Sorry, You Can't Eat At BK Because Your Baby Isn't Wearing Shoes [Baby Foot ...

Sorry, You Can't Eat At BK Because Your Baby Isn't Wearing Shoes [Baby Foot Menace]

via Consumerist by Meg Marco on 8/6/09

One Burger King manager in St. Louis, MO is really excited about the no shoes, no shirt, no service policy in his restaurant. In fact, if you bring a 6-month-old infant into his restaurant with no shoes and refuse to leave until you're finished eating, he's calling the police.

KTVI says the manager was standing next to the cashier as she ordered, and warned her that she could take her order "to go" or she could find some shoes for her baby. The woman says the baby is too young to even have shoes, but she put some socks on her in an effort to be diplomatic. This did not win over the manager, who threatened to call the police if she didn't take her shoeless baby out of the restaurant. He claimed the baby's lack of footwear was a violation of "health code."

"People had to know about this...if you're going to go to Burger King get some shoes on your baby or go somewhere else," she said. "I think they [Burger King managers] just need to understand, it's a baby. They're not going to be walking around in their dirty, nasty, feet. I feel like the policy was probably for grown adults who might walk in without shoes on. That's understandable. But, babies don't wear shoes," she told KTVI.

UPDATE: Burger King has apologized.

Restaurant Threatens To Kick Out Baby Not Wearing Shoes [KTVI via MomLogic]
(Photo:Amy the Nurse)

Petland Employees Drowned Rabbits, Posted Photos on Facebook [Pet Stores]

Petland Employees Drowned Rabbits, Posted Photos on Facebook [Pet Stores]

via Consumerist by Laura Northrup on 8/5/09

We've written about pet store chain Petland before, due to their documented use of puppy mills and snarky response to groups that protested said use of puppy mills. Now PETA claims to have found photos on a Petland employee's Facebook page that show her grinning while holding up the wet, lifeless bodies of two rabbits she had just drowned.

Apparently, the animals were killed to end their suffering. Their suffering due to poor care received from Petland staff.

Yes, we're more likely to make fun of PETA here at Consumerist, but if this story is true, it's a big deal and a huge black eye for Petland. From PETA's press release:

The Facebook photo shows a grinning Carlisle — who worked at the Petland store located at 2000 Brittain Rd., Ste. 41, in Akron — dangling two dead, soaking-wet rabbits by the scruff of their necks. Carlisle confirms a Facebook friend's guess that she drowned the rabbits, writing, "[T]he manager took the pic for me. [S]he reminded me that there were people outside as [I] was swearing at them to just hurry up and die but then she was so kind as to take this picture."Carlisle's other comments indicate that the rabbits had been allowed to "attack" and "eat" each other (behavior that may have been caused by crowding and poor husbandry) while in the store's "care" and that rabbits had sustained injuries, including "deep wounds all over," "an eye missing," what Petland staff "suspected was a broken jaw," and paralysis from the waist down. The case is currently under criminal investigation by law-enforcement authorities.

If rabbits (or, indeed, any animal) are eating each other, there's something very, very wrong either with them or with their environment. That's horrible treatment, even without taking the drowning into account.

There is a (mercifully) blurry picture available that PETA posted on their blog, but you probably don't want to see it. That's why this post was illustrated with 100% healthy, alive, fluffy, dry bunnies. (If you must, click here.)

Looking at the picture, the images don't quite seem to match up with the text. The rabbits look wet, but not dripping, though that may be a photo quality issue. Do Petland employees normally wear scrubs?

EIther way, Petland confirmed the incident when they put out a statement (now taken offline) on Tuesday.

Petland is saddened and outraged at this gross violation of Petland's animal care standards. It is Petland's understanding that the employee was instructed to contact the store's consulting veterinarian, and instead, defied the orders and store policy and acted on her own. She was immediately dismissed and the case is now being handled by local law enforcement. Petland, Inc. is conducting its own internal investigation.

UPDATE: The Akron store has been closed indefinitely, and all animals removed from the store. Petland has issued an updated press release.

