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Starting this January, Far Eastone Telecommunications, or FET began implementing electronic invoicing as the default for all users. Should a user wish to continue receiving invoices by mail, a NT$10 surcharge will be added every billing cycle. Recently, a user filed a complaint about FET’s new policy with the Consumer Protection Office, after his aging parents saw their connection cut since they were not aware of the change, and so did not pay their phone bills. Furthermore, he said the only way to opt out of electronic invoicing was through the FET app, which he said isn’t really accessible to older adults. A consumer protection officer declared FET’s new policy unreasonable. FET has issued an apology and responded that it would improve on relevant procedures.

Mr. Lin’s aging parents recently had their cellular connection severed abruptly. After checking online, he discovered that the service provider, Far Eastone Telecommunications, or FET, had stopped sending them a paper bill, and now charges an extra NT$10 every billing cycle for a hardcopy invoice that users must opt in for first. He believes it’s unreasonable.

Mr. Lin
Filed complaint
Legally speaking, this is a huge point of contention, because at the time when the contract was made between us and the telecommunications company, there wasn’t a single reciprocal declaration of concordant intent that confirmed the invoicing method to change into electronic invoicing or SMS invoicing. Conventionally speaking, telecommunications companies would encourage electronic invoicing instead of adding a surcharge, which is a form of penalty.

Mr. Lin had opened cellphone lines for his parents, who recently stopped receiving their invoices in the mail. They were not aware of the service provider’s policy change, and so they did not pay on time and had their services terminated. Mr. Lin said this has caused them immense trouble.

Mr. Lin
Filed complaint
My parents were confused why their phones couldn’t connect to WiFi at home, so they could use the Internet. I checked the FET app and found out. But elderly people won’t know about all these apps, such as the FET app, let alone use them. If they hadn’t told me about the change, making me check the app, no one would know about the change.

Wang Ya-lin
Consumer protection officer
It’s not reasonable for them to unilaterally convert all users to electronic invoicing, and on top of that, add on a NT$10 surcharge to opt out. That’s a covert way of raising prices.

FET responded that the company had sent all billable persons a text message of their new policy, but the numbers concerned in Mr. Lin’s case were not directly paying users and so they might not have gotten the text. The company also apologized for the inconvenience caused and promised to improve on relevant procedures.

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