Source: Diversity Photos / Getty
I often wonder who started the whole hidden/scam fees trend. I hope there is a special circle in hell for that person. Every single business jumped on that bandwagon. “Oh, you mean we can totally make something up and get paid for it? We’re in!” they all cheered. When will businesses learn that customers want transparency? If I see two beautiful water bottles sitting on my hotel room desk, I don’t want to pick one up and sip it, only to find a sign that was hiding under the bottle stating, “$5 charge per water bottle consumed.” When I buy a concert ticket, I don’t want to go through the entire hassle of finding the best price and scheduling with my friends, all to find that at the very, very end of filling out all of my information, I’m asked if I’d like to pay an extra $22 for “guaranteed seating.” What?!
Companies may grab a few extra bucks off of me when they pull that BS, but they lose me as a customer forever. I don’t forget that sort of thing. If you look closely, a lot of the fees tacked onto things should already be included in the overall cost. Like when you make an appointment for a massage at a salon, see one listed price, and then find a “service charge” on your bill. Uh…weren’t you always paying for the service?
You don’t have to be swindled by these fees. You can negotiate. You can refuse. You can just go to another vendor (or threaten to do so). Just don’t be so fast to hand over your credit card, because there may be ways around these expenditures. The business just wants you to think there aren’t. Here are bogus fees you shouldn’t pay.
Source: Thomas Barwick / Getty
Resort fees
Is there anything more infuriating than finding an awesome hotel rate of, say $90 a night, only to find that when you check out there was a $75 per day resort fee? That nearly doubles the cost of your stay. But there are ways out of paying this. First of all, if any of the amenities didn’t work or were unavailable—gym equipment was being fixed, pool was closed for cleaning—you can ask the hotel to remove or reduce the fee. If you have a screenshot of your reservation that makes it clear this fee was not made clear in advance, you can ask them to remove it. And if you’re a loyal guest, you can ask them to remove it.
