Telus Corp. (TSX:T) will start charging cell phone customers $2 starting September 21 if they want to receive a paper bill in the mail instead of an e-mail.
“Paper bills are more expensive. You’ve got to produce them, print them and mail them. The two dollar charge represents the cost to us to produce a paper bill,” Telus spokesman Shawn Hall told Business in Vancouver August 18.
He then framed the decision as being largely environmental.
Telus will donate $2 for each customer that opts to get a free e-mail bill instead of a paper bill. In addition, the customer’s name will go into a weekly draw for $1,000. Not only will the winning customer receive money, but Telus will donate $1,000 to the Nature Conservancy of Canada on behalf of that customer.
So, why is Telus not going all the way with this new policy and including landline customers?
“Landline service is a bit different,” Hall said. “It’s regulated and the demographics are different.”
He would not say whether Telus would embark on the cumbersome process of applying to the CRTC to get permission to charge landline customers for paper phone bills.