Dear Globe, it's me again

My Globe DSL service bill for December-January just arrived in my mailbox and I was surprised to see that I still had a balance of P1,150+. I remember asking my brother to pay this balance on my behalf a couple of months ago. Plurk friends will remember it as the time when I ranted about having no service with Globe for nearly a week.

I called up customer service and asked for the updated balance. True enough, I did make the payment and my balance now is P0.93. Since the matter was settled, I was ready to end the call when the customer service rep informed me that I could sign up for paperless billing through the Globe website. I let her finish her spiel even though I was already familiar with the service. The kicker was this line:

"Ma'am, you can view your bill through our online facility and when you're ready to make the payment, i-print niyo nalang po yung bill."

Globe's current set-up with "paperless billing" is that you'll see a scan of the paper bill you receive every month. Unlike the online facility of banks, it doesn't reflect the actual balance of your bill but rather what was received by their system before the cut-off. This was the reason why I had more than a thousand pesos in my bill, as the payment was made after the cut-off period.

Now, I am not certain if customers are truly required to print the bill when paying. If you have a credit card or pay through BPI's online facility, it shouldn't matter. But what about those who can only pay through Globe or Bayad centers? I know I have been able to make over-the-counter payments for my DSL by just providing the correct information the attendant asked for, such as the account number and account holder's name, as well as verify some other details. I am also positive that I was able to make the payment through the machines some Globe centers have even without the stub from the bill.

If Globe does require a printout of the bill from customer who signed up for paperless billing, it totally defeats the purpose of the service in the first place. It doesn't make it more environmentally friendly, and maybe this is a rarity, but what of the customers who do not have printer access (either at home or at the office)?

My points?

1. Clarify the process for bills payment. If a customer uses the paperless billing, will s/he require a print-out, or not?
2. Update the system so that customers who do use the service will be able to view in real time their actual balance. A delay of 12 to 24 hours is acceptable. A discrepancy of 1 month is not.

I look forward seeing some improvement in your service, Globe.