I travel a lot on business. I’m on travel right now, in Orlando. Luckily for me, my business this morning was completed ahead of schedule, and as I left my vendor’s office, I phoned Delta Air Lines to move up my return flight time a few hours.
fees
Delta Changes Rules, Charges Up $70 For Same Day Flight Change
By 9.12.07
5/3 Bank's New Policy: Only Process The First $100 Of A Check
By 9.10.07
How can you overdraft when you’ve deposited more than enough money to pay for the charges? Why, when 5/3 Bank decides to only let the first $100 of the check through.
Comcast's Class Action Waiver Ruled "Unconscionable"
By 9.7.07
Comcast can’t use their mandatory arbitration clause to keep its Georgia customers from obtaining class-action status in a lawsuit that alleges Comcast inappropriately collected too many franchise fees. The amount that was improperly collected (about $11 a subscriber) isn’t enough to warrant a bunch of individual lawsuits, so Comcast thought it could get away with it by citing its mandatory arbitration clause forbidding class-action lawsuits. It worked at first, but now the 11th Circuit Court is having none of it.
Credit Card Late Fees Might Be Unconstitutional?
By 9.4.07
Over at the Consumer Law & Policy Blog they’ve posted the abstract of a article that considers the constitutionality of credit card late fees. Apparently, there are “constitutional constraints upon the imposition of punitive damages.” Neat. The article by Seana Shiffrin and is called “Are Credit Card Late Fees Unconstitutional?”
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Campbell articulated serious and specific constitutional constraints upon the imposition of punitive damages. Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion announced that, apart from exceptional cases, punitive damages should not exceed nine times the amount of the actual losses sustained by the plaintiff and should usually be far lower…
Is Your Free Checking Account Really Free?
By 8.3.07
Not all free checking accounts are free. Many come laden with fees that surprise consumers who don’t carefully read the fine print. FreeMoneyFinance snagged an except from the book Banking Secrets Revealed that lists many of the charges to ask about before opening an ostensibly free account:
SunPass Regularly Overcharges Customers
By 7.28.07
SunPass, Florida’s automated prepaid toll system responsible for processing 2 million tolls each day, regularly overcharges and erroneously bills customers, according to an investigation from WTSP.
Bank of America To Raise ATM Surcharge to $3
By 7.27.07
US PIRG says they’ve obtained legitimate documentation that says Bank of America will be raising their ATM surcharges for non-customers to $3 at most locations. The change will take place on July 31st.
E-ZPass Charge You Fee When It Malfunctions
By 7.27.07
The Red Tape Chronicles has an interesting story from Kathy Sunato, a Pennsylvania driver who noticed that E-ZPass was charging her strange $5 fees.
Anonymous Businessman Settles Elderly Couple's Tax Nightmare
By 7.18.07
Remember the Atwoods? They were facing the possibility of losing their home after it was sold to pay $1.63 in property tax.
Elderly Couple Could Lose Home Over $1.63 Tax Bill
By 7.17.07
In 1996 a property tax bill for $1.63 was mailed to Kermit and Dolores Atwood. The bill never reached its destination, according to the Times-Picayune. Now, 11 years later, the Atwoods are in danger of losing their home.
5 Scammy Calling Card Fees
By 7.16.07
Some calling cards have all sorts of charges hidden in the fine print that like to play PacMan with your minutes. BusinessWeek has five to watch out for and what they really mean:
Online Travel Sites Waive Booking Fees To Compete With Airlines
By 7.15.07
Several travel sites are scrapping booking fees to keep customers away from individual airline sites. Savvy customers currently research fares with travel sites, and then buy directly from airlines to avoid booking fees.
“Hotwire.com announced this week that it would drop its $6-a-ticket charge for airline reservations on both its “opaque” reservations (the bargain-priced fares that don’t let you know exactly what flight you’ve booked until after you’ve paid) and regular bookings through summer. Last week, Priceline.com announced it was suspending booking charges on regular airfares through Labor Day. (The deal excludes its opaque, name-your-own-price fares.) Fees range from $5 a domestic ticket to up to $9.95 for an international reservation.
TD Banknorth Charges $134 For Overdrafting A Granola Bar And A Vitamin Water
By 7.12.07
“In March, I went to a ski resort on my way to a job interview. I stopped at a grocery store to pick up a granola bar [update: and a vitamin water]. I had to put it on my debit card, and the one I used was my (RARELY used) TD Banknorth card. I don’t usually keep much money in there because I hate Banknorth, but I bring it with me to go skiing to secure demo equipment without risking my real bank accounts. As soon as I got to Boston for my interview, I deposited $10 to cover the $8 I charged at Shaws, even though I knew there was supposed to be money in the account.”
How To Get A Cheap Divorce
By 7.6.07
Greenberg said the most common mistake couples make is to assume that justice is an absolute.
14 Days To Return The iPhone, 10% Restocking Fee If Box Is Opened
By 6.27.07
If you’re planning on buying an iPhone, make sure you won’t have buyer’s remorse because if you do, it’ll cost you 10%. AT&T has released a PDF of “pre-purchase understandings” that read like warnings:
What Is The "Federal Subscriber Line Charge?" And How Can I Buck It?
By 6.26.07
Tucked into your landline phone bill is probably a very official looking fee called the “Federal Subscriber Line Charge,” but did you know it doesn’t go to the federal government?
Ridiculous Credit Card Fees From The Future
By 6.18.07
In recent Senate hearings, representatives took aim at the credit card industry for developing a matrix of fees designed to operate as income streams rather than merely recoup costs. Some of the contract verbiage regarding fees, our Senators said, are written at the 27th grade level. At the same time, everything is presented in a seemingly reasonable, and objective manner, reminiscent of the Machiavellian intent apparent in Parago’s patent application for a rebate system that, “provides a user friendly interface, yet retains hurdles sufficient to maintain breakage.”
Ticketmaster And Kelly Clarkson Cost You $3.75
By 6.15.07
Reader Shaun writes:
My wife wanted to go to an upcoming Kelly Clarkson concert and we bought tickets. Clarkson has now cancelled the concert and Ticketmaster is givinga refund; however, they won’t refund the processing fee. This seems ridiculous to me, they should be refunding the whole amount. Is there any grounds for them to keep my processing fee? Thanks!
