Verizon's sneaky, stinky price increase

Awhile back Verizon announced they were going to charge their customers an additional $2 if they chose to pay online, the charge would not effect those who set up auto payments or those who paid by check.  The outcry against this was voluminous and Verizon backed down.   I can understand why they would want this, when people pay on their own those payments arrive when ever the decision is made to pay the bill, with auto payment that revenue arrives on a specific day.  More important, however, was that this increased their bottom line, what a kick to their P & L.  That decision had not been something which spontaneously occurred to a group of boneheads at Verizon, it had been calculated out well in advance.

Knowing this, it should have come as no surprise when, upon opening my bill yesterday, I discovered that there was a price increase of exactly $2.  The rental feel for my HD Set Top Box went from $9.99 to $11.99.  I received no notification from Verizon this increase was going to take place.  Imagine all of those customers out there who are signed up for auto pay, will they notice the increase, and if they do will they complain because it's not just a surcharge on the way they pay their bill?  People need to remember that Verizon is a business, a very successful business, run by a successful CEO who gets paid very well to make sure the bottom line is always increasing.  He doesn't care how they make the increase, just as long as it hits the books.  Tough shit to the average person who has to pay more in this very slowly improving economy, we are not his problem.