Thanks to a Bank of America customer service rep’s incompetence, Travis got hit with $280 in overdraft fees.
fees
BoA Buys MBNA, Starts Charging Customers Extra For Not Paying Balances Off In Full
By 4.11.07
Bank of America recently bought MBNA and greeted their new customers by charging them a new fee.
Want To Cancel Your Internet? Here's Your Early Termination Fee
By 4.10.07
Not all ISPs charge ETFs. Here’s a list of different providers and their fees:
Rent A Car Under 25 Without Massive Surcharges?
By 4.10.07
Upgrade: Travel Better says most car rental places will charge drivers under 25 an additional $25 per day, but there are a couple of things you can do to reduce the ding.
Reclaim Unnecessary Credit Cards' Unnecessary Foreign Transaction Fees
By 4.10.07
Several major credit card companies were successfully and recently class-actioned for charging unnecessary fees for overseas transactions.
Commerce Bank's Free Checking Now Requires $100 Min Balance
By 4.6.07
Shoehorned into a postcard proclaiming the waiving all ATM fees, Commerce Bank announced their free checking will no longer be free.
Apparently, 5/3 Debit Cards Are Instant Magic Money Wands
By 4.3.07
In followup to our post on how 5/3 Bank racks up overdraft fees by treating pending charges like they’re processed, we asked customer service, “What’s the rationale for counting pending debits against the ledger balance? Isn’t that contrary to the definition of pending, and how banks traditionally handle transactions?”
NPR: Elizabeth Warren On The Credit Card Industry
By 3.28.07
Reader Jaime alerts us to an interesting interview from Fresh Air on NPR. In the interview Harvard Law Professor and credit card industry expert Elizabeth Warren dishes on abusive lending practices, the ever-malleable interest rate, universal default and all that fun stuff.
5/3 Bank's New Overdraft Fee Stream: Treat Pending Charges Like Processed!
By 3.28.07
5/3 Bank decided to rape customers for more fees by changing their policy for handling transactions.
Financial Tips From CBS/The Nation: "Get a Loan From the Mafia."
By 3.23.07
“[I]f you need money to pay your medical bills or get your car fixed, get a loan from the Mafia. You’ll get a lower interest rate and better terms.”
Blockbuster Store Requires New Members to Sign Up For Online Service?
By 2.20.07
The guy at the counter told me that I had to show a driver’s license and major credit card (perfectly reasonable), pay a $10 dollar fee (a bit much, but acceptable) and sign up for their Netflix ripoff, Blockbuster Online. Wait, what? I told him that I didn’t want to sign up for Blockbuster Online, and he refused to let me start a membership without signing up. And of course I couldn’t rent movies without a membership, so I was forced to leave without my movies.
Spirit Charges $110 To Fly With Three Bags
By 2.10.07
Spirit announced increased prices for checked bags, meaning it may soon cost more for your luggage to fly the discount airline than you.
Protect Yourself From Magically Rocketing Lending Fees At Closing
By 1.26.07
Thanks to various loopholes, people shopping for a mortgage can find themselves hit at closing time with lending fees changed dramatically from the initial quote.
Break Your Verizon Contract Without Fee, Thanks to TXT Msg Raise
By 1.12.07
Do we sense a theme here? Verizon is raising their text message rates for those without a messaging plan. Loyal readers of this blog will know what comes next, if the rate increase constitutes a “MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU” you can “CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE”.
UPDATE: Dish Charges You Extra For Not Having A Phone
By 1.2.07
Dee writes in with an update to her letter posted under Dish Charges You Extra For Not Having A Phone. Of special note: plugging in a phone to the dead line will not help her situation…
United Airlines: Avoid Denver For Free
By 12.28.06
It looks like another snowstorm is going to hit the Rockies, and United Airlines is issuing a fee waiver for all passengers with travel plans to/from Denver through Dec. 30.
Dish Charges You Extra For Not Having A Phone
By 12.28.06
Dish Network is charging Dee a $5 “programming access fee” because she doesn’t have a phone line.
35 Most Outrageous Fees and How to Avoid Them
By 12.27.06
CNN has broken down ” the most outrageous” fees levied on consumers and how to avoid them. Unsurprisingly, quite a few have to do with travel, banking, and airlines. Paper ticket fees, flight change fees, ATM fees, etc. Some good travel tips are to be had: Southwest airlines doesn’t charge to change a flight, and JetBlue only charges $25-$30.
