Verizon Decides Not To Charge for Online, Phone Bill Payments




Verizon Wireless took just 24 hours to change its mind about charging new fees
after consumers vociferously objected.

The largest cellphone carrier in the United States announced Friday that
it will not charge a $2 fee for every payment subscribers make over the phone
or online with their credit cards. Verizon had announced the “convenience fee”
on Thursday and said it would be introduced Jan. 15.

A petition on Change.org against the fees had gathered more than 57,000
names as of Friday afternoon, one of many outlets where customers expressed
outrage at being charged for paying their bill.

In an emailed statement, a Verizon spokeswoman said “The company made the
decision in response to customer feedback about the plan, which was designed
to improve the efficiency of those transactions. The company continues to
encourage customers to take advantage of the numerous simple and convenient
payment methods it provides.”

“At Verizon, we take great care to listen to our customers. Based on
their input, we believe the best path forward is to encourage customers to
take advantage of the best and most efficient options, eliminating the need to
institute the fee at this time,” Dan Mead, president and CEO of Verizon
Wireless, said in the statement.

The fee was meant to push subscribers to the company’s AutoPay system,
which would have remained free.

Other carriers have tried to get subscribers to move to automatic payments through other means. ATT offers a $10 gift card
for those who set up AutoPay. Sprint charges subscribers who have caps on the
fees they can rack up each month. Those people are charged $5 monthly unless
they set up automatic payments.

Verizon Communications, the landline phone company that owns most of
Verizon Wireless, tried last year to introduce a $3.50 fee for people who paid
their bill for FiOS TV or Internet service month-to-month by credit card. It
backed off after complaints.

Banks also felt the wrath of consumers fed up with fees earlier this
year, when several banks tested or announced fees for using debit cards to
make up for revenue lost when the Federal Reserve capped the fees banks could
charge merchants for debit usage at a much lower rate than previously charged.
Banks such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo dropped their
plans after a widespread consumer backlash.

Verizon Wireless serves 91 million phones and other devices on accounts
that pay the company directly, and more who pay indirectly through other
companies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Article source: http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2012/1/3/verizon_decides_not_to_charge_for.htm

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