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I often take guided tours in places where I’ve never been. It’s annoying when you’re taken to a souvenir store and forced to wait for everyone in your group to finish shopping.

It’s an unspoken truth that tour guides get a commission on everything sold in shops where they direct customers. But the truth is getting out. I saw a sign in a market warning that guides earned 30 to 35 per cent of the price paid in some stores. “Shop on your own,” it said.

How would truth in labelling work for companies I write about in this blog? Let’s think about what Enbridge, for example, would say about its budget billing plan.

* We can set your monthly instalment payments too low ..read more

You’re dying to go to Paul McCartney’s concert in Toronto on Aug. 8 and 9, but the seats you want are sold out. So you try the resale market for tickets.

You find an ad on Craigslist for four tickets at $150 each. That’s a great price, you think. The seller is a flight attendant for British Air, who had a last-minute schedule change and can’t get to the concert after all.

You check her out and decide to go ahead. But the tickets never arrive in Canada, even though you’re given a tracking number with the Brirish Royal Mail.

Barb’s story, which you can read below, shows how easy it is to get swindled by a stranger with a good story. In future, Barb says, she’ll heed ..read more

Edward Carson has a Telus Mobility account. He’s not happy that he has to pay $2, starting in September, to get paper bills delivered by mail.

Most other wireless carriers already charge for paper bills, says Jim Johannsson, director of media relations at Telus. Get with the program.

The paperless revolution has been slow to arrive. But it may accelerate if more companies decide to bill customers a few dollars apiece for old-fashioned hard copies.

Telus is not pocketing the $2 charge, but is donating it to charity. Fido does the same. But shouldn’t they give customers an incentive to go paperless? How about a discount arising from their cost savings?

Read the conversation below between Carson and Johannsson. Then, share your views.

Utilities are not known for great customer service. Since their prices are regulated, they’re always trying to cut costs.

Enbridge, a gas utility in Ontario, gets many complaints about recurring billing errors and difficulties in getting them corrected. I talk to their executives on a regular basis.

But the temperature is soaring this month because Enbridge bungled its budget billing plan (BBP), a popular option that lets you divide your payments into equal amounts throughout the year.

As I said in a recent column, Enbridge makes adjustments each July to account for lowball estimates. In most years, customers have a credit balance or only a small debit to pay in July.

This year, Enbridge set the amounts too low. It has a message here that admits to making the ..read more

Added fees are getting out of control. I’m tired ot seeing large companie advertise one price to lure you in and then jack it up with a multitude of extra costs.

My CBC radio commentary on this topic attracted lots of comment. I referred to a study by the Public Interest Advocacy Group, calling for new consumer laws to curb the misleading practice.

One outcome is a loss of faith among the buying public. How can you trust lowball prices that don’t reflect what you’ll pay down the road when you get the bill?

Advertised airline fares are a big offender, as are cellphone plans. Utility bills have transportation and delivery charges, customer charges and debt retirement charges added to the commodity price.

And let’s not forget ..read more