Hiding Hikes in a 'Fee'

Another way for these providers to make money. You'd think they already are making money with so many people jumping to DSL from Comcrap.

With Bellsouth, the $49.99 is also not in addition to the 5 dollar fee added for "Universal Network Access" or whatever it was called for your DSL to connect to the actual internet.

So the price for a DSL line with them is actually $54.95/month, now PLUS this new $2.97 fee.

In my area, Time Warner offers their cable access, without the hidden fees, for $45.95. And it's twice the speed down and 128Kbps faster up.

Time Warner maintains their network very well in my area, so at least here, Bellsouth needs to get on the ball if they want to remain competitive in the broadband wars.

Wife handles the bills, so I did not see this one. Maybe it is time to switch. $52+ is getting be too much. But then again, there are not many choices for someone that does not want to get cable.

Wrong. The backbone access charge is broken out in the bill but is included in the total $49.95.

Well, when I had BSFA a few years ago, my total, line itemed charge was $54.95. 49.95 + that 5 dollar fee.

Perhaps you should re-check your bill.

$50+ is too much imo, if you're getting bullcrap 1.5-2mb down and 128k up thats FUKCIN rediculous, im paying 39 for 3/256 cable and as soon as it increases to $50+ im outta here, substandard service and crappy connections make dsl worth the extra few $$ IMO

This reminds me of used car sales people. Haggle, haggle, and that price does not include tax, lic, spare tire, floor mats . . . . . ARRRGGHHH!

I thought we (as a society) were past this type of bate and switch. Next we will find out that grocery stores will be adding fee's to the real price - Oh wait, they all ready do that by only showing the discounted card cost and not real cost with out card.

I think cell phone bills are the worst in "mis"representing the true per month cost. Get you in with low monthy ad's, but wait until you get first bill - Ka-ching $$$

The point is we will pay it cause we 'NEED' it. I don't forsee any of you going back to dial-up any time soon. Braodband providers know this. As long as the prices for cable and dsl stay close, we will pay for one or the other. Unless both are not available in your area the choice is a matter of preference. But weather its cable or dsl we will pay. We may complain, but we 'WILL' pay....

This fee just recently (4-5 billing cycles ago?) showed up on Speakeasy's bills as well. I always wondered what it was, especially since they tossed up an Email stating how our USF fees were "being decreased," then this mystery charge appears to make up for the lost portion...

They feed you a line of crap that they can't provide dsl service unless you have phone service.
Why can't they add a "line" fee to the DSL service and allow use to drop the phone service. That way we can use VOIP if we wanted to.

Bellsouth should owe up that they are increasing rates, and be honest up front, instead of being sneeky like certain politicains.

Besides didn't Bellsouth just get fnished laying off a bunch of people, and now they want to increase the rates?

Earthlink added a similar charge to my bill about 6 months ago without any notice that I recall. I searched their website and couldn't find anything to explain what the charge was for. It's also disguised as a 'recovery fee'.

The odd thing is that ISP's are not regulated so what money do they have to recover? In addition, I'm paying extra to Earthlink for DSL over my Bellsouth phone line, and paying Bellsouth all kinds of charges on the same line.

Are we being double billed for 2 services on the same wire?

Just on my voice line with BellSouth, the add-on charges and taxes are:

Federal Universal Service Charge .60
FCC Local Number Portability Line Charge .35
FCC Charge for Network Access 6.50
Federal Excise .94
GA - State/Local Tax 1.67
Emergency 911 Charge 1.35
Telecommunications Relay Service Fund .15

TOTAL 11.56

That's 1/3 of my total phone bill!

Depends upon your state. FL and GA I know don't have it.

said by Snakeoil:

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Besides didn't Bellsouth just get fnished laying off a bunch of people, and now they want to increase the rates?

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No, they're not finished laying off yet. About 700 just got canned this week.

said by Snakeoil:

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They feed you a line of crap that they can't provide dsl service unless you have phone service.
Why can't they add a "line" fee to the DSL service and allow use to drop the phone service. That way we can use VOIP if we wanted to.

Bellsouth should owe up that they are increasing rates, and be honest up front, instead of being sneeky like certain politicains.

Besides didn't Bellsouth just get fnished laying off a bunch of people, and now they want to increase the rates?

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The worst Part is that "DSL" line sharing rules are only on
ADSL lines. I was told by an ISP Britsys.net @ »www.britsys.com/
you can get SDSL on a line and then you can drop the voice and the SDSL stay hooked up. The only problem is it cost more, 512K/512K is $72.

