Concerns Regarding Changes to Automatic Payment Timing

[TappingOut]

Dear Tracy Markwood,

I am writing in response to the recent notification regarding changes to the timing of automatic payments. I appreciate the need for Rogers Communications to manage cash flow effectively, but I am deeply concerned about the decision to withdraw payments 7 days prior to the due date.

I find this change not only inconvenient but also unethical. Taking payments before the due date imposes an unnecessary financial burden on customers who plan their finances around the original payment schedule. This decision appears to lack consideration for the consumer and their financial well-being.

As a long-time customer, I have valued the services provided by Shaw/Rogers. However, this change significantly impacts my satisfaction, and I am now considering terminating all services, including my cell phone account, if this policy remains in place.

I urge you to reconsider this decision and align the payment schedule more closely with the original due dates to maintain customer trust and satisfaction.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

[KS03]

Wholeheartedly agree. I am reaching out to my MP and the CRTC to see if regulations even allow this. What other company takes a payment BEFORE it is actually due? And since for my specific type of mobile plan, I am required to have automatic payments, I have zero recourse against this action. Not a fair practice - not by a long shot. 

[dropshort]

Being a westerner I now understand why the customers back east despise Rogers.

I will now move to Telus and no longer be a loyal customer to any corporation.

[pottsey007]

Kudos! these are serious concerns, and message #1 you have expressed and addressed the issues correctly and succinctly.  With my plan I will be paying over $500+ in the span of a month. That's insane!

[rstra]

@pottsey007  Turn off auto payments and make a manual payment on your due date.

[pottsey007]

Something I  just realized, is my automatic monthly payments will now go through Google Pay.  That means Google Pay has a 'fee' that you will pay for using their service. Normally the Bank that you use for automatic monthly payments, will not be charging Rogers, but the customer now pays that fee through Google Pay!  That means you will see two charges on your statement, one to Rogers/Shaw, and a separate fee for that payment to Google Pay!

I have been trying to find the pay schedule to Google Pay, so far no luck.

A fellow Westerner

[Lele1]

Unfortunately if you turn off auto payments, your monthly bill will go up. Apparently our reward for setting up auto payments is a "discounted" rate. It's all utter rubbish and smacks of telecom monopoly. 

[rstra]

@Lele1 Oh yes, must be for the mobile plan discount.

[Jean1955]

I, too, find this annoying, not because I find it "inconvenient" or "unethical" but because Shaw is one of those companies that bills its customers one month in advance. Since the due date, up until this coming change, has been 30 days past the invoice date, we have only been paying for services that we have just finished using. Now those of us who pay by automatic payment will be paying for services two weeks before we've completely used them.  As far as the "due date" is concerned, it's just an arbitrary date that Shaw and any other company sets up for themselves. Enmax, my energy provider, requires payment 25 to 26 days after the invoice date; all of my credit cards (CIBC Master card, RBC Visa card, and ATB Master card) required payment  21 days after the invoice date. My Property Assessment Notice was dated May 17, 2024, yet it's not due until June 30, 2024, giving me 44 days in which to pay. My gasoline company gives me 27 days from the end of each month to pay. It is each company's prerogative as to how much time they give you to pay. It is just unfortunate that Shaw decided to change the date of automatic payments without giving an explanation. There must be a reason, giving the fact that, as Grand Master commented, you can just turn off your automatic payment and pay it yourself manually on the due date. It would at least be fair to everyone if Shaw just decided to change their due date to 14 days after the invoice date. Then everyone would be paying their invoice 14 days after it was billed and not just those that have signed up for automatic payments. Just for the record, Grasshopper, I have Telus as my mobility provider and they take payments 15 days from the invoice date of your bill, so it's the same as Shaw; plus, you cannot pay by credit card or you get charged the 3 or 4 percent that the banks charge them for it. Another thing to consider before making the switch to Telus is that if you live in a small rural area, Telus may not be able to provide you with high-speed internet. We had a Telus representative build us a sweet deal just last month for less than we are paying with Shaw, and an hour after he got our approval, he was on the phone back pedalling and telling us that he was told that he could not provide us with what he had quoted us! Also, what makes you think Telus is not a corporation? 

[rstra]

@Jean1955  Shaw no longer exists, it is Rogers now. Rogers does not charge processing fees for CC payments. You are free to pay your invoice on the due date with a CC, it just l won’t be automated. Certain Rogers cell plans require auto pay on a credit card to qualify for a certain plan. TV, Internet and Home phone accounts can pay on the due date with CC or online banking.