New Petition Against Verizon $2 Fee Has More Than 50,000 Signatures

Update: Verizon announced Friday afternoon that it is nixing plans to implement the $2 fee due to customer feedback.

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — If you’re reeling at Verizon Wireless’s  (Stock Quote: VZ) announcement that it will be charging a $2 convenience fee for customers who choose pay individual cellphone bills online or over the telephone, you may want to sign this petition on Change.org.

The petition, which was launched by Verizon customer Molly Katchpole, who also launched a petition against Bank of America’s $5 fee, has thus far collected more than 50,000 signatures to stop the fee’s Jan. 15 implementation.

“Verizon’s plan to force more fees on their customers shows just how out of touch they are,” Katchpole said in a written statement. “There’s a consumer revolution happening online that’s changing the power dynamic between consumers and corporations. We’re watching, we’re acting, and we will successfully challenge bad corporate policies.”

Verizon has said the fee “will help allow us to continue to support these single bill payment options in these channels.” It is offering several payment options that allow consumers to bypass the charge, including paying by electronic check, enrolling in Auto Pay, paying with a Verizon gift card or by mailing a paper check or money order to the remit address on their bill.

Outraged by yet another fee? Check out our roundup of the stupidest fees of 2011.

—Jeanine Skowronski is staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach her by email at Skowronski.jeanine@thestreet.com, or follow her on Twitter at @JeanineSko.