Like companies in just about every industry, the ride-hailing app Uber requires users to agree that they will take any disputes to an arbitrator rather than the legal system. And although you may never have noticed this clause, a federal appeals court has now ruled that customers receive “reasonably conspicuous” notice about the arbitration requirement. [More]
terms and conditions
5 Questions To Ask Before Using A Peer-To-Peer Mobile Payment App
By 8.2.17
It’s never been easier to split the bill with your friends — from “Venmo-ing” $20 for a birthday gift or Facebook messaging $12 for your share of last night’s pizza. But brand new peer-to-peer (P2P) payment systems backed by big players, including established banks, are hitting app stores this year. Apple plans to debut its own P2P app this fall, while the big banks are banding together for a product called Zelle. With so many competing services, how will you decide which system (if any) to use? [More]
Customers Say Time Warner Cable Failing To Honor $300 Gift Card Promo Deal
By 4.14.16
Dangling a free prepaid gift card in front of folks’ faces is a time-honored method of getting people to switch services. But a number of cable customers who switched to Time Warner Cable because of the promise of a $300 gift card say the pay-TV provider has yet to make good on the promotion.
[More]
User Agreement For Amazon Game Engine Includes Zombie Apocalypse Clause
By 2.11.16
No one wants to — and virtually no one does — read the lengthy, legalese-filled user agreements. But for those who do choose to plow through the mouseprint, Amazon has left an amusing zombie-flavored treat in one of its contracts. [More]
VTech’s Latest User Agreement Lets Company Skirt Liability For Future Hacks
By 2.9.16
Last year, a data breach of VTech’s Learning Lodge app store exposed personal information for millions of parents and children. While the company claims to have improved its security to prevent future hacks, it also looks like VTech has given itself a way out of liability for anything bad that might happen. [More]
Snapchat Clarifies Privacy Policy Change, Promises It Doesn’t Store Photos Or Messages
By 11.2.15
Once again a company has taken steps to clarify its privacy policy after recent changes caused confusion and worry for its customers. Over the weekend, Snapchat reassured users that their information and photos are private, and always will be. [More]
New Spotify Privacy Policy Aims To Provide “Plain Language” Explanation For Collected Data
By 9.4.15
Just weeks after Spotify ticked off many of its 75 million active users with an updated, potentially invasive privacy policy, the music streaming service has once again revamped the terms, this time including an introduction that provides clear reasoning and examples of data collected. [More]
Should Uber Be Responsible If A Driver Attacks A Passenger?
By 10.8.14
When you think about things that could go wrong while paying an amateur cabdriver to drive you around, there aren’t a lot of possibilities. Maybe there could be a car crash, you could be bitten by a spider in the car, or the driver might grope you. One problem you may not have anticipated: the driver hitting you with a hammer. [More]
Dick's $10 Off Coupon Good For Most Things, Not The Item You Want
By 6.26.10
Silly Sean, he filled out a survey for Dick’s Sporting Goods because he thought his receipt’s promise of “$10 off your next purchase of $50!” meant that he would get $10 off his next purchase of $50. Nope! [More]
Time Warner's Revised Subscriber Agreement Allows For Consumption Based Billing
By 5.30.09
Time Warner has revised their Subscriber Agreement to lay the legal foundation needed to implement consumption based billing, including usage caps, tiered rate plans, overlimit fees, and speed throttling. Though Time Warner’s metered broadband plans lie in shambles after a barely-averted run in with Congress’ legislative mace, the cable giant clearly has no intention of letting such a potentially massive cash cow escape from the paddock. Inside, the dangerous new legalese that may soon appear in teeny tiny print on your next Time Warner bill.
ImLive.com: Disputing An Erroneous $450 Porn Charge Is A "Serious Violation Of Our Terms Of Use"
By 5.16.09
Someone hacked reader E’s account on the adult site ImLive.com and bought up $450 worth of credits. By the time E. caught the charge, half of the credits had already been used. When E. informed the site that he was planning to file a chargeback with his credit card company, he was warned that doing so would be “considered a serious violation of our terms of use.” The site’s suggested alternative was simple: they would restore the used credits, and E. could watch lots and lots of porn.
This Office Depot Coupon Apparently Applies To Everything
By 3.14.09
Tipster Paul quips, “perhaps they should invest in a ‘techonology’ like spell check…” [Office Depot]
Chase Replaces Automatic Payments With Monthly Minimum On All WaMu Credit Cards
By 2.8.09
Is your Washington Mutual credit card set to receive automatic payments? If it is, and you pay anything less than the full balance, then come March 6, you’ll be paying only the monthly minimum. Why? Because it’s an easy way for Chase, WaMu’s new corporate overlord, to make money off unsuspecting cardholders…
AT&T's New 2,500 Page Contract 'Directly Violates' The Law
By 9.14.08
Do you want to know if AT&T boosts your rates? Maybe you want to pay only for services you ordered or explicitly authorized. Tough! AT&T’s new 2,500 page “guidebook” is the latest spawn of California’s failing experiment with deregulation, one that is in “direct violation” of the law, according to the Public Utilities Commission.
Merchant Tries To Forbid Chargebacks
By 5.5.08
A reader wrote in to ask us if we’ve ever seen anything like the “Chargeback Abuse Policy” that Luxury Car Tuning in Las Vegas includes in their terms—”You agree not to file a credit card or debit card chargeback with regard to any purchase,” and if you do anyway, you have to pay any fees that normally the merchant must pay when dealing with a chargeback. The reader wants to know, “Is this allowed by any merchant agreement that you know of? Sounds pretty ridiculous to me. How likely would it be that they could get away with this?”
Redeem Rebates With Hard Work And Luck
By 11.25.07
Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna is reminding consumers to read the fine print on rebate offers before giddily pouncing on a seemingly hot deal. We are rebate skeptics; they are nice when they work, but should never be a deciding factor when weighing a purchase. The Attorney General has a few tips to help improve your chances of successfully redeeming a rebate:
PayPal Restricts Eligibility For $15 Off $30 Rebate
By 2.19.07
PayPal has instituted new restrictions on its $15 off $30 rebate introduced two weeks ago. At first we thought the offer, $5 less than the rebate offered last winter, meant PayPal hated spring. We were wrong. PayPal hates you.
Wells Fargo VISA Gift Card’s Hidden Fees
By 12.18.06
Wells Fargo touts its prepaid VISA gift cards as “the perfect gift” and has sold over a million, but perhaps they would sell a little less if people knew about these terms and conditions, flushed out by Mouse Print:
