Here is another article from my files. I have just included the parts relevant to the tail of the thread. Customers don't notice or don't care [or don't want to spend the time].
Most of the fees and usurious interest rates and the like fall on the backs of the poor. Besides falling outside the CPI calculations, they also mean that the distribution of income is even more lopsided. Mayer, Caroline E. 2002. "Add-Ons Add Up: Firms Are Finding New Ways To Tack Fees on Basic Bills." Washington Post (17 November): p. H 1. And there's another reason companies do add-ons: Consumers let them do it. Most of the time, consumers don't notice the extra fees -- or feel they are so small, they don't care. There are only a few times when consumers have protested, most notably after Sprint decided to charge some of its PCS wireless customers -- primarily those with poor credit ratings who were on a special price plan -- $3 when they wanted to speak to a customer-service representative. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 530-898-5321 E-Mail michael at ecst.csuchico.edu
