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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIt’s Called Deceptive Price-Gouging
http://www.workinglife.org/2013/05/23/its-called-deceptive-price-gouging/
from the Working Life blog:
Its Called Deceptive Price-Gouging
Posted on 23 May 2013.
Is there a website for corporate-speak slogans that are simply covers for robbery? Must be. If not, there should be and AT&Ts administrative fee has got to take an honored place on the list.
Cmon, say this with a straight face:
AT&T Inc. has added a new monthly administrative fee of 61 cents to the bills of all of its contract wireless lines as of May 1, a move that could bring in more than a half-billion dollars in annual revenue to the telecom giant.
Other carriers also have so-called below-the-line fees, named that because they frequently appear at the bottom of the phone bill after the service charges. Such fees help boost revenue growth in a massive organization, but consumer groups criticize them because they are less likely to be noticed by users and allow carriers to advertise lower prices than they actually charge.
Below-the-line fees are nothing more than a way for carriers to stealthily increase their prices, said Derek Turner, research director at Free Press, a public interest group. AT&Ts administrative fees are no different than the hundreds of other components that go into the cost of doing business, he said.
Administrative fee? No, this is stealth robbery. Dishonest. But, of course, the company will get away with it.
liberal N proud
(60,335 posts)that they do near holiday periods.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)After the scandal-ridden Long Island Lighting Company was dissolved, we got LIPA, National Grid, and a few other entities digging through our pockets to keep the lights on. Here's a sample bill to show how 8.5 cents a kilowatt gives you bill of $175:
Click here for the humorous explanation of the charges:
http://www.lipower.org/residential/account/your-bill.html
marmar
(77,081 posts)That's wild.
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)It's Payment In Lieu of Taxes. Some deal they made with the county, probably for using county land to put up utility poles but with these guys who knows...
hobbit709
(41,694 posts)TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)There were many, many screwy deals made. LILCO was once the largest private electric company in the country and then found to be the most crooked. The new entity is full of legacy tweaks.
FWIW, it's so bad now that PSE&G in New Jersey is about to take over it's operations.
Autumn
(45,106 posts)Off topic but I was thinking about that yesterday while waiting for a gas pump. that has to add up.
marmar
(77,081 posts)Autumn
(45,106 posts)AndyA
(16,993 posts)Then they make constant adjustments to correct--complicates things and some people probably never really know how much power they actually use.
Why can't they use wording that's easily understandable? Revenue-based PILOTS? What is that, the fees they charge for their corporate aircraft pilots? The more revenue, the more pilots they can have for executives?
Last time my electric bill was "estimated" they just DOUBLED the charges from the prior month. My usage had actually dropped for that period, so it took two months for the credit to be used up completely. Now they want to raise rates again, and they can't even read the damn meter and charge customers accurately.
AndyA
(16,993 posts)I discontinued all of my AT&T services years ago. They have horrible customer service. They tried charging me for stuff six months after I'd stopped everything. Calling them got me nowhere, except over two hours on hold waiting to talk to someone. Then, you'd get disconnected. I truly believe they mark your phone number as a "problem" and intentionally help others first, hoping you'll just hang up and pay the bill so you don't get sent to collections.
Finally, I filed a complaint with the FCC and sent them all the documentation. In short order, I received an apology from AT&T and my account was credited to show zero due. The FCC followed up to make sure everything had been taken care of as well.
Just don't do business with AT&T. They helped Bushco spy on everyone, and taxpayers paid them huge amounts of money to administrate the spying! AT&T is one of the worst corporations in the world, stop sending them your hard-earned money.