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FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

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Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#271

This shouldn't be controversial. FTC isn't banning these fees, it is only requiring merchants to disclose the fees. Why would anyone be against that? Another good rule is click-to-cancel. Just a couple of days ago I logged into my Dish Network account to cancel it (after they hiked prices). There is no way to cancel online. There is no way to cancel via chat. You have to call. As soon as you call you're told the wait…

There is a move afoot to eliminate all regulations unless they've been specifically passed by Congress. Which is basically incapable of passing anything. Ironically, that inherent dysfunction is the main reason to suspect that won't happen. But politically, every regulation as automatically partisan, even when it has overwhelming support.

> There is a move afoot to eliminate all regulations unless they've been specifically passed by Congress. Which is basically incapable of passing anything.

(At least some of) the agencies brought this on themselves with their abuse of the goodwill/benefit of the doubt previously afforded to them. Most flagrant has been the ATF, for one example constantly redefining machine guns or pistol braces, turning millions of citizens into felons with no oversight beyond drawn out and expensive court cases against them.

I never liked the smell of this power being afforded to agencies in the abstract, even for the "good guys" at the CDC or Department of the Interior. It's too rife for abuse. Federal regulations (whether you call it a law or a rule, the party van is coming if you break them) are supposed to be hard to pass. We once needed an amendment to ban alcohol before we forgot the definitions of interstate and commerce, but if my understanding is correct, under Chevron deference the DEA could have decided to schedule it without even asking congress.

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But then that becomes unpaid bills and they send you to collections.

You can probably avoid this—or, rather, cover your ass legally—by doing something like sending them a letter registered mail informing them that you are cancelling and will be blocking further payments. It's far from a good solution, but it should at least put you in a better position vis-a-vis the courts if it comes to that.

Suddenly waiting on the phone for 45 minutes doesn't sound so bad, unless proving a point is your main goal.

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#273
post #3

An excellent change. It's unfortunate that stewardship of the committee will soon change hands as Khan has been a great advocate for fair contracts between companies and consumers during her tenure.

As a free market fan, Khan seems to have been pretty terrible. But this looks genuinely good! It's basically banning fraud. ---[EDIT], since everyone is asking for reasons here are two libertarian/conservative critiques: • https://reason.com/2024/11/07/good-riddance-lina-khan/ • https://archive.ph/IjNmZ

I well mm used to like reason a while ago but this is laughable. The article does not show how or explain why or in which manner she affects consumers.

It says that she has been bad for them but there is no proof of this.

Instead it makes quite a comical attempt at trying to vaguely point at the sky and say she is evil or overreaching, but she is not and anyone whoa actually wants a free market can tell you that. I honestly just cannot understand what happened to Reason I checked some more or their side articles and wow the quality has dropped to a level that would make the NYT blush.

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#274

They should ban hidden taxes too. The sticker price should be the final price.

You don't know what the sticker price is going to be until you know who is buying it from where for what.

Until then, all you can do is quote a price.

Welcome to reality, kid.

If you're buying it for resale, you don't owe tax. How do you put that on a price tag?

There's use tax. Depending on what you use a product you buy for, you might owe a different tax rate. How do you get a final price out of that?

You don't. When you quote a price, it's a quote.

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you mean? Minimising monopolies is how you keep the free market competitive.

Free competition should mean that you don't get punished for winning. There is no sport that punishes a competitor who is constantly winning, as long as they are competing fairly. Imagine Schwarzenegger being banned from Mr Olympia or Gretzky being banned for life from minor league ice hockey. So that the other competitors are given a fair chance of winning. But every sport punishes competitors who are cheating or be…

> But hackers and the EU and US bureaucrats think that being a leader in a market has to be punished for being a "monopoly".

This is a provocative claim. Do you have any examples?

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#276

This shouldn't be controversial. FTC isn't banning these fees, it is only requiring merchants to disclose the fees. Why would anyone be against that? Another good rule is click-to-cancel. Just a couple of days ago I logged into my Dish Network account to cancel it (after they hiked prices). There is no way to cancel online. There is no way to cancel via chat. You have to call. As soon as you call you're told the wait…

The woke ideology wants to add all of this nonsense regulation and make it hard for real entrepreneurs to generate value in the wonderful system of capitalism. /s

P.S. this is also a good summary of every all in podcast episode post election

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it's controversial. They do this to increase profits. A certain portion of the population is pro-profit at virtually any cost. It might seem like Dish employees wake up every day and say, "What can we do today to screw our customers even more?" But usually they're just trying to find ways to make more money.

>It might seem like Dish employees wake up every day and say, "What can we do today to screw our customers even more?" Made the mistake of buying a boost mobile sim this year. It was “expired” upon opening it. Retailer refused to refund it. Having not learned my lesson yet, I went elsewhere and ripped it open to check the expiration date this time before I bought it. Well “it’s prepaid for 90 days and comes with 35 g…

Be glad you weren’t on Ting.

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#278
post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because according to Japanese law, in most of the scenarios, the full price, to your best ability, has to be presented to the potential customer. Same goes for Australia, if I recall correctly. No clue about Denmark, I'm sorry. But assuming it's similar over there as well. It's not that NA is the only one susceptible to A/B testing. It's more of a - it's-grey-area-to-illegal to not show full prices outside of NA.

Huh, I find that very surprising. Are the estimates gamed at all? Is there any rule around how accurate they have to be?

You just put your postal code and it shows all prices according to your municipality, it will be as exact as you can get. Just go to amazon.jp, it should have a text input somewhere for your postal code to calculate the tax.

In terms of gaming, hmm… I guess, you could add wrong municipality’s taxes when you show the original price, and switch over at the checkout. But my assumption is that would be deemed illegal, as you are knowingly misleading the customer. Some in person stores still try a bit to mislead you by putting the full price in smaller font (like including the consumption tax), and exclude it over it in the bigger font. But I can still accept that, as I am informed about the full price somehow.

Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices

#280
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, the reason they tack on the fee as a "tax" is literally to confuse and otherwise mislead the public to the true cost of the product they're buying, or mislead where the money is directed. they're buying from. If you believe in the Tennant's of capitalism at all, then you must have clear price representation.

Nitpick: "tenets"

Nitpick: Scottish lager only please
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