3 ms·

Just need other states to follow suit. However, I personally haven’t dealt with hidden fees and don’t know how prevalent they are in the US. Is it a widespread

Just need other states to follow suit. However, I personally haven’t dealt with hidden fees and don’t know how prevalent they are in the US. Is it a widespread issue? I suppose none of the companies I do business with have them.

newprint 3y ago
it is a very widespread issue, from buying a car to internet, to restaurants.
cmeacham98 3y ago
Have you been to a sit-down restaurant recently? Where I live (major southeast US city) there's a 50/50 chance there will be some random bullshit fee (sometimes even more than one!) tacked onto the bill (and I'm not talking about tax or a tip).
- Beldin 3y ago
  Taxes are (should be) completely predictable. There's no reason not to include them in the price. So those definitely constitute bs fees.
  - musicale 3y ago
    Given that they compute the tax on your receipt, they could compute the tax up front unless it depends on delivery location - which they need to ask for anyway.
  - cmeacham98 3y ago
    I agree it would be ideal if taxes were displayed in the price, but they are a known constant easily accounted for. The types of fees I'm referring to are included at the bottom of the menu in 2pt font. You're typically already halfway through ordering before discovering that you'll randomly be charged an extra 20% because the restaurant relies on misleading consumers about their prices to draw them in.
- musicale 3y ago
  Happens all over. I have seen "employee" fees (I guess it's good to have employees), covid recovery charges (I guess I'm glad I didn't get covid there), and other surcharges. The bogus fees are always taxed, and then the full amount is used to compute a recommended tip (even at food kiosks.)
  - Simulacra 3y ago
    I subtract those from the tip.
bryans 3y ago
I just moved into an apartment advertised at $1,420/mo that is costing over $1,700/mo because of extra fees only mentioned in fine print inside a 100+ page lease. The "no hidden fees" ISP that I'm now forced to use has over $30/mo in hidden fees. It's not just prevalent, it's business as usual for every company everywhere -- because they can and they know nobody will do anything about it.
- kelnos 3y ago
  Oh weird, how common is this? I rented from 2002 until 2020, and never experienced anything like this. The advertised rent was always the same as the check I'd mail the landlord every month. Sure, I had to pay for electricity, internet, etc. on my own, but that's expected and spelled out in the lease agreement. One thing I did learn was to check on things like ISPs beforehand. You know the address of the place, so you can visit your preferred ISPs' websites and see if they offer service before you sign the lease. Ditto for cell service; when initially looking at a new place, I'd always check my cell phone to make sure I'd get decent service inside.
  - bubblethink 3y ago
    There is a fudge factor there that the landlord can play with. Common utilities like sewage, sometimes water, and some other stuff can be tacked on to the monthly bill. Some buildings will also make a deal with comcast and take a cut out of internet/cable. It varies based on the jurisdiction and what they can get away with. A typical case would be 10% or so in junk fees.

newprint 3y ago

it is a very widespread issue, from buying a car to internet, to restaurants.

cmeacham98 3y ago

Have you been to a sit-down restaurant recently? Where I live (major southeast US city) there's a 50/50 chance there will be some random bullshit fee (sometimes even more than one!) tacked onto the bill (and I'm not talking about tax or a tip).

Beldin 3y ago
Taxes are (should be) completely predictable. There's no reason not to include them in the price. So those definitely constitute bs fees.
- musicale 3y ago
  Given that they compute the tax on your receipt, they could compute the tax up front unless it depends on delivery location - which they need to ask for anyway.
- cmeacham98 3y ago
  I agree it would be ideal if taxes were displayed in the price, but they are a known constant easily accounted for. The types of fees I'm referring to are included at the bottom of the menu in 2pt font. You're typically already halfway through ordering before discovering that you'll randomly be charged an extra 20% because the restaurant relies on misleading consumers about their prices to draw them in.
musicale 3y ago
Happens all over. I have seen "employee" fees (I guess it's good to have employees), covid recovery charges (I guess I'm glad I didn't get covid there), and other surcharges. The bogus fees are always taxed, and then the full amount is used to compute a recommended tip (even at food kiosks.)
- Simulacra 3y ago
  I subtract those from the tip.

bryans 3y ago

I just moved into an apartment advertised at $1,420/mo that is costing over $1,700/mo because of extra fees only mentioned in fine print inside a 100+ page lease. The "no hidden fees" ISP that I'm now forced to use has over $30/mo in hidden fees. It's not just prevalent, it's business as usual for every company everywhere -- because they can and they know nobody will do anything about it.

kelnos 3y ago
Oh weird, how common is this? I rented from 2002 until 2020, and never experienced anything like this. The advertised rent was always the same as the check I'd mail the landlord every month. Sure, I had to pay for electricity, internet, etc. on my own, but that's expected and spelled out in the lease agreement. One thing I did learn was to check on things like ISPs beforehand. You know the address of the place, so you can visit your preferred ISPs' websites and see if they offer service before you sign the lease. Ditto for cell service; when initially looking at a new place, I'd always check my cell phone to make sure I'd get decent service inside.
- bubblethink 3y ago
  There is a fudge factor there that the landlord can play with. Common utilities like sewage, sometimes water, and some other stuff can be tacked on to the monthly bill. Some buildings will also make a deal with comcast and take a cut out of internet/cable. It varies based on the jurisdiction and what they can get away with. A typical case would be 10% or so in junk fees.