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Verizon Scraps Plan To Charge $2 Bill Pay 'Convenience' Fee

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - After a customer backlash, Verizon Wireless is dropping a plan to start charging $2 for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit cards.

Verizon Wireless, the country's largest cellphone company, announced Thursday that they would be introducing a $2 fee for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit cards.

In a statement on its website Friday, Verizon said "customer feedback'' prompted the decision to drop the "convenience fee'' it wanted to introduce on Jan. 15.

The fee came under scrutiny of the The Federal Communications Commission. "On behalf of American consumers, we're concerned about Verizon's actions and are looking into the matter," the FCC told the New York Times.

Earlier, the company said the fee wouldn't apply to electronic check payments or to automatic credit card payments set up through Verizon's AutoPay system.

Customers were outraged over the new fee. Many Twitter users have tweeted about their fee anger, calling it a "greedy $2 fee." Some say they'll pay by check hoping to increase the company's costs.

A petition on Change.org against the fees had gathered more than 57,000 names on Friday afternoon.

One Verizon customer told CBSNewYork.com "Let's all pay our bills at the stores with bags of change and see how 'convenient' that is for them."

AT&T Inc. offers a $10 gift card for those who set up AutoPay. Sprint Nextel Corp. charges subscribers who have caps on the fees they can rack up each month. Those people are charged $5 monthly unless they set up autopay.

Verizon's landline division tried to implement a $3.50 fee for credit card payments last year, but backed down after complaints.

What do you think of the imposed fee? Sound off below

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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