To help fill New York State’s budget gap, Gov. Eliot Spitzer has revived a plan to impose sales tax on some goods purchased online that are not currently taxed, notably things bought from Amazon.com. The state estimates this will bring in $47 million a year.
NEW YORK
New York Wants To Tax Amazon.com Purchases
By 2.13.08
Valentine's Day Ice Storm 2008? Everybody Panic!
By 2.13.08
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Great Valentine’s Day Air Travel Massacre—a storm that took down JetBlue’s entire operation and ultimately their CEO, too.
Stores In NYC Start Accepting Euros
By 2.8.08
“We didn’t realize we would take so much in and there were that many people traveling or having euros to bring in. But some days, you’d be surprised at how many euros you get,” Chu said.
Woman Says NY Cabbie Punched Her In The Face Because She Wanted Pay With A Credit Card
By 2.1.08
Tamara Perez caught a cab to her Manhattan home Tuesday, when she noticed that she didn’t have enough cash. The cab had a credit card machine, so she decided to pay with credit.
Answers To NYC Renters' Questions
By 1.30.08
How do you get your landlord to require the upstairs neighbors to put down carpets? A lawyer who “has practiced in the landlord-tenant arena for more than two decades” has been answering these sorts of questions on the New York Times’ “City Room” blog. The advice he gives, while helpful and specific, is mostly based on what we imagine are NYC-specific problems and cites New York statutes, but it still might be helpful for renters elsewhere with similar problems.
Archivist Arrested For Stealing Historic Docs To Sell On eBay
By 1.29.08
Daniel Lorello, an archivist with New York’s department of education, was arrested this week and charged with “grand larceny, possession of stolen property and fraud” for allegedly “stealing hundreds of historic documents, many of which he sold on eBay.”
Dealer Sells Car Touting Safety Features It Doesn't Actually Have
By 1.29.08
Ben writes:
A friend of mine bought a 2005 Toyota 4 Runner for about $25000. When he went to the dealer, he told them that safety was a big concern as he has small children, and he wanted to get as many safety features as he could on the vehicle he was going to buy. The saleswoman showed him the 4 Runner he ended up buying and pointed out that it had side and curtain airbags, which were listed on the sticker. He bought it, and a week later he took it to get inspected. It turns out that it does not have the side and curtain airbags that are listed on the sticker. He went back to the dealership and spoke to the manager who offered him a few free oil changes, and tried to tell him that that year didn’t even come with those airbags so what was he complaining about. What should he do? They already got rid of the truck he traded in, and is thinking that the dealer owes him some cash back on the deal.
Classic bait and switch. If your friend wants to take the guy to the mat, he could try to ask for a rebate for what he feels the cash value of those safety features are. I recommend the tactics described in the post, “How To Kick A Scammy Car Dealer In The Nuts.”
JFK Airport Is Notoriously Corrupt: Baggage Handlers Caught Stealing $250,000 In Diamonds
By 1.17.08
Queens prosecutors said Monday that a 51-year-old worker and his 39-year-old supervisor are charged with grand larceny and possession of stolen property. They say the jewelry was stolen last week from a container marked “high value” that was being shipped from Switzerland to Brazil.
We won’t lie, corrupt baggage handlers piss us off. These two specimens broke open the container and stole the jewelry, hiding it in a locker at the American Airlines terminal.
Yankees Fan Sues: Steriods Are Almost "Consumer Fraud"
By 1.14.08
A longtime fan is suing the New York Yankees over some players’ reported use of performance-enhancing drugs, saying he wants repayment for $221 in tickets and a public response from his once beloved team.
Need A 2-Liter Bottle Of Pepsi? Just Apply For A Walmart Credit Card!
By 1.13.08
This is not funny. This is sad. Very, very sad. They should at least offer Coke.
Complaint Ratios For Top 10 Auto Insurers
By 1.7.08
New York state has released its Annual Ranking of Automobile Insurance Complaints. Here’s how the 10 biggest insurance companies, as determined by market share, compare. The ratio is the number of upheld complaints filed with the state Insurance Department as compared to the company’s total consumer car business. Upheld complaints are the complaints where the state Insurance Department agrees that the insurance company was in the wrong.
These Applebee's Dessert Shooters Advertisements Are Confusing
By 1.6.08
We always wondered what wild and wacky things happened in the Applebee’s in Times Square. Now we know.
By 1.3.08
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A neighborhood is facing millions of dollars of mechanics liens on all its properties after the development company walked away with the houses unfinished and the contractors not fully paid. [News10]
Slumlord Dermot Company Finally Installs Boiler
By 1.2.08
Huzzah! Dan’s quest to not live in an icecube has succeeded. He writes:
The boiler’s been replaced and I’ve had consistent heat and hot water since xmas. Now i just have this unholy clanking coming from the steam pipe every morning b/t 3 and 5 am which jolts me from my bed in fear that its about to explode and take me with it. The super says hopefully it will get resolved this week.
New York's Passenger Bill Of Rights Goes Into Effect
By 1.2.08
Back in those lazy summer days of August, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer signed a “passenger bill of rights” into law—requiring airlines who keep passengers on a grounded airplane more than 3 hours to provide water, snacks, fresh air and a working toilet.
Insurance Company Denies Coverage For 3-Year-Old's Only Source Of Nutrition
By 12.29.07
Hannah Devane is 3 years old and is allergic to food. Not certain specific foods. Hannah has a rare disorder that makes her allergic to every kind of food except a certain formula that her insurance company says is a “nutritional supplement.” Feeding Hannah costs $300 a week, but without the formula Hannah can’t eat enough to survive without doing permanent damage to her esophagus.
An Overdue Library Book Could Scuttle Your Dreams Of Home Ownership
By 12.28.07
That unreturned library book could threaten your credit score if it becomes a permanent fixture on your shelf. According to the New York Times, libraries are treating borrowed materials as debts and siccing debt collectors on borrowers who fail to pay longstanding late fines. The Queens Public Library has used Unique Management Services to collect over $11.4 million from delinquent borrowers, who may not realize that their unreturned books could eventually stand between them and a mortgage.
Rat-Infested KFC/Taco Bell Is Now A T-Mobile
By 12.26.07
Worried about consuming any type of food at the former location of the infamous rat-infested KFC/Taco Bell in New York City? We are too. That’s why we’re glad to hear that the new tenant is non other than our giant magenta friend, T-Mobile.