Boast Over Animal Killings at Ohio Petland Prompts PETA to Call for an End to Store's Rabbit Sales [Press Release] (Thanks, Philip!)
Petland Closes Akron Store [Press Release]
Hopping Mad: Petland Shuts Down Akron Shop After Worker Drowns Rabbits, Poses For Pics [WOIO]

(Photo: jpockele)

Watch Out For Best Buy's Extended Warranties [Empty Promises]

Watch Out For Best Buy's Extended Warranties [Empty Promises]

via Consumerist by Chris Walters on 7/30/09

HD Guru took a deeper look at the extended warranties and service plans Best Buy pushes on customers who buy expensive electronics like hi-def TVs. You probably won't be surprised to find out that the fine print negates a lot of what the person or pamphlet on the sales floor will try to promise you—but you might be surprised at just how useless these plans can be when you get right down to it.

Here are just a couple of examples from the HD Guru report:

Sales Pitch: Their Geek Squad Black Tie Protection pamphlet says that if your product requires 4 repairs, "we'll make sure that you get a new one."
Truth: Contract says "new" can mean refurbished or rebuilt, at Best Buy's discretion.

Sales Pitch: Pamphlet says on TVs 30" and up, you'll get a loaner if they can't fix yours on the first visit.
Truth: There's no mention of a loaner TV anywhere in the contract, so you'd better hope your Best Buy honors pamphlets.

Sales Pitch: If they can't repair your TV, they'll replace it with a product of equal value, or reimburse you fair market value for it.
Truth: "Fair market" means what they determine it's worth at the time of the repair. As an example, HD Guru points out that this past April Best Buy recalled a house brand LCD HDTV that sold for "up to $1000" and was less than 3 years old. The fair market value compensation it gave out: "gift cards amounting to $500 or about half of the original purchase price."

Click over and read the full report for more details on the truth versus fiction of Best Buy's warranty programs, and to read the company's official response to HD Guru's questions.

"Extended Warranties: What You See Is Often Not What You Get - An HD GURU Investigative Report" [HD Guru]
(Photo: Robert Scoble)

Grocery Store Manager Loses Job For Recovering Stolen Purse [Don't Be A Hero]

Grocery Store Manager Loses Job For Recovering Stolen Purse [Don't Be A Hero]

via Consumerist by Laura Northrup on 7/28/09

It's all well and good to be a hero. Just, if you're an employee of a Randalls grocery store, do it on your own time. That's what an employee at their Round Rock, Texas store learned when he was fired for recovering a customer's stolen purse.

The reason for his termination? A store policy against chasing suspects out of the store.

After hearing a woman scream about her stolen purse, [Troy] Schafer said he made a split-second decision to chase the suspect out of the store, through the parking lot and into a nearby field where police arrived to arrest the teenager and recover the purse.

"I felt I did the right thing," said Schafer. "You protect people that need help."

Schafer said Randalls suspended him July 22 without pay, and on July 24, the store manager let him go - citing a company policy against chasing a suspect into the parking lot.

Employees are supposed to note details and cooperate with police in order to track down criminals. Which is an understandable policy for the safety of employees, but probably not all that helpful in getting stolen purses back. Which is not likely if the victim actually wants her purse back—it's likely to remove all of the credit cards and cash and then just throw the purse in the garbage.

Man recovers stolen purse, loses job [KXAN]

RELATED:
Wal-Mart Employee Fired For Stopping Punch-Happy Shoplifter
Whole Foods Fires Employee For Stopping Shoplifter

(Photo: Rob Lee)

Dodge Dealership Refunds Money On Truck It Couldn't Fix [Follow Ups]

Dodge Dealership Refunds Money On Truck It Couldn't Fix [Follow Ups]

via Consumerist by Chris Walters on 7/21/09

Last Friday, we posted about how a Dodge dealership in New York spent nearly a week working on a truck, and charged over $700 for the labor, only to say they couldn't fix it in the end. It looks like the story has a happy ending: after the truck's owner sent in a formal complaint and pointed the dealership to our post, the dealership's owner refunded both the repair fees and the towing fees.

Joe wrote back on Saturday:

My father filled out a online survey expressing his discontent with his level of service, and used the comments section to refer them to The Consumerist. He also sent an inquiry via their website, also directing them to the published article. Within an hour, the owner of the dealership contacted us from his farm. He was clearly upset, but consented to refund our money plus the towing charge. The dealership made good on our repair bill as far as we are concerned. We are considering a future purchase.

