From Holly Springs, GA:
The surging price of gasoline has come to this: a "fuel surcharge" on your next speeding ticket.
Drivers caught speeding in this north Atlanta suburb soon will have to pay an extra $12 — to cover $4-a-gallon gas costs for the police officers who stop them.
According to the article, the increase in gas had eaten up 60% of the gas budget already. This is just another example of poor management blaming their inability to manage on "unforeseen" circumstances. Like nobody could tell that gas prices were continuing to rise last year.
Of course, surcharges and fees can backfire. Consider the case of hotel phone surcharges in the current age of the cell phone:
To compensate for the loss of revenue caused by widespread cell phone use, some hotels are adding a "phone use fee" to guest room bills. That fee is applied automatically whenever a room phone is activated -- even if it is never used or used only to call the front desk.
And the lengths to which customers (this would include me) go to avoid using the phone:
Clever guests can often find a way to circumvent such charges. Bringing a laptop to a lounge or lobby, or connecting to a wireless router from a nearby source (such as a neighboring hotel).... Although cell phone reception is often spotty in high-rise hotels, it is relatively simple to find a nearby location -- such as a pool deck or open-air patio -- with better service.
I wonder how long until a lawyer gets his client off by challenging the surcharge.