I could care less what they call it. I don't care that there is tax in my bill and fees, etc. All I care about is what I write on the check each month.

If they think otherwise, they are quite delusional.

said by Matt3:

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Perhaps you should re-check your bill.

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I do not have this $5.00 fee in NC, Never have.

Typical of American big business. The fat @$$ scum bags at the top of these companies aren't happy with their $40 million a year... they want more, more, more, more, more!!

I am with you on that. We all want the best bang for the buck but I hate the deception involved. Why should I be paying 10% of my cell bill in 'fees'. These 'fees' should be the same across all providers which they aren't and that hurts us - the consumer

I also particularly hate it when food makers sneak in "new and improved" packaging that's a few ounces less than before without lowering the price. Danon and now Giant Eagle(1) have done this with yogurt (used to be 8 oz., now they're 6 oz.). That Pierre's(2) (and others too) half-gallon is now a few ounces shy of a half-gallon. Same goes for orange juice (watch out for that new plastic "carafe" jug!)

(1) Giant Eagle is a regional grocery store chain HQ'ed in Pittsburgh. They have stored in PA, OH, maybe WV?

(2) In case you haven't heard of Pierre's, it's a local brand popular in NE Ohio.

EDIT: Changed title to "Dirty grocery tactics" to more accurately refect what I'm talking about.

Lamometer |........./|

I don't like SBC charging more, and dismissing the hidden rate increase as a fee that is worded as if the government is responsible. As for blatant rate hikes, if you think you are being charged too much then cancel service with your ISP. I am proud to live in a country where companies can charge whatever they want for a product or service. If the majority of customers think prices are too high, the company will lose money and people cancel their service and they will have to lower their prices. If I ever open my own business, the last thing I want is the government dictating what I can charge for my products. Long live free enterprise.

Bravo Karl and BroadbandReports for comparing the "Real" Prices with the added hidden "Fees".

In the meantime everyone E-mail and call the Public Service Commissions, State Attorney Generals and the FCC to get the deceptive, False and Misleading advertising stopped.

I would much rather see a blatant rate hike than be jerked around with the pathetic "fee" rationalization. I don't care if they just need more whores for the board of directors; that's not my concern. I don't like being lied to.

It is totally right and fair that BBR will report the full rates that includes the fees and b*llsh*t that pad out the monthly bill.

What I would like to know is: How are these "fee"s dreamed up, decided on, then passed down? Who is responsible?

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said by Snakeoil :Besides didn't Bellsouth just get fnished laying off a bunch of people, and now they want to increase the rates?

No, they're not finished laying off yet. About 700 just got canned this week.

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So they're really jacking the rates to pay for the layoffs?

NOBODY makes a pound can of coffee with a pound of coffee in it anymore.
remember 5 pound bags of sugar/flour? theyre all 4 pounds now(a sneaky way to increase price 20%)
remember 10 pound bags of ice? (now theyre 7pounds(price increase of 30%)
and the biggest ripoff: Potato chips! we pay up to 4 dollars for something that is 80% air!!!!!!!!

see sig... end of story

What is this 'pride' stuff? What exactly did you do to earn this pride? Was it your extraordinary planning to select your place of birth and your parents?

These companies have a protected franchise for the area they are in. There are usually no competitors allowed to offer the same service in the area. The Bells were built from a government mandated monopoly to collect money from consumers having no choice.

Sheesh. You go ahead and try to start a business that competes with your local phone or cable company. Let us know how it goes, will you?

said by fullback:

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What exactly did you do to earn this pride?

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You mean, what did the US do to earn my pride. My answer is that it has provided many people the opportunity to realize their dreams through capitalism.

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Was it your extraordinary planning to select your place of birth and your parents?

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Ok that didn't make any sense.

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The Bells were built from a government mandated monopoly to collect money from consumers having no choice.

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The government never mandated the monopoly, they only sanctioned it. Second, the company wasn't built by the government, it was a thriving business like any other. Look it up.

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You go ahead and try to start a business that competes with your local phone or cable company. Let us know how it goes, will you?

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The wireless companies and the satellite companies, which compete with the bells and the cable companies, are doing just fine.

Another good example, find a true 2x4 now a days, they don't exist

Been this way with SpeakEasy for as long as I've been a customer. It's a rather common bitch-thread in the SpeakEasy forum.

-tom