I've hit a nerve: More on credit card surcharges, other fees | Betty Lin-Fisher
I’ve definitely hit a nerve with last week’s column about fees for water, credit card usage and tipping.
More readers weighed in on the growing practices and offered some more feedback and information.
If you missed last week’s column, I was sharing readers’ comments the Beacon Journal received after reporting that a local restaurant has been charging customers for a cup of water served in a styrofoam cup with the restaurants’ logo. That also got people riled up about other fees like those that have begun showing up for use of credit cards and tip requests beyond what they think is fair.
The column and a previous column last year focused on restaurants and businesses that had begun changing a long-standing practice of considering surcharges from credit card companies part of doing business and instead passing those surcharges along to customers. Many customers think that’s not fair and would rather the businesses raise prices instead of nickel and diming them.
Fees for emergency appointments, utilities and hot water
Customers this week also lamented that more governments are also charging a surcharge to make payments for utilities online or to charge for a credit card.
A reader in Copley said had just gotten back from the vet's office on a Monday. Their dog was having intestinal issues on a Friday and they picked up some medication and were told to call Monday by 8 a.m. if the dog wasn't feeling better. The only way he got an appointment for his dog that same day was because he agreed to pay a $20 emergency fee for a limited number of slots available that day. If he didn't agree to pay or didn't get one of the slots, he could wait until the next day or take the dog to the animal hospital.
The reader said the practice seemed to change after the longtime vet sold it. Now, he said, "it seems it’s run for the convenience of the owners, not the customers. Once we take the older dog for his last visit, we’ll look for another vet!"
The reader also wasn't happy about the growing practice of some (human) medical facilities charging high “facility fees,” which can be just as much or more than the visit.
An Akron reader was upset about the city of Akron charging extra fees to pay water bills over the phone or online for an electric check from a bank account or a credit card.
“This amounts to squeezing as much money as possible out of peoples pockets as they can,” he said.
Another reader said she frequently asks for a cup of hot water with a lemon when at a restaurant and has never been charged.
“This time, they delivered the lemon on a plate with tea bags, which I didn’t use, and charged me $3.59! I was shocked and upset. No longer will I order hot water with lemon. Absolutely ridiculous!!” she wrote.
Restaurants aren’t allowed to charge surcharge on debit cards
Another reader said he doesn’t have a huge problem when a restaurant wants to charge him for his credit card use. He doesn’t like it, but he somewhat understands it.
“What bothers me is that restaurants illegally put that surcharge on my bill when I use my debit card. It is against federal law to charge me for using the debit card,” he wrote.
He’s right and it was something I didn’t know.
According to Mastercard and Visa, and I also saw it on several other sources, credit card surcharges are allowed as a result of a legal settlement to resolve claims brought by a group of U.S. merchants, that went into effect on Jan. 27, 2013.
But that did not cover debit cards or pre-paid gift cards. Surcharges may not be charged or passed on to consumers for either of those payments.
The reader who alerted me said he has often had to explain to a manager at a restaurant about the law. Some have taken the fee off and some haven’t.
“That is a huge gripe of mine. I have thought about having a copy of the law with me when I dine, but that may be a bit obsessive,” he wrote.
Keep in mind, however, that while people have personal preferences about using a credit card, which charges the amount and sends you a bill the next month, versus a debit card, which immediately takes the amount out from your bank account, there are differences in fraud protection between the two.
'It is just too much!' Readers sound off on credit card surcharges, tip jars, surprise fees
According to a Bankrate article, “credit cards offer a few fraud protection benefits that debit cards don’t. Nearly all credit cards offer zero fraud liability on unauthorized charges, which means you won’t owe a penny on any charge determined to be fraudulent.
“Debit cards also limit your fraud liability but require you to report your lost or stolen card within two business days to limit your liability to $50. If you report after two business days but before 60, your liability goes up to $500. If just your debit card number is stolen and not the card itself, you are not liable for unauthorized charges, as long as you report them within 60 days of receiving your statement,” according to Bankrate.
Because credit cards don’t charge you until the next billing cycle, you have some time to dispute the charge, which may never show up on the bill while a debit card charge comes out of your bank account and then you have to right to get it back.
Questions about your FirstEnergy settlement credit? Read here
I continue to get messages inquiring about the FirstEnergy class-action settlement — which amounts to an average of about $7 for residential customers.
I wrote a column with a lot of details on Aug. 20 and have updated it online a few times.
The Better Business Bureau of Akron also recently issued an advisory that the settlement was legitimate, though to be wary of potential scams.
"Our Akron office has recently received an influx in daily phone calls regarding Ohio Electricity Litigation correspondence. BBB wants to assure Settlement Class members it's a legitimate class action lawsuit, and they may be receiving payment. Most payments should have been received by the end of August."
Betty Lin-Fisher Here's more on what new FirstEnergy credits, settlement mean for you
Customers may be a settlement class "if you paid to Toledo Edison, Cleveland Electric, or Ohio Edison any rates, charges, fees, tolls, or other costs pursuant to HB 6 or any recovery mechanism approved by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) pursuant to HB 6 from January 1, 2020 through June 22, 2022."
If FirstEnergy, which operates those three regional utilities, had your email address on file, you would have gotten an email in early August. Many consumers deleted the emails, thinking they were a scam. I confirmed with the settlement administrator that a second round of emails went out from a different email address in early September in an attempt to try to get the credits to consumers. The two legitimate email addresses are rewards@reward.tremendous.com or OhioLitigationRewards@rewards.tremendous.com
The website for more information, including how to use the digital credit as a payment on Amazon (you have to use the credit to buy Amazon credit first) is available on my earlier column or also in a frequently asked questions document at https://www.ohioelectricitylitigation.com/
Physical debit cards were mailed to customers without email addresses by the end of August.
If you are still having issues or have not gotten your physical card or email for digital card by the end of August or have other questions, call the settlement administrator hotline at 877-888-9895.
I will also highlight a question I addressed in the last column, but continues to come up. FirstEnergy has already paid the full settlement amount of $49 million. Any money not claimed by consumers will not go back to FirstEnergy. The plaintiff's lawyers, which represent the class-action members, have said they would go back to the judge to request the remainder be donated to a charity.
Beacon Journal consumer columnist Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com Follow her @blinfisherABJ on X, formerly known as Twitter, or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ and see all her stories at www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Credit card surcharges hit a nerve; more on FirstEnergy settlement
