So yet another company feels that they have the unconditional right to charge your credit card over and over. They call it the convenience of auto-renewal, when in truth it is customer retention by force. I do not think the auto-renewal feature is bad, providing I am asked if I would like to enable it when I subscribe and I have an easy, convenient way to disable it.

So without my knowledge (probably found in fine print) Globalstar held my credit card info, including my CVV code and was ready to renew me for another year of service. Fortunately I was able to put a bogus expiry date in the billing information section. By entering incorrect information I have saved myself the painful time consuming phone call to Globalstar Customer Service.

Is this not the same as the banned practice of negative billing? Is this not a tactic used by porn sites and other internet based services that border on fraud and often have the term scam associated with them?

I say yes!

Globalstar’s SPOT is for the active outdoor enthusiasts such as hikers, boaters, snowmobilers, pilots, riders, remote workers and travelers. I highly recommend this service, although take caution for undesirable billing practices.

How do companies like Bell, Telus and Rogers continue to justify “System Access Fees”, “System Charges”, “Digital Access Fee”. These fees are purely a way to add gross profit to your services while circumventing any contract you may have that protects your price.

I challenge how you can have Satellite TV service and then suddenly (Jan 1st 2008) add a “Digital Access Fee”. How do you think satellite works, its digital. Always has been. There are actually several undisclosed mandatory fees for Expressvu. On my bill I have Show Magazine for $2.00, a total waste of paper, and the “Digital Service Fee” the latest sham. For some reason I also get a credit for the Show magazine, maybe because my contract or package includes it, not sure.

Then there is hydro and the “Debt retirement charge”. Not only are we paying for a debt that was not our doing, but we are hit with a regulatory charge and GST to boot.

In a world where our cost of living is rising and a unbelievable rate this year, these companies are trying to gain profits by gouging instead of by creating efficiencies, or better yet making their customer happy and gaining more customers.

This is a result of weak marketing skills and short term vision.