Paying Cash? That'll Cost Extra

redtape.msnbc.com

Rhonda Payne went to an AT&T Wireless store in Calhoun, Ga., recently to pay her phone bill in cash. She'd been hit by ID theft and was forced to close her checking account, so she was worried she wouldn’t be able to mail a check on time. But when she arrived at the store, she was in for a surprise.

Paying in person, she was told, costs extra -- $2 extra.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Mod Edit: All Caps – Please Review This Link.




[edit on 25-4-2008 by elevatedone] To remove Caps

[edit on 25-4-2008 by hdchop]

This just floored me - Nickle and Dimes everywhere - Forcing us to Pay ExtraA By Paying With CashH???? What's/Who's next.. Anyone have any helpful thoughts?? Seems like No one can get aways from "fees" - You want customer service (to follow soon) OR "Courtesy at the register" - You'll have to pay

redtape.msnbc.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Edited to remove caps

[edit on 25-4-2008 by hdchop]

So we get charged a convience fee for doing it over the phone, or a fee for doing it in person.

So we have to pay, to pay our bills. This is truely PATHETIC!!

My favourite... Is my local General Electric charging me a $4 fee to make a payment to them. It's sick. Their rates are going up as it is, nothing can be done about it, and on top of it, they wanna CHARGE you to PAY them.

I got no answers, no ideas... This is the way it is, I guess.

Here in the UK my dad was charged £4 for paying his phone bill in person at the post office. He paid cash.

Admin charges apparently.

CX.

Great news story! I had no idea they were charging for in person. I know I get charged when I pay bills over the phone but now in person to? Pift

reply to post by hdchop


it still amazes me that regular people actually think they have a say in the way things are run in this world. evidence of the opposite is all around us, and yet they are still suprised.

[edit on 25-4-2008 by jimmyx]

Yep. When I pay my electricity bill over the phone, it is a $2.99 charge. When I pay my phone bill in person, its 2 bucks. When I pay a credit card online it is 10 dollars.

Paying them to accept your money to pay them. Its like some sick game running us in circles.

You would think that because of the economy some company's would let up just a tiny bit and try to relieve the strain on the customers.

Unfortunately its more like a dogpile..

I bet they would change their policy real quick if 10,000 customers threatened to cancel their contract.

They do it because they can and because no one will stand up to them and do the one thing that would hurt them the most.....

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS ELSEWHERE!

Its like a school bully that takes your lunch money.
He is going to take it for as long as you give it up until the day you stand up to him and say get (censored).

Paying for the right to pay the bill....I know this has been repeated alot in this thread...but I am outraged. My body siezed for a second and I had to tell myself to calm the storm.

This is ridiculous. So they are continually inventing ways to make me hand over the pittance of a flippin wage that I make so that I can recieve the same, and at times worse, service and customer relations. And then when I complain about it I'm the one who is having the problem?

Keep in mind the fact that I have a prepaid wireless account and I go into 7-11 to pay my bills, so I don't have this surcharge.

I'm pissed on all y'alls behalf...



[edit on 25-4-2008 by MemoryShock]

Do what I do.

I use my banks free online bill pay service.

Once my money is in the bank, I just log on, click and enter which bill to pay and the amount and I'm done.

No long lines, stamps or anything.

I know that not all banks offer this service, but I'd at least ask.

Conspiracy angle:

What if the companies will eventually suspend charges for credit card usage.

This would encourage people to pay by credit card rather than by cash.

Now apply this to all forms of spending. The police state would be able to see the exact expenditure of a person, and compare it to their income to check for discrepancies.

Insidious stuff, these charges.

reply to post by 44soulslayer


Never happen.
Cash is king and company's are too greedy to take a dollar loss for a bigger picture wither it be for a Conspiracy or for the greater good.

Originally posted by elevatedone
Do what I do.

I use my banks free online bill pay service.

Once my money is in the bank, I just log on, click and enter which bill to pay and the amount and I'm done.

No long lines, stamps or anything.

I know that not all banks offer this service, but I'd at least ask.

