If you have a Verizon mobile phone, and want to use a credit card or debit card to pay your Verizon phone bill over the phone with Verizon wireless customer service, or online through their online Verizon customer care portal, Verizon is going to charge you a $2.00 “convenience fee” for the privilege. The only way to pay your Verizon wireless bill with a credit or debit card and not get charged the $2.00 convenience fee is if you do it in person, such as at a Verizon store. (Note: This does not apply to autopayments, only to one-time payments. Autopayments do not incur the $2.00 convenience fee.)
Verizon wireless customers across the country are up in arms about this – Twitter is filled with tweets reviling Verizon for being greedy – sentiments such as “Dear Verizon: How stupid and greedy of u to charge customers who actually PAY their bill! It makes no sense. That is all” abound.
The move seems aimed at one of two goals (or both): getting you to sign up for autopay, so that they don’t have to worry about your payments at all; or getting you into a store, so that they can upsell you.
That said, again, this all applies to using a credit or debit card. You can avoid paying the $2.00 fee by using an electronic check online or over the phone, and the $2.00 fee will not be applied. Same for mailing a check or money order in to pay your bill.
So, what is this “convenience” all about then? Convenient for whom?
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As it turns out, Verizon’s customers are not the only ones who are concerned about this new “convenience” fee. Earlier today, a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) official said that the FCC is looking into the fee.
“On behalf of American consumers, we’re concerned about Verizon’s actions and are looking into the matter,” said the FCC spokesperson.
UPDATE: Verizon has just announced that it is rescinding the $2.00 convenience fee based on “customer feedback”.
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