Regulatory Fee

Basically another way for a phone company to give it to you in a not so nice way so they can line their pockets and not yours. But yeah we still pay it because well just about ever carrier charges you the individual for something bogus. Well here is AT&T Bogus charge. It's not required for them to charge it but they still do because even though their plans are over over priced they still think it's too hard for them to lose bairly more than a dollar to the "CHANCE" of having to pay some regulatory fee.

How inane that it's even possible to count this as a "purchase" or rate it.

Before I got this one, I couldn't imagine paying $2.50 for a Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee. Now I can't imagine living without it!

Some of the other reviewers don't seem to understand what they bought. They ordered a wireless plan on Amazon and didn't realize that it came with a Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee. Then they were asked to write a review before they even realized what they got.

But a little experience shows that this Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee is a marvel of innovation that is packed with value!

Think about it. There was a time when phone companies were much more heavily regulated. Then congress passed lots of new laws to change phone company regulation and allow more competition. These laws are extremely complicated, and the congressmen needed help writing them. So, the phone companies came to the rescue with teams of lobbyists to help write the new laws!

The problem was that those lobbyists were extremely expensive. To make matters worse, the phone companies knew that if they didn't get everything they wanted, they'd have to hire even more expensive lawyers to fight the laws. So in exchange for agreeing to deregulation, they invented the beautifully-named Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee. Hurray!

This wonderful invention allows the phone companies to charge an extra fee over-and-above the rates that they are allowed to charge for their services, so that they can fund the very expensive effort of fighting the other parts of the laws that they don't like! They can make the fee any amount they want, because it doesn't actually go to any government or regulatory body. It just goes straight to the phone company so they can hire more lawyers. With high-powered Washington lawyer/lobbyists charging $400 an hour, you can imagine how hard it would be to survive without these great fees!

What's even more brilliant is the name. "Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee" is one of the greatest product names ever. It just screams out "I'm official." It sounds so much like a tax, people actually believe that it is one, and it sounds so official, nobody questions the exact amount.

In summary, this is one brilliant product that's packed with value.

I have to return the product within 2 weeks because Amazon didn't disclose to me that I am not elligible to buy that Cingular product. I was a Cingular customer, just finished contract with them. As per Cingular I can not buy another Cingular product from 3rd party vendor within 90 days after signing off from Cingular. Amazon sent me the product after being approved by Cingular(!) & latter disclosed I have to pay in full without any discount if I want to keep the product. That was very embarrasing & big hassle for me. I have to spent hours & hours with Amazon & Cingular to straighten it up! I wish it never happens to me or anyopne again. Tanks gor asking.

My friend likes the same guy I do, and she wants to ask him out. I'm pretty sure he's going to ask me out, because he was acting really nice around me on Friday--and I was one of the only people he was paying attention to. I've had a feeling that he really likes me since last year. The only problem is: I don't think my friend realizes it, because she didn't know me well last year. If he does ask me out, I don't want to hurt my friend's feelings by saying yes. But I don't want to hurt my own feelings by saying no! (Or his since he's a really good friend.) What should I do?