A couple weeks ago I found myself in need of a very specific product—adult-size saddle shoes—for a very specific purpose—a college football game. Don’t ask questions!

Anyway, I immediately went online and did what any normal person would do. I Googled “saddle shoes.” This led me to a small company which shall remain nameless since that isn’t really the point of this post anyway. I quickly located the shoes on the site, selected the quantity and size, and proceeded to check-out.

When the site gave me a summary of what I was ordering and a breakdown of the costs, I noticed that the shipping costs were not mentioned. Fair enough. I’m sure I’ll find out how much that will cost on the next page. Nope. Nothing! Now I was truly at a crossroads. Do I enter my billing information not knowing exactly what I’m going to be charged? Or do I go to a different site that WILL tell me exactly what I’m being charged?

I’m ashamed to say I blindly moved forward with the ordering process. Normally I wouldn’t have, but I REALLY wanted those shoes. And besides, how much can shipping really cost anyway?

It wasn’t until I received an email receipt that I discovered the total amount charged to my credit card. Lo and behold, the shipping cost almost as much as the shoes, which were not cheap!

I felt cheated. Would I still have purchased the shoes had I know the shipping costs? Most likely. I’m impulsive. I can’t help myself. But to have it sprung on me after the fact did not make me happy in the least. Don’t get me wrong. The company has since delivered a great pair of shoes in a timely manner. I’m still slightly irritated though, so much so that I felt compelled to write about it.

The bottom line is that hidden costs make me angry! Many business owners think it’s a perfectly sneaky way to make extra money. It’s not sustainable though because hidden costs make all customers angry, and angry customers talk. I don’t know if this company intentionally did not reveal its shipping costs. But what I do know is that they did not go the extra mile to be transparent. My advice—lay it all out there for your customers and let them decide if they want to do business with you.

Have a good weekend!

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