Generally, these excessive bills are, to put it mildly, of questionable legality. If you complain, they assume you're the type with enough savvy to maybe sue th

Generally, these excessive bills are, to put it mildly, of questionable legality. If you complain, they assume you're the type with enough savvy to maybe sue them, so they'll give in to placate you. And yet they do this anyway, knowing that some people will not properly contest the bill. See also the US unemployment benefits situation, where many employers will contest an unemployment insurance claim by default even when the worker is actually eligible, in the hopes that some workers will not navigate the bureaucracy well enough to fight back. Because of the weakness of their case, however, they will then back down as soon as their denial is challenged.