Retiree's joy over way to dodge Telecom fee

ALL SMILES: Neil Gerrie has found a way to avoid a payment fee. Photo/Stuart Munro

Neil Gerrie is a happier man this week since discovering that he can pay his Telecom bill by phone banking for free - thanks to KiwiBank.

Last week the Wanganui retiree contacted the Chronicle about the $1.50 charge for paying his Telecom bill over the counter at the post office - a charge which he called "miserly".

The 77-year-old retired carpenter doesn't own a computer and so was penalised for not paying online.

His story provoked scores of letters and comments on the Chronicle website complaining of hidden charges.

"I'm pleased to know I can pay by phone banking, but I still think it is wrong that Telecom are so penny-pinching when they are making millions of dollars in profits," Mr Gerrie said yesterday.

This week he noticed his bank account showed a credit amount of $1.50 and thought perhaps his fee had been refunded but it turned out to be interest from the bank.

"I thought maybe the power of the press had shamed them in to giving it back to me."

Although Mr Gerrie can now avoid the payment fee, he will still be charged for the cost of the paper bill, which is also an extra $1.50 and can only be avoided if Telecom customers are able to receive bills electronically.