A Telstra customer has criticised the telecoms giant for charging him an extra fee when he uses cash to pay his phone bill in person.
Patrick told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Thursday that he is charged $2.75 a month to pay his bill in person each time he visits the store in Penrith, west of Sydney.
She said store staff were unable to explain to her why she was being charged an additional fee.
“I asked the manager and he said he couldn’t give me an answer and that I should call the billing department,” she said.
“It all adds up over the years… my mother and father pay in cash, like all the adults. I think it’s a scam, honestly.”
Patrick said the rule does not apply to payments made electronically or online.
Customers who choose to pay their bills by cheque in the mail or at an Australia Post store will also be charged the fee.
A Telstra spokesperson said the fee had been in place for some time and the move was made to manage the costs of processing non-electronic payments.
Australians have come under fire from Telstra after the telecoms company charged customers an extra fee if they chose to pay their phone bills in cash at the counter (file image)
“Electronic options are our preferred billing and payment methods, which is in line with global and local trends in billing and payments across a variety of utilities, telecom companies and service providers,” he said. Yahoo.
‘It’s easy for customers to avoid these charges by switching to paperless billing and payments through the My Telstra app, our website, visiting a Telstra store or calling us.’
Daily Mail Australia understands the customer is being assisted with their query. Telstra has been contacted for further comment.
Telstra isn’t the only one offering its customers an extra amount.
Optus charges a fee of $3 including GST for customers who choose to pay by cash or cheque at Australia Post stores.
Vodafone customers will have to pay an additional $2.73, however GST is not included.
Despite the additional payment, 68 per cent of Telstra customers who do not pay their bills electronically or receive paper bills do not pay any surcharge.
Customers can request exemptions if they have a valid health care, pension or Department of Veterans Affairs card.
Major telecom companies are charging customers an extra fee to process payments made by cash or cheque instead of paying their bills using electronic payment methods (file image)
Exemptions are also granted to those without an email address or access to internet service if customers live in rural communities.
Telstra will no longer accept cheque payments from 30 August.
The move comes after Telstra increased its postpaid plans from $2 to $4 a month on Tuesday.
Customers with prepaid plans will see their bills increase on October 22.
Cash usage in Australia has halved from 32 per cent to 16 per cent between 2019 and 2022, according to RBA figures.
The cost of processing cash remains expensive as demand for physical currency steadily declines.
Logistics firm Armaguard signed a $50 million deal with major banks in June to continue delivering cash across Australia.
