By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Papo's Auto Clinic - Queens Village, N.Y.
www.paposautoclinic.com
Before visiting this site, make sure you turn up the volume on your computer. An audio “welcome” - along with customer testimonials, service descriptions, online coupons and translation capabilities - make this site fun to visit.
Web Wise
The Check Is in the E-mail
It's an impending doom that lingers over all of us each month. It's that time when we begin the tedious and time-consuming act of paying and mailing our bills to their respective companies. But, it doesn't have to be this way. Several companies and financial institutions have launched online bill payment programs that allow you to pay your bills with the click of a button.
JP Morgan reports that the online bill payment market is estimated to reach $2.3 billion in 2001. Many financial institutions, such as Bank of America, BankOne and Wells Fargo, now offer an online bill payment service. However, the most popular services involve a one-step process offered by companies such as CheckFree (www.checkfree.com), bills.com (www.bills.com) and Paytrust (www.paytrust.com). These companies allow consumers to provide a bank account number and authorize the service to withdraw funds for each bill paid. Bills are mailed directly to these companies, which then post them on their Web sites. The companies e-mail the user when the bill arrives.
One aspect that is holding back the success of these programs is the consumer's concern about security. Corey Gray with Paytrust says there are no security issues with her company. “The Paytrust Bill Center is password-protected, similar to the Personal Identification Number (PIN) used at an automated teller machine. Messages cannot be redirected, read or tampered with,” she said. Gray also said the company uses the maximum level of security supported by an Internet browser.
A key advantage of paying your bills online is the diversity offered by each program. You can view your bills at home, at work or on the road. And, you still have control of how your bills are paid. “The subscriber has complete control over to whom payments are issued, the exact payment amount, when the payment should be sent or whether to pay the bill at all,” said Gray.
So, as the stresses of everyday life start to bear down on you, consider paying your bills online. It will save you time and money. Make sure you find a company that offers secure, encrypted technology to protect against fraud. There are many different programs available, each offering different services. Do your research to make sure the program can be used to the fullest potential for you or your shop.
Net Numbers
Each U.S. household spends an average of 24 hours on bill management, $46 on postage and $144 in check-writing fees on 12 recurring monthly bills.
Source: Paytrust (www.paytrust.com)
ASA Web Ways
NACE 2000 Web site
All information about NACE is online on the show's official Web site (www.NACEexpo.com). The site is updated regularly as new information is available. You can join the NACE-Network electronic mailing list that provides updates about the convention via e-mail. The Web site provides a virtual information center about NACE, including online registration, descriptions of seminars and speakers, a schedule of events, a comprehensive list of exhibitors and an electronic press room complete with news releases, fact sheet and a NACE overview. The Frequently Asked Questions section also provides useful answers to common questions. Visit the NACE 2000 Web site to help you plan your trip to the world's largest collision repair event. NACE 2000 will be held Dec. 7-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
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Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
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