Verizon $2.00 add on charges!!!

[southpennrailroad]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/verizon-w ... 39344.html

Is AT&T next and so on ??? I am thinking do I really need a phone???

[Gage]

Won't affect me because I mail in my payment in full every month.

The fee won't apply to electronic check payments or to automatic credit card payments set up through Verizon's AutoPay system. Paying by credit card in a Verizon store will also be free, as will mailing a check.

[Moho]

This is to recoup the cost of credit card transactions. For those unaware, as a merchant you pay an average of $0.25 for every credit card you swipe and also an average of 3% of the transaction total. If you enter the number manually the percent goes up 1-2%

So for example, a cell bill of $100 Verizon gets about $95 if they have to manually enter the credit card number manually by taking the payment over the phone.

When I owned a music store if someone came in and used a credit card to pay for a $.25 item (it does happen) I actually would lose money ($0.01) because as a small business retail merchant it's actually against the credit card contract to force a person to pay cash.

It's due to everyone using a debit or credit card for every transaction and the credit card processors with their fees.

[afreegreek]

wait till you see your tax bill..

[PKCSPT]

I am not a Verizon fan anymore and anxious for my contract to be over. I went in looking for a basic no frills phone explaining that I have been very unhappy with my current one and with my contract almost up I am shopping around. They were like oh well sorry about that. I went to another provider and they admitted all their phones were more than I wanted and suggested Virgin mobile may be better for me.(although he admitted he hated to say it) That is service I can respect.

[Loader]

They dropped it after customer complaints.

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20 ... nience-fee

[mikeschn]

Yea, I noticed too that they dropped it. Pretty quickly too. Good thing!!!

Thanks for bringing this to our attention very quickly Penn!

Mike...

[Gage]

They dropped it after customer complaints.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20 ... nience-fee

That just means that they will most likely raise their fees at a later date. And if they do, I'm going to have to dump one of my phones. So who's the real winner.

[southpennrailroad]

They dropped it after customer complaints.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20 ... nience-fee

That just means that they will most likely raise their fees at a later date. And if they do, I'm going to have to dump one of my phones. So who's the real winner.

That's what the responses were underneath the main topic. I read those often. They will get it one way or another. Really sucking those that have dry.

[JuneBug]

Verizon backed down pretty quick on the "Convenice" fee after customers organized social media protests. Verizon did not want to be the new Netflix. Interesting article on how Netflix lost 800,000 customers by messing with (and raising) their pricing structure.
Not quite a parallel situation, but the Netflix fiasco shows that customers vote with their feet, and Verizon understood immediately the power of social media.

But back to "Convenience" fees, I hate that term, since it really means the opposite for you, the customer.

I ordered something from an on-line retailer, Sahalie. They emailed me with a very nice offer for the Sahalie Rewards program. Seemed innocuous, sounded good (nice offers on shipping, etc), and I signed up thinking that is how they reward a future regular customer. Good thing I read the entire email they sent me in return describing the "rewards". Down in the bottom paragraph in smaller print, it turns out that the reward is the $19 they give themselves by billing my credit card for that amount monthly.
Called and cancelled immediately, of course, but it reminded me to stay alert and I'll be check my account to make sure they won't bill me monthly.