Paying additional fees to pay your bills?

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.
Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
A

Acanthus

Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
19,915
2
76
ostif.org
Homerboy said:
That's not right.
I had TW/RR for years.
I ALWAYS used webbillpay with them via my bank. At first they weren;t on the 1 day instant pay, so a check would be cut by my bank and mailed out to TW (5 days). Then they became 1 day turn around and it was Electronic Funds Transfer. I never was billed extra.
Click to expand...

I am including online bill pay services as "cutting them a check."

Sorry for not clarifying.
 
PingSpike

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,758
603
126
IndyColtsFan said:
Me too, and you know it costs them much more to process a check than an electronic payment. They're hoping people will pay for the convenience, which won't happen.

Indiana used to have a $5 (IIRC) "service charge" to renew your vehicle registration online. The state government must have gotten the hint, because now, they give you a discount to renew online.
Click to expand...

Probably some one said "We just spend a bunch of money developing this online pay system, and no one is using it so we're wasting just as much money processing bills as before online now we also have less money and no cost savings. We look like morons." So they removed the fee. Few places are that enlightened.
 
purbeast0

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
53,667
6,551
126
anyone know if the extra charge verizon is charging for their online payments will change the TOS for their cellphone useage?

if so i may use that as excuse to break out of my contract for free. i've been using the online payment for over 5 years but i don't want to do it automated, i like paying it myself.
 
bruceb

bruceb

Diamond Member
Aug 20, 2004
8,874
111
106
I also pay by check. And I do not want any electronic statements. They would have me use My Time, My Electric, My Paper, My Printer (wear/tear), My Ink, to print out what they should be sending me. Just like now IRS will no longer send Paper Forms out as they (think) most people file electronically. (they say forms will still be at the Post Office or local IRS office), so now I need to use My Gas & Time to get a form to Send Them Money. I do my taxes with Turbo Tax, but it gets mailed in. And no automatic charges to my credit cards either. They are nothing but trouble to try and stop, when you cancel their garbage services.
 
Thump553

Thump553

Lifer
Jun 2, 2000
12,839
2,625
136
I pay online through my bank and it's totally free. Most large creditors (like the power company) get paid the same or next day as well. Pay by phone charges are for the gullible.
 
M

marvdmartian

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2002
5,444
27
91
Yeah, I've got Chase for one of my credit cards, as well as my auto financing.

I can pay the CC via their website, and they'll simply debit my checking account electronically, for no charge.

But if I want to pay my car loan payment online, they want to charge me something like a $30 fee. WTF?? :mad:

I also had an electric provider, up until March of this year, that would charge you a fee if you paid online. That's just dumb, imho, since it should be easier for them to process electronic payments. Of course, this is the same stupid electric provider that continued to send me bills, for 3 or 4 months after I turned off the electricity in my apartment (when I moved into my house), for ZERO electricity usage! They'd bill me, it would be nothing for the electricity, and $1.80 for the government fees. I had to call them, every month, for 4 consecutive months, to get them to finally completely close out my account. None of the CSR's could figure it out, and they'd zero it out every month, but the next month I'd get another bill. I finally got to the point where I told them that I would consider another bill from their company as a form of harassment, and the state attorney general's office would become involved. Funny how that seemed to work so well..... :rolleyes:
 
PingSpike

PingSpike

Lifer
Feb 25, 2004
21,758
603
126
I should send them a bill for the cost incurred for receiving their bill. It would include line items for mailbox space rental and a pickup charge. Plus a professional reader fee, pen ink cost and stamp charges. Then an environmental fee for the cost of recycling the envelope. I know there would be no response, but you know...for the lulz.
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
bruceb said:
I also pay by check. And I do not want any electronic statements. They would have me use My Time, My Electric, My Paper, My Printer (wear/tear), My Ink, to print out what they should be sending me. Just like now IRS will no longer send Paper Forms out as they (think) most people file electronically. (they say forms will still be at the Post Office or local IRS office), so now I need to use My Gas & Time to get a form to Send Them Money. I do my taxes with Turbo Tax, but it gets mailed in. And no automatic charges to my credit cards either. They are nothing but trouble to try and stop, when you cancel their garbage services.
Click to expand...

So in your world:

1) filling out a check has no time associated with it, nor the finding of an envelop, stamp and the labor of sealing.

2) your electric? chances are son, your computer was already on.

3) last I checked an envelope wasn't free

4) You should not need to print to pay online.

5) Ink? pens?

I don't know about you, but my time alone is worth much more than that mess.
 
Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
29,177
14,547
136
alkemyst said:
I don't know about you, but my time alone is worth much more than that mess.
Click to expand...

If you get paper bills, most of them include an envelope and payment card. All you have to do is fill out your return address on the envelope, drop in a check, and add a stamp to the front. Real waste of time :rolleyes:
 
alkemyst

alkemyst

No Lifer
Feb 13, 2001
83,769
19
81
Brainonska511 said:
If you get paper bills, most of them include an envelope and payment card. All you have to do is fill out your return address on the envelope, drop in a check, and add a stamp to the front. Real waste of time :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

The point was *dude* it's a lot longer to do than just clicking a bookmark, then clicking "pay this shit".

Plus that $0.40+ cost right there is much more than any 'electric' you will use in doing it.

Try to at least follow the argument before butting in.
 
Brainonska511

Brainonska511

Lifer
Dec 10, 2005
29,177
14,547
136
alkemyst said:
The point was *dude* it's a lot longer to do than just clicking a bookmark, then clicking "pay this shit".

Plus that $0.40+ cost right there is much more than any 'electric' you will use in doing it.

Try to at least follow the argument before butting in.
Click to expand...

Except it isn't just "pay this shit". Only if the bill is the same amount every month could you do that. If it's something like the electric bill, you'd have to look up the amount you owe if you're paying it from your bank's website. And then there was the issue of paying a fee if you pay it through your electric company's website....
 
sdifox

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
100,741
18,041
126
Do they offer telephone CC charge?

Call them up and have the CRM put the charge through the CC on the due date.

You cost them money in terms of CRM time + money + CC percentage.
 
E

Exterous

Super Moderator
Jun 20, 2006
20,585
3,796
126
Wow - I didn't realize payment fees were so common. I would definately send a check to avoid payment fees
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom