Body: Log on to our website because we couldn’t possibly JUST FUCKING TELL YOU HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY OR WHATEVER YOU USED THIS MONTH DIRECTLY IN THE E-MAIL; no, we’ve got to play fucking games and make you do extra work and stop you from automatically having a record of your shit without having to deliberately log on to the platform we control and download them individually with 30 seconds worth of clicking between each one.
WTF is even the point of the email if there’s NO USEFUL INFORMATION IN IT?!
It’s annoying, but from a data security point of view it makes sense, personal information like that is more secure behind the login on their website than in an e-mail in plain text.
When it’s billing data I can see it, but if it’s a notification that someone sent you a message, you know there’s no reason they can’t include the message text. They just want your engagement (looking at you, LinkedIn).
I agree with you, but it’s easier for those companies to just do one option, rather than offer user/customer choices which would create additional effort both technical on the backend and legally.
But the website will only show how much you used, if you want to see how much that costs, you have to use our app, which for some reason requires location access, storage access and call access…
I’m currently locked out of my electricity provider’s payment site. They kept asking me if my name was on the account when I logged in. I would click yes and then it’d ask for a bunch more information. I managed to get around it and get to bill pay. Eventually they locked me out. Now they want me to call them so they can get more data out of me to sell to data brokers, and on principle, I’m not about that, so I just pay by phone like a boomer with my paper bill now.
Oh, not the total owed, but the actual usage graphs. Yeah I only get an annual email containing a recap pretty much at years end for a few services. Otherwise it’s off to the shitty website.
WTF is even the point of the email if there’s NO USEFUL INFORMATION IN IT?!
It’s annoying, but from a data security point of view it makes sense, personal information like that is more secure behind the login on their website than in an e-mail in plain text.
When it’s billing data I can see it, but if it’s a notification that someone sent you a message, you know there’s no reason they can’t include the message text. They just want your engagement (looking at you, LinkedIn).
No, you’re absolutely right. Hiding a message behind a login is essentially linkedin style click baiting.
That should be my choice, not theirs. I should at least be able to opt into having useful information directly in the email!
I agree with you, but it’s easier for those companies to just do one option, rather than offer user/customer choices which would create additional effort both technical on the backend and legally.
But the website will only show how much you used, if you want to see how much that costs, you have to use our app, which for some reason requires location access, storage access and call access…
I’m currently locked out of my electricity provider’s payment site. They kept asking me if my name was on the account when I logged in. I would click yes and then it’d ask for a bunch more information. I managed to get around it and get to bill pay. Eventually they locked me out. Now they want me to call them so they can get more data out of me to sell to data brokers, and on principle, I’m not about that, so I just pay by phone like a boomer with my paper bill now.
Of course not, can’t let the consumers keep an easy paper trail of their bills. That would mean we would be caught on mischarges!
Information channels arent for communication.
They’re for advertising, provocation, and corporate shibboleths of consent.
Maybe get on board with the 20th century, grandma.
Oh, not the total owed, but the actual usage graphs. Yeah I only get an annual email containing a recap pretty much at years end for a few services. Otherwise it’s off to the shitty website.
I’ve been promised that AI will fix all the shitty websites, soon.