The $15 sneaky clause that took me 5 hours to find

I was reviewing a sub contract for a small bathroom reno in Portland and something felt off. Turns out the payment schedule buried a 15% processing fee if I paid early, which is basically a penalty for being on time. It took me 5 hours of reading through 12 pages of fine print in my truck before I spotted it. Has anyone else run into hidden fee clauses that were practically invisible?

3 comments

3 Comments

kelly_rivera14d ago

Man, that is infuriating but totally believable. Found something similar in a contract for a fence install last year. Right there in the middle of a paragraph about "early settlement discounts" they tucked in a 3% fee if you paid within 10 days. Ended up calling the guy out on it and he said it was standard practice in the industry. Your mileage may vary but I now read every single line out loud before signing anything. Makes me wonder how many folks just skim and get burned by these hidden landmines.

kim_mason5514d ago

Started doing the same thing after a contractor tried to slip a "convenience fee" into our deck project contract. It was buried in a section about payment schedules and actually said I'd pay an extra 5% if I used a credit card. I called them on it too and they pulled the same line about it being standard. Now I bring a highlighter with me to any contract signing and mark every number and percentage I find. That way nothing gets missed no matter how small the print is. It takes an extra 15 minutes but has saved me from three different junk fees so far. Just wish more folks knew to slow down and look for these tricks.

paige_bell8114d ago

@kelly_rivera my dad got hit with a $400 fee like that once.