The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed a rule to ban any hidden and bogus junk fees, which can mask the total cost of concert tickets, hotel rooms and utility bills.
President Joe Biden has made the removal of these fees a priority of his administration. The Democrat’s effort has led to a legislative push and a spate of initiatives aimed at helping consumers. Administration officials have said these additional costs can inflate prices and waste people’s time.
“The proposed rule would prohibit corporations from running up the bills with hidden and bogus fees, requiring honest pricing and spurring firms to compete on honesty rather than deception,” FTC Chair Lina Kahn said on a call with reporters. “Violators will be subject to civil penalties and be required to pay back Americans that they tricked.”
The FTC proposal is being coupled with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announcing that it will block large banks from charging junk fees to provide basic customer services.
Spirit charges you for your seat after you arrive. So no they aren’t already doing this
No, they charge you for picking a seat. They don’t stop you from boarding the plane. You can even pay less for a flight by buying your Spirit ticket at the airport to avoid a $23 passenger usage fee.
So you buy the ticket but can’t get on the plane unless you pay an additional seat fee at check in?
No, that person is incorrect. They charge you to pick your seat. They don’t stop you from getting on the plane.
Ok, so then that’s one of the services that used to be free but they now charge for; it’s standard asshole corporate squeeze but not hidden.