Benny and Charlie,
I think someone is missing the point.
We, as consumers, should determine how our bills will be viewed and paid, not the biller.
This is our checkbook. I for one do not want to be bounced around the web to pay my bills this only detracts from my convenience.
If the biller does not want to participate, then they will not reap the savings from the service.
If the biller does not reap the savings from the service, they will soon find themselves unable to compete with companies that do get those savings. Witness the constant barrage of Long Distance Service offerings with ever cheaper rates.
Some consumers will go so far as switch service providers just to get the convenience.
CKFR, by acceeding to the demands of these billers, is in effect allowing these billers to eventually undermine it's own consolidator model, whether that model is thin or thick doesn't really matter to us, we only want the convenience of viewing and paying all of our bills without bouncing around the web.
The billers of course would prefer us to receive email billing notification and then visit their web site to pay the bill, at little or no cost to them. They care little for our convenience, but they realize that the consolidator model is so convenient for us that as long as it's offered, we will not go biller direct.
If CKFR will be forcing us to bounce from web site to web site, then what purpose does CKFR serve long term ? CKFR will be giving the biller the power to bypass CKFR in the future.
With consumers being bounced to the biller web site, the biller will be able to assemble a complete email database and probably start sending us the email bill notifications directly as well as sending them to the consolidator hoping that if enough consumers visit directly they can bypass the consolidator completely in the future.
If CKFR is bouncing the consumer back and forth on the web for their bills anyway, and the consumer is then offered a small discount by the biller for going biller direct, and the biller has this email database (thanks to the consolidator), what do you think will happen? Our convenience has gone out the window....
I think it's a mistake on CKFR's part to allow the biller to take control of this part of the process, Visits to the billers web site should be done when the consumer chooses to visit, they should not be forced to visit by the biller.
Just my opinion.
jjbucci |
