Your Digital Documents: The Risks of Biller-Controlled Archives

Back when everyone corresponded on paper, consumers were in control of their document archives. A file drawer is not as easily searchable as an electronic database, but the paper documents it contains are accessible until the consumer disposes of them. With biller-direct paperless documents, it is the document-generating companies that decide how long your online documents will be available. The customers no longer have a say. 

Insurers, banks, utilities, and other entities typically only store your documents online for 12 months. What does an individual do if they need a digital-only document that is no longer available?

How Digital Documents Get Deleted

Digital documents get deleted on a regular basis.

Storage limitations or pre-set expiration dates lead to the deletion of online digital documents. Many online platforms or cloud storage services allocate limited storage capacities for customer documents. Once the storage limit is reached, the platform may force companies to drop older documents and make space for new ones. Additionally, platforms or services may feature expiration policies where documents are automatically deleted after a certain time. This can be problematic if users are not aware of these policies or fail to back up their documents elsewhere.

Mergers and acquisitions affect many areas of company operations, including online document storage. As companies migrate from one data processing system to another, archived data files can become corrupted or unavailable to the customers.

Intentional deletion by billers can occur in certain situations. Companies wishing to limit their exposure to penalties associated with new data privacy laws may choose to shorten the retention period for online customer documents containing personally identifiable information. In legal or compliance cases, companies may deliberately remove documents to prevent them from being used as evidence. These purposeful deletions can have serious consequences and may require legal intervention to address.

Finally, online access is shut off when you are no longer a customer, such as when switching to another company or moving to a different location. Online account access may be disabled within days, prohibiting access to even the most recent 12 months of digital documents.

Consequences of Losing Digital Documents

Losing important digital documents can have consequences for individuals. These documents may include your important financial records, legal notices, medical records, or personal correspondence. Without these documents, you may face difficulties such as financial planning, legal disputes, medical treatments, or even personal relationships.

Online documents stored by billers or other entities often contain critical details and data on which customers rely for various purposes. For example, financial records may include tax documents, bank statements, or investment records, which are essential for managing personal finances or filing tax returns. Deletion of such documents can lead to financial confusion, missed opportunities, or legal consequences.

Individuals may need to spend significant time and resources attempting to retrieve deleted documents formerly available online from document-generating organizations. Sometimes it may be impossible to fully recover lost documents, leading to permanent loss or inconvenience.

The consequences of losing important digital documents are wide-ranging and can impact individuals’ lives. It is crucial for customers to take measures to protect their biller-hosted digital documents from deletion or loss, with measures such printing them or manually maintaining copies in other locations.

Cubby Paperless Puts You in Control

Living in an increasingly digital world, it’s time we regain control over our personal document archives. This is where the Cubby Paperless solution steps in to empower you. 

Cubby Paperless reverses the traditional model of biller-controlled archives. Instead of being subject to your insurance or utility company’s storage limit, Cubby stores your digital documents for a much longer timeframe. A concept as simple as user-centric storage can make a huge difference in your document handling experience. 

Cubby's platform offers an intuitive, user-friendly interface that allows you to store and manage documents from multiple billers and other entities. You're no longer at the mercy of the retention timeframes set by billers. 

Let's look at some of the key benefits: 

1. Long-term availability: Cubby Paperless stores your documents longer. This means you can access those documents, even if they've been deleted from the original source.
   
   
2. User-focused interface: We designed the platform to be easy to use, even for those who may struggle with technology. This eliminates the frustration often associated with visiting each company’s online portal, some of which are cumbersome, to access the digital documents.

While biller-controlled archives can be convenient for the biller, they don't align particularly well with the customer’s long-term document retrieval needs. 

In such situations, having control of your own digital document archives can be a lifesaver. Cubby Paperless gives you that control, putting you firmly back into the driver's seat when managing and storing your digital documents.