Keep a close eye on those monthly bills!

Here is an interesting article about companies adding charges for "premium" services that customers never requested. In some cases the cost are small enough that the average consumer might not notice that a few dollars have been tacked onto their regular monthly bill. Of course all of the companies involved when questioned deny any so called "up selling" to increase profit margins but when you find a number of people who are experiencing the same thing you have to wonder.

"Ever since her divorce a few years ago, Sandye Linnetz has kept her finances on a tight leash. When interest rates fall, she asks her credit card company for a better deal. She fixes her own computer and cleans her own house.

So when a mysterious $9.99 monthly charge appeared on her bill a few weeks after she renewed her contract, Linnetz did a double-take. The charge came without a description, she said, just a confusing jumble of letters, and she wanted to know what it covered.

A Verizon agent told her it was for monthly phone insurance, Linnetz said, adding that she never signed up for it. "The customer service rep said, 'That's funny, they may have automatically put it on,'" said Linnetz, who had the charge canceled."

With economic times being what they are I'm sure that every business out there is working to squeeze every penny out of their operation that they can. Some may just be a little more zealous about doing it than others, thus you need to be vigilant about where your money goes.

Follow this link to read the entire story