Verizon has quietly charged a hidden fee: parking frustration among some of its 156 million customers
In a recent Reddit post, a disgruntled customer pointed out that the company – the largest wireless carrier in the US – had increased an unpopular fee.
“I was just looking at my current bill and got a note saying the Verizon fee is going up again,” said the after read. The cost is now $3.50 per voice line and $1.60 per data line.
The ‘Verizon fee’ in question is officially called the ‘Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge’. It covers costs such as property taxes, network leases and operations Verizon’s website.
Critics argue that the fee, which is often hidden in billing information, causes customers to absorb the company’s operating costs, which should be included in the standard subscription price.
“It’s the fees Verizon charges for the cost of doing business with them,” the frustrated Reddit user continued.
“They cover it up by calling it the Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge, but it actually pays their property taxes and other costs of doing business,” they claimed.
“Think of it like buying something at Target and they end up charging a fee for electricity,” she added. “It should be included in the cost of their products, but they are picking it out.”
In a recent Reddit post, a disgruntled customer pointed out that Verizon, the largest wireless carrier in the US, had increased an unpopular fee
Other users also expressed their anger at the fee, with one commenting: ‘How can they not ban this practice? I smell government action in this area.’
Another called it an ‘insulting and fraudulent fee’, while another commented: ‘The greed is insane.’
Verizon confirmed the price increase in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“Beginning December 18, the monthly Verizon Wireless Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge will increase by $0.20 per line for mobile voice (basic phones, second number, smartphones, etc.) and data-only (hotspots, tablets, etc.) products, a spokesperson said.
“Verizon Home Internet services are not affected.”
They added that customers can view their bill and adjust their plan at any time by visiting the Verizon website or app.
The reimbursement “helps cover and recover certain direct and indirect costs incurred by us or our agents,” according to Verizon’s website.
This also includes compliance costs with regulatory and industry obligations and programs, wireless tower mandate costs, and “fees paid to other companies for network services.”
The ‘Verizon fee’ in question is officially called the ‘Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge’
Verizon confirmed in a statement that the price increase will take effect on December 18
It comes after Verizon implemented a series of price increases earlier this year.
In March, Verizon increased the monthly price for its 5G Start, 5G Play More, 5G Get More and 5G Do More unlimited mobile plans by $4, according to The Street.
It also recently reduced the autopay discount from $10 to $5 per month for customers on older phone plans.
The company, which has more than 156 million customers nationwide, earned $19.8 billion in revenue from its wireless service in the third quarter of this year.
This was an increase of almost 3 percent year on year.
The provider has also suffered a series of outages in recent months.
In October, the company confirmed that it was aware that “a highly sophisticated nation-state actor” had targeted several US telecommunications providers in an espionage plot.
The revelation came hours after Chinese hackers went after the mobile devices of then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, his running mate JD Vance and Vice President Kamala Harris’ staff.