Jun 03
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Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON — Airline passengers would receive as much as $1,300 for being bumped from a flight and would have 24 hours to cancel reservations without penalty under a series of consumer protected proposed Wednesday by the Obama administration.
Currently, airlines must pay up to $800.
The new rule would also require airlines to fully and prominently disclose baggage fees as well as refunds and expense reimbursement when bags are not delivered on time, provide special notice any time baggage fees are increased, and notify passengers buying tickets whether they must pay to check up to two bags.
Price increases after a ticket is purchased would also be prohibited under the proposal. Airlines would also have to give passengers timely notice of flight status changes.
The proposal would extend to foreign airlines a three-hour limit on the time airlines can keep passengers waiting on airport tarmacs. T
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Jun 03
AmericInn International, LLC is currently offering a unique business opportunity to individuals looking to buy into the successful hotel franchise. Although they are not looking for applications from individuals in Hawaii or outside of the United States, applications from the remaining states are welcomed. This opportunity includes third party financing assistance if required as well as ongoing training and support.
About AmericInn International, LLC
AmericInn International, LLC is one of the fastest growing hotel franchises in the United States as a result of its innovative, unique customer service and reputation for always putting its guests first. There are now over 225 locations within the franchise, all offering mid-price, no food or beverage services that have bowled guests over time and again.
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Jun 01
Consumer law nationally has been radically changed with the passing of new laws that prohibit standard form consumer contracts which contain unfair terms. These changes are likely to have a significant impact on SMEs and how they interact with their customers.
The new prohibition will be inserted into the Trade Practices Act 1974 and is expected to start operation on 1 July 2010. This articles aims to explain the changes and what they mean for SMEs.
What is a consumer contract?
The prohibition on unfair terms will only apply to a “consumer contract”. A consumer contract is defined as a contract between a supplier and a person who is acquiring the product wholly or predominantly for personal, domestic or household use or consumption. Thi
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Jun 01
The US national debt equals out to about $42,000 for each person and grows at a rate of more than $4 billion a day. With 14 digits and four commas, it’s a number almost too big to fathom. But a new report by CNNMoney gives us reasons to care about America’s growing debt. Not only is it a burden being passed on to our children and grandchildren, it’s creating problems for us as well, according to experts. Here are a few of those problems:
Slower Economic Growth
Economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff say they’ve uncovered a connection between high debt and slow economic growth. According to CNNMoney the pair have examined data from dozens of countries over the past two centuries and what they found is that when gross national debt hits 90% of the country’s economy, it loses about one percent of growth every year. The US will hit the 90% point this year. Slower gr
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May 31
This is a guest article from Cuneyt Uysal, Product Manager – Web Solutions Group, Open Text.
Would it be fair to say that we are experiencing a major shift from traditional advertising methods? From television, radio and traditional publications, brand and content is expressed to the consumer in one direction. Modern and emerging media provide a more interactive, involved and engaging experience through a bi-directional channel. This is at least the case for the young, connected, and digital savvy generation who are becoming harder to penetrate through traditional advertising for a variety of reasons. T
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May 29
Australia’s monthly inflation rate has jumped, with prices rising at the fastest pace since October 2008, spurred in large part by the federal government’s 25 per cent tax slug on cigarettes.
Prices increased by 3.7 per cent in the year to May, up from the 2.9 per cent annual pace in April, according to the TD Securities – Melbourne Institute Monthly Inflation gauge.
”While there is a spike in the headline measure due to the 25 per cent lift in the tobacco excise, excluding this outcome still sees headline inflation breaching the upper limit of the RBA’s two to three per cent inflation target band,” said TD Securities senior strategist Annette Beacher.
The inflation rate jump isn’t likely to alter the Reserve Bank’s interest rate settings. Turmoil in global financial markets this month, centred on Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, has all but eliminated expectations of further rate rise by the central bank over the next year.
Investors were earlier today pricing in a modest chance of a cut – judging it to be a one-in-20 prospect – in official interest rates when the RBA board tomorrow.
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May 29
The bill, originally intended to crack down on companies that used a loophole in state law to pad profits, was largely rewritten by a lawyer working for the insurers — at the behest of the state agency that regulates insurers, the e-mails show.
The bill was approved by lawmakers the last day of the session and now awaits approval or veto by Gov. Charlie Crist. The governor must act by Tuesday or the bill automatically becomes law.
Records released last week show that in the final days of the session, the deputy commissioner in the Office of Insurance Regulation, Belinda Miller, asked industry insiders to draft language for the bill.
She approached several industry consultants, including Claude Mueller, an attorney and former state insurance regulator whose clients in the past year included property insurers who ran afoul of state solvency requirements.
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