"We always understood that soldiers traveling on duty were reimbursed by the military for the fees on required excess baggage. However, after recently hearing of the burden the military reimbursement process put on soldiers traveling to war zones, the choice for us to forgo payment for a third checked bag from the Department of Defense was clear," said Tom Del Valle, American's Senior Vice President — Airport Services in a press release.

Consumerist first picked up this story a few weeks ago from a local El Paso paper. In that article, a spokesperson for American Airlines called their policy of waiving the $15 first checked bag fee and the $25 second fee, but not the third $100 fee "very generous as you can see, and intentionally so." Unfortunately, several troops on their way to training before being deployed to Iraq didn't agree.

"I have flown Southwest, Continental, and when they saw me in uniform, they didn't even ask," Staff Sgt. Ashley Serrano told the El Paso Times. "I flew American a couple of times before, but I never had this problem."

Military personnel are supposed to be given vouchers and reimbursement for any baggage fees they incur, but realistically, that wasn't always happening.

American Airlines explains, "The new waiver policy for military personnel begins immediately. American Airlines will work closely with the Department of Defense on issues such as this in the future. "

American Airlines Will Waive Third Excess Bag Fee for Military Personnel (Press Release) [MarketWatch]
(Photo: crazybobcat )

My son recently was deployed to Iraq. His cell phone carrier is Alltel. Prior to leaving for Irag, he cancelled his cell phone coverage before the completion of his 2 year contract commitment. As his father, I telephoned Alltell, explained the situation and asked Alltel to have the $200 early termination fee waived. Alltel explained they only waive the $200 early termination fee if the party is DECEASED.

Mark, check out this post about Alltel's policy for those serving in the military. Even if they refuse to budge on the ETF, they should be able to hold the account in limbo for 18 months without charging any fees.

(Thanks to Mark!)

RELATED
"A Document Alltel Looks At When You Want To Cancel Cellphone Service"

The issue at hand here is Skype's "Carterphone petition" to the FCC. If granted, that would mandate that most cellphones and other handsets be made available to third-party applications, such as (well, duh) Skype.

This particular device was involved in a landmark United States regulatory decision related to telecommunications. The 1968 Federal Communications Commission allowed the Carterfone and other devices to be connected directly to the AT&T network, as long as they did not cause damage to the system. This ruling created the possibility of selling devices that could connect to the phone system and opened up the market to numerous products, including answering machines, fax machines, cordless phones, computer modems and the early, dialup Internet.

Skype on cellphones? Skype, Verizon lobbyists square off [ZDNet]
(Photo: nicolaitan)

"Several stations rejected the spot from Dennis Mitsubishi, which boasts that sales representatives wearing "burqas" - head-to-toe traditional dress for Islamic women - will sell vehicles that can "comfortably seat 12 jihadists in the back."

"We firmly believe the ad does not in any way disrespect any religion or culture, but we feel, I guess, that maybe poking a little fun at radical extremists is fair game," dealership president Keith Dennis said on Saturday. "It was our intention to craft something around some of the buzzwords of the day and give everyone a good chuckle and be a little bit of a tension reliever."

Unfortunately for Keith, the Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations wasn't laughing.

"Using that as a promotional pitch when so many are dying from the criminal activity of suicide bombers, that's not funny," chapter president Asma Mobin-Uddin said. "I don't think it's appropriate when it causes real pain. It exploits or promotes misunderstanding in terms already misunderstood or misused."

Here are a few more choice quotes from the rejected radio spot:

"Our prices are lower than the evildoers' every day. Just ask the pope!"

"Friday is fatwa Friday, with free rubber swords for the kiddies."

Oh dear.

We understand where we were coming from, but we've since read enough reader horror stories to understand that we can't expect a fair shake from any company, and going off to a competitor for lower rates just ends up with you getting reamed with a more alien protuberance. Consumers need to use every tool at their disposal — including lying, cheating and manipulation — to get good service. The days of Geneva Conventions and conscientious objectors when dealing with Corporate America are behind us: we're at war, and if a company isn't willing to give you fair service through diplomatic means, you'd better be ready to open their gullet with your teeth.

Having changed our minds, it's good timing that the Personal Finance Advice Blog has updated their advice on lowering your cable bill through the art of misleading feints and strategic deception. 15 minutes on the phone with a CSR can net you the same amount that $4,500 in a 5% account will earn in a full year. Let's all abandon our morals and just do it: at the very least, calling up and trying to cancel all our monthly bills in pursuit of discounts ought to supply us with prime 'Readers' fodder.

50% Off Cable TV Bill [PFAdvice]
Previously: How To Lower Your Cable Bill And/Or Self Respect

We're pretty sure a threat to the nation's coffee supply is actionable under the War on Terror. Unlike gasoline, it's not like there are any viable alternatives to coffee. What are we supposed to do, drink tea, like some effeminate British ponce?

The Consumerist has a serious question for our nation's politicians: what country do we have to fucking invade to secure caffeine independence from South America's bean-counting tyrants? Sign us up. Brownlee can be one of the Brazilian Coffee Wars' Jason-Bourne-like super soldiers. Popken? We're not so sure. With his 4 Triple F status, Ben would probably make a good filing clerk, except he tends to faint when he gets a paper cut. Does the Army have towel boys?

Coffee supply crisis on horizon for 2007 [Reuters]