People Are Peeved About This Everyday Scam We All Deal With

Being a human and having to deal with other humans is honestly exhausting.

Why is everyone and their mother trying to scam us on the daily?

We get spam phone calls every other hour. We receive countless emails asking us to send money to an army official in West Africa almost every other day. And any time we want to buy anything online, we literally have to jump through hoops to avoid add-on costs or junk mail sign-ups.

But there’s one scam out there that we honestly cannot avoid if we want to live a rich, fulfilling life. And that, friends, are bogus fees.

Earlier this year, a Reddit user, who goes by the username eggaboy, asked, “What is the biggest everyday scam people put up with?” via the r/AskReddit forum.

Their post was upvoted over 51,000 times, and eggaboy received over 32,000 comments.

Although there was a rich variety of answers ranging from cellphone data and cable packages to the actual company Mattress Firm, everyone seemingly agreed that added fees are the true bane of our human existence.

Reddit user AceClown racked up over 21,000 points with their comment, “Bolt on fees for bullsh*t that takes no time at all and generally doesn’t have a material cost.”

And damn — you right.

As it turns out, fees are actually the root of all evil.

Think about it. Any time you want to buy a concert ticket, you have to pay a “service fee,” even if you’re printing the ticket out at home or picking it up at the will call window. We’re not sure what “service” is happening when we’re the ones doing all the work, but…

…it all smells a bit fishy to us.

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And there’s literally no way to get out of paying a fee, save for opting out of going to an event, signing up for a gym, taking a flight, etc. altogether.

We never realized how many fees there actually are.

Our heads are spinning.

Everything is online, therefore, everything is convenient, no?

According to CreditCards.com, convenience fees are “charges levied for the privilege of paying for a product or service using an alternative payment, or a payment method that is not standard for the merchant.”

So, rather than paying face-to-face at a movie theater, for example, you could pay over the phone and be charged a convenience fee because it’s not the norm.

But…is that even legal?

Technically, yes. Morally, no.

Different credit card companies have their own rules for merchants who want to charge convenience fees. American Express, for example, allows convenience fees to be applied to tax and tuition payments.

And convenience fees are not the same as surcharges, which are costs added for the privilege of using a credit card.

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In fact, surcharging is illegal in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

It’s not just convenience fees that kill us, it’s all the fees.

Um…This is just wrong.

Again, we feel like this extra $30 charge could be filed under “convenience fees,” however, this seems a bit exorbitant. You’re already paying these people rent money! What more could they want from you?

Sorry, dears. But you’ll be getting a check in the mail. At least this fee is avoidable.

It’s truly impossible to do anything fun without fees.

This one drives us bonkers.

We’re all paying for internet, people. If we can send free emails, then shouldn’t we be able to electronically transmit tickets for free, too?

Huh. Guess not.

And then there are the fees that you literally cannot avoid.

Womp womp.

Dealing with any kind of government-issued ticket, bill, grievance, etc., you’re better off just leaving the country. Seriously.

Otherwise, you’ll be roped into paying double the amount you were originally charged just trying to pay the freaking thing.

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Trust us on this one. Renew your passport and hit the road.

Death and taxes, kids. Death and taxes.

Even death and taxes have fees. We wish we were kidding.

You know, because it’s not like you’re already shelling out a frick-ton of money to the IRS during tax season. What’s another $50? Right? It’s just money!

It’s just…money…*sobs*

Even if you need to gain access to something that’s yours…there’s a fee for that.

Where are the police when you need them? Oh.

Even if you weren’t the one at fault in said accident, you still have to pony up in order to gain access to that report. Where is your cash going, you ask?

Probably into your local government’s pocket, where it will hopefully be put toward something good for the community.

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But because we’re petty and bitter we predict it’s probably be used for someone’s McDonald’s lunch or something. Pfft.

And sometimes companies try to hide fees with sneaky language.

Nice try, guys. We see what you’re up to.

“Non-refundable deposit?” *Does the math* So, that’s a fee, isn’t it?

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Some companies don’t even use fine print to hide their fees.

They just try to trick you into believing that you’ll get your money back, some way, somehow.

But don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes. Fees are everywhere.

And if you don’t pay the initial fee…prepare for all hell to break loose.

Dun, dun, dun.

That’s the thing about fees — they start to pile up, and they pile up fast. If you don’t pay one, you get another on top of your first fee. And if you don’t pay those two, here come a third.

Fees follow you forever unless they’re paid. It’s a real-life horror story.

Then, if you decide you’ve had enough of a company’s fees, you’re hit with this:

Ahem. Pardon?

Cancellation fees make us feel like we’re in a bad relationship. We literally can’t leave without feeling super guilty and sad for ourselves. So, we just stay because we’re afraid of that looming cancellation charge.

It’s just wrong!

Are there any reasonable fees out there? We suppose…

Listen, if you don’t make payments on cars, credit cards, rent, etc., then yes, you should get fined. These types of fees are avoidable if you just paid the bill in the first place.

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It doesn’t mean that we like these kinds of fees. But they’re warranted, at least.

Maybe there’s a way to stop the fee crisis altogether.

If you’re going to charge extra, then just put that extra charge in the original price. That makes sense to us.

That way, there’s no sticker shock when all is said and done.

And maybe taking a few extra steps to reserve tickets could save us some money.

We’ll do anything to keep our wallets safe.

This Reddit user suggested calling the box office directly to buy tickets.

Although some box offices may charge a convenience fee for buying tickets over the phone, others may waive the usual fees one has to pay when ordering online.

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Hey, man. It’s worth a shot.

Which fees and scams that you’re forced to deal with on the daily give you the biggest headache? For us, it’s literally all of them. Ugh to the nth degree.