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"A little bit steep": Jetstar passenger hit with "wild" excess baggage fee

A Jetstar passenger has been slapped with a "wild" excess baggage fee after her luggage was less than just one kilogram overweight. Monique McCreanor was flying from Melbourne to Sydney after competing in a fitness competition when she was hit with the unexpected fees. Travelling with only carry-on luggage, Ms. McCreanor said she made a mad dash to the airport to catch her flight, only to be stopped at the gate due to the weight of her bag. Because of the prizes she won at the competition, her bag was just 900g over the 7kg limit, and she was issued a $75 fine. Ms. McCreanor took to TikTok to share a warning with other travellers to triple check the weight of your bag, as even being over the limit by mere grams will set you back. “This isn’t a complaint, this is merely just warning you guys,” she said in the clip. “If you do fly with Jetstar on a domestic flight, and your bag is even 100g overweight, you’re going to get charged $75 at the gate for that excess luggage." “Now, this kind of sucks, because I’m like damn, I could have had 15kg in this bag to really make it worthwhile." “I got hit with $75, so just make sure are booking the extra checked baggage, it is better to be safe than sorry, because $75 is a little bit steep for just 900g overweight.” While her video quickly garnered thousands of views, many were left divided in the comments about her complaints. One person sided with the airline, saying, “No sorry, it clearly gives a weight allowance. You went over, you pay.” “Seriously it doesn’t matter who you are with, you will have to pay any way, they are the rules,” another added. Others were quick to empathise, sharing their own experience of encountering excess baggage fees. “They did this to me on my honeymoon... I was p****d,” one person said. Image credits: TikTok

Travel Trouble

Restaurant sparks outrage for "ridiculous" fee

As inflation rates continue to rise it is not surprising that restaurants are charging extra fees, but one disgruntled customer was particularly shocked to see this "ridiculous" fee on their bill. The customer, who dined at restaurant and cocktail bar in Georgia, USA shamed the restaurant for charging their customers a $20 fee for “live band entertainment”. They shared their complaints on Reddit with a copy of their receipt and an unexpected fee at the bottom which read: “Two Live Band Entertainment Fee — $20”. Most people in the comments were equally annoyed and called the fee "ridiculous". “This is one of those leave money on the table, hand the waiter a tip and leave, sorry but if I didn’t order it, I’m not paying for it,” one wrote. “Great way to not have repeat customers,” said another. “This will backfire for them, just be honest and upfront," a third added. Other commenters were less sympathetic and did not understand why the customer was complaining when it looked like they could afford it. “When you’re paying seven dollars for a bottle of water, you really don’t get to complain about ‘unexpected costs.’ You knew what you signed up for," one commenter wrote. “Imagine a live band getting paid, huh,” another added. “They’re buying $7 bottles of water, they can probably afford it,” added a third. Image: Getty/ Reddit

Money & Banking

Big W customer gobsmacked over $4000 shipping fee

A Big W customer was only trying to buy an outdoor play set for her kids but got the shock of her life when she saw the "ridiculous" shipping fee that was over three times the cost of the play set. The Singleton mum had added the $1,200 item to her cart while shopping online and was about to check out when she was greeted with a $4,466 shipping fee. "How in God's name can they charge $4,466 for delivery! Big W are slowly losing my vote!" the outraged mum wrote on Facebook, even swearing off the department store for the apparent money grab. According to the Big W website, the play set is sent via Plum Play, a "trusted partner", and not by Big W stores, and because the woman lives in a rural area, she initially believed that was the reason for the extortionate shipping costs. A few other shoppers criticised the high fee. "That is fricken ridiculous!!!! No one would pay that," one said. "Jesus, are you ordering a few pallets of bricks? No way normal merchandise would cost that much to send," another wrote. A few others questioned the weight of the item and where she lived, while others tried to buy the same item and got even higher shipping fees. "It jumped a few grand for a couple of ks for me," one wrote, with the cost of standard delivery for the play set at $7,858. Some reported fees of up to $50,000, but most were $7,000 to $10,000. The department store has addressed the issue and told Yahoo News Australia that an "error on the website" was to blame. They have since corrected the delivery charges which should have been about $100 for the woman's location. "We were made aware of a delivery calculation error on our website which has since been resolved. We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused," a spokesperson told the publication. Image: Getty

Money & Banking

"Other cities will follow": Big trouble ahead for SUV owners

Paris residents have voted to charge SUVs triple the cost of parking compared to standard sized cars in a bid to tackle air pollution and improve safety. 54.6 per cent of residents voted to pass the plan, with the new parking tariffs expected to start in September. The price increase will apply to on-street parking for vehicles with combustion or hybrid engines weighing more than 1.6 tonnes and electric vehicles weighing over two tonnes. The change means that the vehicles will pay €18 (A$29.69) an hour for parking in the centre of Paris, up from €6 (A$9.90), and €12 (A$19.79) an hour in the rest of the city, up from €4 (A$6.60). "Parisians have made a clear choice … other cities will follow,” Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said. Experts are onboard with the move and believe the Australia should do the same thing. Urban access consultant and author of the book Rethinking Parking David Mepham said that the move could help improve safety as: “SUVs are actually some of the most unsafe vehicles on the road for pedestrians with a fatality rate that is significantly higher than other vehicles.” “The injury and fatality rate should be a concern in highly pedestrianised areas such as city centres.” In 2022 alone, SUV and light commercial vehicles made up 76.8 per cent of car sales, coming in eighth on the top 10 vehicle sales according to the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. With spaces in the cities limited, Mepham added: “If you’ve got a larger car you should expect to pay more for that, you should pay for what you use.” Standards Australia has recently proposed to increase the size of off-street parking spaces by 20 centimetres in Australia, from 5.4 metres to 5.6 metres, which would make it easier for larger vehicles to park, but would limit car spaces. Executive director of the Australia Institute, Richard Dennis also said that SUV owners need to face the consequences of owning a larger vehicle. “If we want to drive much bigger cars, are we going to widen all of our city streets, are we going to have less car parking spaces?” he said. “Because if we want to drive these cars we need to own the consequences.” Marion Terrill, an independent transport expert, also agreed that higher parking fees for large vehicles are “absolutely reasonable.” “If you want more of it you can pay more, it’s the same principle as paying for parking at all," she said. Image: Getty

