Latest news with #unfaircharges
The Sun
21-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Hidden fees and bill splits top Brits' financial gripes, poll finds
The everyday unfair money moments Brits find frustrating include paying an automatic tip for poor service, a friend ordering an expensive pint when it's your round – and being charged for tap water in a restaurant. A poll of 2,000 adults revealed the most common everyday financial injustices they face when it comes to spending – with 36 per cent feeling hard done by when hit by hidden admin fees for gig tickets. 1 Another 32 per cent said it's unfair when something marked as 'on sale' is actually the same price as before, just with a new sticker. Meanwhile, 30 per cent get annoyed when splitting a bill equally despite only having a salad and no alcoholic drinks – and the same find it vexing when train fares increase without explanation. A quarter added paying for early hotel check-in, even when the room is clearly ready, feels unfair - similarly, 24 per cent are short-changed when paying for priority boarding, only to find the queue is just as long. A fifth (21 per cent) feel they've been done a disservice when shops refuse to accept cash even when they're carrying plenty of change. And 19 per cent find it unfair when confusing jargon is used when making large, important purchases such as buying a home and a car. The research was commissioned by Skipton Building Society which was 'Founded on Fairness', looks at the everyday money moments Brits find unfair. Alex Sitaras, head of savings and partnership products at the building society, said: 'Fairness shouldn't be a luxury, especially when it comes to your own money. 'But it's clear from the research many people are fed up with feeling short-changed in everyday money situations. 'From hidden fees to automatic tips, to even how deciding restaurant bills are split with friends and family, these frequent frustrations can start to feel unfair and have a wider impact on a person's overall finances. 'Especially when we're in a cost-of-living crisis, which is already making it more difficult than ever for people to save and plan for their future. From TV to energy... tips to save you money on 7 bills that are going up in April "So, these unfair money moments, no matter how small or large they may be, can start to feel more like injustices. 'We believe in fairness, which is why we offer everyone free and accessible money advice, through our My Money Review service, to help people plan ahead and make the most of their money.' The poll also found 68 per cent believe these types of unfair money moments shouldn't be accepted as part and parcel of modern life – and 65 per cent have spoken up when they've encountered one. For more than half (51 per cent), the issue was resolved there and then, but 29 per cent were met with resistance and saw no change. However, 30 per cent admit they're unlikely to speak up even when they feel unfairly treated financially. Among those, 46 per cent want to avoid confrontation, 41 per cent feel too awkward to say anything, and 29 per cent worry about coming across as petty. But many are now taking steps to avoid these situations altogether – 44 per cent say they always double-check the bill before paying. And 33 per cent make sure to do their research before committing to a big purchase. Of those polled via OnePoll, they believe getting a fair deal is harder now than it was five years ago – with 78 per cent admitting they're pleasantly surprised when something feels genuinely good value. Nearly four in 10 (38 per cent) say they're sceptical because most deals seem 'too good to be true', while 30 per cent don't believe businesses have their best interests at heart. Alex Sitaras from Skipton Building Society added: 'Many of us have a sense of what a fair deal looks like – and we often notice when something feels off. 'Yet many people are still hesitant to speak up, often out of fear of confrontation or not having the confidence to question something that isn't right. 'We want to change that mindset and empower people to stand up for what's fair, and it's encouraging that so many are already double-checking bills and doing their research before making important purchases. 'By building confidence and financial know-how, we can help make fairness the norm, not the exception.' TOP 25 EVERDAY UNFAIR MONEY MOMENTS 1. When restaurants add on an automatic tip, but the service is poor 2. When someone crashes their car into yours and your insurance premiums increase 3. When you're charged for tap water in a restaurant 4. Seeing a sneaky 'admin fee' added to concert tickets 5. When there is a fee for an online return. 6. When the sale price is just the original price with a new sticker. 7. Seeing a 'minimum spend' just to use your card. 8. When train tickets go up in price for seemingly no reason. 9. Splitting the bill equally after only having a salad and didn't order an alcoholic drink. 10. When a supermarket reduces the price of something they just bought at full price. 11. A friend ordering an expensive drink when it's your round at the pub. 12. Discovering your loyalty points doesn't equal much actual money at all. 13. When your hotel charges extra for early check-in, even though the room is ready. 14. Paying for 'priority boarding' but the queue is just as long as the regular one. 15. When you plan your savings down to the penny and the Government change the tax rules. 16. Not being able to get discounted prices because you forgot your loyalty card. 17. When you must chase friends or family for money that they owe you. 18. When you fix your utility costs but then the prices fall. 19. When a shop refuses to accept cash, even when they've got a pocket full of change. 20. When confusing jargon is used when making important financial purchases. 21. Getting hit with a peak time surcharge. 22. Getting hit with a hefty dynamic ticket price after sitting in a virtual queue for hours. 23. Getting hit with a 'city tax' you only hear about at check-out. 24. When you attempt DIY to save money, it costs you more to put it right. 25. Friends who insist on taking a taxi when public transport is cheaper
