If you look at the photo attached to this blog, you’ll see a typical COVID-related fee charged by a restaurant.
That, I think, is pretty defensible. It’s small and it covers increased costs due to the pandemic for restaurants that are just struggling to survive.
If you call ahead and ask, restaurants will tell you if they are charging this kind of fee and you can decide if you want to pay it.
No harm, no foul.
But there are some other surcharges that are bordering on gouging.
I was contacted by a Burnaby resident who supplied me with messages exchanged with a person they had hired back in January of this year to do some small renovations around the house.
The Burnaby resident wanted to hire this same person because they were affordable and did quality work.
In January, the cost was $320. In July, the cost to do pretty much the exact same work (some caulking, painting, light repairs) for a similar time frame was $900.
The person who contacted me shared the messages and they asked why the difference is the time worked was nearly the same.
“Because of COVID-19,” the worker responded. “There are increased risks.”
I agree, there are increased risks, but are those increased risks worth nearly $900? With masks and a plan to ensure physical distancing in the home in question, those risks are mitigated.
I’m trying to be delicate here because, of course, it’s not me being asked to go into a stranger’s home to do this work. But it does feel like an increase that is out of line. I expect a surcharge for this work, but that much?
What do you think? I’d love to hear your feedback and stories about if you’ve experienced the same thing.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
