Dan, the Kindle owner who last week found that some of the books he’d purchased were no longer available to download due to unspecified limitations set by the publisher, spoke to more Amazon reps on Sunday. They clarified the DRM policy. Well, sort of.
fine print
Amazon Kindle Books Can Only Be Downloaded A Limited Number Of Times, And No You Cannot Find Out That Limit Before You Hit It
By 6.22.09
[The CSR said] that there is always a limit to the number of times you can download a given book. Sometimes, he said, it’s five or six times but at other times it may only be once or twice. And, here’s the kicker folks, once you reach the cap you need to repurchase the book if you want to download it again.
TOSBack Keeps Track Of Changes To Terms Of Service Policies Around The Web
By 6.8.09
It’s difficult enough to parse a lengthy TOS for one web-based service, let alone for dozens, or to keep track of when and how they update them. It would be nice if some public-service website out there would keep track of this stuff for all of us, wouldn’t it? Last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) did just that with the launch of TOSBAck.org, “the terms-of-service tracker.” It tracks TOS agreements for 44 different services, including Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Twitter, and eBay.
Tell Eerily Resurrected Circuit City To Step Off In One Easy Step
By 5.27.09
Just like the ending of a horror movie, Circuit City has gone and plunged its soil-covered claw from its grave. Its site may have new owners, but that doesn’t mean it’s lost all of your tasty personal info.
CircuitCity.com Reborn As… Circuit City!
By 5.23.09
CircuitCity.com is back, and it looks eerily familiar. The zombie website is now controlled by Systemax, the same folks who own Tiger Direct. Though the new site may look similar to the old, no doubt part of Systemax’s goal to keep alive a “proud brand that America has grown to count on,” it isn’t nearly as consumer-friendly as we would like…
IKEA's Memorial Day Deals Sound Nice If You Can Find Them
By 5.22.09
One thing we’ve always hated about shopping at IKEA is how their inventory varies so much from website to store to store, making it hard to track down something you wanted to purchase. Their big Memorial Day sale is no better. Tracy was checking out the website and flyers for the sale and noticed some fine print at the bottom.
CARD Act Will Also Prevent Gift Cards From Expiring For Five Years
By 5.14.09
One unexpected benefit of the CARD Act, if it passes the Senate vote, is that Senator Charles Schumer of New York has included a provision that prevents abusive gift card practices.
JetBlue Offers $1 Military Fare Through Today, Although It Comes With A Surprising Number Of Restrictions
By 5.7.09
JetBlue is offering an amazing deal to members of our armed forces in honor of National Military Appreciation Month, but once you get past that jaw-dropping $1 fee, it starts to look like they outsourced the fine print to Macy’s. Here are the restrictions:
On The Beat With Facebook's Pornhounds
By 5.5.09
Everybody knows that Smutslayer, omnipotent Facebook god of purity, is responsible for smiting pornographic images that mortals foolishly try to upload to the site.
Online IQ Test Is Really A Stupid Mobile Phone Download Scam
By 5.4.09
An innocent-looking IQ test on Facebook is really a test of your privacy savvy. And ability to read tiny, tiny print.
You're Participating In The Facebook Terms Of Service Vote, Right?
By 4.22.09
You’ve got about a day and a half left to cast your vote for which Terms of Service you’d prefer Facebook go with—the one written in September 2008 without user input, or the new one they’ve drafted over the last month based on suggestions from the Facebook community.
Dilbert Encounters The Rebate Monster
By 4.19.09
Your rebate frustration has a name, and it is apparently Rebaterus. (Full comic below.)
Macy’s Makes Fun Of Coupons With Its Latest Coupon
By 4.7.09 — Updated: 11.26.13
Did you know the asterisk in the Macy*s logo is actually part of a clever branding campaign to associate the brand with fine print? It must be true, because no other department store has such a love of fine print on coupons—and such an apparent hatred of actual coupons. Their latest masterpiece in exclusions won’t cover electronics, wigs, mattresses, shoes, watches, about a million clothing brands, and more. What does it cover? Probably a shoehorn from the Notions for Men department.
This JCPenney Coupon Doesn't Understand The Term "No Exclusions"
By 3.27.09
Hey, JCPenney, an asterisk isn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card. You can’t just say anything you want and then asterisk it away into meaninglessness. Here, we’ve fixed it for you.
This Is Why You Don't Order From Fad Diet & Wellness Sites
By 3.18.09
Christina decided to give the famed acai berry a try. What the heck, she must have thought, it won’t cost me that much ($10) and the site’s refund policy clearly indicates when I can return the product, cancel the “subscription,” and move on. She knew the cancel-by date and was prepared to follow the rules. AcaiBerryUltimate.com had other plans, which are best summed up by this email they sent to her: “You can get your refund in hell. haahah.”
This Is How All User Agreements Should Be Displayed
By 3.16.09
Aviary is a suite of web-based graphics programs, both free and subscription-based. What’s awesome about Aviary from the Consumerist perspective, though, is their Terms of Use, which offers a plain English summary in bullet points alongside the legalese. It’s brilliant, it’s simple, it doesn’t reduce the power of their legal agreement, and it helps users make informed decisions. Everyone should do this.
Comcast Will Pay You $500 If They Break Your $2000 TV
By 3.12.09
Comcast’s new service agreement (PDF) has some curious details buried in the fine print. Here’s the short version: “customer equipment” includes your computer and TV set, and if Comcast somehow damages or breaks any customer equipment through “gross negligence or willful misconduct,” they will pay you up to $500, no more. “This shall be your sole and exclusive remedy relating to such activity.”