I did not write this as a dig to the dealership, or to the owner, Billy Caprara, but more as a story about how a car dealership, any car dealership or repair shop, can make promises, and charge for a repair that was unsuccessful. I felt that if the vehicle leaves with the same problem as when it arrives, charging for the full repair is unwarranted, and unethical.

I wish an attempt was made by the service people to give an option or a contact to complain. Only after writing to you, and following up with an email to a generic dealership contact did we get a response.

Thank you Consumerist, and thank you fellow readers.

RELATED
"Dodge Dealership Can't Repair Truck After 6 Days, Local Mechanic Does It In 10 Minutes"
(Photo: Photocapy)

Delta Fined $375,000 For Bumping Passengers [Fines]

Delta Fined $375,000 For Bumping Passengers [Fines]

via Consumerist by Carey on 7/11/09

The Department of Transportation smacked Delta with a $375,000 fine for ignoring federal laws that require airlines to offer bumped passengers adequate compensation and an explanation of their rights. Inside, a listing of your options if an airline tries to bump you off their flight...

From the Department of Transportation:

Voluntary bumping

Our rules require airlines to seek out people who are willing to give up their seats for some compensation before bumping anyone in- voluntarily. Here's how this works. At the check-in or boarding area, airline employees will look for volunteers when it appears that the flight has been oversold. If you're not in a rush to arrive at your next destination, you can give your reservation back to the airline in exchange for compensation and a later flight.

DOT has not said how much the airline has to give volunteers. This means carriers may negotiate with their passengers for a mutually acceptable amount of money-or maybe a free trip or other benefits. Airlines give employees guidelines for bargaining with passengers, and they may select those volunteers willing to sell back their reservations for the lowest price.

Involuntary bumping

DOT requires each airline to give all passengers who are bumped involuntarily a written statement describing their rights and explaining how the carrier decides who gets on an oversold flight and who doesn't. Those travelers who don't get to fly are frequently entitled to an on-the-spot payment of denied boarding compensation. The amount depends on the price of their ticket and the length of the delay:

• If you are bumped involuntarily and the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to get you to your final destination (including later connections) within one hour of your original scheduled arrival time, there is no compensation.
• If the airline arranges substitute transportation that is scheduled to arrive at your destination between one and two hours after your original arrival time (between one and four hours on international flights), the airline must pay you an amount equal to your one-way fare to your final destination, with a $400 maximum.
• If the substitute transportation is scheduled to get you to your destination more than two hours later (four hours internationally), or if the airline does not make any substitute travel arrangements for you, the compensation doubles (200% of your fare, $800 maximum).
• You always get to keep your original ticket and use it on another flight. If you choose to make your own arrangements, you can request an "involuntary refund" for the ticket for the flight you were bumped from. The denied boarding compensation is essentially a payment for your inconvenience.

When a flight is oversold and there are not enough volunteers, some airlines bump passengers with the lowest fares first. Once you have purchased your ticket, the most effective way to reduce the risk of being bumped is to get to the airport early. For passengers in the same fare class the last passengers to check in are usually the first to be bumped, even if they have met the check-in deadline.

Airlines may offer free transportation on future flights in place of a check for denied boarding compensation. However, if you are bumped involuntarily you have the right to insist on a check if that is your preference. Once you cash the check (or accept the free flight), you will probably lose the right to demand more money from the airline later on. However, if being bumped costs you more money than the airline will pay you at the airport, you can try to negotiate a higher settlement with their complaint department. If this doesn't work, you usually have 30 days from the date on the check to decide if you want to accept the amount of the check. You are always free to decline the check(e.g., not cash it) and take the airline to court to try to obtain more compensation.

In a "number of instances" between January and July of last year, Delta didn't ask for volunteers, explain why people were involuntarily chosen, or pay out adequate compensation. We doubt a relatively minor fine will teach Delta much of anything, but at least you can know your federal rights next time an airline tries to take back their seat.

DOT fines Delta $375k over 'bumped' passengers [AP]
A Consumer Guide to Air Travel [The Department of Transportation]
(Photo: zonaphoto)