Travel Trouble

Lisa Wilkinson's fears over losing her home

Lisa Wilkinson's fears over losing her multi-million dollar mansion to cover her legal fees have been detailed in a series of court documents. The former host of The Project entered into a bitter legal battle after being sued for defamation by Bruce Lehrmann, and decided to hire top defamation lawyer Sue Chrysanthou SC and her own legal team to fight the charges. In a series of emotional emails and documents tendered by the Federal Court, Wilkinson was allegedly "almost hysterical" and "sobbing" over the notion of losing her home in Cremorne to pay the hefty legal fees. In a briefing note prepared for Ten’s legal team, Network Ten CEO Beverley McGarvey detailed a “challenging” call she had with the network star on June 7th 2023. McGarvey had called to ask how Ms Wilkinson was going in the wake of Channel 7’s Spotlight program and the leaking of audio provided to police and lawyers but never tendered in court. “Lisa was very upset and emotional and it was a very challenging call,” MsMcGarvey wrote. “She was almost immediately upset and started talking about legal fees and how she would have to sell her house." “I would say her tone was almost hysterical.” McGarvey then did her best to ease Wilkinson's concerns, reminding her of her secure financial position. “She is being paid by us on full salary, and lives in a lavish multimillion dollar home with a pool and a tennis court and harbour views so I hope this is not a real risk,” she said. “She asked if we would pay for her fees and this came up over and over again in the conversation. I told her to talk with Nick, her manager." “But she had chosen her own legal team against our advice and chosen a team we objected to. “She said if I actually cared about her, I would make sure we pay their legal fees.” The documents were released by the Federal Court on Friday after Ms Wilkinson won her legal battle to force Network Ten to pay for her legal fees that are estimated to amount to up to $2 million. The exact amount Ten will pay has not yet been determined. Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

"No empathy": Grandmother kicked off flight over unpaid fee

An outraged father has unleashed over Jetstar's decision to remove his mother-in-law and children from a flight over an unpaid fee. Father of three Jay Tee took to social media to slam the airline over their treatment of his family on their flight from the Gold Coast to Melbourne. Tee's kids were being accompanied on the flight by their grandmother, who was informed she needed to pay a $35 fee to check in a bag. The woman forgot to pay the fee before boarding, on what was her second time ever on a plane. Tee was then contacted by the airline after his family had boarded and was told they would not be allowed to travel if the charge wasn’t paid for within 10 minutes. “They informed me I had 10 minutes to pay $35 or else they would be removed from the flight extra fees would accur (sic) for holding up the flight,” he said. “I hung up transferred funds and rang back within four minutes. Jetstar did not take payment and had removed my mother-in-law from the flight altogether leaving her and 3 kids stranded at Gold Coast airport no water no food.” The father slammed the airline for “disgusting service” that was “the worst I have ever been treated” by a company. “My anger is not with the payment for luggage, it is how my mother-in-law and three kids under 10 were treated.” The airline confirmed the family were removed from the flight, with a spokesperson saying the airline was trying to contact Mr Tee for more information. “We’re really sorry to hear about the customers’ experience and are reaching out to get a better understanding about what happened,” the spokesperson said. The airline went on to say they had no record of any payment being made, while also clarifying they asked the elderly woman to move to the service desk multiple times to pay the fee, but she didn't. Mr Tee says he was then forced to pay another $600 to book the group on the next flight to Melbourne with discount airline Bonza. The situation stirred up debate on social media, with some blaming the woman for the mishap. “I don’t understand how this is anybody but the mother in laws fault, She would have checked bags in then should have walked over and paid for the excess, not boarded the plane,” one person wrote. But others defended her, and the fact the charge was paid by Mr Tee. “Would have thought Jetstar could have helped in some way, but that sums up Jetstar’s customer service for you. No empathy what so ever.” Image credits: Facebook / Getty Images

Travel Trouble

Parents slapped with hefty fee over badly behaved children

Two parents have been slapped with a hefty fine tacked onto their restaurant bill after their children caused a ruckus during dinner. Kyle and Lyndsey Landmann were dining at a restaurant in Georgia, USA, when they were given a $50 fine for their allegedly badly behaved kids. Two weeks after the incident, Kyle took to Google to leave a negative review for the eatery to say he was “disappointed by the experience”. “The owner came out and told me he was adding $50 to my bill because of my children’s behaviour,” he wrote. “My kids watched a tablet until the food arrived, ate their food and my wife took them outside while I waited and paid the bill.” Lyndsey went on to tell Today that her kids were well behaved, although they were joined by other families, with 11 children in total at the table. “The kids were sitting at one end of the table and they were being so good,” Landmann said. “'I even commented halfway through the meal, ‘I can’t believe how well-behaved they are’.” After dinner, restaurant owner Tim Richter approached the table and told the party about the additional charge on the menu, which reads, “Adult surcharge: For adults unable to parent.” “Be Respectful to staff, property, and self. No Respect, No Service.” Landmann said she was expecting a compliment for the well behaved kids, but Richter said there would be $50 added to each bill at their table. When Landmann then asked for an explanation, she claimed Richter told her they were being “too loud”. He was angry that the kids were “running around outside” by the water after dinner, even though they were chaperoned by adults, she clarified. “I was like, ‘They were quiet the whole time’. He got in our faces and told us that we belonged at Burger King and not at his restaurant. We asked to speak to the owner and he said he was the owner,” Landmann explained. “I looked around the restaurant and everybody was frozen watching this show he was putting on. He was yelling.” The 61-year-old restaurant owner said that he implemented the rule during the pandemic, but never actually charged the couple, saying, “We want parents to be parents.” However, several other Google reviews blasted the quality of the service and the owner's attitude, including one that warns diners with children to steer clear. Image credits: Facebook

