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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (327456)	2/26/2007 4:43:03 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1587676

Then there is this.... Beware of gift cards bearing fine print By Ivan Penn Published February 24, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- WARNING: Read the fine print. Walter Blenner's kicking himself because he didn't get all the facts. It's not that he suffered some irreparable harm, but he admits he should have known better. After all, he is a lawyer. So to redeem himself, Blenner wants shoppers to know they should beware gift cards. There's fine print that sometimes comes with them, and those details can cost you. Blenner, 47, practices law in Palm Harbor. He decided to buy some gift cards for clients from the Chili's/Macaroni Grill/Maggiano's restaurant chains, owned by Dallas-based Brinker International. Brinker was running a holiday special: Buy a $25 gift card, get a $5 bonus card free. Blenner saw the deal as a chance to cash in on some free meals while spreading goodwill. He collected $100 worth of the $5 bonus cards. What he didn't know was that the cards come with restrictions. They cannot be used for alcohol or tips. Before Blenner and others complained, the bonus cards could not be bundled and used at one time that changed in mid January to allow use of multiple cards. And they expire Wednesday. That's a lot of trips to Macaroni Grill and Maggiano's by the close of February. "I should have known better as a lawyer to read the fine print," he said. Maggiano's bought back the bonus cards, so he says he's not raising the issue for personal gain. He wanted to inform others about the pitfalls of gift cards. Brinker spokesman Tony Schembri said "in response to customer feedback," the company has changed its policy. The bonus cards still expire Feb. 28, he said, but restaurant managers will "work with customers if they want to use their bonus cards after the expiration." Brinker gift cards do not expire. But that's not the case with all retail and restaurant gift cards. The National Retail Federation, a retailer trade association based in Washington, D.C., says consumers spent about $25-billion on gift cards during the past holiday season. But retailers cannot count that money as revenue until the gift cards are used. So rather than a carrot, gift cards often come with a stick. In some cases, either use the card or lose the money over time. Here's the edge: - Understand a retailer's gift card policy, the retail federation says. Many retailers are moving away from expiration dates, but others still deduct fees from cards that go unused for extended periods of time. - Know that service fees and expiration dates are more common with mall-issued and bank-issued gift cards than retailer-issued cards. - Beware online auction sites. Some online auctioneers distribute fraudulent gift cards. - Don't give up if you've lost your gift card. Technology has allowed some retailers to replace lost or stolen cards if you have the purchase receipt. The Consumer's Edge is a twice-monthly column to help consumers in the markteplace. Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com">href="mailto:ipenn@sptimes.com" mce_href="mailto:ipenn@sptimes.com">ipenn@sptimes.com or (727)892-2332.

To: TimF who wrote (327456)	2/26/2007 6:58:05 PM
From: longnshort	Respond to of 1587676

Democrats have ruled MD for 150 years. Once again they control all 3 branches, we are being hit with about 10 new taxes and 100s of regulations on Businesses

To: TimF who wrote (327456)	2/27/2007 12:43:14 AM
From: Elroy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1587676

Fairly Ridiculous A Maryland legislator has introduced an absurd bill that would allow the state to seize unused funds on gift cards. From WJLA-TV’s website: Democratic Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk testified Thursday before a House committee that after four years, the state should take money on old gift cards as abandoned property. She argued that companies are unfairly keeping money paid for gift cards and gift certificates. To Delegate Pena-Melynyk, “fairness” apparently means confiscating money from individuals and businesses and spending it on her priorities, in this case public education... Yeah, the state seizing it is sort of ridiculous, but you can make the claim that something which forces the seller to return unused money to the buyer could be worthwhile. I wouldn't be opposed to laws which make it harder for companies to keep unclaimed funds of consumers. For example, say someone opens a bank account, no one knows about it, and someone eventually dies. If its not in the will, how do the inheritors of the deceased get it? It seems the bank should not be allowed to hold onto it indefinitely - its the depositor's property, not the banks. Perhaps something similar could be implemented about gift cards - pass a law mandating that if unused after 4 years, the sellers of the gift card have to return the funds to the buyer, minus some transaction cost.