Verizon Wireless to charge customers $2 when they pay bills online or by phone (Update: Plan scrapped) (T-Mobile, contract)

[dkf747]

Great! Just after I signed a 2 year contract too! I hope this becomes cause to break out of the contract and go back to T-Mobile. Why did I ever leave them?


Verizon Wireless to charge customers $2 when they pay bills online or by phone - The Washington Post

[TechieTransplant]

I have been reading complaint after complaint on every forum known to man, and the sad thing is, all you have to do to avoid it is set up auto billing or electronic check, or even send in a paper check. Todays companies do so much to make customers lives easy, and yet so many want to revolt and not take advantage of them.

Wait, someone is actually defending Verizon? I see two motives behind this:

1) Get people to pay an extra $2/month by charging for some of the convenient payment options (are we really to believe that making a one-time payment online costs more than dealing with a paper check or paying some store employee to process the payment?)
2) Get people to sign up for autopay so they don't notice when their bill is unusually high, and thus don't call to complain.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by JasonF

Wait, someone is actually defending Verizon? I see two motives behind this:

1) Get people to pay an extra $2/month by charging for some of the convenient payment options (are we really to believe that making a one-time payment online costs more than dealing with a paper check or paying some store employee to process the payment?)
2) Get people to sign up for autopay so they don't notice when their bill is unusually high, and thus don't call to complain.

You are notified 2 -3 weeks before your bill is due via text or email or both. There is plenty of time to review your bill.

[Mick St John]

I don't know why so many companies complain about credit card fees, but they seem perfectly okay with paper checks, which also cost a lot to process.

Just because there is plenty of time doesn't mean people will actually do it, which is what Verizon (and others) is counting on.

This is clearly not about credit card processing fees, since they're not charging for auto-pay. And it's clearly not about their own costs, since they're not charging for more labor intensive payment methods. It's nothing more than a completely transparent attempt to make more money.

[Grandpa Pipes]

Naked greed pure and simple...........

[Dunbar42]

I agree this charge doesn't make sense, especially the web based payment where no humans are involved. But I don't get worked up about fees that are easily avoided. And this fee is very easy to avoid by setting up autopay, mailing a check or electronic bill pay from your bank.

On a side note is there anyone under the age of 50 that pays their bill by phone these days?

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by JasonF

Just because there is plenty of time doesn't mean people will actually do it

And that's the company's fault?

[Macrina]

Originally Posted by Dunbar42

I agree this charge doesn't make sense, especially the web based payment where no humans are involved. But I don't get worked up about fees that are easily avoided. And this fee is very easy to avoid by setting up autopay, mailing a check or electronic bill pay from your bank.

On a side note is there anyone under the age of 50 that pays their bill by phone these days?

I think that's what is their goal; getting more people to sign up for autopay.