Fees? Fie!

We just sent this MSNBC story about fees to a friend of ours, via IM. It's about AT&T Wireless charging a fee for accepting cash payment. (Which apparently is going up from $2 to $5.) We both read Gotcha Capitalism lately, so our radar beeps when we see this kind of thing.

Our friend goes, Hold on, I'm on the phone with my HMO. He'd just gotten a bill from them for an office visit in Cleveland ("Helluva commute from Seattle!" we typed), and was calling to see how this had happened.

Fairly soon his HMO (aka Aetna) figures out that it's a mis-entry on their part. No worries, they tell him, you won't be charged. However, there will be a fee for this phone call.

Huh? says our friend.

We have an online dispute resolution form, you're supposed to use that. Calling in requires us to charge you.

I'm not disputing anything, he says. But now he is. He's gotta dispute this fee they're charging.