the utility and other companies 'absorbing' the fees only to pass on the charges to us in our monthly bills.
I am, etc.,
MICHAEL NORMAN
apsis_2000@yahoo.com
Kingston 4
