I sympathize with Chris Dorton’s recent letter to the editor regarding Xcel’s smart meter program. I agree that the utility is using its monopoly power to implement extortionary practices that result in a loss of control for consumers. We too were forced by the power company’s economic pressure to accept something we might not have under normal circumstances, in essence told to get with the program or be prepared to pay more for resisting. Frankly, I don’t want to give them greater control over our energy usage, but now, with that meter monitoring us 24/7, Xcel has what it needs to someday force us to ration energy whether we want to or not.

My beef really isn’t with conserving energy or being part of the solution to combat rolling brownouts — that’s reasonable and something I’d typically comply with. My issue is instead with giving corporations and their automated systems yet greater control over important aspects of my life. And yes, the extortionary aspect of it — “pay us more, or else” — is something that also gets my dander up.

In another example of this practice, I was recently pressured into signing onto a payment program by the town of Dillon for our water bill. I’m one of those relics who still uses those little rectangular pieces of paper called “checks” to pay most of our bills. I appreciate the flexibility that doing so gives me in determining when and how much I pay for everything from our HOA dues to utilities, including Dillon water. A couple of months back, we received an ultimatum from the town to either start using their chosen bill payment system or pay extra if we refuse. That financial disincentive was enough to send me down a route that I didn’t necessarily want to go. Without any real recourse, other than overpaying the bill by a significant percentage each month as a kind of inconvenience (for them) fee, I relinquished the flexibility of paying by check.

Companies often tout the convenience that auto-pay systems provide but in reality, switching to such systems is their way to save on bill processing. While I’m ok with helping them improve their bottom line (I guess), it’d be nice if there were more in it for me than avoiding extra charges. After all, I’m giving up my preferred method of bookkeeping and putting my faith in a system that could potentially overcharge me, leaving me with the bureaucratic headache of catching any billing errors and getting them fixed — after I’ve already paid them.

Using these online payment systems also opens consumers up to the potential of losing funds due to data security breaches. Such breaches are all too common, so I’d highly recommend that when signing up for any online system folks use a credit card instead of providing their debit card or bank account information. With a credit card you have much greater recourse for correcting overcharges and other errors.

Another way that corporations are transforming us into compliant payment bots is by making existing processes not just more expensive to use but also more difficult to use. Take grocery coupons for instance. My wife has assiduously clipped and used paper coupons for products that we buy, garnering significant savings from doing so over the years. And while her storage and organization system could use some work, there’s no doubt that her efforts have helped our household budget. But alas, a while back the big box grocery stores instituted an “exciting change” to the coupon system that would make things so much “easier” for consumers. They created apps that you can install on your phone to help with the harvesting and corralling of coupons, for our convenience, of course.

Well, the fetching Mrs. Jones has many wonderful attributes, but technology aptitude ain’t necessarily one of them. So, in order to continue to use coupons to help lighten the fiscal load on the family’s grocery bill, she has had to learn to navigate a complex app on a computer the size of a deck of playing cards (her cell phone). I’m sure this is an issue that has had a negative effect on many other people out there, particularly older folks for whom technology usage isn’t second nature. Of those many people, I can’t help but wonder how many simply quit using coupons out of frustration with trying to use those apps. And of course, fewer consumers using coupons means greater profits for the stores and/or product manufacturers.

But hey, those are just my opinions, and I’ve already fessed up that I’m a fossil set in many of my ways. I get it that there are plenty of folks who really do appreciate the convenience of snoopy meters, online bill paying, and electronic coupons. Bully for them, says I. But does giving those folks the efficiencies they crave really have to be to the detriment of those consumers for whom such changes aren’t beneficial? When companies seek to improve their operations, perhaps instead of a wholesale switch from one medium to another, they should consider providing a greater variety of options. Including continuing to allow consumers to pay their bills with a little rectangular piece of paper.

Tony Jones' column "Everything in Moderation" publishes biweekly on Thursdays in the Summit Daily News. Jones is a veteran of the IT industry and has worked in the public and private sectors. He lives part-time in Summit County and Denver. Contact him at eimsummit@gmail.com.