We dropped a package off today at the ginormous Marriott Orlando World Center. I recalled seeing a TV segment on the opening of the resort in the 1970s when I was a little kid and Walt Disney World opened. The lighted elevators that go up the side of the hotel tower were peak innovation for the day.
We dropped the package, peeked around the hotel a little, and when we got back to the nearly empty parking garage, they wanted to charge us a “daily rate” of $40 for parking! We were only there for 35 minutes – 5 minutes past the “grace period”. There was no one at the garage exit to complain to, so I drove around to the front desk and complained to them. Thankfully, the Marriott staff people were friendly about refunding the money on my credit card.
The situation reminded me of a Reddit thread where people posted the top things they HATED spending money on. Self-service parking is predictably on the list. Here’s the top 15 …
- ATM charges
- Cover charges
- Condiments
- Video game cheats
- Wifi charges
- Self-Service Parking
- Storage garage rent
- Required textbooks
- Checking account fees
- Tips for counter service
- Highway tolls
- Shipping costs
- Bottled water
- Buyer protection insurance
- Lawn service
What would you add to the list?
Image: (c) MrFireSt
MrFireStation 
Paying extra to use a credit card
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Yes! A friend has a restaurant and he charges extra for that. I keep telling him – people hate that!
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16. Garbage fees added to mortgage finances and refinances
17. Having to pay into Social Security that is setup like a Ponzi Scheme with low returns
18. Having to pay Federal Income Taxes on funds that were already paid to Social Security and State and Local Taxes
19. Smog check fees on 45 year old cars
20. Having to pay Real Estate Taxes to fund bad public schools and then having to pay for parochial schools
21. Having to buy a satellite or cable package with a bunch of awful commercial filled channels in order to watch the two or three you like
22. Having to pay for parking at a hotel you are staying at
23. Hotels that add on resort fees
24. Forcing expensive green energy requirements on your electric utility
25. Southern California Edison’s excessive energy delivery charges that exceed the turn-key cost that includes electricity in nearby Nevada, Arizona and Oregon
26. Restaurants that add on a couple percent surcharge above and beyond the menu sticker price to pay for healthcare
27. Garbage excise fees added to overpriced utilities
28. $5 gasoline at rental car agencies
29. Taxpayer funded initiatives to fund services for the homeless that encourages more homeless to move in
30. State mandated excess taxes on guns and ammunition
Andy Rooney would have been great complaining about this sort of list.
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Wow – that’s quite a few more for the list! I can’t think of any I disagree with. A few thoughts:
19. Gov Jesse Ventura got rid of those in Minnesota.
24. They know most people don’t even notice.
26. Comes right out of the servers tip when I see those.
28. It was $8 last time I rented!
I loved Andy Rooney’s observations. I have all of his books.
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Happy New Year Eric,
Not sure what I clicked on my I-pad, but may have accidentally sent an ‘unsubscribe’ to your Fire e-mails. Please ignore if you get an e-mail like that.
Florida condo looks fun, enjoy enjoy. I call Florida ‘America’s playground’, just watch out for the red tide.
Carol
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Happy New Year, Carol! Are you getting away this winter yourself? We’re far from the beach, so no worry of “red tide” (or severe hurricanes) in our area.
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