NEW Check Out Fee may cost you 3% bill just passed

If you were not aware of this, Yesterday marked the 1st day, for companies to start charging a "check out" tax, they can legally charge 3% to any amount if you choose to pay with a credit card, this isa fee merchants get charged by the credit card companies and can now be passed on to the consumer. WE WILL NOT BE DOING THIS AT AUTUMN AIR. We feel as if this is the cost of doing business and willnot be adding to our prices. This is valid in ALL but 10 states. Here is the excerpt:

Sunday was the first day you as a consumer could start paying an extra fee just for using your credit card. This is called the check out fee. Credit card companies and retail stores pay for this swipe fee, but now they're trying to pass it along to the customer.

Everyone 5 News spoke with Sunday wasn't too happy about this possibility. But don't panic just yet. Even though it kicked off Sunday it doesn't mean its going to go into affect right away even though it will eventually. And ten states have actually banned this practice but unfortunately our mountain state isn't one of them.

"It can be beneficial if a lot of your sales are credit card sales. If most of your sales are credit card sales it can be beneficial to a
company. But it also can hurt consumers. I'm a consumer and if I go some place and have to pay the fees then it's coming out of my pocket too so I don't know. Either way it can help or hurt," said Steven Campbell, Business Man & Consumer.

Even though some are conflicted on the idea, others seem to be confident that it's not a great idea since customers are the most important part of a business.

"I think customer service is key in any business. Any time customers feel that you're not being fair or honest. it's going to affect the bottom line in the end. Maybe not in the short term," said Nazmun Saikat, Employee & Consumer.

Next time you go shopping and decide to use your credit card, you might want to think twice and get cash out of the ATM instead.

"I don't have a credit card so it doesn't really affect me. I have a debit card and just carry cash on me. I just use cash, " said Eric Davis, Wood County Resident.

This sub-charge is supposed to equal the actual cost of processing the credit card transaction, which is typically 1.5% - 3%.

"Well that's significant. That's just like our state tax if it goes down, we would like to see it go down," said Campbell.

These fees are likely to be seen in smaller retailers. Target's employee Coleman Munoz from Human Resources told 5 News that as of now, Target is not going to add this fee. He continued that he isn't sure if other big corporations will or will not, but that they probably won't.

Be on the look out for this extra charge the next time you decide to use your Master or Visa Credit Cards.

Just as we suspected, the Price of R-22 has risen again, in the past 365 days the cost of R22 refrigerant has risen approx. 150% If you go back just ten years ago it has risen in price 750%. It is not turning back at this point, what most folks dont know or realize is that "Freon" has been on the way out since 1993. They originally had set it to be finished by 2020, however that changed last year, and thus a significant spike in price.

Taken from EPA website.

The Clean Air Act does not allow any refrigerant to be vented into the atmosphere during installation, service, or retirement of equipment. Therefore, R-22 must be recovered and recycled (for reuse in the same system), reclaimed (reprocessed to the same purity standard as new R-22), or destroyed. After 2020, the servicing of R-22-based systems will rely solely on recycled or reclaimed refrigerants. It is expected that reclamation and recycling will ensure that existing supplies of R-22 will last longer and be available to service a greater number of systems. As noted above, chemical manufacturers will no longer be able to produce, and companies will no longer be able to import, R-22 for use in new A/C equipment after 2010,* but they can continue production and import of R-22 until 2020 for use in servicing existing equipment. Given this schedule, which was established in 1993, the transition away from R-22 to the use of ozone-friendly refrigerants should be smooth. For the next 10 years or more, R-22 should continue to be available for all systems that require R-22 for servicing.


With 2015 just around the corner, we have accelerated the depletion, contractors are scrambling to get as much as they can afford, theft has been dramatically increased, much like copper theft in previous years. Homeowners in the know, are replacing their old outdated systems today and not waiting for the pitfall yet to come. Some homeowners, have recenty updated their systems only to find out they never upgraded and are still using R22. 

Have any questions? Contact Joshua at Autumn Air (602)266-5247