Yesterday when I came back home, the same SSGC bill was waiting for me. So once again the tough task was upon me, this time I went to the Telenor franchise. After waiting for around 5 minutes they called me, and my bill got paid with some glitches of course.

One of my other concerns was the Fee charged by Telenor to accept this bill. I would not use a service like this if I have to pay Rs. 10/= on a utility bill of Rs. 140/=. I personally think the rates should be lowered and brought to an acceptable and cheaper range. I would rather use options like internet banking or phone banking to pay my bills where the Fee is negligible to none, varies from bank to bank.

After all this, I come to this conclusion that we should adapt new technologies and appreciate companies who took such initiatives, but services like this should be cheaper and more people friendly.

After my bill payment I received this SMS on my Mobilink network from Telenor.
Trx ID 324**** Rs 140.00 paid by 0528**** to SSGC at 12:19:23 on 23/10/2009 Fee charged is Rs 10.00.

Updated on : 2:30 PM – 6 November 2009 [MEDIA CLARIFICATION]

Islamabad, November 05, 2009: Recently, media has reported that IESCO and LESCO have asked their customers to not deposit their bills at Tameer bank’s easypaisa retailers. IESCO and LESCO have taken the position that they do not have an agreement with Tameer bank for bill collection through this channel.

Tameer Bank has a contract with KASB authorizing it to collect bills and deposit them through KASB’s aggregator service. Tameer Bank entered into an electronic bill collection arrangement with KASB Bank under their “eUBS” service in 2007. This Service Level Agreement was enhanced in February 2009 to cater for its Branchless Banking approval. The channels covered under this arrangement include IVR, ATM, Call Center, POS and other Over the Counter (OTC) modes. We would like to highlight that all utility companies, which have electronic billing arrangements with KASB have been made available to member banks as well. Therefore, Tameer Bank rightly availed this electronic collection under its umbrella agreement with KASB.

As per contract, KASB is responsible for all negotiations and arrangements with utility companies, and we are asking them to resolve this issue with IESCO and LESCO as soon as possible.

In the interest of our valued customers, Tameer Bank and Telenor Pakistan have decided to temporarily suspend the service from IESCO at easypaisa merchants. This service will be resumed as soon as the agreement issues between IESCO and Tameer Bank are resolved.

Tameer Bank and Telenor Pakistan would like to reassure all easypaisa customers who have already paid their IESCO and LESCO bills that their amounts have safely been deposited with the relevant utility companies. Furthermore, our dedicated helpline, 111-345-100 is available 24/7, to address any customer concerns related to easypaisa or previous transactions. Customers are requested to contact with their transaction ID.