COVID surcharges on customer bills – new reality? - Polish

WEB - Goniec - Toronto, 24/05/2020 - NEWS, Polish

Image Source: Goniec website 

Translation Summary: Katarzyna Nowosielska - As businesses have suffered a lot in recent months, Canadians should prepare for the possibility of having a new rate added to their bill: a COVID-19 supplement. Jonathan Alward of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) says that his group members will have to be passing on some of the additional costs (cost of personal protective equipment, sanitizer products, the extra staff hours it takes to make sure businesses are following all the protocols) to consumers. Alward emphasizes that businesses do not want to transfer costs to customers, but at this point they often find themselves in such a desperate situation that they have no other choice. University of Toronto marketing expert David Soberman emphasizes the importance of transparency – the customer must know upfront that COVID-19 fees will be applied to the bill, and they should be aware of what the actual amount will be before deciding on the service or purchase.