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This article doesn't mention it, but at least some of these fees are actually taxes or regulatory fees that the government is just requiring that the cable comp

This article doesn't mention it, but at least some of these fees are actually taxes or regulatory fees that the government is just requiring that the cable company or car dealer collect on the government's behalf. How about we be fully transparent to the consumer and break all prices down into payments to the seller and payments to the government? I suspect the government would not like this.

manicennui 3y ago
Nor would most consumers. I don't want to know about every cost a business has to pay in most cases.
- r3d0c 3y ago
  don't read it then, let the people who want to be informed and not be mislead about corporations increasing prices and lying about the reasons
- pessimizer 3y ago
  Do you feel like having fees spelled out in the billing could hurt customers' eyes or painfully confuse them, or do you think that a customer would be able to handle all of this extra information by ignoring it?
  - manicennui 3y ago
    The problem is when "the price" is presented and then the fees are presented later. Tell me the total price, and break it down separately. Most companies separate the fees so they can show a lower price and then surprise the customer later.
plagiarist 3y ago
Let's break it down further into payments to the government, payments to the laborers, payments for parts, and payments to the executives.
skywhopper 3y ago
I don't think consumers or the government would care too much if the fees were spelled out on the bill. The government fees have a purpose and it's actually a good thing to know that, for example, we pay a fee to subsidize rural phone and internet access. The important part here is that the advertised price for the service should match the total price that's actually billed.
ceejayoz 3y ago
My cell phone bill is broken up that way, and has been for years. They add their own misleadingly named fees to give the illusion that they're direct taxes paid to the government. For example, Vonage: https://support.vonage.com/articles/answer/Regulatory-Compliance-and-Intellectual-Property-Fee-979 https://support.vonage.com/articles/answer/Regulatory-Compli... > The Regulatory, Compliance and Intellectual Property (RCIP) Fee covers regulatory, legal, intellectual property and compliance-related expenses, including those related to customer privacy protection, anti-fraud protection, number portability and innovation, all of which enable our services to enhance your communication experience. The RCIP fee is not a government mandated fee.
- toomuchtodo 3y ago
  https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39005223 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39005223 ("Verizon to keep charging controversial fee despite $100M settlement") https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/verizon-wont-stop-charging-3-30-telco-recovery-fee-may-raise-it-again/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/verizon-wont-sto... > Verizon Wireless customers may get up to $100 each as part of a $100 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over Verizon's monthly "Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge." > But as is typical in class-action settlements, Verizon isn't admitting any wrongdoing. It also plans to keep charging the monthly fee and says it may raise it in the future.
  - a_c_s 3y ago
    Why are judges approving such settlements? Either their fee is wrong and they should both have to stop charging it and pay a settlement or the fee is totally fine and Verizon should pay nothing.
mc32 3y ago
I think that's okay: net price + local, state and fed sales taxes in their respective buckets. But none of this service charge for that and healthcare fee for that and exclusive fee for this other.
FireBeyond 3y ago
A lot of the time, you're quite backwards. On the contrary, cell and cable companies have been fined or smacked for describing their fees as "taxes" and similar on bills. The FCC mandated that they were not allowed to call anything a tax unless it went 100% to a government agency.
rootusrootus 3y ago
I think you've just explained exactly why we are unlikely to see any resolution to this problem. A lot of people think we need to see the taxes that go to the government so we can get mad about it. See also Grover Norquist. The consequent pain and suffering is a feature.

manicennui 3y ago

Nor would most consumers. I don't want to know about every cost a business has to pay in most cases.

r3d0c 3y ago
don't read it then, let the people who want to be informed and not be mislead about corporations increasing prices and lying about the reasons
pessimizer 3y ago
Do you feel like having fees spelled out in the billing could hurt customers' eyes or painfully confuse them, or do you think that a customer would be able to handle all of this extra information by ignoring it?
- manicennui 3y ago
  The problem is when "the price" is presented and then the fees are presented later. Tell me the total price, and break it down separately. Most companies separate the fees so they can show a lower price and then surprise the customer later.

plagiarist 3y ago

Let's break it down further into payments to the government, payments to the laborers, payments for parts, and payments to the executives.

skywhopper 3y ago

I don't think consumers or the government would care too much if the fees were spelled out on the bill. The government fees have a purpose and it's actually a good thing to know that, for example, we pay a fee to subsidize rural phone and internet access. The important part here is that the advertised price for the service should match the total price that's actually billed.

ceejayoz 3y ago

My cell phone bill is broken up that way, and has been for years. They add their own misleadingly named fees to give the illusion that they're direct taxes paid to the government. For example, Vonage: https://support.vonage.com/articles/answer/Regulatory-Compliance-and-Intellectual-Property-Fee-979 https://support.vonage.com/articles/answer/Regulatory-Compli... > The Regulatory, Compliance and Intellectual Property (RCIP) Fee covers regulatory, legal, intellectual property and compliance-related expenses, including those related to customer privacy protection, anti-fraud protection, number portability and innovation, all of which enable our services to enhance your communication experience. The RCIP fee is not a government mandated fee.

toomuchtodo 3y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39005223 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39005223 ("Verizon to keep charging controversial fee despite $100M settlement") https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/verizon-wont-stop-charging-3-30-telco-recovery-fee-may-raise-it-again/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/01/verizon-wont-sto... > Verizon Wireless customers may get up to $100 each as part of a $100 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit over Verizon's monthly "Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge." > But as is typical in class-action settlements, Verizon isn't admitting any wrongdoing. It also plans to keep charging the monthly fee and says it may raise it in the future.
- a_c_s 3y ago
  Why are judges approving such settlements? Either their fee is wrong and they should both have to stop charging it and pay a settlement or the fee is totally fine and Verizon should pay nothing.

mc32 3y ago

I think that's okay: net price + local, state and fed sales taxes in their respective buckets. But none of this service charge for that and healthcare fee for that and exclusive fee for this other.

FireBeyond 3y ago

A lot of the time, you're quite backwards. On the contrary, cell and cable companies have been fined or smacked for describing their fees as "taxes" and similar on bills. The FCC mandated that they were not allowed to call anything a tax unless it went 100% to a government agency.

rootusrootus 3y ago

I think you've just explained exactly why we are unlikely to see any resolution to this problem. A lot of people think we need to see the taxes that go to the government so we can get mad about it. See also Grover Norquist. The consequent pain and suffering is a feature.