1
contracts
contracts
Until You've Got It In Writing, You've Got Nothing
By Phil Villarreal on November 23, 2011 9:00 AM
51 Comments
No matter how skilled a negotiator you are or how pleased you are with your results, you can't expect an agreement to hold up unless you've got it in writing. This goes for job offers, sales agreements, financing and leases. More »
How To Say No To Arbitration With Your Cable Company
By Ben Popken on October 12, 2011 10:00 AM
27 Comments
Here's something neat. Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cablevision/Optimum actually let customers opt out of arbitration when they sign up. If you don't want to give up your right to personally sue them in a court of law and be forced into a kangaroo court overseen by a judge whose fees are paid for by the company you're suing, Cablevision will let you. The caveat is that you have to tell them within 30 days of signing your contract. Here's the links and relevant contract language to opt-out: More »
Despite Their Protests, Airlines Are Indeed Liable For Lost Luggage
By Ben Popken on September 20, 2011 1:00 PM
37 Comments
Many airlines have inserted "checked baggage limitations of liability" into their contracts which try to act like it's not their fault if jewelry or gadgets somehow go missing during transit from your luggage. They're bunkum. More »
Restaurant Requires You To Sign Contract Forbidding Use Of Phones & Cameras
By Chris Morran on August 15, 2011 12:30 PM
139 Comments
The biggest hassle of dining at a buzzed-about restaurant is usually just trying to score a reservation. But one eatery in Washington, D.C., is going the extra step and requiring diners to fill out and sign a two-page contract that covers everything from its cancellation policy to cell phone use. More »
Recession Turns Homeowner Association Fights Brutal
By Ben Popken on July 13, 2011 10:00 AM
110 Comments
Florida is full of condo complexes run by homeowner's associations. After you've bought and paid for your condo, all you have to do is pay the monthly maintenance fees and you get trim lawns, a snappy billiards room, and a clean shuffleboard area. But as the economy stews in its own juices, the AP reports, some seniors living on a fixed income are having trouble making these monthly payments - and no wonder, with special assessments of $6,000 - and are getting foreclosed on by their own neighbors for as little as being 60 days past due on their fees. Some of them have also stopped making payments in protest over things like the rats, and the sewage raining on their head: More »
(tellumo)
Canceling Verizon Without ETF Over Fee Increase Is Hard But Doable
By Ben Popken on June 29, 2011 2:00 PM
134 Comments
Some readers have tried out the info from yesterday about using an increased regulatory fee Verizon is charging to get out of contract without paying an early termination fee (ETF). The most successful so far was commenter doogz, who got his ETF cut in half. Here is his story: More »
New Fee Is Your Chance To Break Verizon Contract Without Paying Early Termination Fee
By Ben Popken on June 28, 2011 4:00 PM
128 Comments
It's possible to break out of your Verizon Wireless contract in the next 60 days without paying an early termination fee because they're increasing the "regulatory fee" they charge customers from $.13 to $.16. This is what is known as a "materially adverse change of contract" and by standard contract law, it renders the contract void if one of the parties doesn't like the change. More »
Richard Dreyfuss Does Dramatic Reading Of iTunes EULA
By Ben Popken on June 9, 2011 2:00 PM
32 Comments
Most of us just blindly click "I ACCEPT" when presented with those user license agreements when we install software. I think I would pay a lot more attention if they were all give dramatic readings, like this one actor Richard Dreyfuss did of the Apple iTunes EULA. More »
Get Cash In LA Fitness Class Action Settlement
By Ben Popken on June 9, 2011 10:00 AM
11 Comments
Gyms are notorious for not letting people get out of their membership contract and making it difficult to cancel. Now a settlement has been proposed in the class action lawsuit against LA Fitness for making customers pay a fee to end their contracts before the contract term was up. More »
(Ninja M.)
Replace A Damaged Cellphone For Cheap
By Ben Popken on June 3, 2011 5:00 PM
60 Comments
Rats. You just threw your phone across the room in a rage and now it's broken. Once you regain control of your temper you decide to see about getting it repaired and find out it will almost cost as much as the phone to get it fixed. Either that, or you have to pay the full unsubsidized price to replace it because you're not eligible for an upgrade. Turns out, as pointed out by the company insiders posting over at Insidr.net, a better idea is to call up customer customer service and ask them nicely to move your upgrade forward. More »
Understand Common Contract Terms So You Don't Get Screwed
By Ben Popken on February 17, 2011 11:00 AM
15 Comments
There's a bunch of terms and provisions that keep showing up in the contracts you sign throughout life, but do you know what they mean? Who exactly are these "Heirs, Successors, and Assigns" coming over for the contract party? Do they have dietary restrictions? What is "separability?" Will it hurt? Well, we'll tell ya! More »
Gym Guards Beat Man To Pulp When He Tried To Cancel
By Ben Popken on January 12, 2011 4:00 PM
109 Comments
A computer programmer who has been trying to cancel his gym membership since August says two gym security guards jumped him and pulverized his face when he wouldn't back down from his cancellation request. More »
Comcast May Not Have Rights To Stream TV To Tablets
By Marc Perton on January 12, 2011 3:00 PM
28 Comments
Comcast is working furiously to get its programming onto iPads and other tablet computers, even cutting deals with hardware providers like Samsung. But there's just one little problem: the company may not have the rights to stream shows without first negotiating with the companies that own them. More »
Repo Man Cometh For Furnace
By Ben Popken on January 5, 2011 3:00 PM
66 Comments
Repossessing a car or mobile home is one thing, but a furnace? More »
DirecTV To Raise Rates Feb. 1 -- Can I Get Out?
By Phil Villarreal on January 3, 2011 1:20 PM
62 Comments
Chris wants out of his DirecTV contract, and hopes that the upcoming rate increase (PDF link) will let him run free. More »
Monitored Alarm System Won't Stop Break-Ins, Company Won't Let Me Out Of Contract
By Phil Villarreal on December 17, 2010 4:00 PM
118 Comments
Jules says ADT's alarm system isn't responding to repeated break-ins at his aunt's property. She wants out of her 3-year contract, but can't get the company to let her off the hook. More »
Man Forced To Eat Own Beard In Botched Lawnmower Sale
By Ben Popken on November 12, 2010 10:00 AM
69 Comments
Two men are being sentenced for cutting off another man's beard and demanding at knife and gunpoint that he eat it because they thought he was cheating them in a used lawnmower sale. More »
(billaday)
Tmobile Throttles Unlimited Data Plans, Forbids Tethering
By Ben Popken on October 22, 2010 4:00 PM
158 Comments
Tmobile is going after technically inclined customers who use their cellphones as a cheap wireless modem with a two-pronged approach. More »
Nobody Actually Reads Terms Of Service
By Ben Popken on September 14, 2010 3:00 PM
55 Comments
Let's be honest. More »
7 Clauses To Beware Of In Your Cruise Contract
By Ben Popken on August 23, 2010 11:00 AM
53 Comments
Cruise line contracts are drafted by the company's lawyers and contain nothing in the way of consumer protection. For instance, if you get sick and the ship's doctor treats you and you die, your family can't sue the cruise line for malpractice. More »
