No longer free: Paying for former freebies

Car service -- What service?
Maps for the lost. "Highway maps at gas stations used to be free," says Dave Bertollo, a computer scientist in Orangeburg, N.Y.

Full-service gas stations. You pretty much have to pump your own gas in nearly every state, except New Jersey. That isn't the way it used to be.

"Going to get gas for the car meant somebody would check your oil and clean your windows -- all of 'em. And mirrors," says Spider. "Now you pay extra for 'full service' and that just means some bored person will stand by the gas filler to make sure the tank overflows onto the paint."

Other gas-station freebies are gone, too.

"No windscreen cleaning, oil checking, radiator filling or tire-pressure checking," he says.

Air for the tires. Free air for your flat or water for the overheating radiator was common, according to several older drivers. In fact, they point out that someone usually came out to help -- and that was free, too.

Travel freebies -- gone, like childhood
Free national parks. Dave Bertollo remembers when camping used to be free at our nation's parks. Now, it's waiting lists and escalating costs.

Airport check-in. These days, you're your own check-in agent, says Sue Futrell, who lives and works in Iowa City. "At the airport now you have to print your own tickets, select your own seats, check yourself in ... supposedly more convenient but not when the airline agents are 10 times better at it than you are!" Futrell says.

Travel info -- like your ticket. "Information that used to come to you in the mail now comes in e-mail, so you have to print it out yourself," Futrell says. "None of these services has gone down in price but consumers now do more and more of the work themselves."

Schoolhouse freebies no more
School supplies. Kris Jones, a health economist in Orangeburg, N.Y., remembers free rulers and pencils. No more.

Copies for college students. The cost of copies used to be included in tuition. "Printing and copying at university libraries used to be free," says Brian Martin, who recently graduated from George Washington University in Washington, DC. "It's eight cents a page at GW now."

And at the famed University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, a $12 "copy fee" is tacked on for many courses.

Gym facilities for undergraduates. Despite all the flak about overweight Americans, some colleges now charge students for using the gym.

Financial freebies ... remember when?
Cashing a check. "Banks are supposed to cash checks written by persons who have accounts with them," says Don Baumgart, a writer in Nevada City, Calif. "A free service, right? Wrong.

"A recent story aired by KCRA TV in Sacramento told the story of two workers who don't have checking accounts who take their pay checks to the issuing banks to cash them," Baumgart says. "And they are charged $5 because they are not customers of that particular bank."

Don't get consumers started about stingy banks.

ATM use. "There used to be a state law in Iowa prohibiting ATM fees," says Laura Crossett, an Iowa native who now lives near Chicago. "Obviously, that's a thing of the past. I no longer have an ATM card as a protest."

Your balance. Go to an ATM and try to find out your balance, and you might be charged a buck for the privilege.

Talking to a teller. Yup, that pleasure will sometimes cost you. Skip the conversation and use the window, and it might be free.

Free checking accounts. They're harder and harder to find, though Bankrate.com can still help you out on this one.

Technology freebies ... gone like the gold rush
Telephone info. Remember when you could call the operator -- and get a human operator, not a computer -- to give you a phone number, free of charge?

Free Internet. "NetZero used to provide free Internet service and now they charge; a similar free Internet service is long gone," says Yiyun Li, a writer in Iowa City.

Sometimes, it's still free
Even in this time of rising consumer complaints, great customer service is still free -- if you can find it.

"I'm a bicycle commuter," says Marge Murray, a mathematician. "A couple of weeks back I brought my bike in to have them check an annoying, potentially ominous clacking sound in my bicycle crank. They took me right in, looked at the bike right away, made a couple of adjustments and sent me on my way, gratis.

"It's a curious contrast to how auto service is done these days," she says.

Aaah. Even conversations about freebies turn into conversations about getting milked. The bottom line: Some things are still free, but you've got to search for them.

So walk outside, and look at the sky -- still there, and still free.

Aviya Kushner is based in Iowa City, Iowa.

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