When putting your belongings in the hands of an airline, you’re taking the risk that those items might not make it to your desired destination – just ask Alaska Airlines’ CEO. Still, what are the chances that the same airline would lose your gear not once, but twice? [More]
policies
Instagram Updates Community Standards To Clarify Rules On Porn, Harassment
By 4.17.15
So far in 2015, some of the top social media and blogger platform companies have made changes to their content policies. While Facebook clarified its approach to complaints about supposedly offensive posts, Google went back-and-forth on its content policy regarding sexually explicit or graphic nudity on its Blogger platform. Now, Instagram is getting in on the action by adding details to rules governing user conduct and what is deemed appropriate content on the photo sharing site. [More]
Target Introduces Extended One-Year Return Policy
By 3.18.15
While 90 days might seem like enough time to decide whether or not those sheets really match your bedroom decor, Target seems to think you might want to think on it a bit longer than that: The company announced today that it will offer customers a one-year return window for select items.
[More]
American Airlines Refused To Refund Ticket After Fourth-Grader’s Death
By 3.11.15
Following the death of their young daughter, an Illinois family couldn’t bear the thought of following through with a long-planned spring break trip, so they asked American Airlines to refund the ticket purchased in their daughter’s name. While airlines have varying policies regarding refunds and deaths, the family says they were shocked when the airline refused the refund. [More]
Southwest Says Man Didn’t Show Up For Flight, Cancels Ticket While He’s On The Plane
By 3.9.15
When a passenger doesn’t show up for the first leg of their flight, airlines typically cancel the trip at the cost of the traveler. That seems to have been the case for a Michigan man, who says that when Southwest Airlines canceled his ticket for being a no-show, he was on the very flight the airline accused him of missing [More]
3M Vows To Avoid Using Paper Sources That Come From Threatened Forests
By 3.6.15
Manufacturing company 3M announced a policy change today that aims to ensure its pulp and paper suppliers are doing their best to preserve the environment by only providing materials from protected forests. [More]
Man Sues Costco For $670,000 After Receipt-Checking Incident Leaves Him With A Broken Leg
By 9.23.14
Over the years we’ve told you about all kinds of crazy situations – from pepper-sprayed employees to arrested customers – that arose when a consumer refused to show their receipt when leaving stores like Sam’s Club and Best Buy. Now a man in Oregon is suing Costco for $670,000, claiming that a receipt-checking dispute left him with a broken leg. [More]
Court Mulls Whether Walmart Workers’ Right To Self-Defense Trumps Store’s De-Escalation Policy
By 9.4.14
The first instinct for most people when being attacked is to defend themselves. But a group of Walmart workers say their right to self-defense ended up getting them fired. Now the Utah’s highest court is considering whether store policies trump employees’ right to defend themselves. [More]
Sorry, Being Dead Isn’t A Good Enough Excuse For A Refund From Allegiant Air
By 3.4.14
A man in Washington state who had planned to spend his birthday this year at Disneyland instead got to spend it planning a funeral. What a crappy exchange. He had to cancel a planned trip to Disneyland because his wife suddenly became ill and died around Christmas. Allegiant Air should have no problem refunding round-trip tickets when one of the passengers died before the flight, right? Nope. [More]
AA Cancels Flight, Leaves Seniors En Route To Wedding To Fend For Themselves
By 7.13.11
Two days before they were to fly to Arkansas for a family wedding and reunion, American Airlines canceled the flight of five seniors, reports CBS Sacramento. They were handed back the frequent flyer miles they had used to buy the tickets, miles they spent years racking up, and told to find another flight on another airline. The only way to do it was for each of them to buy a $1083.40 last-minute ticket. They feel AA should have found them another flight or should reimburse them for the tickets, but according to both law and policy, they have no recourse. [More]
Target, RiteAid, And Publix Change Policies To Cripple Extreme Couponers
By 7.5.11
In the past few weeks, three big stores have changed their coupon policies in ways to curb some of the more lucrative coupon tactics. It appears to be fallout over noob extreme couponers inspired by the TLC show Extreme Couponing, who are ruining the game for everyone else. [More]
Citibank Pledges To Pay Small Checks First, Minimizing Overdraft Fees
By 4.5.11
Overdraft fees may be devious mechanisms that suck funds out of the customers who can least afford them, but their administration doesn’t have to be downright evil. [More]
UPS Refuses To Listen To UPS, Won't Release Package To Authorized Person
By 10.1.10
What is the standard for a UPS store pickup center to release a package to someone who is not the addressee? Ace writes that apparently, one needs more than a signed note authorizing the pickup and an order from a UPS call center. What should have been a routine package pickup turned into a bizarre slap-fight. [More]
Hobby Lobby To Couple: Only Women Can Carry Bags
By 9.15.10
A Hobby Lobby employee asked Joe to leave his Maxpedition Versipack–I was going to call it a man purse, but it’s so aggressively utilitarian that I think it gets a pass–at the front counter before he shopped in the store. That’s unfriendly but not that weird, considering the loss-prevention strategies some stores use. However, they let his wife continue with the exact same bag attached to her hip, I guess because women can’t steal. [More]
Calorie Count Rules Coming To Theaters, Airplanes, Convenience Stores, Supermarket Food Courts
By 8.31.10
The FDA says the law that requires restaurant chains with more than 20 locations to post calorie counts also applies to other types of businesses, reports the Wall Street Journal. Specifically, movie theaters, airplanes, trains, food courts in grocery stores, and convenience stores are all considered chains and will soon have to start following the law. The agency hasn’t made up its mind yet whether things like salad bars in grocery stores will have to fall in line. The FDA will announce official guidelines in December. [More]
Goodwill Fires Worker With Down Syndrome After His Mother Buys Him A $3 Shirt
By 7.31.10
The Goodwill in Washington Iowa fired a thirty-year-old employee with Down syndrome after his mother bought him a $3 shirt. Goodwill initially refused to sell the shirt because of a policy banning employees from making purchases on days they were working. Another employee intervened and approved the sale after the employee’s mother explained both that she was a family member and not an employee, and that the employee with Down syndrome had no interest in buying clothes. When the employee reported to work the next day, he was fired. [More]
Facebook Announces Simplified Privacy Settings
By 5.26.10
Faced with a steady stream of criticism from users, privacy advocates, and more recently members of the government, Facebook has announced today that they’re simplifying how privacy settings work on the site. The WSJ is liveblogging Facebook’s conference call right now. CNET’s coverage is coming in faster, though, and offers more detail. Below is a quick summary of what Facebook is changing. [More]
Apple Bans Man From Ever Buying Another iPad
By 4.19.10
Apple has banned a blogger from buying any more iPads. Ever. Like, for the rest of his life, he is not allowed to buy a single one. He will die an old man, still clutching the same iPad, forbidden from ever upgrading. Porkay? [More]
