My wife and I were in a local restaurant the other day, and after our meal, I was presented the bill with an added on surcharge for credit card use. No mention of this policy was posted on the business walls nor menu.
When my wife asked our server about it she was told, “Credit card companies now charge us a fee and we pass this on to customers.” The kindly worker was green behind the ears, and undoubtedly thought credit card firms just recently started doing such.
For the record, credit card companies have been charging businesses a usage fee since the inception of credit cards. It’s nothing new. Some businesses have now become so greedy, that they decided to fatten their profit margin by tacking these costs on to us sheep. I call it nothing less than “fleecing the flock.” They can legally do this all day long, but please don’t tell consumers you have to in order to stay in business.
I’ve been thinking of having receipts printed to hand back to these specific firms, with a charge of my own for added cost of patronization. With gas and diesel costing more these days, including vehicle maintenance and insurance, a bill for increased transportation costs seems appropriate in comparison to what they’re doing. Patronization Fee sounds peachy keen.
“What’s this?,” the server would ask. “A user surcharge,” I’d courteously reply. “Just take it off the tab I owe you. That’ll help me absorb some of your credit card surcharge.”
Of course, this hypothetical situation will never take place, although I’d love to go through with it just for kicks. A doable plan is already in the works though. I’ve started my own list of businesses that use this unscrupulous method.
The accumulated information is shared with friends, and perhaps someday, I’ll release it to the masses via Facebook or other social media sites. That’s how Angie Hicks Bowman of ‘Ask Angie’ fame got started. She made a fortune by dealing out free advice.
My wife says I should call my new endeavor, Mikey’s List. Problem is, that name’s already taken. Swindler’s List sounds more appropriate.
From here on out, the credit card fee question will be asked upfront before a water glass is ever set down. If I’m told it exists, I’ll politely excuse myself from the table, knowing that somewhere in our quaint little lakeside town, I’ll find a place that still keeps their shears safely tucked away. “Baa.”
I like to write junk... 