Verizon last week announced plans to impose a $2 fee for one-time bill payments, and just a day later withdrew those plans. The announcement drew immediate uproar from displeased customers, upset that they would incur a fee simply for paying bills online. The “convenience charge” would have gone into effect Jan. 15, and would have applied to one-time payments with debit or credit cards, either online or on the phone.
“At Verizon, we take great care to listen to our customers. Based on their input, we believe the best path forward is to encourage customers to take advantage of the best and most efficient options, eliminating the need to institute the fee at this time,” Verizon CEO Dan Mead said in a statement. Verizon’s quick response to customer complaints echoes earlier actions by Bank of America to impose a fee for debit card use. Backlash from customers forced them to withdraw those plans.
