#489 worth it?

Lately I have encountered several situations where a business implemented small fees that had a big impact on my satisfaction with the overall experience. I previously wrote about the airline industry fees*, but it seems that more and more organizations are going fee crazy.

Examples:
> My dog groomer, who I previously loved, now charges me $2 if I fail to pick up my dogs within two hours of when they are finished with their wash.  This means going to get them in the middle of the day, instead of picking them up after work as I have for years, or paying two bucks.  Not sure if it is $2 per hour or per dog or both -- I stopped listening when I heard about the new fee.

> The company that has cut my grass, also for years without incident, now added on a $5 "dog waste charge" for lawns with, um, extra fertilizer.  In the scheme of things, this isn't big money either, but I was annoyed that it came without notice and that they cut lawns on such an irregular schedule that I can't "cleanse" my yard in preparation for their visit.

> I recently ordered a pair of shoes online.  They were on sale for $10 off -- yeah! -- which was negated seconds later with the $9.95 shipping charge.  Why haven't companies learned from the success of Zappos and built that fee into the price?  I would have been happier paying full price with no shipping cost vs. a fake sale.

The above three items are examples of what I call an annoyance cost -- something that isn't going to generate much serious revenue for the organization but is going to have a high cost in terms of consumer satisfaction and loyalty.  Is it really worth it?  I think the likelihood is low.  Pause long and hard before you add a token fee and cost yourself more in the end than what you make.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*Blog #267, February 23, 2013