A new rule proposed by the FTC targets hidden and "bogus" fees businesses often add onto their services at checkout, aiming to do away with the deceptive practices.

The FTC wants to ban hidden ‘junk fees’ that jack up the price of your purchases::A new rule proposed by the FTC targets hidden and “bogus” fees businesses often add onto their services at checkout, aiming to do away with the deceptive practices.

  • protist@mander.xyzEnglish
    3·
    9 months ago

    The difference being, of course, tax rates are publicly available and easily found online ahead of time

    • jwhardcastle@dmv.socialEnglish
      14·
      9 months ago

      Which do you prefer to shop for, gas or hotel rooms?

      Gas is always advertised with the tax built into the price. Every sign you see is the full price. When you look at online gas apps including Gas Buddy or even Google Maps, you’re seeing the full, final price.

      Hotels advise one price on shopping sites and then you pay a much higher price once all the taxes are included. Can you look up the taxes in advance? Sure. Assuming you know to look for local sales tax, and county lodging tax, and the city entertainment tax. But why is that necessary? Why is it helpful to you as the consumer? Do you think the retailer doesn’t know the total price in advance?

      • ZeroCool@feddit.chEnglish
        3·
        9 months ago

        Can you look up the taxes in advance? Sure. Assuming you know to look for local sales tax, and county lodging tax, and the city entertainment tax. But why is that necessary? Why is it helpful to you as the consumer? Do you think the retailer doesn’t know the total price in advance?

        Exactly. There’s no reason any of that shouldn’t be included in the advertised price. I’ll never understand people who want to go to bat for practices that are at best asinine, and at worst, deliberately misleading because they place the burden of determining the final price on the consumer before reaching the “checkout” section.