While going through an accumulated pile of newspapers (both paper and electronic) this weekend, I read a couple of stories about a $2 fee Verizon was charging customers who paid bills by debit or credit cards and the resulting anger among effected customers. A front-page story by Todd Wallack in the January 5, 2012 Globe observed that Verizon’s plan was not unique; that others including the city of Lowell, utilized such charges. This Verizon action must have been a big deal because just two days after the Globe story, the Lowell Sun ran an unsigned editorial (“Fuming over fees”) that covered the same ground and, by some amazing coincidence, used much of the same language as the Globe story (I can’t find the Sun editorial online so if someone can help with that, please do, although I was able to print it from the electronic edition of the Sun). Anyway, here’s what the Globe/Sun story/editorial wrote:

• From the January 5 Globe story: “Comcast Corp., the region’s largest cable-television provider, charges $5.99 to make a payment by phone with the aid of a representative.”
• From the January 7 Sun editorial: “Comcast Corp., the region’s largest cable-television provider, charges $5.99 to make a payment by phone with the help of a representative.”

• From the January 5 Globe story: “National Grid, one of the state’s major energy utilities charges $2.25 for residential customers to make a payment of up to $600 with a credit or debit card.”
• From the January 7 Sun editorial: “Not to be outdone, energy utility giant National Grid charges $2.25 for residential customers to make payments up to $600 with a credit or debit card.”

• From the January 5 Globe story: “The city of Lowell, for instance, charges 25 cents to pay parking tickets, water bills, and property taxes by transferring money electronically from checking or savings accounts.”
• From the January 7 Sun editorial: “And municipalities like our fair city of Lowell have gotten into the act. The city charges 25 cents to pay parking tickets, water bills, and property taxes when transferring money electronically from checking or savings accounts.”

• From the January 5 Globe story: “Lowell also charges a variable fee of at least $1 to use credit cards. For instance, customers would pay $2.25 extra to pay a $50 ticket. A $2000 property tax bill would cost $60.55 extra, or about 3 percent. The city attributes the fee to a vendor, Metropolitan Communications LLC, which handles payments for other cities and towns in seven states.”
• From the January 7 Sun editorial: “It also charges a variable fee to use credit cards. A $2000 property tax bill would cost $60.55 extra, or about 3 percent. The city attributes the fee to a vendor, Metropolitan Communications LLC, which handles its payments as well of those of other communities in several states.”

• From the January 5 Globe story: “Many colleges, including Wellesley college and Brandeis University, also partner with a company called Tuition Management Systems, which charges students an extra 2.99 percent to process tuition payments made by credit card. That adds $299 to a $10,000 tuition payment.”
• From the January 7 Sun editorial: “Many colleges use a company called Tuition Management Systems, which charges students an extra 2.99 percent to process tuition payments made by credit card. That adds $299 to a $10,000 tuition payment.”

As I said, two newspapers, two days apart, same language – what an amazing coincidence.