Money & Banking

An entry fee may not be enough to save Venice from 20 million tourists

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sameer-hosany-292658">Sameer Hosany</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/royal-holloway-university-of-london-795">Royal Holloway University of London</a> Venice’s history, art and architecture attract an estimated <a href="https://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/overtourism-in-venice">20 million</a> visitors every year. The city, a <a href="https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=ac36ced945412121372dc892cc31498fb268247c">Unesco World Heritage site</a>, is often crammed with tourists in search of special <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/mar.21665">memories</a>. But for the people who actually live there, this level of tourism has become unsustainable. So from 2024, day-trippers will be charged a €5 (£4.31) fee as part of an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/world/europe/venice-tourist-fee-italy.html#:%7E:text=The%20City%20Council%20passed%20an,popular%20but%20equally%20fragile%20place.&text=Starting%20next%20spring%2C%20day%2Dtrippers,5%20euros%20for%20the%20privilege.">attempt</a> to better manage the flow of visitors. The city’s mayor has <a href="https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/tourism/controversial-e5-venice-tourist-tax-finally-approved">described the charge</a> – which will be implemented on 30 particularly busy days in the spring and summer – as an attempt to “protect the city from mass tourism”. It comes after cruise ships were banned from entering the fragile Venice lagoon in 2021. Both policies are designed to respond to the particular problem facing Venice, which is that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/02/venice-day-trippers-will-have-to-make-reservations-and-pay-fee">around 80%</a> of its tourists come just for the day. Research has shown that such a high proportion of day-trippers – who tend to spend little – <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0160738395000658">pushes</a> a tourist destination <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1541-0064.1980.tb00970.x">towards decline</a>. So from next year, all travellers to Venice will have to register their visit in advance and obtain a QR code online. Day trippers will then have to pay the fee; visitors staying overnight will not. Other exemptions include children under 14, as well as people who travel to the city for work and study, or to visit family members. To enforce the policy, the municipal police and authorised inspectors will carry out random checks. Anyone without the proper QR code will face a fine of up to €300 (£261). But some have expressed doubts about whether the €5 fee – the price of a coffee or an ice cream – will be enough to dissuade tourists from travelling to this iconic ancient city. One city politician <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/world/europe/venice-tourist-fee-italy.html">commented</a> that the charge means Venice has become “a theme park, a Disneyland,” where “you get in by paying an entrance fee.” Certainly the charge is a lot less than Bhutan’s (recently reduced) “sustainable development fee” of <a href="https://globetrender.com/2023/09/17/bhutan-woos-more-tourists-reduced-entry-tax/">US$100 (£82) per night</a>, which applies to all tourists, and was introduced to encourage “high value, low impact” tourism. Research also indicates that strategies aiming at persuading tourists to come at less crowded times <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780080436746/seasonality-in-tourism">do not reduce numbers</a> at peak periods, but actually end up increasing overall demand. <h2>‘Veniceland’</h2> But Venice has to try something. For <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/24/6937">researchers</a>, Venice is the embodiment of <a href="https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781786399823.0000">overtourism</a>, and residents clearly suffer from the consequences – living with the congestion, environmental damage and affects on their lifestyle and culture that 20 million visitors can cause. This can then lead to a negative response, known as “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348605007_Overtourism_and_Tourismphobia_A_Journey_Through_Five_Decades_of_Tourism_Development_Planning_and_Local_Concerns">tourismphobia</a>”.Another term, “<a href="https://dokufest.com/en/festival/2013/cities-beyond-borders/das-venedig-prinzip-the-venice-syndrome#:%7E:text=The%20film%20shows%20what%20remains,municipal%20council%20with%20scorn%3B%20a">Venice Syndrome</a>” has been used to describe the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264275123001816#:%7E:text=It%20explains%20the%20data%2Dgathering,between%20urban%20form%20conditions%20and">decline of the city’s</a> permanent population, as citizens feel forced to leave. Venice’s population is around 50,000 and has been consistently falling, from a peak of <a href="https://www.blueguides.com/venice-in-peril/">175,000</a>. If the population falls below 40,000, there is concern that Venice will cease to be a <a href="https://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/overtourism-in-venice">viable living city</a>. Those who remain have often expressed their discontent. Well publicised protests have included the “<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venice-funeral-idUKTRE5AD1DQ20091114">Funeral of Venice</a>” in 2009, a mock funeral to mourn the sharp drop in population, and “<a href="https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1065&context=anthro_theses">Welcome to Veniceland</a>” in 2010, which claimed that Venice was becoming more of a theme park. And while “tourist taxes” <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14616688.2019.1669070">remain popular strategies</a> to address overtourism, their effectiveness remains debatable. Instead, research suggests that a <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14616688.2019.1669070">combination</a> of specific economic measures (like fees and variable pricing) and non-economic policies (such as educating visitors) is the best option. That combination needs to be specially designed for each destination. There can be no one-size-fits-all solution. A <a href="https://www.e-unwto.org/doi/pdf/10.18111/9789284420070">report</a> by the World Tourism Organisation on overtourism identifies 11 different strategies and 68 measures to manage visitors’ growth in urban destinations. Barcelona, often seen as a city which has done well in handling mass tourism, has successfully used a <a href="https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/216242/1/CESifo-Forum-2019-03-p20-24.pdf">well targeted approach</a>. This has included harnessing new technology to develop a data driven management system to control visitor flows and overcrowding. It also deliberately engaged with the public when deciding on policies, and came up with specific strategies like limiting the number of new souvenir shops. But it did not resort to charging an entrance fee. Venice will be the first city in the world to do so – and other locations struggling with mass tourism will be keeping a close eye on whether such a bold move turns out to be a success.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213703/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sameer-hosany-292658">Sameer Hosany</a>, Professor of Marketing, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/royal-holloway-university-of-london-795">Royal Holloway University of London</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/an-entry-fee-may-not-be-enough-to-save-venice-from-20-million-tourists-213703">original article</a>.

