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Carrion Luggage #1087788 added April 22, 2025 at 10:21am
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Fee For All
In keeping with the spirit of yesterday's entry ("Avoid snakebites by not going outside,") here are some tips from Lifehacker to mess with.
Checked bag fees? The only reason they exist is because people insist on the cheapest possible flight, which they determine before they discover that there are about fifty add-on fees in addition to the base cost, and checked bags are but one of them. Eliminate checked bag fees, and airlines will all just raise their prices the same amount. (They also have the added bonus of causing people to fight for overhead bin space for... you know... carrion.)
Processing fees. Service fees. Hidden fees. It feels like most companies and services these days have found countless ways to sneakily squeeze money out of me.
And then, on top of that, they expect you'll pay their employees for them by tipping them. Not to mention begging for money for questionable "charities."
Even when it’s only a few dollars here and there, it’s the principle of the thing: Why am I being charged in the first place?
Because they want your money. And because they can.
Concert “service” fees
If you’ve tried to buy a concert ticket in recent history, you’ve been slapped with a shocking string of processing, commission, or transaction fees.
How to avoid: stop going to concerts, like I did. Mostly because, in some cases, the add-on fees more than doubled the price of the ticket. But also because I refuse to go to any venue named after a company, which most of them are, these days.
This is a somewhat different situation than airline add-on fees. It's not like there are two or more ticket merchants trying to sell passes to the same concert at the same venue (usually). There's no "competition" reason like with airlines looking to appear to have the lowest price. No, they do it because once you've decided $200 is a perfectly reasonable price for nosebleed seats at a rock concert, the sunk cost fallacy takes over and you end up paying another $300 for processing, convenience, and Ferengi fees.
Airbnb fees
Next to the cost of concert tickets, Airbnb has gained notoriety for its bullshit fees. I've found the growing consensus is that Airbnb simply isn’t worth its exorbitant service fees.
Solution: avoid AirBnB, like I do. Maybe at first it made sense, but now they're having a measurable negative impact on the housing market, among other negative social consequences. Hotels can have sneaky fees too, but they tend to be lower. And from what I've heard, with AirBnB, you generally have to do your own cleaning, which is anathema to the whole point of going anywhere. I don't clean my own house; why should I clean someone else's? (I don't live in filth; I hire a service.)
Seat selection and airline fees
Of all the bullshit airline fees these days, “seat selection” might be the shadiest.
I happen to disagree. Those are disclosed up front, during seat selection, and if you don't like it, feel free to cheap out in a middle seat.
ATM fees
When you need cash fast, ATM fees are tough to avoid.
Are they? I haven't paid an ATM fee in decades, unless you count the foreign currency exchange fee I paid exactly once, in Paris. Mostly, you just have to have the right bank.
Car dealership fees
If there’s someone you can trust to be honest and no-bullshit, it’s a car salesman, right?
Oh, a funny person. Hey look, everybody, it's a comedian!
Seriously, though, I've bought two cars in the past 20 years, so I'm no expert here. I can't say "Don't buy a car," though, because most of us either need one or would be seriously inconvenienced without one. I do wish I could just order the car I want online, like I do with computers, rather than deal with high-pressure sales tactics and end up with something other than ideal for me.
Gym initiation fees
When you join a new gym, your first bill might come with an “initiation fee.”
There are other ways to get exercise without going to the gym. Turns out that once you're giving them money monthly, it stops being an incentive for you to go.
Credit reports
Make a habit of checking your free credit score from sites like Credit Karma or Experian.
I will admit to having a Credit Karma account. It's free, and they're up front about the reason for it being free: they advertise credit and banking services. Even without that, though, there's probably no reason to check your credit report except maybe once a year, or if you suspect identity theft. Maybe if you're about to apply for a loan, but that can roll into the "once a year" thing.
Overdraft fees
“Overdraft protection” sounds like a positive thing to stop you from taking out more money than you have in your account. However, when the bank offers overdraft protection, they charge quite the fee for it.
Sigh. There's a really easy way to avoid these, too: don't fucking overdraw your account. I know, I know, it takes work, and maybe math. If you don't like it, then don't complain about overdraft fees. Not to mention that emergencies do happen. And, again: bank shopping.
Bank statement fees
A paper bank statement can come with a wild $2 or $3 monthly fee.
Wow, whoever put this article together sucks ass at picking banks.
Online shipping fees
As much as I'd like to support in-person brick and mortar stores, sometimes Amazon one-day shipping is the only option I have. And with shipping costs these days, I know I'm guilty of buying more products just to qualify for free shipping—the classic "spend to save" trap.
Well, there's your problem right there. Consider buying less shit. Fewer shit? Whatever.
Bottom line (complete with service fees) is, companies get away with hidden and extra fees because we let them. There are some things it's worth paying extra for, like, for me, streaming without commercials, or an internet connection that doesn't require me to pay Comcast a dime. Also, shoes. Don't skimp on shoes. But this obsession with always getting the cheapest everything can get more expensive and time-consuming in the long run. |
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