Verizon $2 Service Fee For Online Or Phone Bill Payments

Over the past few years, companies have made a real push to get their customers comfortable and using self support payment methods. In an effort to encourage these new options, companies would often add on fees for any transaction that was performed with the aid of a customer service agent.

Banks were notorious for this. Head into the bank to see a customer service representative and they would direct you to an ATM machine if that method of service would meet your needs When these companies were asked why the shift to automated self help technologies, the reasons almost always came back as convenience and cost. These methods offered convenience to the customer and it allowed the companies to keep their costs low as they were making the shift to paperless transactions. This also had the added benefit of being good for the environment.

As we move into 2012, Verizon has come out with their new service fee schedules and one of them does stand out amongst the rest. This one is a what they term a “convenience fee” and it will apply to any Verizon customer that wants to pay their bill over the phone or online. The new $2 fee will go into effect on January 15, 2012. If you go through the Verizon FAQ on this subject, their rationale for the new fee has to do with allowing the company to maintain current service levels, allowing them to still offer “these bill payment options.” That’s a steep hike and many are asking since when did these payment options get so expensive all of a sudden? Call centers were supposed to reduce cost over a bricks and mortar operation and online payments are for the most part, self service options.

Verizon does list on their website a number of options to avoid being charged this $2 convenience fee and some options include online banking payments, money orders and paper checks. If you’re going to be impacted by this change in service, you may want to head on over to the Verizon website and see what payment option will work for you so that you don’t have to pay a $2 fee.

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