Here in Philadelphia, buildings with multiple apartments must hire private trash collectors to haul away residents’ garbage or face fines. But one family says it’s been having a dilly of a time trying to convince the city that they are the only tenants of the building and that they shouldn’t face a lien over $1,197 in fines that should never have been assessed. [More]
red tape
Ubisoft Frees Upcoming Game From Its Digital Rights Management Lockdown
By 8.13.10
Ubisoft has dropped its draconian DRM policy, which forces PC gamers to be online the entire time they want to play, from its upcoming game R.U.S.E. Instead the game will use the Steamworks DRM method used by Valve, which requires players to check in online before allowing them to continue their games offline. [More]
Cancer Patient Loses Coverage For Earning $4.25/Month Too Much
By 8.9.10
Over at the Phoenix New Times, they have the harrowing story of a young man who endured multiple surgeries and treatments for a rare type of brain tumor — and who was told by his health plan that they could no longer cover him because he and his wife had earned $4.25 too much to qualify for aid. [More]
Good News, Philly — Your Rabid Groundhog Is With Satan Now
By 7.5.10
Last month Eliza told us about a rabid groundhog that was stalking the streets of Philadelphia. She called multiple government agencies, but none of them would do anything about it. It took a vigilante to set things right and defeat the crazed beast. [More]
I Found My Pre-Paid Walmart MoneyCard Impossible To Use
By 6.14.10
Chris and his wife got a Walmart Money Card as a gift and thought they’d go spend it, but the money was buried under so many layers of red tape that they weren’t able to use it. To activate the card Chris was told he had to give up a litany of personal info, including his social security number. [More]
Art Institute Of Pittsburgh Decides You Need To Buy One More Class To Graduate… After Graduation
By 3.22.10
Update: The school saw our post and has been in touch with Daniel. Here’s what happened. [More]
Snow Thrower Wheels Still Exploding 4 Years After Recall
By 2.15.10
Recalls are imprecise and never fully successful, but how can they be improved? Jeff Gelles of the Philadelphia Inquirer took a look at the recall problem with snow throwers manufactured by a company called MTD, and sold under Yard Machines, Troy-Bilt, and Craftsman brands. The snow throwers used plastic wheel rims which sometimes exploded, so in 2006 the company cooperated with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and announced a recall. [More]
14 Weeks And Counting, But Limited Edition Zune Still Not Fixed
By 1.5.09
The 30-gig Zunes may have temporarily revolted last week, but Brooke’s limited edition 80-gig Zune has been MIA for over three months now, apparently lost in that magical ever-transitioning Zune world from the commercials. (It just keeps falling through floors and walls and swimming pools.) Maybe someone at Microsoft can take a look at what Brooke’s had to go through so far, and get back to her with a real answer?
