The Keep Me Posted campaign has received a boost from Kevin Foster, the Conservative Party’s Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Torbay. Mr Foster has signed up to the campaign, which calls for greater consumer choice and protection of all consumers.
Keep Me Posted has been pressing for the consumer’s right to choose how organisations, such as banks, energy and telecoms companies send customers their bills and statements, whether online or on paper. The call comes in the face of an increasing trend for businesses to switch their customers to mainly digital communication, which isn’t always preferable or suitable for a large proportion of UK consumers.
Keep Me Posted believes the next UK Government should follow the lead of other European countries, such as Spain and France, where recent legislation has been passed enshrining the right of consumers to choose in which format to receive their bills and statements, without having to pay extra.
Judith Donovan CBE, who chairs Keep Me Posted, said, “I am delighted that Kevin Foster has pledged to support the campaign. Almost seven million people have never used the internet, including 15,000 in Torbay, and a further 11 million lack the basic skills to send emails or shop online, let alone take care of their finances entirely online. That’s an awful lot of voters in the Torbay constituency who would be keen to elect a candidate who has their interests at heart. Several other countries have changed the law to protect customers, and I am confident that Mr Foster will raise this important issue in the corridors of power if he is elected to represent the Torbay constituency.
Kevin Foster said: “I use e-mail and Social Media to keep residents up to date with what I am doing and local news, but not everyone in the bay is online. In addition many who may be happy to do a range of things on their computer still want the reassurance that only a paper copy of key bills or documents can provide.
I am therefore only too happy to sign up to the Keep Me Posted campaign. This is not about being anti-digital, but pro-choice. Consumers should have the choice to receive key utility bills and financial information in the post without facing a financial penalty for doing so.”
Keep Me Posted is calling for businesses and other organisations to offer consumers the right to choose by adopting the campaign’s six-point ‘right to choose’ charter.
Keep Me Posted’s Six Point “Right to Choose” pledge is calling for organisations to:
· Offer all customers the right to choose paper bills and statements
· Ensure there is no charge for choosing to have paper bills and statements
· Only take away paper bills and statements after the customer agrees to the change
· Only change the frequency of paper bills and statements after a customer agrees to the change
· Ensure customers are not denied online access if they choose paper bills and statements
· Allow customers who have moved to online billing to move back to paper without charge
You can sign up to the Keep Me Posted campaign yourself by calling 020 7566 9773; writing to Keep Me Posted, 24a St John Street, London EC1M 4AY or sharing your stories, preferences and experiences at www.keepmeposted.uk.com.