Red card for red reminders
Two thirds of Brits have received a ‘red reminder’ for payment of their bills with 63% blaming forgetfulness, new research from Lloyds TSB Internet banking reveals. But, the red reminder could soon be a thing of the past due to the bank’s online bill manager service.
The bill manager service gives customers the ability to view all of their household bills in one place allowing them to pay, view and store paperless bills online. Customers also receive email alerts when bills are due, removing the need for the dreaded red reminder.
The organisations which have so far agreed to allow bills to be viewed and paid through lloydstsb.com are: Anglian Water, Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water, Bristol Water, Colchester Borough Council, EDF Energy Gas, EDF Energy Electricity Essex and Suffolk Water, Lloyds TSB Cards, Nectar, Northumbrian Water, Sainsbury’s Energy Gas, Sainsbury’s Energy Electricity, South East Water, Southern Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Thames Water, TV Licensing, Wessex Water and Virgin Media.
Of those surveyed, nearly 45% say they receive red reminders occasionally, 15% have received one just once, but 6% receive them frequently. A quarter of people who’ve had a red reminder drop on their doormat say it makes them feel anxious, while 21% say it stresses them out.
The main reason most people end up with red reminders is simply because they forget about the bill (63%). Meanwhile, 22% say that their late payment is due to the bill arriving while they were on holiday, while 13% claim they never received the bill in the first place.
While more than 55% say they pay their bill as soon as the red reminder comes through their letterbox, some 27% wait for up to a week while 13% drag out payment for up to a month.
Half of those surveyed said that they thought email reminders about their bills would help them to avoid late payment while 40% said they’d like to be able to view and pay all of their bills via their Internet banking service.