Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!caen!uwm.edu!rpi!bu.edu!telecom-request From: WARNER%ODNVMS@MPS.OHIO-STATE.EDU (Bill Warner) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: All Monthly Bills --> One Bill Message-ID: Date: 21 Feb 91 22:17:49 GMT Sender: news@bu.edu.bu.edu Organization: The Ohio Data Network Lines: 63 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 145, Message 6 of 7 Pat, this is a little off of the telecom subject, but you brought it up! I subscribe to a service by a company CHECKFREE. They allow you to pay bills using a Macintosh or IBM-PC using a hayes compatable modem. You use a front end program that runs on the Mac or PC that is a relatively good checkbook register program. You can set up a list of people to be paid either electronically or manually. You can pay bill weekly, biweekly, monthly, bimonthly, quarterly, twice a year or yearly. You can tell CHECKFREE to pay a bill sometime in the future. One limitation is that it requires at least four business day before the payment date to process the payment. The latest version of QUICKEN (a money management program) for the IBM-PC allows you to use this service with it, but the program they provide is plenty for my purposes. This is all done locally, until you "SEND to CHECKFREE." Then the local program calls CHECKFREE's computer in Westerville, Ohio and sends all the payments. (If it is a regular payment you only send it once and CHECKFREE's computer handles it from then on.) CHECKFREE sends the payment in one of two ways. If possible, they send it via the Federal Reserve Electronic Funds Transfer network. Most companies can deal with payments like this. The local phone company Ohio Bell has no problem with this. If the person/company that is being paid can not receive payments this way, CHECKFREE will print a check and mail it to them. This usually adds a couple of days to the processing of the payment. Two examples I have of this is my Rental Company and the Columbus Dispatch News Carrier (Not many News carriers have connections to the EFT Network!). Since they pay via "Electronic Checks" (Or physical checks) you can use any checking account at any bank (or equivalent.) On my month Checking Account Statement electronic payments show up as a "CHECK or PAYMENT" with a identification code that includes the name of the PAYEE. I have been pleased with their service. I had one problem initially in setting up their software: My name is William Warner, III (With no middle name) and they did not expect a name in this format, so I have to be Mr. Warner, III to them. They have a handly customer service email from their front end that you can send questions to. They do not send the response electonically, but mail you a postcard with the question and answer, but I guess I wouldn't want them calling my computer anyway. The cost is about $35 for the initial software and sign up. From then on there is a $9/month fee for up to twenty transactions. I can not remember the charge for additional transactions but it is in the ballpark of $0.50 each. Of course, they bill the monthly fee electronically. The number for CHECKFREE (From the Columbus OH phone book): (614) 899-7500 William "Bill" Warner, III (N8HJP) WARNER%ODNVMS@MPS.OHIO-STATE.EDU Ohio Data Network WARNER@OHSTPY (Bitnet) 65 E State St, Suite 810 +1 614 466 6683 (Voice) Columbus, OH 43215 +1 614 466-8159 (FAX)