20% Discount for Paying On Line

[mjgkramer]

I complained recently because Waste Management wanted to charge me a $5 service fee for using their automated phone system to pay my $130+ bill. This morning I had the opposite happen. I called Clinical Pathology Labs in Austin to pay my bill on the phone. The lady who answered suggested that I pay on line as they give a 20% discount for doing so. Nice.

[lafinfil]

I think the one charging the $5 is using an outside contractor for the service.

[cbelt3]

Keep this bit of 'revenge' in mind. I did this to a particularly annoying credit card company (they kept calling me about 10 times a day to sell me 'credit reports' and 'insurance', despite my telling them to stop calling me)

I mailed in a final payment to the account, and overpaid by exactly $0.01.
Then I let them send me a year's worth of statements.
Then I called them and demanded they pay me the balance on the account.

Of course I didn't bother cashing the check for $0.01.

[kap]

[quote lafinfil]I think the one charging the $5 is using an outside contractor for the service.
Yup, the IRS charge a fee for filing your taxes online. ATT charges a similar fee for making a payment with a live person over the phone. Some companies charge an administrative fee to customers who wants to speak to an American!