Cruise lines, airlines, shipping, small business, etc... Companies seem a little slow to remove the surcharges.
IMO - they should be removed as quickly as they were added.
There is a bit of industry collusion that goes on even if it is not formally negotiated between competitors.
I simply do not understand why so many people are in such denial that most markets are relatively free markets.
Small businesses in collusion? It doesn't really make sense does it? In this slow economy, businesses are fighting for customers. If they can afford to attract more customers through a lower price, they will.
Occam's Razor.
Another thing I don't understand is comments like "
they should be removed as quickly as they were added." What does that mean exactly - how would this happen? I think a company should be free to set any price they want, and customers should be free to vote with their wallets. And, except for oligopolies, we do. What's the problem?
And, what would be the "antidote"? Seems to me, if every company was going to raise and lower their surcharges in unison, *that* would entail collusion, no? Or, we could have the govt set fuel surcharges for each and every industry, including the guy that cuts my neighbors lawn. And monitor it to make sure they all comply with the law. Oh, and then they would need to apply some complex formula for those companies that bought fuel on contract. Is that efficient use of taxpayer money? Like the pencil story illustrated, free markets mostly handle all this on their own, quite well, thank you.
Seems the "solutions" are worse than the problem. Further - is there even a "problem". You gave your impression, and others countered with the opposite view that they were being dropped. So that is not even known.
-ERD50