If you live in a rural area, you may be paying more for services -- that's what a Fremont business owner says, after he discovered extra charges on his FedEx bill.

Chad Korytkowski, owner of Tru Fit Birkenstock, gets multiple deliveries a week from footwear companies. Each time, there is an extra, 'rural delivery' charge and Korytkowski says it adds up quickly, leaving him to pay $500 to $1,000 on busy months.

Korytkowski bought the store in 2011, but it wasn't until 2014 that he noticed a $2.45 extra charge on each package, "I understand fuel surcharge and taxes, but I did not understand the DAS Comm charge."

The DAS Comm charge stands for Delivery Area Surcharge. FedEx created a list of zip codes that it considers rural and Fremont is on the list, however several smaller communities like Newaygo, Hesperia, and Brunswick are not.

WZZM 13 also discovered Gerber-Nestle, which has its own zip code and is a mile away is not on the list.

"It doesn't make any sense that a zip code in a middle of a zip code, shouldn't get charged", says Korytkowski. He thinks other businesses are likely being charged and they don't even know it, “As a small business, mom and pop, brick and mortar business, dollars count. And shipping is a big part of that expense."

FedEx told WZZM 13 that it would look into the issue. But, in the end, gave us this statement:

A delivery area surcharge will apply to shipments in select ZIP codes listed in the FedEx Service Guide. FedEx does not disclose shipping agreements with our customers.

FedEx would not explain why some rural zip codes are charged and others are not.

