Ugh! After posting my original gem on this, I discovered that use of this ploy against us poor consumers by companies is more pervasive than I had originally thought.
I mistakenly had thought that generally only credit card companies used it. But I’ve since discovered big insurance companies do too and do so quite extensively. Yes, under the “paperless” illusion, insurance giants save themselves postage, printing, and paper costs by shifting burdens to us consumers. Instead of mailing us documents like auto insurance, homeowners, and life insurance policies, they email them. And we have to print them. We have to put wear and tear on our printers and furnish ink and paper.
But that’s not really the most crucial cost to us consumers in this “paperless” scam.
It’s really this: Insurance policies, needless to say, are critically important documents. When emailed, they could easily go unnoted in the shuffle of one’s likely overloaded with junk email files. That is, they could be overlooked or even mistakenly deleted. Or they just might not get printed. And when needed, they won’t be available or will be extremely difficult to find.
And this could put us at the mercy of the insurance company to furnish unmodified copies.
Now, just below is how one insurance giant cons people into going paperless. They do it to poor souls without them even realizing they’re being victimized.
In effect, it’s a disingenuous scheme and notice to insured persons that they’ve been automatically switched to a paperless mode. It tells them from now on, they’ll get all new documents like new policies or renewals of old ones, by email instead of US Mail.
And if these persons don’t note or read the notice and click a link at the bottom of it, saying in effect, “no thanks,” the company will assume their agreement to going paperless..
Now, here’s a copy of one such email notice sent by a huge insurance company:
And, here’s one sent by another insurance company. My comments are in brackets.
Go paperless billing in just a few clicks.
A safe and secure way to stay organized [What a crock]
Never worry about lost or stolen mail. [As if we’re idiots to buy that]
Go Paperless ». [clickable link]
______________________________________________________________________
And of late, most big companies, on almost every page of what they now email you, will have a “Go Paperless,” clickable link. They’re constantly trying to lure us.
So, beware, beware, and beware. And again watch carefully for a particular notice like the one above, which they’ll try to slip by you hoping you won’t note or read: One that says you have been automatically switched to paperless. And if you don’t catch it and click a “No thanks” link, you’re hooked.
But still, you can get out of it. Read again my first gem on this woeful subject for the how to.
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