New York ? In 2012, the wireless carrier will charge millions of customers $2 a month to pay their bills online. Will this nickel-and-diming backfire?
Verizon confirmed Thursday that starting Jan. 15, it will charge its customers a $2 "convenience fee" every time they make a one-time payment to the wireless carrier online or over the phone. (Customers who pay by mail or who sign up for automatic bill payments won't be charged.) Verizon's customers are not pleased, flooding Twitter and other internet forums with virtual howls of outrage over the "greedy $2 fee," and threats to ditch Verizon for a rival wireless carrier. Similar backlashes have damaged Netflix and Bank of America in recent months, forcing BofA to cancel a proposed $5 monthly debit card fee. Will vociferous protesters get Verizon to back down, too?
Verizon just opened a can of worms: Customers have every reason to be "furious" that the company is trying to slip yet another shady fee into their already crammed bill, says Erika Morphy at?Forbes. And I wouldn't be surprised if the $2 fee gets "shouted down by its critics, much as Bank of America's did." It's not like Verizon engenders "fierce customer loyalty or devotion." In fact, "this could get ugly for Verizon very quickly if consumers start asking themselves other questions about its policies" and fees.
"Verizon is heading for a Bank of America moment"
Like it or not, customers will pay: Verizon is hardly the first company trying to push its customers to sign up for automated bill pay, says Matt Stanford at?Experts Exchange. But despite the "legitimate outrage" over its "bullying" tactics, "the unfortunate reality is that, unless Verizon customers have the available funds to pay an exorbitant early cancellation fee," they won't switch carriers. If Verizon wants its "already handcuffed customers" to surrender another $2 a month, they can.
"An inconvenient fee"
Giving Verizon what it wants is the best revenge: The new $2 fee is "preposterous for a few reasons," not the least of which is that "it almost certainly costs Verizon more to handle your bill if you pay by check/mail," says Kyle Wagner at?Gizmodo. So "those of us who like to give our statement a scan before firing off a wad of currency to Verizon" shouldn't gripe online, we should make Verizon pay, literally, by mailing in our payments. "Let's bury them under a mountain of paper and see how they like that."
"Verizon will charge you extra to pay your bill online"
View this article on TheWeek.com
Get 4 Free Issues of The Week
Other stories from this section:
Like on Facebook?-?Follow on Twitter?-?Sign-up for Daily Newsletteralistair overeem deep impact drew peterson katy perry divorce brock lesnar vs alistair overeem winter classic auld lang syne
In many ways, 2011 was the year of the pivot. One startup that successfully switched gears was 
GodDiscussion 
Golf parallels life in that the only way to escape rough patches is through aggressively swinging a club at something. Power through obstacles with today's Groupon for private Golf lessons with PGA teaching pro Robb Nunn from Golf Equation Swing Academy at the Lake Forest Golf and Practice Center . Choose between the following options: For $49, you get one private lesson (a $100 value). For $89, you get three private lessons (a $195 value). Golf teaching pro, and PGA member since 1998, Robb Nunn has conducted more than 30,000 Golf lessons teaching Golf fundamentals to students of all skill levels. Golf is a sport of physical precision and aerial dynamics, won and lost upon the pendulum of your swing. Robb helps improve players? striking accuracy and Golf swing stability during easy-to-understand 45-minute Golf Equation lessons. After the first lesson, pupils often slash scores and fine tune strokes, but opting for a three-lesson package affords deeper understanding for the game via more precise backswings and fluid follow throughs. Groupon Says The Groupon Guide to: Map-Legend Symbols Which map shows where you can safely leave a baby? Read more... ...
FIBA 
slamxhype