FedEx Kinkos now charging to open your files!
Filed under: Ripoffs and Scams, Technology
Wow! I know businesses everywhere are feeling the need bring in more cash but charging paying customers just to open their files is a bit on the ridiculous side. Joel Watson, creator of Hijinks Ensue a "Geek Webcomic", went to his local FedEx Kinkos to print copies of a several comic strips and was not so politely informed that for every file after the first there would be a "digital rendering" fee of $2.50. To further emphasize the stupidity of this charge, the "digital rendering" fee essentially covers the clerk double clicking on a file!To me adding $2.50 onto a customer's print order is as dumb as tacking a fuel surcharge onto a taxi ride. Both of these services require what the extra fee is supposed to cover; you can't print a file without opening it just like you can't get anywhere in a taxi without gas. If a company needs to charge an extra fee in order for a service to remain viable then the price should simply be raised rather than hidden on a receipt or behind a technical sounding phrase like "digital rendering"!
I hope that this disturbing trend stops right now. Companies, stop using asterisks or extra fees to have the "cheapest" prices on the block and consumers, stop taking it when companies slap on an extra fee like this. Although Joel is already looking for local independent print shops, I have a bit of advice to get around the fee and to be enough of an annoyance that the fee is waived for future trips. Since the first file is always free, take the approach I took with 1 per purchase coupons back in college. Go through the checkout once for every file and eventually the clerk will get so fed up with you and the whole process that she will skip "digital rendering" charges and process the order as one just to get you out of the store.
If you come across companies pulling stunts like this be sure to let WalletPop know by leaving a comment below.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
10-23-2008 @ 3:44PM
Margaret in Maryland said...
I think I have complained about this legal scam before but no one seems interested and it is only getting worse. The bank fees for non-revocable testamentary trust are extremely high 25%+ of income and they are lossing the principal because of poor management. The high fees are due to the manner in which the fees are assessed. The banks and financial institutions can get away with this because Congress passed a bill around 18 or 19 years ago allowing the current fee schedule for banks and you can also thank state legislation too. What ever you do, take it from a victim, DO NOT SET UP A TESTAMENTORY TRUST FOR YOUR HEIRS. IT IS A SCAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply
10-23-2008 @ 11:30PM
airgar said...
Thank you Margaret
10-23-2008 @ 7:46PM
DanGarion said...
I could see why they charge this. Depending on the file and if it needs changes, it could theoretically take some time to get the file to work properly with their setup... That might be what this is covering.
Reply
10-23-2008 @ 8:09PM
Josh Smith said...
If that were the case then it'd be valid to charge a conversion or setup fee but for pre formatted pdf files its a bogus charge.
10-23-2008 @ 8:34PM
Anonymous said...
If a file isn't in the "right format" then charge only those customers, don't penalize everyone. And besides, $2.50 per file is outrageous! This is a foolish idea and now people will just take their business elsewhere.
10-23-2008 @ 8:16PM
Tracey said...
We used to order from a food delivery company. The prices were a little higher but that was because they drove refrigerated trucks and brought the stuff to your door.. it was great on those nights you didn't know what to make. One of the reasons I was told originally for the higher prices was because of the costs of gas, truck maintenance etc. Well after gas prices started rising the did a price increase to cover those costs. Then we got a delivery and he said they were adding on another charge. For what?? to deliver to the house.. unbelievable since that is their business. It no longer made sense to buy from them since we were double paying for the delivery. They do not operate out of stores.. only the delivery trucks..
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10-23-2008 @ 11:04PM
Gary said...
LOL Tracey......Papa John's Pizza has the same thing....a $2.00 "Delivery" charge. I spoke to the manager one day and asked him why a company predicated and marketed on the delivery of pizzas would tack on a "delivery" charge. I told him that the delivery of pizzas is implied in their marketing approach.
I think the Kinkos charge is more of a sucker's charge. The employees are most likely given the option of waiving the fee if they stand to lose repeat customers. Those who aren't familiar with the operation will fork over the service charge, which winds up being found money for the company.
They've been around long enough to know that it's the lifetime value of the customer that keeps them in business, not those "I need to print one resume" patrons.
10-23-2008 @ 8:22PM
lita said...
The writer's comparison of a gas surcharge to that of double-clicking a file is absolutely ridiculous. (So much for learning about logic and intelligent comparison.) The cost of gasoline has been volatile and could vary as much as 40 cents in a month. I doubt the cost to Kinkos of double-clicking a file (overhead--wages, utilities, etc.) is anything like that of the gas station owner. (And no, I don't own a gas station.)
Reply
10-23-2008 @ 8:26PM
bob mccarthy said...
good for you putting FedEx Kinkoes on notice!!!
here's another not unlike that:
StorageMart applies a $2.00 "Invoicing Charge - Recurring" to the cost of renting storage space. They charge you a fee to send you a monthly bill!! Watch out for other money grubbing financial services companies to try the same tactic
Reply
10-23-2008 @ 10:31PM
Mustafa said...
