Like most everyone on the planet, I rarely read the fine print. Also like everyone on the planet, I know I should. But, egads, it’s so little and there’s so much of it, plus it’s dry and formal and dull. My eyes roll back in my head at the thought.
In typography, small text is sometimes called mice type. Isn’t that adorable, reminds me of a bug’s ear. It sounds cute and twee, but mice type is as dangerous and foreboding as a dark alley. You’ve no idea what’s hiding in there and really don’t want to fin
d out.
Puny type is in disclaimers, too — those are the annotations at the bottom of a page prefaced by an asterisk. You won’t find good news in disclaimers or in the fine print. Ever. It’s where they hide the gotchas. Information they fear will dissuade us from buying or committing. We know this, yet we ignore the small stuff, the details. We are not a smart bunch.
Although accidents do happen. Being new to Verizon, I found myself stumbling around their website looking for bill payment options. And voilá, I came across this little nugget — in teeny, tiny type, made teenier and tinier by my smartphone screen: ‘To avoid late fees pay your bill 3 days before the due date.’
Uh, what?
Seems outlandish. A due date is a due date, unless the rules have changed. As far as I know, though, if we pay in full on the due date we aren’t late. And no late fees should incur. If Verizon, or any creditor, can’t post payments in a timely fashion, tough noogies. We aren’t obligated to pay for their inefficiency, right? Apparently, they believe we are.
Which makes it official: the world is going to Hell in a hand basket.
* Congratulations, you’re a wise and careful reader. Or bored to tears.
Copyright © 2015 the whirly girl
the whirly girl 
8 responses to “: buried in the fine print* :”
I think Verizon is crazy. But I have both Verizon Wireless and Verizon everything in my home. I have a Verizon business line for land line and internet, they have to service me if my home service goes down within 24 hours. The entire neighborhood could be down, but they have to get my house back up and on line. Do I pay for this? Yes, but it isn’t terrible, I do run my business out of here and work from home a great part of the time so it is worth it. Verizon takes their money, I established the day they take their money, it is the day I wanted. It is past the original day they wanted, tough.
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Verizon told me I can’t change the due date, but that I actually have until the day before the end of my billing cycle. After that, late charges will be applied. I’m not sure if I trust them at their word and hope I won’t have to put it to the test. Your deal sounds very reasonable, since your livelihood is hanging in the balance. I would’ve expected them to make you pay through the nose.
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It isn’t too bad. Bad, but not terrible. Since I don’t love my neighbors though it is fun to have the Verizon truck at my house when the neighborhood is without and I have connections!
That makes it all worth it.
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Well, that kind of in-your-face satisfaction is priceless, really. Don’t tell Verizon or they’ll triple the fee.
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I always pay 2 days in advance of the due date. This allows for bank to vendor transaction time because it take 2 days to process a payment via BPay and other such things.
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That’s such a commendable and mature approach, I bet your creditors love you. Mine would take a hit out on me if it was legal.
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No, never bored to tears
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You’re one lucky dame, kooky. Meetings do it to me every time, until I let my mind wander and start thinking up posts.
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