If IKEA has a 30% restocking fee on defective items that you tried in vain to assemble (twice) only to decide that you just didn’t want the stupid thing anymore, we couldn’t find any evidence of it on their website. Nevertheless, reader Drew says buying and returning (rather than exchanging) a defective bookcase cost him $60 and a sore back.
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At HSBC "No Minimum Balance" Actually Means $0.01
By 4.25.08
Reader Erin found out that when HSBC says, “no minimum balance,” they actually mean, “at least $.01.” What seems like an innocent misunderstanding is actually going to cost Erin some time and trouble. It all began when she had to empty one of her HSBC accounts to make a large purchase. Because her account required no minimum balance she assumed all was well, until she went online and found out that HSBC had conveniently closed her account which can only be reopened in person. Erin writes:
By 4.25.08
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If you thought AT&T’s $2 fee to pay a bill in cash in-store was bad, wait till it goes up to $5. The price increase is scheduled for later this year. [Red Tape Chronicles]
10 Ways To Save Real Money
By 4.25.08
The champagne is dry and crusty, and all the hundred-dollar bills used to light cigars have crumbled into ash. It’s time to tighten our belts and get real about spending less and saving more. Here’s 10 ways to save some serious cash…
The Future Of Air Travel Fees
By 4.23.08
Minyanville has received a leaked copy of how a US Airways ticket will look after they apply some new fees that are currently under development…
Delta & Northwest CEOs Say All Airlines Should Raise Fees 15-20%
By 4.22.08
Delta’s CEO, Richard Anderson, told reporters today that all airlines need to raise fees by as much as 20% “just to break even due to the rising price of fuel.” His new bedmate, Northwest CEO Doug Steenland, piped in to say cost-cutting measures “have largely been exhausted”—and by “cost-cutting” we assume he means, “We can’t find anything else to add surcharges to, except maybe the bathroom and the recycled oxygen, and we’re not monsters.”
9 Most Obnoxious Hidden Airline Fees
By 4.22.08
As their corpulent systems collide with increasingly harsh economic realities, airlines are making up more creative fees and charging for things that used to be free. Here’s 9 of the worst offenders of the hidden airline fees, via Aviation.com.
Dell: Decent Customer Service Is Going To Cost Extra
By 4.22.08
According to a recent press release, Dell is aiming to delight you with a new premium customer service offering—for a price.
JetBlue To Charge $20 For Second Checked Bag
By 4.22.08
JetBlue announced its first quarter results today and while things aren’t as bleak as they are over at United Airlines, the discount carrier said that it was struggling under the weight of its fuel bill and was going to modify its baggage check policy in order to remain competitive with other airlines.
United Airlines Raises Ticket Change Fee To $150
By 4.21.08
United Airlines announced today that they are raising their ticket change fee to $150—up from $100, “in an effort to combat high fuel costs.”
Commerce Bank Workers Only Allowed One Courtesy Fee Reversal Per Customer?
By 4.21.08
Fun fact, it seems like Commerce Bank employees only get one fee reversal per customer account. I had three fees, two cycle-service charges and an “account inactivity” fee. The supervisor agreed to waive the two cycle service charges but wouldn’t budge on the inactivity fee. I popped back in a few days later and tried speaking to a different rep to see if I would have better luck. He wasn’t able to do it for me and he was even surprised to see that the two cycle service charges were gone. “I’ve never seen more than one of them waived before,” he said. “I guess they must have had two different people punch in requests…” So that sounds like the normal rule might be only fee reversal per employee per customer account. Just something to keep in mind should you be doing fee battle with Commerce Bank.
Wachovia Opens Bank Account Without Permission, Starts Charging Fees
By 4.20.08
John can’t understand how Wachovia charged his startup $12 in fees for failing to maintain a minimum balance when his company never opened an account with Wachovia in the first place. Apparently, his former bank manager decamped to Wachovia and, without his permission, opened a new account “to ensure certain money rates,” whatever that means. John isn’t mad, and the bank manager agreed to close the account, but John is a little worried because a collections agency has started calling and the account now lists $24.05 in fees.
By 4.17.08
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Delta will start charging passengers $25 for checking a second piece of luggage starting in May, joining United and US Airways in instituting the new fee. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
Bally Cashes Cancellation Check, Continues To Bill For 15 More Months, And Now Demands "Past Due" Payment
By 4.12.08
Ashoka just found out that Bally never canceled his membership, even though they cashed his $50 cancellation check a mere 5 days after he mailed it to them last year. They’ve said there was no date on the paperwork, but Ashoka has a printout that proves otherwise. And they said they tried to contact him last year about the “problem,” but not by phone—even though they called him promptly this month when he changed his credit card info and the automatic billing didn’t go through. Bally, just admit it: nobody gets out, ever.
Update: Westin Casuarina Refunds Extra Charges, Apologizes To Customers
By 4.11.08
Last week’s news that the Westin Casuarina hotel in Las Vegas was surreptitiously charging conference attendees for the organizer’s unpaid bill generated enough bad press that the Westin did an about-face this week, and sent out letters on Tuesday telling affected customers it is reversing the extra charges. A Westin spokesman said, “We’ve decided as a matter of customer relations to issue the refunds while continuing to pursue payment from The Coaching Center” in Austin, Texas. The Westin also says the refunds are an “effort to show our good faith,” which we assume means “please don’t sue us.”
Ticketmaster Levies Entirely Believable $327 Per Ticket Convenience Charge
By 4.11.08
Ticketmaster charged reader Keith $655 in convenience charges for two tickets to tonight’s Rangers/Devils playoff game. Of course, the tickets in section 118 cost nothing, but we still won’t give them the benefit of the doubt. Ticketmaster boasts that special brand of evil that wouldn’t object to levying several hundred dollars in convenience charges to a free Raffi concert.
How To Avoid Extra Travel Fees
By 4.10.08
Kiplinger tries to help you save money on your next airline “flight”—we have to put quotation marks around that word now, since the prospect of actually getting up in the air seems purely hypothetical at this point—with their latest travel article. A lot of the advice boils down to, “Find out what each airline charges extra for, then choose a different airline,” but it’s helpful to have everything in one article for a quick reference.
NCAA Charges Non-Refundable $9 Fee To Enter Ticket Lottery
By 4.7.08
Here’s another reason to be glad you don’t like college basketball–the NCAA charges a $9 fee for the privilege of maybe getting tickets to next year’s basketball tournaments.
