Illinois consumers have been contacting the Better Business Bureau about new COVID-
19 fees showing up on some bills.
“They’re seeing surcharges but they don't see it until they get home, or they look at it a
few days later,” said Steve Bernas, CEO with the BBB of Chicago and Northern Illinois.
“Most of the consumers going to BBB want to know if this is a legal charge or there's
something they can do about it.”
The BBB said that the surcharges largely come about as businesses try to recoup
some of their costs associated with protective equipment measures needed to re-open
during the pandemic.
Officials with both the city of Chicago and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office indicate
there is not a problem with a majority of these fees. However, Bernas said unreasonable
price gouging remains illegal and should be reported.
“Another time it would not be legal would be if the businesses is saying this is a tax,”
Bernas said. “That could be considered a deceptive practice by the business and would
not be legal.”
Bernas says we’ve seen previous actions like this, as businesses added “green fees” or
“minimum wage fees” to transactions.
“I've been doing this for almost 32 years and you see a lot of these fees,” Bernas said.
“They tend to go away when they realize that the competition is not charging these fees
or they're using it to their advantage in getting new customers.”
He says businesses should be careful about adding these COVID fees without proper
notice.
“I can tell you from the consumers that the Better Business Bureau talk to, it might come
back to the business in a negative way,” Bernas said. “A lot of the consumers have said
they’re going to take their business elsewhere because of the problems.”
He suggests businesses should be clear about any surcharge and give customers the
opportunity to cancel the transaction, if they wish.
“We suggest that businesses make sure they're full disclosure,” Bernas said. “Let
customers know that they are going to be charged upfront, not after the fact and not
when they get home.”