Boston is a great band I like the song Dont Look Back but anyways I pay my stuff online also but if you need to pay a last minute bill because sometimes it takes 4 to 5 days to deliver than you need to pay online or in person. This disgusts me and I recently told my cell phone company sprint when I tried to pay them in person if they charge me a fee then Im not going to pay the bill Im going to switch companies and they took the fee off.

your title is misleading. she didn't get charged for using CASH. she got charged for PAYING IN PERSON. she would also have been hit with a fee if she put it on her credit card.

if you think about it, it makes more sense than paying a "convenience fee" for phone or online payments. the system is already there, you're just using it. but if you mail your payment and let a human open the envelope it's free. sounds backwards to me.

Outrageous. Just a way to get people to steer away from the use of cold hard cash. I've often wondered if it were possible to turn the tables a bit. Start charging companies a small admin fee for contacting you, sending you promo material, for phone solicitation, anything really. I doubt it'd be legal but it should be. Companies shouldn't be the only ones allowed to charge fees.

reply to post by niteboy82

Paying them to accept your money to pay them. Its like some sick game running us in circles.

You summed it up quite dandy there!

What's next? Are they going to charge the sidewalk we walk on, bottled water, and the air we breathe?

Oh yeah...they're doing that already.

The saying: "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." didn't mean anything until lately (and then some) The division of the ranks is widening.

1. Gas prices hiked
2. Food prices hiked
3. Housing prices hiked

I dare not jink it by asking what's next...

With all these charges incurred, it will eventually cost more than the actual 'thing' we are trying to buy or pay off.

All this, is done behind closed doors. The public doesn't need to know.

After awhile, people will cease to be known by their own names; let alone numbers assigned to them.

Everyone will hence be called by the 1st name: Bend, and their 2nd name will be: Rover.

~Ducky~

Originally posted by elevatedone
Do what I do.

I use my banks free online bill pay service.

Once my money is in the bank, I just log on, click and enter which bill to pay and the amount and I'm done.

No long lines, stamps or anything.

I know that not all banks offer this service, but I'd at least ask.

I have a feeling I'll be doing just that with ALL of my bills if there is no other way..

AND I agree DR!!

"Its like a school bully that takes your lunch money."

Originally posted by TheComte
Outrageous. Just a way to get people to steer away from the use of cold hard cash. I've often wondered if it were possible to turn the tables a bit. Start charging companies a small admin fee for contacting you, sending you promo material, for phone solicitation, anything really. I doubt it'd be legal but it should be. Companies shouldn't be the only ones allowed to charge fees.

That is not a bad idea....I can see a whole slew of issues.

You send whatever company a bill for fill in the blank 'legal gymnastics reason'.

The bill gets ignored.

You send another...this one with late charges applied and a stern warning that any further neglect of the bill will result in legal action.

You send a Final Notice...stating that legal action will result on such and such a date if payment is not recieved.

The bill gets ignored.

On such and such date, you file a civil lawsuit against the company. It doesn't matter if you have grounds or not. This is where a clever lawyer would come in handy; they are always filing lame lawsuits.

The company finally responds in a rudimentary fashion to get the suit tossed out.

Media picks it up.

You then send the company a larger bill for Marketing/Advertising costs, continuing the process.....
.
.
.
.
.
If I had the money for court costs, I would do it on 'principal' alone...

I am not surprised to read this...

I have been getting ripped off for years! All companies wish to process everything via your credit card, preferably over the net:

eg: Booking a flight... my Son is always an unaccompanied minor, well for that reason, I have to ring and speak to an actual person and that costs me an extra $40 because I have to 'speak' to a human being.

My bank account... if I go into the bank to withdraw my money I am charged $2.00 for each transaction I rely on a cashier, however, if I use my Bank's auto teller machine, I am not charged.

I am also a number in the system
(tis old thread I did over in PTS = social issues but I am so annoyed that I am forced to be part of the system, ie: credit card and banks)

*shudder at the thought: I just wonder if soon you will need a credit card to live... to purchase etc. What happened to the good ole cash days?

long gone...

[edit on 25-4-2008 by Thurisaz]