Should Companies charge Customers extra for paying bills online?

Paying bills online is easy, convenient and fast. Unfortunately, some Companies punish their customers for doing this.

There is nothing the customer can do about this. If they don't want to pay the extra charge, the Company will just cut off their service.

Should this be illegal? This article will explore the question.

Should charging extra for online bill payment be illegal?

YES! This should be illegal.

This is discrimination against customers who prefer the convenience of online payment. It's also extortion. Companies are simply trying to exploit their customers for additional profit.

The Companies who charge extra have more power and leverage.

Don't pay your electric bill, and you will be in the dark.

Fortunately, many Companies offer free online bill payment. These are the reputable Companies.

Companies should not be able to profit off of a service that is becoming more popular. Customers are doing something that makes the Company happy - Paying their bill. Instead of charging the customers extra for this, they should reduce the amount of the bill by the extra amount they normally charge.

Don't punish the customer. Reward the customer for doing something good!

Why do Companies do it?

They're in business to make money. Every little bit they get from the customers helps their bottom line.

Companies argue that the convenience of online bill payment comes with additional costs for them, such as maintaining secure payment systems and providing customer support for online transactions.

These costs should be passed on to the customers who choose to use this service.

Also, some companies argue that charging extra for online bill payment can help offset the fees they incur from payment processors or financial institutions for processing online transactions.

These are the reasons the Companies say they do it, but we all know the real reason.

Conclusion

Not all Companies charge extra to pay bills online. For example, reputable Companies, like Verizon or Spectrum don't do this because they have huge reputations to uphold. It's usually the sleezy or local Companies who feel the need to exploit their customers.

I hope this article has helped you.

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Remember! At SurfSideSafe, we are here to make your life much better.