Hello.
Hi.
Good morning.
Oh, excuse me.
Yeah.
Here's your fee.
Fee?
What fee?
It's a resort fee.
Oh, I'm just here to work.
But we have a fitness center and an outdoor basketball court.
It's a standard fee.
All right, thank you.
Thank you.
OK, we know employers wouldn't really charge you a resort fee
to use the gym, but plenty of hotels
do just that, even if you don't use those facilities.
Hey, Jack.
How's it going?
Oh, hey, Tim.
How are you?
I just got hit with this fee.
Oh, not the resort fee-- that's a horrible way
to start your day at work.
Yeah, how do I avoid these?
They're really tough to avoid.
One thing you can do is check before you book the hotel.
Or if you are an [? infrequent ?] customer
of a hotel, you can go down to the front desk,
complain, and try to get it taken off your bill.
[INAUDIBLE] that sounds like a good idea.
Thanks a lot for the tips, Tim.
No problem.
All right.
But those pesky fees just keep on coming.
Hey, what's going on?
Oh, hello.
Hi.
How are you?
I got to get to my office.
Oh, first here's your fee.
Fee?
What fee?
It's your baggage fee.
Have a nice day.
Some baggage fees can be heavier than your luggage.
Hey, Jack.
How's it going?
Tim, what are these fees?
Oh, the baggage fee--
that's what the airlines charge consumers
when they check on to a flight.
It's really confusing, and there's too many of them.
And it's not just baggage fees.
You get a fee for carry on.
You get a fee for changing your seat.
And with the different kinds of flights and different airlines,
there's all sorts of different rules.
So what do I do to avoid these fees?
Well, it's tough.
You can do a lot of research and find out what the fee is.
If you are making a purchase and you are seeing a lot of fees,
stop, find a different flight that's
cheaper and more appropriate for your trip,
or maybe take a smaller bag.
All right, thanks a lot, Tim.
I appreciate it.
No problem.
Fees can even hit a sour note when you're
shopping for a concert ticket.
Can't wait to see my favorite show.
You again.
Here's your ticket, and here's your fee.
Fee?
What fee?
It's a processing fee.
You've got to be kidding me.
They got you again, huh?
Tim, yeah.
Who's doing this to me?
Well, it could be anyone from the venue.
It can be the ticket salesman.
It can be a lot of people along the process.
The best thing to do is plan and make a budget for something
that's more than the face value.
It's been a long day of fees.
[KNOCKING]
Special delivery.
Jack's cable fee?
Hey, Jack.
Tim, am I actually being charged extra fees to watch TV now?
Yeah, it's ridiculous, and you should be frustrated.
We hear from consumers all over the country
who share that frustration.
So how would I know that these fees even exist?
You have to go through your bill,
and then you see fees like the regional sports fee, the HDTV
fee, the broadcast TV fee.
I mean, what is that?
Is there any way for me to avoid this, Tim?
Well, you can shop around.
You can try to find a better cable company.
But really, you have to ask lots of questions
and do your research upfront.
All these fees can be hard to swallow.
I'd like to buy an orange juice.
Sure, that'll be $2.00 and your fee.
Fee?
What fee?
It's a destination fee.
The oranges came all the way from Florida.
Oh, the destination fee?
I got this.
He still has to pay.
Oh, man.
What is this?
Well, the destination fee is a lot
like what consumers experience when
they go to the auto dealership.
They're really kind of complicated
It's what the car cost to get from one destination
to another, but what you have to look out
for is the add-on destination fees.
So how do I stop this?
Well, you can be a savvy consumer.
Know exactly what you want to pay before you
get to the dealership.
And then when you're ready to pay for the car,
make sure you go through and find those small fees
that add up, and then you can negotiate
to have those fees taken off.
Hey, can I still take this orange juice?
You know, you go ahead and take care of that.
I'll take care of this for you.
Thanks.
You got it.
Tim says hidden fees are reaching epidemic proportions.
We call it the rise of the fee economy, and what we're seeing
is that companies and corporations are hiding
the true cost of their products and services
so that they can tack on these fees and make a profit.
Who do I complain to?
Well, go to the corporation, tell them you're mad,
tell them that you don't want to pay these fees,
and see if you can get them taken off.
If you can't, you can always contact your state attorney
general and make a complaint, or the Federal Trade Commission.
And you can find both of those by just
doing an internet search.
You know what, Tim?
I have a lot of emails to write and phone calls to make.
Thanks.
You're welcome, Jack.