You buy an airplane ticket and arrive at the airport. Ooops, you get hit with add-on fees that can add 10% or more to the cost of your flight... costs the price of your ticket didn't cover. You go to a hotel and stay for the night. Ooops, when you check out, you find you have been charged "spa fees" for their gym and pool... even though you didn't use them.
Well, get ready for more. From The Seattle Times:
Why stop there?Joanne Silberner stood at the podium, about to referee a CityClub panel on health-care costs.As a former health-policy correspondent for National Public Radio, Silberner knows a lot.But, she told the panelists and the audience, she was baffled when she got two bills after a recent visit to a dermatologist.One bill, for $109, was for the doctor, who saw her in his office at the Roosevelt Clinic. Then, to her dismay, she got another bill — $228 — for using the space.The care she got seemed identical to an earlier visit with a dermatologist at another clinic — except for the two-bill whammy. [image]
- The neighborhood kid charges $25 to cut your lawn... and a $50 equipment fee.
- The grocery store charges you $105 for the food you bought... and a $25 cart usage fee.
- The auto parts store charges you $80 for a new battery... and $15 for a "core disposal" fee [oh, wait, they already do that]
- The gas station charges you $3.50 per gallon for gas... and a $10 dispensing fee.
- The restaurant charges you 20% gratuity... and a $15 gratuity processing fee.
You can see more possibilities.