INDIANAPOLIS — Junk fees can cost us a lot of money on purchases ranging from concert tickets to vacation rentals.
What starts out as one price can quickly escalate by the time checkout comes around.
That is why in October 2023, the Federal Trade Commission announced a new proposed rule to prohibit them.
Now, the FTC wants the public to weigh in via comment by Wednesday, Feb. 7. The deadline reflects an extension.
The agency, which describes junk fees as hidden and bogus, said the charges can harm consumers and undercut honest businesses. Their estimates found the harm is tens of billions of dollars per year.
If you want to be included in public comments, the FTC said step one is reading its proposal. While it is 66 pages, there is an overview available toward the top.
Bullet points include live ticket fees, grocery app fees and home rental fees, saying consumers cannot reasonably avoid these.
When you're done reviewing the proposal you can head to the Regulations page to submit your comment. It is the green box on the upper right hand portion of the page.
The FTC said while they welcome studies and research, they also want practical perspectives about how these fees impact your finances or your business' finances.
An agency spokesperson said there is no timeline for reviewing comments and that it depends how long it takes staff to review them and draft of the next proposed version of the rule.
To date, site shows they have received more than 60,000 comments.