International Travel

Junk fees and drip pricing: the underhanded tactics we hate yet still fall for

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ralf-steinhauser-1459112">Ralf Steinhauser</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> You see a fantastic offer, like a hotel room. You decide to book. Then it turns out there is a service fee. Then a cleaning fee. Then a few other extra costs. By the time you pay the final price, it is no longer the fantastic offer you thought. Welcome to the world of drip pricing – the practice of advertising something at an attractive headline price and then, once you’ve committed to the purchase process, hitting you with unavoidable extra fees that are incrementally disclosed, or “dripped”. Drip pricing – a type of “junk fee” – is notorious in event and travel ticketing, and is creeping into other areas, such as movie tickets. My daughter, for example, was surprised to find her ticket to the Barbie movie had a “booking fee”, increasing the cost of her ticket by 13%. It seems like such an annoying trick that you may wonder why sellers do it. The reason is because it works, due to two fundamental cognitive biases: the way we value the present over the future; and the way we hate losses more than we love gains. <h2>Present bias preference: why starting over feels too costly</h2> In the case of booking that hotel room, you could abandon the transaction and look for something cheaper once the extra charges become apparent. But there’s a good chance you won’t, due to the effort and time involved. This is where the trap lies. Resistance to the idea of starting the search all over again is not simply a matter of laziness or indecision. There’s a profound psychological mechanism at play here, called a present-bias preference – that we value things immediately in front of us more than things more distant in the future. In their seminal 1999 paper, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.89.1.103">Doing it now or later</a>, economists Mathew Rabin and Ted O'Donoghue define present-biased preference as “the human tendency to grab immediate rewards and to avoid immediate costs”. They give the example of choosing between doing seven hours of unpleasant activity on April 1 or eight hours two weeks later. If asked about this a few months beforehand, most people will choose the earlier option. “But come April 1, given the same choice, most of us are apt to put off work till April 15.” In simple terms, the inconvenience and effort of doing something “right now” often feels disproportionately large. Drip pricing exploits this cognitive bias by getting you to make a decision and commit to the transaction process. When you’re far into a complicated booking process and extra prices get added, starting all over again feels like a burden. Often enough, this means you’ll settle for the higher-priced hotel room. <h2>Loss aversion: buying more expensive tickets</h2> Beyond the challenge of starting over, there’s another subtle force at work when it comes to our spending decisions. Drip pricing doesn’t just capitalise on our desire for immediate rewards; it also plays on our innate fear of losing out. This second psychological phenomenon that drip pricing exploits is known as loss aversion – that we feel more pain from losing something than pleasure from gaining the same thing. The concept of loss aversion was first outlined by economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky in <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1914185">a 1979 paper</a> that is the third most-cited article in economics. <hr /> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=624&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=624&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/543635/original/file-20230821-25-mca6ku.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=624&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="A graphic representation of loss aversion. The pain from losing a good or service will be greater than the pleasure from gaining the same good or service." /><figcaption>How economists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky graphically represented loss aversion. The pain from losing a good or service is greater than the pleasure from gaining the same good or service. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk, Econometrica, Vol. 47, No. 2</figcaption></figure> <hr /> Drip pricing exploits this tendency, by dragging us away from more “rational” choices. Imagine you’re booking tickets for a show. Initially attracted by the observed headline price, you are now presented with different seating categories. Seeing the “VIP” are within your budget, you decide to splurge. But then, during the checkout process, the drip of extra costs begins. You realise you could have opted for lower-category seats and stayed within your budget. But by this stage you’ve already changed your expectation and imagined yourself enjoying the show from those nice seats. Going back and booking cheaper seats will feel like a loss. <h2>Do consumers need protection?</h2> Empirical evidence supports the above theoretical predictions about the impact of drop pricing on consumers. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21426">A 2020 study</a> quantified how much consumers dislike the lack of transparency in drip pricing (based on tracking the reactions of 225 undergraduates using fictional airline and hotel-booking websites). The authors liken the practice to the “taximeter effect” – the discomfort consumers feel watching costs accumulate. But drip pricing’s effectiveness from a seller’s perspective is undeniable. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2020.04.007">experimental study</a> published in 2020 found drip pricing generates higher profits while lowering the “consumer surplus” (the benefit derived from buying a product or service). A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2020.1261">2021 analysis</a> of data from StubHub, a US website for reselling tickets, calculated drip pricing increased revenue by 20%. Which is why the tactic remains attractive to businesses despite customers disliking it. Buyers would benefit from a ban of drip pricing. Many countries are taking steps to protect consumers from drip pricing. The UK government, for example, announced a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/21/growth-of-airlines-add-on-fees-sparks-calls-for-price-reforms">review of drip pricing</a> in June, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak flagging the possibility of measures to curb the practice. The US government is also considering <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/06/15/president-biden-recognizes-actions-by-private-sector-ticketing-and-travel-companies-to-eliminate-hidden-junk-fees-and-provide-millions-of-customers-with-transparent-pricing/">new regulations</a>, with President Joe Biden denouncing “junk fees” in his <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2023/02/07/remarks-of-president-joe-biden-state-of-the-union-address-as-prepared-for-delivery/">2023 State of the Union address</a>. Proposed changes include requiring airlines and online booking services to disclose the full ticket price upfront, inclusive of baggage and other fees. The effectiveness of measures, however, is <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4430453">still being debated</a>. In the meantime, your principal protection is making a more informed decision, by understanding why the tactic works. Bargains may attract you, but you can learn to not fall for hidden costs and align your choices with your budget and values.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/211117/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ralf-steinhauser-1459112">Ralf Steinhauser</a>, Senior Research Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877">Australian National University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/junk-fees-and-drip-pricing-the-underhanded-tactics-we-hate-yet-still-fall-for-211117">original article</a>.

