Watch for Companies Adding “New” Fees When Changing or Upgrading Service Plans

Last fall, our old TV finally bit the dust, and I found a great deal on a 27″ LCD TV, and to make it even sweeter a $100 instant rebate if I signed up for a digital HD package with the local cable company. Since I wanted to be able to watch football in high definition, I was going to sign up for the HD package anyway. Well, a couple of months later, while I was perusing the bill, I noticed a “service assurance fee” of $6.99 per month. Curious as to what this was, I called to inquire. I was told by the cable company it covered all of the wiring in my house, and if it ever needed service, someone would come out to fix the problem at no additional charge. Well, although some people may need this type of service, as they may have the cable running through walls, etc., I do not. Why not ? Because shortly after I moved in, I ran all of the cable from where it enters at the house to the two rooms I have a TV in under the house (the house is raised) myself, and up through the floor to where the TV’s are. Any future wiring will be done by myself as well. Apparently, although the customer service agent could not tell me how it was added to my bill, when I upgraded my service this unnamed cable company (rhymes with fox) added this “service” to my monthly bill at the time. I did not notice because I failed to carefully examine the bill. I was expecting it to go up, and actually the first three months of the upgraded package were free, so it did not even go up for a few months. By the time the bill increased, I guess I just assumed it was correct.

Of course, you should always check your monthly bills to make sure they are correct and there are no hidden charges you don’t know about, but be extra careful if you upgrade a service, like cable, satellite, internet, or your cell phone, to make sure they are not tacking on something a little more than you anticipated.