Manx Telecom to Charge £6 for Email Phone Bills

**A follow up to this story was published where MT clarified the issues raised in this news story. You can read it here

From next month Manx Telecom will be charging £6 to customers who request a copy of their phone bill to be emailed to them.

At present the phone operator charges a £4.20 fee for customers who receive their bill by post, which many say is penalising customers who are not ‘online’.

Unlike many utility companies such as Manx Utilities Authority, Elite and Isle of Man Energy who send bills out via email, Manx Telecom requires customers to register and then log in to a portal with a user name and password to look for their bill.

Many users of Manx Telecom, including the elderly who do not have access to online services, are charged an extra £50.40p per year for receiving their phone bill via the post.

Discriminatory

The charge for paper bills has been in force for quite some time. It has been labelled unfair, non-inclusive and discriminatory against people are not ‘tech savvy’, especially the elderly, many who are living off only their state pension. This charge financially penalises people who are likely never to be online or who will have limited access to the internet.

The telecom provider is now looking to charge for ‘electronic’ copies too.

A ‘credit control’ spokesperson said that from next month, customers will be charged the £6 fee (£5+VAT) if they ask for a copy of their bill via email.