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Stealth Inflation
prostoalex writes "The New York Times on the Web explores the topic of incorrect bills and numerous surcharges with names like 'assessment', 'handling', 'restocking', etc. David Pogue quotes Business Week magazine, where it says that such small charges $100 million annually for hotels, $2 billion for banks and $11 billion for credit-card companies. Users of landline phones, cell phones, checking accounts and credit cards are starting to suspect that such huge revenue might imply the mistakes are made on purpose. Is it just another conspiracy theory, or are we becoming victims to the stealth inflation?"
Inflation hasn't only gone up because of things like this, but because of the increasing dollar amount of taxes being subtracted from paychecks. Even if your paycheck is the same as 10 years ago, your take-home pay is very likely less. These surcharges are yet another way that make you think you're making the same amount - when really, you're making less and less, every day.
Back in the 80's my mom used to record _all_ of her long distance calls and numbers on the calendar next to the phone (having only one phone, and little kids who didn't use it helped) and every few bills they'd try and screw us out of 50 cents to a dollar. After 2 years of calling up and screaming she started going into the main office and grumping in person, demanding the manager etc. After a couple of those and proof that we weren't home on days when calls were billed our bill mysteriously quit having problems and has been that way for the last 15 years.
no it is not.
send them a bill.... Check writing fee : $9.95
you are doing business with them, you have a business relationship with them and it's perfectly legal.
I have done that for the past 2 years with the local Telephone company cince they atsrtedto charge $5.00 a month for making electronic payments.
They refused to pay it for the first 3 months until I sent a letter that I was going to send them to collections. I got a telephone call from their finance department asking what was up and I told them it was a fee they are being charged for me to write them a check every month. They asked how could they avoid the fee and I said, accept my electronic payment without a surcharge.
They keep paying it, and I even recently started sending a note on the bill "remove this check writing fee by accepting no-charge electronic payments!"
works great, is 100% legal (if they want to stop getting billed they can stop the business relationship with me.) and my lawyer thought I was very innovative and also told me that I am within my right to do what I am doing.
YMMV, but doing this is not automatically illegal as the misinformed here say.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I recently did battle with Sprint over a billing error. I fought and fought with them for months. Eventually I convinced them that if their fraudulant billing were exposed to a larger audience, that more irritating bastards like me would be hounding their accounting department.
I got a free years worth of phone service and long distance to keep my mouth shut and go away. It just ran out. I say give it a go, they're wrong and they know it.