The FCC, always a source of amusement for this website, has decided to crack down on Comcast for broadcasting VNRs or “Video News Releases.” VNRs are produced by PR firms for use as filler by lazy TV news producers. It’s a great deal for TV: They get free content and don’t have to deal with the pressure of doing their jobs properly, and the company gets product placement. Consumers are the only losers.
fines
Attention All Coaches: Belichick's Cheating Is A Business Expense
By 9.18.07
According to the WSJ Law Blog, the common consensus is that Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be able to deduct his $500,000 cheating fine as an “ordinary and necessary business expense.” Hooray?
American Airlines Fined Again For Unsafe Work Conditions At O'Hare
By 9.5.07
American Airlines was fined $231,000 back in June for unsafe work conditions at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. The conditions included fall hazards, electrical and fire hazards, hygiene issues, blocked exits and storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders.
Travelocity Fined $182,750 For Booking Trips To Cuba
By 8.17.07
As a travel company, you would think Travelocity would know that there is an embargo on Cuba. The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control filed a complaint against the company earlier this month, alleging that Travelocity violated the prohibition nearly 1,500 times between January 1998 and April 2004.
8 Traffic Ticket Myths
By 8.17.07
Bankrate has listed 8 myths about traffic tickets and we like it! Spending money on traffic tickets is a huge waste.
Kmart Pays $15,000 Fine For Not Putting Price Tags On Merchandise
By 6.18.07
Kmart has paid a $15,000 fine to Westchester County, NY for not putting price tags on its merchandise. “Westchester’s law is clear: Items on store shelves must be clearly marked with a price tag, so consumers can verify how much an item costs and be sure that they are being charged the correct price at the checkout register,” County Executive Andy Spano told Lower Hudson Online.
Meet Sarah: She Paid $3,000 For Downloading Spice Girls Songs
By 5.14.07
Sarah Barg is a sophomore at University of Nebraska-Lincoln who used Ares to download 381 songs, most of them 80s ballads and “Spice Girls tunes.” When she got a letter threatening legal action, she thought it was a scam. Turns out, it wasn’t. Sarah’s parents had to fork over $3,000 to keep Sarah from being sued by the RIAA.
“Technically, I’m guilty. I just think it’s ridiculous, the way they’re going about it,” Barg said. “We have to find a way to adjust our legal policy to take into account this new technology, and so far, they’re not doing a very good job.”
Just for comparison’s sake, in Nebraska the maximum fine for a first time DUI is $500. And those are really illegal.—MEGHANN MARCO
Washington State Bans Texting While Driving
By 5.14.07
Starting in January 2008, it will be illegal to text while driving in Washington State. The measure signed into law by Governor Chris Gregoire also bans talking on a cellphone without a hands-free device while driving. Violators will be punished with a fine, but only if first pulled over for another reason.
Under the new laws, drivers who read and compose text messages or talk on a cell phone without a hands-free device could face a $101 ticket. The text-messaging ban takes effect Jan. 1; the cell-phone law will be enforced starting in July 2008.
Drivers will be exempt in “some situations, including emergencies.” — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
How Effective Is The Do Not Call Registry?
By 4.8.07
A report recently released by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hails the Do Not Call registry as “an effective consumer protection initiative.” Since its inception in 2003, the registry has grown to include 132 million numbers.
The agency said the program’s primary goal of reducing unwanted telemarketing calls is succeeding, largely due to a “high degree of compliance by telemarketers.” The report notes that while roughly 1.15 million complaints were received in fiscal 2006 from 374,937 registered phone numbers, that was the equivalent of only about one-quarter of 1 percent of the numbers in the database.
Telemarketers are required to pay an annual fee to access the list so they know whose dinner not to interrupt. Still, the FTC put down its fork and left the table to fine 28 companies, including DirecTV, for calling people on the Do Not Call registry.
City Council Threatens To Fine Comcast $200 A Day For Not Picking Up The Phone
By 4.4.07
Another city is irked at their cable provider for not living up to the requirements of their franchise agreement. The city of College Park, MD (population 24,657) has proposed a letter threatening Comcast with fines of $200 a day if Comcast doesn’t improve the time it takes to answer the phone. “It’s stupid to try to call them,” said Jack Perry, a city council member who claims he once waited 35 minutes for Comcast to answer his call. “Nobody answers the phone.”
Blue Cross of California Hates Pregnant Women and Sick People
By 3.23.07
The state of California is fining the company $1 million as a result. Not that that will help the hundreds of people who lost their coverage.
California City Fines Time Warner Cable $25,000 For Consistently Awful Service
By 3.22.07
“Time Warner has, for a period of time, not lived up to the obligations that are required for the citizens of this community,” said Councilman Keith Millhouse. The city has complained to Time Warner for months without results.
North Carolina Kmart Fined $1,230 For Inaccurate Price Scans
By 3.2.07
Sure $1230 isn’t a lot of money to a store like Kmart, but it’s something.
Comcast Fined $12,281.84 For Not Answering The Phone Quickly Enough
By 2.7.07
Montgomery County, MD has fined Comcast $12,281.84 for not meeting the standards set by their franchise agreement. The agreement stated that Comcast would provide a level of customer service that they did not meet, and were fined accordingly. Specifically, they failed to answer the phone quickly enough. Is $12,281.84 enough of a fine to get Comcast to change their evil ways? Probably not, but Montgomery County, MD is setting a good example for other communities to follow. —MEGHANN MARCO
Priceline, Travelocity and Cingular Settle Over Adware Charges
By 1.30.07
This settlement marks the first time the advertisers have been held responsible for how their ads were delivered. “Advertisers can no longer insulate themselves from liability by turning a blind eye to how their advertisements are delivered, or by placing ads through intermediaries, such as media buyers,” a statement from the New York Attorney General’s Office said. “The settlement calls for Priceline.com, Travelocity and Cingular, the wireless unit of AT&T, to pay New York $35,000, $30,000 and $35,000, respectively, to cover penalties and investigatory costs.” Is $35,000 enough to make a company think twice? —MEGHANN MARCO
Yellow Lines Painted Under Parked Car To Give A Ticket
By 10.6.06
You manage to find that perfect parking spot, the road completely unmarked, no signs around anywhere. You happily jump out of your car, glowing with the smug self-satisfaction that can only come from getting one over on City Hall.
Alamo Passes On Charges for Imaginary Parking Tickets
By 8.15.06
When a $60 buck fine was billed to his credit card for a recent Alamo rental, Matt. A was confused: “I thought those suckers told me I didn’t owe them any money when I returned it?”