Money & Banking

"Unbelievable but true": Tourist outraged over shocking restaurant fee

A tourist in Italy has been hit with a shocking fee from an upscale eatery after he asked for his sandwich to be cut in half. The anonymous man was travelling in Italy's picturesque Lake Como region, and stopped in at Bar Pace in Gera Lario, at the lake’s northern end, for a vegetarian sandwich and fries for lunch. Travelling with a friend, the man asked for the meal to be cut in half so they could share. After polishing off their lunch, the traveller was shocked when he was given the bill, noticing a charge he had never seen before. The man paid without arguing, but later took to TripAdvisor to leave a negative review. “Unbelievable but true,” the man captioned a photo of the receipt on TripAdvisor. The receipt lists the sandwich for €7.50 ($12.60), Coca Cola for €3.50 ($5.90), water for €1.50 ($2.50) and espresso for €1.20 ($2), along with the debated “diviso da meta”, or “cutting in half” fee, amounting to 2 euros, or $3.40. The confused customer gave the restaurant one star on TripAdvisor, far below the average of four and a half stars, based on over 100 reviews. After the review garnered a lot of unexpected attention, the restaurant's owner defended the fee to a local news outlet. “Additional requests have a cost,” owner Cristina Biacchi told La Repubblica. “We had to use two plates instead of one and the time to wash them is doubled, and then two placemats. It wasn’t a simple toasted sandwich, there were also French fries inside. It took us time to cut it in two.” She also noted that the customer did not complain or question the charge and clarified that she would have removed the charge from the bill, if someone had raised an issue. The extra charge is not unheard of in expensive cities and popular tourist destinations, with some cities in the United States are sometimes hitting diners with a share charge, or a split plate charge, to make up for the lower check average at a table, while some New York City eateries even ban the practice of sharing all together. Image credit: TripAdvisor

Travel Trouble

“A lesson learned”: Uni student lands herself in an overdue book nightmare

A university graduate student received the shock of her academic career when an email arrived in her inbox to inform her she owed her school’s library a whopping $11,900 in overdue book fines. Hannah took to TikTok to share her story, posting a snippet of the horror email, and the news that her library account had amassed a debt of “$11,9000 owed for 119 lost books”. The books had been declared lost, though Hannah was quick to note that she was “still using” each of them, and had every intention of returning them once she was finished with her studies. To drive home the fact that the books were not missing, and instead safely in her scholarly possession, Hannah panned around the various piles of tomes stacked around her home, with a caption reading “the books aren’t lost, I’m just hoarding them until I finish my dissertation.” The email itself explained the books were marked as lost in the library’s system if they exceeded 30 days overdue, and that there was a flat rate of $100 per book in such instances. And according to the library, it was up to each patron to renew their books, and that Hannah “received overdue notices on the following dates prompting you to renew your library books before they are declared lost.” As she explained to The Daily Dot, she had checked out her collection three years prior while she’d been preparing for exams, and confirmed that she had received four reminders to either renew or return the books, but she’d put it off each time. “Then I got the automatic email,” she added, “saying all of the books were marked as lost and my account was charged $100 per book.” Hannah’s woe drew a mixed response from her audience, with some surprised that her library had even let her withdraw that many books in the first place, others unable to wrap their heads around the fact she could have let her situation get so bad, and many quick to defend the librarian, who they declared had only been doing her job. “My library only lets me check out 5 books at a time,” one wrote. “That’s why keeping library books past their due date is considered stealing,” another said, to which Hannah responded to promise her lesson had been learned. “Only 30 days over due??? Damn give a lil more time,” said one, with Hannah informing them that she’d had the books for years by that point. It wasn’t all bad for the budding scholar though, with Hannah explaining in another comment that “it was hunky dory”, as the library had waived her fees as soon as she’d responded to them, and that she’d been allowed to keep all 119 for an additional year. And, as she told another follower, “I’ve never replied to an email faster.” Images: TikTok

