{"id":1814,"date":"2023-03-02T15:00:36","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T20:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/georgia\/edfund\/resources\/junk-fees-how-to-avoid-them-or-fight-them\/"},"modified":"2023-06-03T12:10:36","modified_gmt":"2023-06-03T16:10:36","slug":"junk-fees-how-to-avoid-them-or-fight-them","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/dev.pirg-test.com\/georgia\/edfund\/resources\/junk-fees-how-to-avoid-them-or-fight-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Junk fees: How to avoid them or fight them"},"featured_media":46066,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":""},"campaign_tax":[157],"display_option":[],"issue_tax":[],"resource_type":[67],"region_tax":[],"state":[2],"topic_tax":[124],"class_list":["post-1814","resource","type-resource","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"helper_taxonomies":{"topics":[124],"collection":false,"press_type":false,"person_type":false,"resource_type":67,"event_type":false,"campaigns":157,"department":false,"level":false,"states":[2],"act_option":false,"display_option":false,"primary":{"topic":null}},"subtitle":"","excerpt":"","featured_image":46066,"caption_override":"","updated_on":null,"sidebar_action":"","related_event":"","hide_hero_image":false,"location":"internal","external_link":{"publication_name":"","url":""},"file":null,"sidebar_action_query_string":""},"helper_people_group":{"title":"Authors","entities":[{"type":"dynamic","dynamic_person":{"site":16,"people":"128"},"information":{"name":"","image":null,"role":"","biography":"","contact":{"twitter":"","facebook":"","email":"","phone":""}}}]},"helper_downloads":{"title":"Downloads","files":[{"file":100000000044685,"title":"Remarks to the FTC in October 2022 by PIRG"}]},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_wysiwyg":{"content":"Many consumers see junk fees in various forms. Some people use junk fees as a catch-all phrase for any charge they don\u2019t like. The topic is certainly getting attention these days, with the White House talking about a <\/span>new crackdown<\/span><\/a>, buzz about the Junk Fee Prevention Act<\/a> recently introduced in Congress and <\/span>new rules expected<\/span><\/a> from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).<\/span>\r\n\r\nThere are three simple definitions of a junk fee:<\/span>\r\n<\/span>\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Mandatory charges that aren\u2019t disclosed up front. It could be a \u201cresort fee\u201d slid in just before you book a hotel room, a required company charge added to monthly cell phone bill, or a service fee you can\u2019t avoid when purchasing an event ticket. Many companies are guilty of \u201cdrip-pricing\u201d \u2013 prices that don\u2019t include everything you must pay.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Optional charges that are portrayed as mandatory or are given official-sounding names to deceive consumers or discourage them from questioning the fees.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Mandatory fees or charges buried in an unreasonably long terms and conditions document. You might expect a 10-page document for a car loan, but not to book an airline ticket.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    Here\u2019s some simple advice to protect yourself from junk fees:<\/b><\/h4>\r\n