Our July article “Protect Yourself From Hidden Fees”
encouraged readers to share stories of—and outrage over—
unexpected charges on cable bills, airline tickets, and more.
To add your voice, go to CR.org/hiddenfees0919.
RE: AIRLINE HIDDEN FEES. It
could get worse. Imagine the
fictitious following: “Ladies and
gentlemen, in the unlikely event
of loss of cabin pressurization,
please insert your credit card in
the slot next to the drop-down
oxygen masks.”
—Chuck Dorney, Fairborn, OHHIDDEN FEES MAKE my blood
boil. They’re not really fees. The
companies view them as revenue
streams. I had a client years ago
who explained why they do it
thusly: because we can.
—Jay Montgomery, Ardsley, NYYOUR ARTICLE on hidden fees
was timely. I have had severalcheck-in, when a passenger can
choose a seat free of charge.
Some airlines hold back a
percentage of [seats] for release
24 hours prior to departure.
—Lori Heathorn, Palo Alto, CAEDITOR’S NOTE As your
boarding time approaches,
some seats may open up
because of cancellations or
maybe because the airline was
holding seats that they tend
to charge for. So, yes, always
check the seat map at check-in,
but if you purchased a cheaper
basic economy fare, it’s very
unlikely that you can upgrade
to, say, a window seat free of
charge by doing so.THE ARTICLE ABOUT avoiding
unnecessary fees in car
buying was especially relevant
as I am planning on buying a
new car. What I encountered
at 3 out of 4 dealers was
that the “add-ons” (vehicle
identification number etching,
window tinting, and more)
were not optional—they were
already on every car in their
lot. One dealer told me that
they were added because
without them dealers didn’t
have much profit in selling
cars these days!
—Ina Haugen, Claremont, CAEDITOR’S NOTE That’s certainly
frustrating! You shouldn’t have
to pay for extras you don’t
need. Don’t be afraid to ask
for a “fresh car” without those
extras installed. Walking away
is always an option, too.MORE
TICK TIPSYOUR ARTICLE “What’s
Wrong With This Picture?”
( July 2019), about tick
bite prevention, was very
informative, but I’d like to
offer some tips. It may take a
tick some time before it bites,
so rolling a lint roller over
your clothing as well as anyrecent experiences with them:
a “historical facility” fee added
to each ticket when purchasing
a subscription to a regional
theater; a $3 fee imposed by my
credit union when I didn’t access
my savings account online for
six months; a fee imposed on
each ticket by the movie theater
when ordering tickets online,
added at checkout.
—Sydney Koerner, Voorhees, NJSO MANY PEOPLE have been
abused by these absurd
fees. Hotel fees have really
annoyed me. I resent being
charged for use of the pool
and towels, even though
I never got wet.
—Herbert Rothouse, Sarasota, FLIT’S HIGH TIME that utility
companies and phone dealers
have full disclosures as to all
the charges one could expect
when getting a service. There
really has to be transparency
in the billing systems for justabout everything customers
are asked to pay for.
—Roger J. Phaneuf, El Cajon, CAIF AMERICANS en masse refused
to pay these extra fees, then
corporations might have to
respond. I like that CR is fighting
for transparency in addressing
these fees, but in the end we
the consumer need to pay
more attention to how we are
exploited and spend our money.
—John R. Petelle, via CR.orgYOU STATE THAT the earlier you
buy airline tickets “the better
your chances of finding a good
seat at no extra charge.” Sorry,
but those days are long gone.
What might score a good seat
is the price paid, or class of
service, but even then, there
is no industry standard. The
airline industry is charging for
“good” seats—up front, aisle,
window, extra legroom, extra
pitch. The only way to avoid
them is to wait until onlineYour Feedback Readers’ comments about our content
Go to
CR.org/lettertoeditor
to share your
comments for
publication.WRITE8 CR.ORG SEPTEMBER 2019