Books

Travelling abroad? Don’t be tempted to pay your way using your home currency

Part of the joy of travelling comes from experiencing the unfamiliar – a different climate, culture or cuisine. But when it comes to paying for things abroad, we might feel more comfortable using the currency we are most familiar with, the one we use at home. This has recently become a common – and expensive – option for tourists withdrawing money from cash machines, or paying electronically in shops and restaurants. When a restaurant bill arrives for example, foreign customers may be offered the choice on the card reader to pay in their home currency rather than the local one. This feature, known as “dynamic currency conversion” or “currency choice” sounds appealing at first – a service which has done the hard work for you, converting the bill to a currency you understand, giving you a better idea of how much money you are spending. But it comes at a price – as the fees charged for this convenience can be exorbitant. In fact, <a href="https://fil.forbrukerradet.no/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/input-from-ncc-to-the-european-commission-on-dcc-30062017.pdf">one study</a> shows that the average fee applied to this kind of conversion is a whopping 7.6%, more than double the cost of paying in the local currency (usually between 1.5% and 3%). So suppose a French traveller goes out for dinner in a British town, and the final bill comes to £88.43, the equivalent of €100. Paying in UK currency, which would then converted to euros by the French diner’s bank, would lead to a payment of around €102. But using the dynamic currency conversion to pay the restaurant bill directly in euros would end up costing them €107.60. Despite the high fees, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07439156231157721">our research shows</a> that more than half of international customers still choose to pay in their familiar home currency. The most obvious explanation for this is an understandable preference for the familiar when dealing with money abroad. But it is also true that the fees are not explicitly shown to customers. That is, tourists may see the applied exchange rate, but they are not shown the hidden fees or how that exchange rate compares with others. And while expensive for tourists, the currency choice “service” can be highly lucrative for those who operate it. The companies which provide dynamic currency conversion options earn significant conversion revenues – a portion of which is often shared with the business where the transaction takes place. <a href="https://www.electronicpaymentsinternational.com/opinion/dcc-routing-revenues-away-from-issuer-into-acquirers-pockets/">Sources indicate</a> that extra revenues for retailers come to around 1% of the transaction value. We have also been told of well known department stores training employees to actively encourage foreign customers to pay for purchases in their home currency. <h2>Greater transparency</h2> And despite the high conversion fees involved with dynamic currency conversion, most government regulators around the world have been hesitant to intervene. One possible reason for this is that regulation would be seen as potentially hitting the profits of local businesses. The exception is the European Union (EU), which considers excessive transaction costs <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021R1230">to be a barrier</a> to the development of businesses and aims to protect European consumers. The latest <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32021R1230">EU regulations</a> (not yet enforced) aim to enhance transparency by including extra information about the costs of currency choice on card readers and ATMs. This is a step in the right direction. But we would in fact encourage a reduction in the amount of information to make things simpler, so that customers are made aware purely of the percentage fee being added if they choose to pay in their own currency. We also think there should be maximum conversion charges to protect unaware customers from excessive fees. With the continued growth of international travel, it is crucial to find ways to help people make informed financial decisions when dealing with exchange rates and making payments outside of their currency zone. But for now, travellers are likely to spend more of their money abroad than they need to, because of something they intuitively feel will make a transaction simpler and less time consuming. So if you’re on holiday or travelling for work, our advice is to decline the option of paying in your home currency and instead opt for the more reasonable conversion fees charged by your bank. Your travel experience could end up much cheaper if you do. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/travelling-abroad-dont-be-tempted-to-pay-your-way-using-your-home-currency-202795" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Travel Tips

"Bloody grinch”: Outrage over new fee to see Santa

Department store giant David Jones have been slammed as the “bloody grinch” only a month away from Christmas. The super-store in Adelaide has sparked outrage amongst the locals over Santa’s visit to the iconic Magic Cave inside its Central Plaza store, and for the first time in 126 years, the Magic Cave are charging families to see the man in red. Booking arrangements apply and anyone without a reservation will be turned away, whether or not they’re on Santa's nice list. While pre-pandemic Santa was free, patrons are now being asked to book and pre-pay for a photo package. Two 4x6 images will cost parents $24.95 while Santa’s Gift Pack of photos comes in at $49.95. The move has of course sparked fury with many calling it a “rip off”. “[That is] just plain mean,” one person wrote. “Pure greedy,” said another. “Boycott David Jones and go to your suburban Santas.” “Tis the season to make money any way you can,” one person commented. Image: Getty

Family & Pets

Man’s desperate attempt to avoid baggage fees goes viral

One man’s plight to avoid excess baggage fees has been caught on camera and gone viral. In the video, the male passenger can be seen kicking and shoving his bag into the luggage size checker as an airline staffer looked on. The man’s desperate efforts amused those around him, with giggling being heard in the background from fellow travellers, including the person filming. The video, which has now been viewed over 26 million times, was captioned, “Don’t die for EasyJet.” Eventually, the man was able to convince the staff member that his bag was the right size to count as carry-on luggage, only for it to then be stuck inside the metal frame. <div class="embed" style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; caret-color: #323338; color: #323338; font-family: Roboto, Rubik, 'Noto Kufi Arabic', 'Noto Sans JP', sans-serif; outline: none !important;"><iframe class="embedly-embed" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 610px; max-width: 100%; outline: none !important;" title="tiktok embed" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2Fembed%2Fv2%2F7135000263911329029&display_name=tiktok&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tiktok.com%2F%40hotasfo_o%2Fvideo%2F7135000263911329029&image=https%3A%2F%2Fp16-sign-va.tiktokcdn.com%2Ftos-maliva-p-0068%2Fb9ac55874a8840a382735f0dbbb4f95d_1661246711%7Etplv-tiktok-play.jpeg%3Fx-expires%3D1662991200%26x-signature%3DlT8PTmNwIg0BVzmFm2u%252F1Vfwtc0%253D&key=59e3ae3acaa649a5a98672932445e203&type=text%2Fhtml&schema=tiktok" width="340" height="700" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div> "He's going to miss his flight trying to get that out," one person quipped in the comments. "Rumour has it he is still trying to get it back out," another joined in. Meanwhile, some thought the staff member was clearly also just having a laugh. "The staff guy was just having a laugh, knowing well what was about to unfold," one person said. Others empathised with the traveller for trying to avoid the extra fees, with one person sharing, "EasyJet made me pay extra for my carry-on pillow, I still haven't recovered from the shock." Image credits: TikTok

Travel Tips

Retirees face exorbitant fees for retirement village upkeep

A group of NSW retirees are facing exorbitant fees for basic upkeep of their retirement village, as they question where their strata money has gone. At Lakes of Cherrybrook in Sydney's north west, mould coats the ceilings and walls and bright orange plastic has been stapled to every roof in the village since April to prevent water coming in. Fifty units, or 75 per cent of the entire complex, are now owned by RSL LifeCare, one is common property and there are 13 units owned by resident strata owners. Last year the residents were informed new roofs were going to be installed, which the strata owners were advised there would be a special levy for. One of the residents, Lesley, said its "unfair" to ask the retirees to front the costs of the repairs. She told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/nsw-retirees-face-exorbitant-fees-for-retirement-village/dc08ddfe-21aa-463a-b461-780f5a1f043a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a>, "They have the duty of care to look after the place and the people in it." "We didn't come here to do maintenance work, we didn't come here to go to meetings month after month … It's put an awful lot of stress on people." On June 1st, the residents said they were told works would cost more than $7 million, but it looks like that could blowout, as many works are yet to be priced. According to this quote, the residents could be expected to pay up to $200,000 each, when they already pay up to $13,000 on strata fees. According to RSL Lifecare's 2021 financial results, the company has $170 million in the bank, which has left residents questioning why they're the ones who have to pay up. Another resident, Judy, said, "People are deaf, they can't hear what's going on, they don't understand; they get frustrated. It's sad, it's wrong." Image credits: A Current Affair

