Victor found a great deal on an XBOX Live 12-month subscription card from Buy.com, but was surprised to see that the company charged him sales tax. No other online vendors that he tried charge sales tax on the cards––which are, after all, more of an intangible item, akin to a gift card. [More]
Government Policy
Man Claims TSA Agent Spilled His Grandfather’s Ashes During Security Screening
By 6.26.12
A man trying to bring his grandfather’s ashes home says a Transportation Security Administration agent not only opened the jar containing the remains, but then proceeded to root around in them and spill some on the floor. He was even more shocked when she laughed at him as he tried to scoop up what had spilled. [More]
So You Think You’re The Victim Of Identity Theft… Now What?
By 6.26.12
With so many purchases being made online these days — and with more people using credit cards to buy things at retail locations — it’s surprising we don’t hear about massive data breaches every day. But alas, ID theft is an all-too-frequent occurrence, so it couldn’t hurt to know in advance the steps to take to minimize the damage. [More]
Would-Be Soda Thief Gets Arm Stuck In Machine, Freed By Firefighters
By 6.26.12
Maybe the high school student in California thought it was only an urban legend that trying to steal from a vending machine by reaching up through the slot can trap your arm inside the machine. Maybe he was just really thirsty. Either way, the would-be thief became trapped in a trolley station in the wee hours of the morning, requiring a team of paramedics, firefighters, police, and trolley security staff to open up the vending machine with power tools in order to free him. [More]
Supreme Court Upholds Corporations’ Right To Unlimited Campaign Spending
By 6.25.12
It’s been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee case and declared that limiting corporate spending on political campaigns is a violation of businesses’ right to free expression. Today, the Supremes affirmed that controversial decision by striking down a 100-year-old Montana law that capped spending on state-level elections. [More]
TSA’s Plans Mean Maybe The Security Screening Process Won’t Be So Darn Annoying
By 6.25.12
If you’re the kind of person who likes to imagine a Jetsons-esque future where everything is made easier at the press of a button, you’re not alone. The Transportation Security Administration says it’s been dreaming up new ways to finally make airport security screening less annoying — but not for seven to 10 more years. [More]
Craigslist Shuts Down Services That Make Craigslist More Useful
By 6.25.12
Padmapper is a site that takes housing listings from Craigslist and other sites and plots them on a map. That sounds like a very simple thing, but it makes searching for a new home easier by many orders of magnitude. Craigslist, though, doesn’t like people scraping its data and monetizing it–even if the use of that data sends lots and lots of traffic right to Craigslist. [More]
GM Recalls 475K Chevy Cruze Vehicles Over Fire Risk
By 6.22.12
As we mentioned back in April, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration had launched an investigation into the cause of fires in two Chevy Cruze vehicles. Today, General Motors announced a recall of more than 475,000 Cruze cars for safety modifications intended to prevent engine fires. [More]
Judge Allows Closed-Captioning Lawsuit Against Netflix To Proceed
By 6.22.12
Netflix recently asked a court to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the National Association for the Deaf that alleges the company violates the Americans with Disabilities Act by not including closed-captioning on many of its streaming videos. But earlier this week, the judge in the case ruled against Netflix, allowing the suit to move forward. [More]
How I Took On Johnson & Johnson In Small Claims Court, And Won
By 6.21.12
Desitin, the diaper rash treatment, is not a nice-smelling substance. Joyce’s husband, Ben, could tell that much before using it to treat the aftereffects of some severe gastrointestinal distress. What he didn’t realize was that the unholy stench could not be defeated. It soaked through his clothing, and when he tried to launder those clothes, the smell didn’t go away: it spread to those other items as well. Annoyed at having to toss $600 worth of clothing, the couple contacted Johnson & Johnson, seeking compensation and encouraging the company to do more to deter people who do not currently wear disposable diapers from using the product. After some letters and an offer of $75 passed in the mail, they went to small claims court. And won. [More]
Advocacy Groups Not Exactly Thrilled About Using ‘Madagascar 3’ Characters To Sell Claritin
By 6.21.12
In addition to all the snack products and toys licensed by Dreamworks Animation to promote Madagascar 3, there’s one in particular that has some public health and children’s advocates up in arms — the packages of Claritin featuring the adorable cartoon animals from the movie. [More]
Supreme Court Says FCC’s Indecency Policy Could Use A *#@ing Revision
By 6.21.12
While the Supreme Court has previously sided with the Federal Communications Commission over its decision to ramp up its enforcement of indecency rules, today it ruled that the FCC screwed up when it decided to start slapping mammoth fines on broadcasters without warning. [More]
FTC Charges Telemarketers With Scamming Elderly People Out Of At Least $10 Million
By 6.20.12
In a day when the stock market is unpredictable and huge financial institutions sometimes appear to be built out of nothing but smoke and mirrors, it can be tempting to want to invest your nest egg in something more concrete, especially something like “precious metals,” a phrase that, to some, exudes wealth and security. [More]
Woman Accused Of Groping TSA Agent Claims Turnabout Is Fair Play
By 6.20.12
A woman accused of groping a female Transportation Security Administration agent is claiming that she was just showing the agent the kind of aggressive treatment she herself was subject to during a security screening. And she should know, she says –Â she’s a former TSA agent herself. [More]
Big Pizza: Calorie-Count Menu Boards Make No Sense For Our Product
By 6.20.12
With the FDA still fiddling with rule changes that require chain restaurants to post calorie information for the products on their in-store menu, the country’s largest pizza chains have stopped fighting each other and banded together to fight federal regulators. [More]
CFPB Naming Names With Release Of Complaints Against Credit Card Companies
By 6.19.12
Credit card companies are probably shaking in their various fee-laden boots, as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is making good on a big promise today with the release of its database of consumer complaints leveled against those companies. [More]
FCC Taking Another Look At Mobile Phone Radiation
By 6.15.12
For the first time in 15 years, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission says it’s planning on asking if its standards protect people from mobile-phone radiation, partly because of how often we use smartphones now and since we yak away on them for longer periods of time than we used to. [More]
June Recall Roundup: Mac ‘N’ Cheese ‘N’ Metal Shards
By 6.15.12
Pull up a stepstool, park your kid’s stroller, and let’s sit down with some Trader Joe’s chicken breasts and Walmart mac and cheese, with Sienna Bakery macademia nut cookies: it’s time for the Recall Roundup. Oh. All of those things have been recalled, really? [More]