If you think thats bad, check out Metro Heated Storage 8905 Lake City way NE in Seattle, WA 98115 ,Lakecity branch continues to charge you for storage even after you move out, not having my checkbook handy, I told the clerk everything was out and close the account,.... I was told I will be charged for the storage unit every day until the unit is paid. I wonder if they auction off the empty unit??
10-23-2008 @ 8:33PM
bill Tuff said...
The concept that you just raise the cab fares is an interesting idea but those fees are regulated by the goverment be it local or state the fuel surscharge is provided by the feds to allow you to maintain the profit margin that you need to survive. You do not just get to raise your fairs bs
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10-23-2008 @ 8:37PM
Mike said...
The charge is NOT for pre-formatted pdf files, as one uninformed reader above wrote, pdf files are exempt from the charge, or at least were as of yesterday. And FedexKinko's is not unique in charging this fee, so does Staples or Office Max.
Think what you like about the policy, but at least do the research to get your facts straight.
Reply
10-27-2008 @ 8:59AM
Cyberwasteland said...
That's actually the big deal here, Josh HAD put his files in a PDF format and they tried to charge him for oppening the files.
If it were other file formats and they had to change them to PDF first, then they could charge for it (but still 2.50 WTF!?).
10-23-2008 @ 8:39PM
art the dart said...
One would think that in these scary times, retailers would not want to further tick off their customers. One would be wrong.
Reply
10-24-2008 @ 1:54AM
susan said...
OKAY, NOW DO YOU PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHY SOME OF THESE BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN GOING UNDER AND CLOSING DOWN??. IT'S NOT BECAUSE THERE IS A BAD ECONOMY, WHICH IS PRETTY MUCH ALL B.S. AND HYPE BY THE LYING MEDIA AND PRESS, BUT BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN STUPIDITY AND BAD BUSINESS PRACTICES. MOST OF THESE PEOPLE HAD NO BUSINESS BEING IN BUSINESS TO BEGIN WITH, AND THEY WERE THEIR OWN WORST ENEMY!!. YOU SHOULD NOT, AND CANNOT, RELY OR BELEIVE 80% OF WHAT YOU READ OR HEAR IN THE MEDIA, PRESS, OR ON THE TV, YOU CAN'T!!. THEY ARE ALL TWISTED, DEMENTED, SADISTIC LIARS, WHO ALWAYS HAVE A HIDDEN AGENDA.
10-23-2008 @ 8:40PM
anonymous said...
If you have an International Calling Card with Verizon (previously MCI) you used to be able to recharge the minutes over the phone and it was charged to your credit card....there were no additional fees. Now---if you want to recharge your card with minutes they will charge you a 15% recharge fee to use your same old PIN. To avoid the recharge fee you have to go to Costco or Costco.com and buy a new card. The packaging on the new card is easily ten times the size of the card and now you have a new plastic card. The cards are a good buy for the $$ cost of the minutes, but why now are we being penalized for wanting to use the same old PIN and have to go buy a new card for every $30.00 of useage???????
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10-23-2008 @ 8:47PM
BooGuru said...
Another form of " bait and switch" :: NOT legal in many places.
Reply
10-23-2008 @ 8:57PM
sueb said...
What's the difference in these charges and tipping? Why don't restaurants pay their staff a living wage and charge it in the meal. Why do we tip taxi drivers to drive us around when that is their job? Why do we tip hair dressers for doing their jobs? We don't tip the staff @ the post office or at any retail store. We don't tip business offices like insurance, attorneys, dentists (I know, I know....they are professionals but still). None of it makes sense to me. And, yes, I do tip,............quite well actually.
Reply
10-24-2008 @ 1:24AM
Peace01 said...
Tipping usually and is suspsoed to be voluntary.
That is the difference. While some restarunts do charge a gratuitiy charge in the meal. In this area mostly for large groups whom often need extra staff. Also, the fees here don't go to the staff directly they go to the store. A tip is to the server sometimes places have them shared. As bussers and cok staff rarely get tipped individually and have as much to do with your service as the wait staff.
10-24-2008 @ 1:46AM
kristian said...
I've thought the same thing about waiter's and waiteress's, I think they should be paid better. Lord knows the restaurants charge enough money to pay them better. Even McDonalds isn't so cheap these days. I am a hair dresser so I look at it like this, depending on where you work you obviously get paid at different rates, a quick little haircut shop is gonna be cheaper than a shop that is foo foo (lol) and charg upward to $100 or more for a cut. I think that is part of what you should take into consideration, how much you are paying. Also, my main reason for tipping isn't because of how much i'm charged as it that the person did something extra special for me that they didn't have to do. I like tips but I don't go ballistic when I don't get one, I have friends who turn into possible killers if they don't get one. lol , They get reeeeal mad.