Consumer Reports Launches “What the Fee?!” Campaign at Comcast Headquarters

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Consumer Reports Launches “What the Fee?!” Campaign at Comcast Headquarters

Group Delivers More than 100,000 Petition Signatures Calling on Cable Industry to Eliminate Fees

Filed under: Electronics, Policy & Mobilization

Release date 06/28/2018

PHILADELPHIA, PA – Consumer Reports, the nonprofit membership organization, today held an event in Philadelphia outside the corporate headquarters of Comcast. The consumer group delivered more than 100,000 petition signatures calling on the company, and the entire cable industry, to eliminate hidden fees and clearly advertise the full price of their service so that consumers can effectively comparison shop. The event is the launch of Consumer Reports’ “What the Fee?!” campaign, an organization-wide effort to highlight surprising fees and charges across industries—and help consumers fight back.

“With the proliferation of add-on fees, it’s nearly impossible for consumers to find out the full cost of a cable package before they get locked into a contract — and cable companies count on this,” said Jonathan Schwantes, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports. “These confusing, often misleadingly-named charges continue to drive up consumer bills, even if you lock in a promotional rate. That’s why we, along with the more than 100,000 consumers who signed our petition, are calling on Comcast — and the entire cable industry — to do right by their customers and eliminate these hidden fees.”

After asking consumers to share their experiences with add-on fees, Consumer Reports received an overwhelming amount of complaints about the fees imposed by the cable industry, with Comcast’s Xfinity service receiving the most complaints. Additional add-on charges, such as “broadcast TV fees” and “regional sports fees,” are inflating consumers’ cable bills each month, with some of these fees increasing as much as 50 percent per year.

To learn more about the What the Fee?! campaign and share your own experience with fees, visit www.WhatTheFee.com.

PLEASE NOTE: Representatives from Consumers Union, the advocacy division of Consumer Reports, and local consumers will be available for media interviews on Wednesday. To arrange an interview, contact Kara Kelber at (240) 401-7109 (cell) or kara.kelber@consumer.org.

David Butler (202) 462-6262 david.butler@consumer.org

About Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is a nonprofit membership organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. For 80 years, CR has provided evidence-based product testing and ratings, rigorous research, hard-hitting investigative journalism, public education, and steadfast policy action on behalf of consumers’ interests. Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences, CR has exposed landmark public health and safety issues and strives to be a catalyst for pro-consumer changes in the marketplace. From championing responsible auto safety standards, to winning food and water protections, to enhancing healthcare quality, to fighting back against predatory lenders in the financial markets, Consumer Reports has always been on the front lines, raising the voices of consumers.

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