Retirement Life

Australia's hefty legal bill in Novak saga revealed

During a Senate hearing on Monday night, the cost of Australia's legal proceedings against tennis champ Novak Djokovic were revealed. The Department of Home Affairs reportedly had to pay an estimated $360,000 over the weeks long saga, but this is not the official final figure of money spent. This hefty sum doesn’t take into account the division of legal costs that were awarded in both court stoushes that took place.The Department of Home Affairs was ordered to pay the legal costs for the first Federal Court matter in which Novak first had his visa cancelled. But Djokovic was ordered to pay the costs in his subsequent failed bid to overturn Immigration Minister Alex Hawke’s decision to send the Serbian tennis champ packing for being unvaccinated.“Hopefully they’ll net out to zero,” Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo said during the hearing.The department’s legal group manager Pip De Veau said that the fees had yet to be paid, but it was estimated to be $360,000, not taking into account these cost orders.“The combined estimate at this stage was in the vicinity of $360,000 without any awards going either way,” she said.“Costs were awarded against the department in the first proceedings, costs were awarded for the department in the second."“We’ll need to get the invoices and make the determination in consultation with Mr Djokovic’s lawyers as to how those two cost orders are sorted out.”Novak Djokovic was deported before the Australian Open, stopping him from competing. “I will respect the court’s ruling and I will co-operate with the relevant authorities in relation to my departure from the country,” Djokovic said at the time.“I am uncomfortable that the focus of the past weeks has been on me and I hope that we can now focus on the game and the tournament I love.”Image credits: Getty Images

Legal

Woman avoids baggage fees with genius neck pillow hack

While many travellers love to take advantage of cheap airline seats, the deals often come hand in hand with hefty baggage fees. One savvy TikTok user has devised a unique way to avoid the extra charges for luggage, using a travel neck pillow. The traveller, who shares videos under the name @anayotothe on TikTok, uses the cheap neck pillow as a secret carry-on bag to get out of those pesky extra fees. "Trying the Spirit and Frontier pillow hack cuz I ain't tryna pay $60 for a carry on," the woman wrote on the video, referencing two American airlines. She captioned the video, “My flight is in three hours let’s see how this goes!” The woman picked up the travel pillow for just $9 from the US supermarket Walgreens, and proceeded to take the pillow stuffing out of the case. She then stuffed all the clothes that wouldn’t fit in her backpack into the pillowcase, which could still be used to stay comfortable during her flight. "Everything fits except for this shirt!" the woman exclaimed, while showing followers her clever technique. After sharing the video with her followers, the woman later confirmed that she boarded her flight successfully with her hidden carry-on luggage. "On the way to Vegas and the way back, I didn't have to pay, with my travel pillow and my backpack," she said. While dozens of people commented to thank the savvy traveller for the tip, others also questioned if it was worth it to save money. When questioned about her methods, the woman responded, "It took five minutes, also it was an hour flight… there was no reason I should pay $300 for a flight if you can just take one of the budget airlines." Image credits: Getty Images

Travel Tips

‘Absurd’ fee may see family choose between their home and pet

A Sydney woman who applied for permission to keep her dog in her apartment has left her with a $2000 fee she may have to pay, after she was told of a new bond that could be introduced for pet owners. Georgia Dawson’s two-and-a-half-year-old son Rafy has become devoted to her Staffy named Fav, but she said her family may have to choose between their home and keeping the pair together. “It’s a huge amount of money and it’s very upsetting,” Ms Dawson told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.domain.com.au/news/they-bought-a-puppy-for-their-son-in-lockdown-strata-did-something-absurd-2-1110560/" target="_blank">Domain</a>. “We want to stay in our home and we don’t want to be put in a position where we have to choose between our home and our family.” The 32-year-old has been living in the apartment complex in Sydney’s lower north shore with her family for the last seven months, and feels they’re being punished for doing the right thing. “Pets are family for many of us, especially after getting through Covid and maybe not being able to afford another child. But now it feels like we’re being punished - and for doing the right thing and applying for permission,” she said. The family’s shock discovery comes as the latest in the pets-in-apartments saga that has seen legal battles play out between residents wanting to live with their pets, and buildings that want the choice to prevent them. In August, a change in state law made it illegal to forbid pets in strata buildings. The change was the result of a four-and-a-half year litigation between resident Jo Cooper and her Darlinghurst building, Horizon, that saw a blanket ban on pets get overturned. A later judgement by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT), however, found that buildings did have the right to charge pet-owners fees of up to $300 to the “administration cost” of applications. But the notification Ms Dawson received, alerting her that her building was debating levying the $2000 bond on pet owners at its January AGM and news that other buildings are considering similar policies, has angered many animal-lovers. Emma Hurst, an Animal Justice Party MP who helped create the pet-friendly legislation, said she is raising concerns about Ms Dawson’s case and pushing for additional regulation. “It is outrageous that strata schemes are attempting to charge huge bonds and application fees in what appears to be an attempt to stop people having an animal in their home,” she said. “It clearly goes against the spirit of the recent changes to strata laws championed by our party. “These were designed to ensure stata complexes are animal-friendly but this is a blatant attempt to get around the new laws, and effectively block people from sharing their home with an animal by making it financially prohibitive. This affects the ability for families to rescue animals in pounds, or for victims of domestic and family violence to seek new accomodation with their companion animals.” Having recently published a review of state strata law, the NSW government has said it has “become aware of some practices that may defeat the purpose of the reforms and produce unjust outcomes”. It has recommended that its Department of Customer Service continues to monitor the use of the new pet-friendly laws to “determine whether further legislative change is necessary” to prevent unfair outcomes. Image: Getty Images

