What will happen if we don't pay Regulatory charge and Federal Universal Service charge from my phone bill?

Question

The phone bill says Not paying Regulatory charge and Federal Universal Service Fund will not result in disconnection. For example http://sprint.com/taxesandfees states "Regulatory Charge is not a tax and is not an amount we are required to collect from you by law". What are the consequences if I don't pay that part of my phone(landline/cell) bill?

If they are not required to collect why should I pay?

I'm just curious that's all. Thanks for all answers.

Answer 1

When it says "Regulatory Charge is not a tax and is not an amount we are required to collect from you by law" They mean "The law doesn't make us charge you, we charge you on our own... we are jerks like that" If you refuse to pay ANY portion of your bill you MUST dispute it with them. If you just don't pay it then it is like you're not paying a portion of your bill.... Here, check the terms & conditions on the link below.  Scroll down to the bottom of "2008 General Terms and Conditions - part 3" (it's about 2/3 down).... The bill states they wont disconnect you for not paying those fees then dispute it... BUT, it is in the T&C's that you are agreeing to pay them so it's a toss up... They could also cut most of your service down to bare minimum which techinically wouldn't be disconnecting you... Just my input..

Answer 2

Very good question, unfortunately I don't have an answer for that, but I certainly agree that we shouldn't have to pay all those made up fees & taxes that they tack on.

When you sign up for Service, they tell you your plan will be say $49.95/ month.   But what they actually mean is that it will be more like $60.95/month or more depending on how many calls you make.   I'm so sick of all the tack on fees and hidden charges!   Ticketmaster is another company that scams consumers with tacked on BS Fees.  Why don't they just tell you the tickets are $75 instead of saying they are $60??