CBC
21-05-2025
- General
- CBC
More homeowners hit with years-old water bills from previous occupants
The same day CBC published a story about a Hintonburg property owner stuck with another man's eight-year-old water bill, Meg Dolland got a letter from the city. She had heard about Robert Haslett, who found out this year that he was on the hook for nearly $500 for water arrears and interest accrued by the previous owner, who died in 2019. Now, it was Dolland's turn. Her letter asked her to pay $435 for just 10 days of water use, plus interest, dating back to March 2020 — just before she took possession of her house in Old Ottawa South. "Five years is unreasonable," Dolland said. "$400 from a bill for 10 days is unreasonable. Let's be adults here and acknowledge this is unfair." In her view, it isn't fair for the city to take so long to notify her about the charge, with interest building up day by day. The city charges interest at a rate of 0.0417 per cent daily, compounded every 15 days. Over five years, that could mean hundreds of dollars in added costs. The previous owner of her home didn't even live in the house, Dolland said. She called the situation "insane," and said she would have acted quickly to pay the bill — had she known about it. "It feels like an overstep, like a misuse of power," she said. 'You've got to be kidding me' Dolland is only one of several people who reached out to CBC with stories about water arrears left by a previous owner coming back to haunt them years after the fact. John Dathan is another, and the arrears for his Westboro home date back even further. The city is asking him to cover arrears for a two-week period in the summer of 2017. With interest, the total has reached $369. "My first call was to the city to say, 'You've got to be kidding me,' because I just didn't understand how I was responsible for this in any way, shape or form," Dathan said. "Why wouldn't they have reached out to me earlier about that?" he asked. The city told Dathan that it had tried to reach the previous owner and collect the balance from them, without success. But Dathan told CBC that the previous owner of his home was a construction company. He said his wife found the builder online in seconds. "The whole thing feels odd," he said. "Why, all of a sudden after seven years, is this coming up?" A 'perplexing' problem Ann Marcil received her letter last Monday. The arrears date back to 2018, shortly before she bought her home in Orléans. In the years since, less than a month worth of arrears has climbed to $576. "Why did it take seven years to get this to us?" Marcil asked. "And why are we responsible for water payments in a time where we didn't even own the house?" The city told CBC that water arrears attach to the property, not the individual. They cannot simply be written off, as per provincial regulations. The city said it "makes every effort" to collect from the previous owner before charging the bill to the new owner, but that can take years. But Marcil said it would have been easy to track the previous owner down. In her case, it was an occupant, not a builder. She said she gladly would have helped the city find them, had it asked. "It's really perplexing," she said. "I could have given them information about the previous owner. I have that information, so I think that they've really dropped the ball." Dana Thibeault got her letter early this month. It included the same familiar line: "This notice is to advise you that there was an outstanding water and sewer account for the property from a previous owner." In her case, the arrears covered about two months in 2017. They have now reached $534.33. Unlike Haslett and many of the other residents, Thibeault has managed to pry an important detail out of the city: She told CBC she learned the original sum of the arrears was about $213. The rest, it appears, is interest. "At first, I was really upset," she said. "How can this go on for eight years?" She's still frustrated that the city didn't let her know more promptly that there were outstanding outstanding charges. "It would have saved everybody a lot of work and would have saved us going through our insurance to pay for this interest," she said. The city is advising residents stuck with a previous owner's arrears to do precisely that, saying title insurance will generally cover the charges. Not a blitz, city says CBC asked if the recent wave of letters represent a water bill blitz, and the city replied it does not. "The City of Ottawa is not conducting a targeted campaign to collect on water arrears," said Joseph Muhuni, the city's deputy treasurer for revenue. "Rather these notices are part of the City's established collection processes and procedures, which includes routine account reviews." Muhuni said the understands that the bills can be unexpected and cause distress. He encouraged homebuyers to work with their lawyers to obtain certificates that can identify outstanding water charges. However, real estate lawyer Rita Asangarani has previously told CBC that those certificates are not foolproof and sometimes miss charges from immediately before a sale.