Real Estate

Customer shocked by exorbitant service fee

One customer was taken by surprise after dining at Salt Bae’s new London restaurant, when they were presented with the bill for $60,000 worth of food as well as a $9000 service fee. Salt Bae, whose real name is Nusret Gökçe, recently opened a new restaurant in the ritzy London neighbourhood of Knightsbridge. Diners at the establishment can expect to spend a pretty penny, including $1500 for a tomahawk steak and $55 for fries, but one diner wasn’t expecting a 15% service fee when they were presented with the bill. In addition to the exxy food and drinks, including $18,000 wine, the bill came with a 15% service charge, working out to £4829.10 on top of the £32,194 bill. That’s a charge of about $8933 on top of a $59,327 meal. <img style="width: 434.5156889495225px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844861/https___prodstatic9net.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/47ad6063eed94bab9aaef210baf96b52" /> The customer shared a photo of the cheque on Snapchat with the caption, “That’s just taking the p*ss”, and the image quickly went viral online, with many wondering how any meal could be worth those kinds of prices. Many critics say Salt Bae is overstepping his markups, which include charging $33 for asparagus and $20 for Red Bull, while others believe the prices, including the service fee, are justified considering the quality of the food and the potential to see Salt Bae do his thing. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUTA32OsX6x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUTA32OsX6x/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Nusr_et#Saltbae (@nusr_et)</a> </div> </blockquote> Gökçe originally went viral in 2017 with a video of him sprinkling salt onto a meal getting over 10 million views. He now has almost 40 million followers on Instagram, and his videos of him doing his thing in the kitchen regularly get over 5 million views. With the opening of his London restaurant, Gökçe now owns luxury steakhouses in Miami, New York, Boston, Dallas, and Beverly Hills in the United States; Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates; Ankara, Bodrum, Istanbul and Marmaris in Turkey; and Mykonos, Doha, London and Jeddah. Image: Laurent Koffel/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Food & Wine

Avoid these three things to maximise your retirement income

Everyone wants to start their retirement with enough funds to live as comfortably as possible. One of the biggest sources of many Australians’ retirement incomes will be their super funds. But, the banking royal commission found that super funds have some problems and don’t always serve our best interests as customers. Here are three traps to avoid that could potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars. Falling for bigger returns Switching from an industry super fund to a retail fund might sound appealing, but the large returns these retail funds offer also come with high and potentially costly risks. Appearing on 7.30, Michelle Bradley-Smith detailed how a cold-call from a smooth talking financial advisor put her retirement at risk. “They were very persuasive,” she told the program. With just $120,000 in her industry super account and rapidly approaching retirement, Ms Bradley-Smith was convinced to move her super from the industry fund into a higher-risk AMP account. “He said that his company could make me another $24,000 as opposed to what the company I was with at the time could make me,” she said. “And it sounded like $24,000 extra when I only had seven years of work left. It sounded good.” After the 2018 banking royal commission started repeatedly calling out AMP’s conduct, Ms Bradley-Smith realised she made a grievous error. She paid more than $4,000 upfront to transfer her super and had committed thousands more in annual fees. Over the next six months, she watched as super balance began to shrink. “After them telling me that they were there to make money, I lost … $7,000 and that’s not what I was there for,” she said. “I thought, ‘I’m going to be losing money. By the time I’m 67 I might not even have $100,00’.” Having multiple accounts Approximately a third of Australian super accounts are known as “unintended multiples”, totalling about 10 million accounts. Despite campaigns aimed at reducing the problem, nearly 40 percent of Australians have more than one super account. Not consolidating existing funds can mean you pay more in fees across all of your accounts, ultimately reducing the amount of money available when you retire. Unnecessary insurance Most super accounts come with multiple forms of insurance such as life insurance, and total and permanent disability insurance. When combined with multiple accounts, each coming with their own insurance, this can become a problem. “One in four Australians are not aware whether or not they have life insurance through their superannuation,” the Productivity Commission chairman Michael Brennan told 7.30. “And one in six have duplicate accounts, which means they’re paying premiums on more than one account.” Though this might not seem like much of a problem, it comes with some unintended consequences. “They can’t claim on both [accounts],” Mr Brennan said. This means that you might be paying for multiple forms of insurance and only gain some of the benefits when it comes to claiming them.

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An entry fee may not be enough to save Venice from 20 million tourists

Junk fees and drip pricing: the underhanded tactics we hate yet still fall for

"Unbelievable but true": Tourist outraged over shocking restaurant fee

“A lesson learned”: Uni student lands herself in an overdue book nightmare

Travelling abroad? Don’t be tempted to pay your way using your home currency

"Bloody grinch”: Outrage over new fee to see Santa

Man’s desperate attempt to avoid baggage fees goes viral

Retirees face exorbitant fees for retirement village upkeep

Australia's hefty legal bill in Novak saga revealed

Woman avoids baggage fees with genius neck pillow hack

‘Absurd’ fee may see family choose between their home and pet

Customer shocked by exorbitant service fee

Avoid these three things to maximise your retirement income

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An entry fee may not be enough to save Venice from 20 million tourists

Junk fees and drip pricing: the underhanded tactics we hate yet still fall for

"Unbelievable but true": Tourist outraged over shocking restaurant fee

“A lesson learned”: Uni student lands herself in an overdue book nightmare

Travelling abroad? Don’t be tempted to pay your way using your home currency

"Bloody grinch”: Outrage over new fee to see Santa

Man’s desperate attempt to avoid baggage fees goes viral

Retirees face exorbitant fees for retirement village upkeep

Australia's hefty legal bill in Novak saga revealed

Woman avoids baggage fees with genius neck pillow hack

‘Absurd’ fee may see family choose between their home and pet

Customer shocked by exorbitant service fee

Avoid these three things to maximise your retirement income

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