When 60% Of Your Phone Bill Is From Unadvertised Fees

from the seems-a-bit-extreme dept

We've had plenty of stories about phone companies and all of the additional fees they add to your bill, but the Miami Herald has a few examples where the situation clearly goes beyond any reasonable level. Take, for example, a simple plan from BellSouth, advertised at $11.04/month. What they leave is out the extra $16 in fees and taxes (BugMeNot required) that turn the $11 plan into a $27 one. Then, there are companies like Primus which is adding a $15 "low usage" fee for anyone who doesn't make $25 worth of long distance calls per month. The telcos come back with their usual refrain that they somehow "need" to collect this fee "to recoup normal business expenses." That, of course, is a ridiculous statement. Any normal business prices their "normal business expenses" into their advertised prices. This is simply a way for the telcos to advertise lower prices than they're really charging. Perhaps other companies should get into this game as well. Want a pizza pie? It's just $3, but there's a $3.50 "crust fee," a $9.38 "oven fee," a $4.50 "service fee," and a $2.18 "cleanup fee." Plus tax.