You Call This Convenient?

Last night, caught firmly in the grip of insomnia, I decided to pay my massive (and overdue) gas bill. So I got on the computer, went to the gas company's site and paid via the handy-dandy Visa card. In addition to the mind-boggling amount of money I paid for the privilege of not freezing to death in December and January, I was also charged a $4.50 "convenience fee", for paying online with a credit card. A "convenience fee". Convenient for whom exactly? Convenient for them no doubt because they now have a little bit more of my money. I'm sorry, but I simply cannot believe that a credit card transaction is that much more expensive for them to process than a check. I realize that they are charged a fee for these transactions by the credit card companies, but it sure as hell isn't $4.50. Excuse me Missouri Gas Energy, but I think you could probably cover the credit card processing fees of all of your customers by redirecting a fraction of a percent of your CEO's pay. I mean, don't we pay you enough already? The convenience fee is bullshit. Of course, MGE is not the worst offender in this area. I submit for your consideration Time Warner Cable, a company that charges you $5 to transact any business in one of their offices. That's right, if you want to walk in and pay your bill at a counter, it costs you five extra dollars. There ought to be a law. (No really, there ought to be a law-- don't get me started on deregulation I could talk for hours.) I'll stop now, before I get off on one of my political rants that bore everyone so terribly. Officially relinquishing the soapbox....