For credit card statements, I still want to see paper, if for no other reason than that paper serves as a personal form of "checks and balances." (Did I really spend that much at Costco last month?)

For bills from utilities (such as the phone, gas, electric and water companies), I have absolutely refused to pay in this automated fashion. Quite frankly, I have found too many mistakes on such bills in the past. I know that if I didn't receive that paper statement every month, I would be less likely to review the charges and catch the errors online.

If it sounds like I'm being a bit cranky, consider this scenario: I was recently away from home for almost three weeks. Upon returning, I found myself facing a stack of mail, several bills and, ultimately, several phone calls, including these:

I had to call my cell phone provider and have it remove a US$75 charge for a service I tried to sign up for while on vacation but could never get to work (phone-to-Internet stuff).

I had to call my local phone company and have it remove a $30 charge for a second DSL connection that I was being billed for -- but don't have.