The only problem is, people won't have to pay the fee if they mail in the cheque instead. Wouldn't it take more time and manpower to process the cheque that is sent in the mail compared to paying online? That's the part that doesn't make any sense.
I agree it doesn't make sense. It's possible that Verizon's intention is to claim that many check payments arrive after the due date and use that as an excuse to charge their $5.00 late fee and get even more money. Unless you pay for a return receipt you can't prove when the vendor receives your check. That service, along with the certified receipt and stamp would cost $5.59 so I think most consumers would probably end up choosing to pay the $2.00 fee instead if those were their only two choices.
Other companies have done this before. I remember years ago many consumers complained that even though they mailed their payments weeks before it was due to their credit card company, their credit card company would claim that they hadn't received the payment until after the due date and would charge late fees and raise the interest rate. I think there may have been some class action lawsuits as a result. I was not affected but reading about that was what made me decide to start paying my bills on line.
Looks like certain methods of payments won't be affected. I've paid mine by bank transfer, and it's listed as one of those 7 methods that aren't incurred.
I looked at the options in the OP's link on how to avoid paying a late fee and unless you want to pay your bill with a credit card, I don't see how most people who pay online will be affected. Am I missing something?
I must be, because unless the law changed, companies are not allowed to charge consumers a fee for using their credit cards.
I'm not willing to sign on auto-pay though, it's like asking a fat cat to automatically take control of your payments.
Or asking the fox to watch the chicken coop.
I totally agree.
On the basis of a social question, it seems that we (as people of this era) are used to paying things without being charged anything. It seems like it's been hardcoded into us and corporations are looking for ways to reverse that.
Why should anyone be charged a fee for making a payment on time?
Are they adjustments or taxes?
I get my monthly ATT bill with them tacked on. They are not over-use charges..
Credits/Adjustments/Other Charges: $6.94
Government Fees & Taxes: $1.78
Verizon and Verizon Wireless are out of control. They are suppose to be regulated in what fees they pass on to their consumers, but as far as I can tell, they are not. One of the reasons I switched from Verizon Wireless to Virgin Mobile prepaid was to cut the cost of my fees and surcharges. Dramatic difference.
I still have a landline because I hear much better on it. Years ago I instructed Verizon to terminate my long distance calls -- this saved me a lot of money on fees. When I make a long distance call from my landline, I use a calling card instead. IIRC it costs me about a penny a minute and I pay no fees.
If these "pass-on" fees were really legitimate, wouldn't I have to pay them also to Virgin Mobile and my calling card company?