Companies and industries across the board have had to become more and more creative to stay competitive and still offer Surprisedthe lower price. The lowest price tag usually wins so the companies need to find inventive ways to make a profit. This innovative method that is now employed by many places is known as “the fee”. Fees come in all shapes and sizes; some even border on the insane. From convenience fees, to cancellation fees, inspections fees, and “speaking to a human” fee, companies can pretty much get away with anything they can come up with and consumer are expected to just suck it up. There is no designated governmental agency that monitors or controls such fees so companies can tack them on and craftily name it anything.

So what do you do when you are hit with such fees? Here are some tips to help you deal with fees the right way.

  • Approach the company representative in a calm, collected manner. It is a good time to remember grandma’s old cliché “You get more bees with honey than vinegar”. Being respectful when approaching the company make allow you to explain your side of the situation and actually be heard. Express your dissatisfaction with the fee and give the representative a chance to work with you. Oftentimes, customer service agents are able to use their discretion to remove fees. If you go in on the attack, chances are you will get nowhere fast.
  • If you can’t get anywhere with the associate, ask politely for a manager for additional assistance. If you get transferred, be just as respectful when explaining your side of the story. Do not scream and demean anyone. If you get your message through, ask for a written confirmation of the conversation and be gracious with your thanks.
  • If you find you can not get results from the company directly, locate a consumer-advocacy group who can counsel you on the next step. If the situation means enough to you to fight a little bit, you may end up not only helping yourself, but also many other consumers who haven’t used their voice.
  • As a final step, you should contemplate filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission online at http://www.ftc.gov/ or by phone at 877-FTC-HELP. The FTC can help assist consumers who feel defrauded on some level if the company was not upfront and clear about the fees.
  • Finally, consider the amount of time you want to or have invested into the fighting of the fees. If it has taken 30 minutes or more to deal with the situation, you are essentially costing yourself more time and money – Yours!