Last week, a Time Warner Cable customer sued the cable-TV and its parent, Charter Communications over fees that significantly increase subscribers’ bills and allegedly imply that they are surcharges required by the government. Now Charter is commenting on the fees, claiming that this confusing fee is part of the company’s “simple to understand” strategy. [More]
the land of the fee
Charter/Time Warner Cable Tries To Defend “Broadcast TV” Fee; Says It’s All About Transparency
By 11.16.16
Customer Sues Charter, Time Warner Cable Over “Broadcast TV” Fees; Doesn’t Seek Monetary Damages
By 11.11.16
Last month, Comcast customers accused the cable company of illegally using its “Broadcast TV” and “Regional Sports” fees to raise customers’ bills by as much as $10/month. Now a customer of the recently merged Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications is accusing the providers of breaking the law by using similar fees to hide rate hikes while implying to subscribers that these surcharges are required by the government. [More]
No More Free Ride: Tesla Will Charge For Supercharging On New Cars
By 11.7.16
Tesla’s electric vehicles aren’t cheap, but for years drivers have been able to charge up their Teslas quickly and for free at thousands of free Tesla Supercharger stations. This morning, the company announced all that free Supercharging will soon come to an end, at least for new cars. [More]
Customers Accuse Comcast Of Using “Broadcast TV” & “Regional Sports” Fees To Illegally Hike Rates
By 10.18.16 — Updated: 10.31.16
As we showed in our recent line-by-line breakdowns of charges on your cable bills, many pay-TV providers charge fees that have the effect of raising the customers’ monthly bill but without affecting the base rate the cable company advertises. Now, Comcast subscribers in seven different states are claiming that these fees are “illegal and deceptive” that have netted the cable giant billions of dollars. [More]
New Bill Aims To Limit “Ridiculous” Airline Fees For Checked Bags, Cancellations
By 3.9.16
Most airlines now charge fees for everything from checked bags to changing your itinerary, resulting in billions of dollars of revenue for carriers and annoyance for travelers. And the fees are going up, with baggages fees up 67% since 2009, and cancellation charges up by 33% for domestic flights. Newly introduced legislation aims to curb these fee hikes. [More]
Senate Report Rips Airlines For Failing To Clearly Disclose Fees
By 8.6.15
Barring a law outlawing them — or severely limiting them — fees for everything from checked bags, to food, to in-flight entertainment, to preferred seating, to early boarding (and possibly early deplaning) are hear to stay. But a new report from staffers on the Senate Commerce Committee claims that airlines may be going too far in trying to hide some of these add-on costs. [More]
Would You Pay More To Get Off The Plane Before Everyone Else?
By 7.27.15
Most of us are familiar with the idea of paying a little more to board a plane before the rest of the passengers — or at least immediately after First Class… and then Business Class… and then passengers with lots of frequent flier miles… and then travelers with certain kinds of credit cards… but then those who paid a little extra. But when it comes to deplaning, passengers generally have to wait for all the rows in front of them to clear out before they can exit. Would travelers be willing to pay yet another fee to get off the plane before others? [More]
Choosing The Wrong Prepaid Debit Card Can Cost You Up To $500/Year In Fees
By 6.15.15
While prepaid debit cards have long been criticized for having too many fees (and for being less than transparent about those fees), the impact of those fees will largely depend on how you use a particular prepaid card. Choosing one that’s ill-suited to your needs could cost you hundreds of dollars a year in fees that you didn’t need to spend. [More]
Report Claims That You Secretly Love Airline Fees
By 2.20.15
If we were to head over to any airport in the country today and ask travelers whether they liked being charged add-on fees for checking bags, sitting in an exit row, food, entertainment, headphones, WiFi, or priority boarding, the consensus would undoubtedly be that these costs are a nickel-and-diming nuisance. But one airline industry analyst claims that travelers are secretly in love with these charges. [More]
Comcast Hits Man With $2,789 Fee For Moving To Area Not Served By Comcast
By 11.19.14
When a Tennessee graphic designer decided to move an hour away, Comcast originally told him that he could move his business-class service and even set up an appointment for installation. But when the Comcast installer never showed up, the company finally told the man that (A) his new address wasn’t served by Comcast and (B) he owes the company nearly $3,000 in early termination fees. [More]
Comcast Eliminating One Annoying Fee By End Of Year
By 10.9.14
Cable companies are notorious for their fees — modems, set-top boxes, HD service, DVR service, repair visits, early termination fees; the list goes on. But Comcast tells Consumerist that it is ditching one annoying little fee over the next few months. [More]
The Only Way To Avoid Paying A Fee For iPhone Upgrade Is To Pay Full Price
By 9.12.14
Earlier this week, we looked at the various offers being thrown out by the four major wireless carriers in their attempts to attract people switching to the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. What was left out of that discussion — and which seems to be catching a number of customers by surprise today — is that some of them must pay a fee to upgrade. [More]
Congress Hates You, Votes To Bring Back Glory Days Of Opaque Airfare Pricing
By 7.28.14
Remember the good ol’ days of 2011, when you would see an airline advertising $99 tickets to somewhere nice, only to later find out that the actual airfare was much higher? For some reason that has absolutely nothing to do with huge amounts of donation money from the travel industry, the House of Representatives has decided that consumers should no longer have access to transparent airfares. [More]
Banks Inside Walmart Stores Lead Nation In Raking In Fees From Customers
By 5.12.14
A number of different banks operate branches inside more than 1,000 Walmart stores in the U.S., and many of these banks market themselves to consumers who may not be targeted by larger institutions because of low income or lack of savings and credit. A new analysis of the institutions most frequently found at Walmart found that these banks are also the most reliant on charging fees to their customers. [More]
Bank Of America’s New Debit Card Charges $5/Month For Something That Is Free On All Accounts
By 3.7.14
Bank of America is in the news because it’s testing a new debit card that won’t let customers overdraft. For that privilege, cardholders will pay a $4.95/month fee and they won’t be able to write paper checks. Thing is, anyone with a bank account can turn off overdraft protection without being required to pay a fee. [More]
Big Banks Don’t Want To Be Transparent About Checking Fees If Little Banks Don’t Have To Be
By 2.21.14
If we were to play a word-association game with the nation’s largest banks, we’re sure that terms like “fair” and “equitable” would be right on the tip of peoples’ tongues. And because big banks always play fair with everyone else, they are asking that their checking-account fees not be put under the regulatory microscope if smaller banks’ fees aren’t going be subject to the same scrutiny. [More]
These Smug Citizens Bank Ads Show Exactly What’s Screwed Up About Banking
By 2.14.14
If a bank wants to offer a checking account that isn’t as terrible as most of what’s out there, that’s fine. But that bank shouldn’t pat itself on the back and act like it’s doing consumers a favor just because it gives them a slightly easier way to avoid being nickel-and-dimed. [More]
Bags Might Fly Free On Southwest, But Your Pet Will Cost You An Additional $20
By 11.26.13
For several years, Southwest has charged one of the lowest fees ($75) for passengers flying with a carry-on pet. But starting in January, that price will be going up to be more in line with the fees charged by Southwest’s competitors. [More]
