10 Potentially Hidden Costs on Your Phone Bill

If you are the one to negotiate your phone accessories or features with your land line Company or your wireless carrier, it makes sense you would ask questions concerning fees that are normal or some not so normal.

Many years ago there was a law passed called “truth in lending” that pertained to companies who loaned money, and had not been up front with the people to whom they were loaning money.  It should stand as a law as far as wireless companies, or land line companies.  However in the hubbub of picking out a new phone, upgrading, a fast well informed talking salesperson, then signing a two year contract  we can find ourselves overwhelmed and not able to ask all the right questions, or read the fine print.

1. One thing that catches people off guard is the usage charge.  Should you make a 15 second call that did not go through, or was a wrong number, you are not charged for ¼ of a minute, but for a whole minute.  It wouldn’t take long for this to add up taking away from your allotted minutes.  The phone companies (whether wireless or land line) always round up to the next minute.
2. Sometimes the convenience of being able to hit *69, to call back the person you just missed, may not be worth it.  It is just as easy to look at missed calls and redial it, than to go to *69 which costs you up to a $1 per minute for this feature.
3. I do not have the feature for texting on my wireless phone, and I’ve decided it is a blessing in the long run.  There are very few times I’d like to send a text message to one of my children or grand ones, but seeing the charges mount up makes me grateful I don’t have the feature.  I understand the charges pile up when you receive texts from advertisers.   If this happens, calling your wireless carrier may get them taken off.
4. I learned the hard way about companies like OAN who take advantage of people who complete surveys on the internet.  I’ve been asked for my phone number; I don’t give it, and then I can’t complete the survey.  Next thing I know my phone bill has gone up about $20.  On the last page of the bill, there it is in black and white – a charge from some unknown company.  The phone company will not take it off unless you call to complain that it is not something you have authorized.  I am so careful not to allow that to happen to me again.  Once fooled – shame on me…
5. Another feature that is so valuable to some is being able to search the internet from their cell phone.  While there are others who don’t need this feature they may be the ones who fail to have internet data blocked from their phone.  If one accidently hits the internet button, their phone bill will have a charge per kilobyte of data uses, around two cents per kilobyte.
6. It bothers me that so many people can get in on the taxes they collect from my phone bill.  Federal Excise Tax, Federal (non-regulated & Toll Charges), State and Local, and State and local (non-regulated & toll charges).    Now explain to me why I am paying a non-regulated anything that would amount to $7.00 or more.
7. So when I agreed on a monthly land line for $40 per month, with all the bells and whistles, it has stretched into $55.  More charges I’d like to protest, but I figure it would do no good, (for whatever they told me was the reason they charge this fee) – I would not be able to refute.  This amounts to $11.33, being labeled as surcharges and other fees.
8. I was not aware the Internet was so filled with warnings of potentially hidden fees from wireless carriers.  It pays to ask questions and READ THE SMALL PRINT on anything we sign.  I mentioned in #4, a third party charge from OAN.  However some third party charges on Verizon looks something like these:  “ID Lifeguards”, “ESBI”, “American eVoice Limited Voicemail”, “Nationwide Emergency Voicemail” etc.
9. Usage fees seem like a double charge to me.  I would figure “usage fees” would be included in the monthly usage charge.  I pay for service, and I pay for the usage!?!
10. Then there are Government fees and taxes, such as 911 and telecom fees.

Well, I can almost hear my mother say, “we will never get out of this world alive,  or there two things sure in life, death and taxes”.  Yes that’s what she would tell me.

Guest post by Doris Thompson, a friend of Landline Phone Service.

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