Would love to see what gymnastics the incoming FTC head uses to undo this rule.
FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
161–170 of 691 posts
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
I remember shopping in Japan. The price on the tag, is exactly what you pay (same with services, like hotels). Since this is Japan, it's a high price, but no surprises. Also, the service is amazing , and they won't accept tips. If you leave money on the table, they will chase after you, to give it back.
> Also, the service is amazing, and they won't accept tips. If you leave money on the table, they will chase after you, to give it back. I visited Japan some years back and loved this aspect of the culture as well. An Australian ski guide (this was a winter visit) explained it like so: "the Japanese attitude is to want to do a good job by default. Tipping implies that a good job is only done because of pay. The Japan…
That's fantasy. The same thing is true in China. All it means is that the local culture doesn't tip.
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#163I wish that "Online Coupon Price Tags" in stores would also be banned. I'm talking about these yellow price tags that show lower than "Club" prices, which are only valid if you collect a coupon online. Like FTC, I estimate that banning these would save U.S. consumers millions of hours they currently spend searching and clicking on pointless coupons on their phones before making purchases. It would also increase happi…
>I'm talking about these yellow price tags that show lower than "Club" prices, which are only valid if you collect a coupon online.
Which store is that with the yellow price tags?
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
The healthcare surcharge is taxable, because it shouldn't exist, it should just be a 6% increase in the menu price.
what is a healthcare surcharge?
SF has something called Healthy SF where employers have to offer health insurance plans, or pay into a city-managed health account. I think the last time I looked, for a lot of businesses, it's basically a $2.25/hr raise for your employees.
edit: The best part is, if your employees don't use the money (maybe they don't know about it or don't have any health care expenses), the business can eventually reclaim it...
The restaurant association balked at this, and encouraged businesses to list out the increased cost as a separate line item on the receipt, instead of raising menu prices, basically raising a middle finger and saying "see what you idiots voted for, now you pay for it!" I don't know why I'd be mad that I have to pay for someone's health care. That's sort of how it works, doesn't it?
Since then, it has taken on a life of its own. Some places call it a health care surcharge. Others call it a SF surcharge, or a cost adjustment, or inflation fee. It's not a tax, it's not a service charge, it's not anything but whatever arbitrary number the business wants to charge without raising their menu price. And thus, it's taxable.
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#165Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you want to put in your shipping address to every website before you can shop?
A zipcode should be plenty and grocery websites do that already.
A zipcode should be plenty and grocery websites do that already.
There's probably a Things Developers Believe About ZIP Codes list out there somewhere.
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
Correct, it doesn't. IP geolocation is nowhere near precise enough. Remember, sales tax isn't something big like state-level. It's literally town -level, including tiny towns. Two sides of the same street can have a different sales tax. Not to mention all the extra rules, such as individual clothing items under $110 being exempt in New York.
It somehow works almost anywhere outside of NA? It's really not a crazy concept - estimate it based on geolocation and say "more exact will be available once you enter your address". The problem is, that genuinely negatively affect the sales because people see the true price of things.
I've been working at FAANG for the past 10 years, so this made me absolutely chuckle!
I can totally image a PM somewhere calculate the negative bps for this and call the experiment a failure!
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
A lot of people probably weigh this too much. Forcing companies to have some skin in the game is good. But, in practice, if a company really wants to enforce a non-compete--even with consideration--it's probably not great unless you're in a position and want to take a sabbatical with substantially reduced compensation.
This is absolutely true and when I read my first non-compete my dad calmly explained how unenforceable they are due to hardship exceptions and lack of specificity. However, I had a very business minded father to ask and most people don't. Non-competes have been abused to scare uninformed employees into staying in positions they want to leave or as revenge for someone leaving. The fact that they're so often unenforcea…
The few months when I actually had a non-compete in place it was quite specific and didn't apply to me.
But, yeah, as a generic thing below the level of a CEO becoming the CEO of a direct competitor (in which case lawyers have presumably put specific contracts in place if they're competent), they don't make a lot of sense beyond NDAs in play. No properly-managed company was ever going to pay me a bunch of money to not work at a random company in the industry who was probably a partner anyway.
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#168An 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
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Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
Nope. I hate when website use IP for anything, especially language selection. I travel all the time as well as use VPNs for work, and the idea that my IP represents anything other than what network I’m connecting from is just lazy UX.
Yes let’s keep a shitty UX for most users because of a few abnormal users. Be honest, frequent travel and shopping over VPN is an edge case here. The vast majority of users are shopping and buying from home with a VPN. Or better yet, give municipalities an incentive to stop layering a kinds of taxes. Just have a VAT and be done with it.
Be honest, frequent travel and shopping over VPN is an edge case here.
Everyone is an edge case in some form. You, included.
Just have a VAT and be done with it.
This just illustrates that you don't understand the that taxes have multiple purposes, and why taxes are the way they are. Attend a few city council meetings.
Re: FTC bans hidden junk fees in hotel, event ticket prices
#170They should ban hidden taxes too. The sticker price should be the final price.
I remember shopping in Japan. The price on the tag, is exactly what you pay (same with services, like hotels). Since this is Japan, it's a high price, but no surprises. Also, the service is amazing , and they won't accept tips. If you leave money on the table, they will chase after you, to give it back.
Same in UK.
As a kid, having grown up in the UK I knew that if the price label said £1.99 and I had £2 in my pocket I could afford it, with £0.01 change. First time I went to the USA as a young teenager I remember being quite embarrassed when the thing I thought I was getting for $1.99 was actually not $1.99 but $2.17 or whatever, and I had to leave without buying. Felt quite deceptive and totally incomprehensible.