Watch out for delivery surcharges
June 24, 2008
If you’re ordering anything that requires a delivery to your home or office, you should keep an eye out for extra charges to cover the cost of gas.
These extra charges are often referred to as a “fuel surcharge” or an “energy surcharge.” Other businesses may simple call it a “delivery fee.”
Whatever the fee is called, make sure you are aware of it before you order a product.
I first noticed a “delivery fee” attached to my pizza order nearly a year ago when the cost of gas first started to climb. While doing some research about the fee, I was told by one local pizza shop owner that it wasn’t just the cost of gas to get the pizza to my house. The cost to the restaurant to have the ingredients brought in was increasing, too.
And so it goes, the cost is passed down from one customer to the next until it ends up in your final tab for that pepperoni pizza.
A year later — with gas at $4 a gallon — more and more delivery fees, and costlier delivery fees, are being tacked on to a multitude of services including flower deliveries, food deliveries and the shipping of online orders.
In some cases the fees are not disclosed and can lead to sticker shock for an unsuspecting customer. Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett found this to be a large enough concern that he issued a warning for consumers to be on the lookout for undisclosed surcharges. You can read that warning here.
You can also read this Washington Post article which talks about the increase in delivery fees. The article also mentions some cruise lines that ended up refunding money to customers who were filled for fuel charges after booking their cruises.
The key is to be aware of what you’re paying and how much you’re paying for delivery charges so you can make an informed decision about whether or not the delivery price is worth the service you’re getting.
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