uAirline Screwup Forces Family To Drive Home From Arizona When They Should Be In Caribbeanr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (yooperann)

  Starting on October 17, recently merged American Airlines and US Airways will operate all flights as one airline. But until then – as has been the case with previous airline mergers – customers might experience a few hiccups when booking flights. That was certainly the case for a California family who says their vacation was ruined because of issues with the newly married carriers.

  ABC 7 News reports that the couple had booked flights on both American and US for themselves and their four children to travel to Turk and Caicos.

  Issues with the trip began when the family arrived at their assigned gate at Oakland International Airport. There they say the agent tried to scan four of the tickets, but each were determined to be invalid.

  The group was asked to step aside while the standbys boarded and the gate was shut.

  The airline admitted they wouldn’t be able to get the family on their original flight and rebooked their trip through San Francisco International Airport, a 30 mile drive away.

  “They gave us tickets not only out of a new airport in San Francisco, but they then also gave us tickets to go from Phoenix to Miami, and tickets to go from Miami to Turks and Caicos,” the husband said.

  Despite the more challenging travel itinerary, the family rushed to SFO and boarded the flight to Phoenix where they spent part of their 10 hour layover in a hotel.

  When they returned to the airport for their 3 a.m. flight more problems awaited. At the gate, the ticket agent asked them to step aside, and the gate once again closed before they were allowed to board.

  “We knew right then that there were issues again with our tickets,” the wife tells ABC 7 News.

  The airline told them there were no other options to get to the Caribbean aside from standby spots several days later.

  The family declined the option and asked for a flight home, but that wasn’t even available. Instead, they rented a car and drove back to California.

  When they asked the airline for a refund, they were told there was nothing American could do for them. That’s when the family reached out to ABC 7 News, which then contacted the airline.

  “The next day American Airlines then took full responsibility, admitted basically that they had made an error, that they had given us invalid tickets, that they would reimburse the money that we lost on the airline tickets,” the family says.

  American tells ABC 7 News that similar situations shouldn’t be an issue in just a few months.

  “On Oct. 17, 2015 we will shift to one reservation system and transition all U.S. Airways flights to American flights. This cutover will eliminate the odds of this happening in the future as we will be on one reservation system,” the company says.

  Still, the travelers say the company has refused to reimburse them for their prepaid hotel in Turks and Caicos and the car they rented to get back to California from Phoenix.

  San Ramon Family’s Vacation Ruined Due To American, US Air Merger [ABC 7 News]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uComcast Begins Devouring Content Creators: Invests $200M In Vox Mediar

4 4 4 9

• After months of staying mum about rumors that it was going to purchase or invest heavily in online content networks, Comcast finally announced yesterday that — in addition to controlling cable, Internet, broadcast & cable TV networks, movies and home video — it also wants to have a hand in the news and information consumers get online, with the confirmation of a $200 million investment in Vox Media, the network that includes The Verge, Eater, Racked, Re/code, Curbed, S/B Nation, and of course its namesake site.

  In order to, at least to the general public, put some distance between the oft-reviled Comcast brand and this investment, it’s being done through Comcast’s NBCUniversal division, which describes the deal as “a collaborative partnership involving editorial content, advertising and technology.”

  In a statement, Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff said the collaboration will include, “video programming, brand advertising, cross-promotion, and platform technology to grow existing properties and launch new franchises.”

  Yay, more &*&^ing “brand advertising!”

  Re/code’s Paul Kafka, who is admittedly “conflicted up the wazoo on this one” because that site is already part of Vox Media and has previously received investment money from Comcast, also reports that a similar investment in BuzzFeed is coming down the pike this week.

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uPrescription Price Sticker Shock Is Now A Common Consumer Ailmentr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (Adam Gerard)

  Maybe this has happened to you: you’re at the pharmacy, picking up a refill of a prescription that you or a family member have been taking for a long time. It’s a routine errand until you get sticker shock: the copay has suddenly shot up. You didn’t change insurance, it’s still the same year, and the drug is the same: how can a price change so dramatically so quickly?

  Our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports heard about this phenomenon and investigated how widespread the problem is, and how to deal with sudden drug price spikes. They learned that drug prices have been rising dramatically in the last few years, especially for generics. Insurance plans normally place drugs on tiers according to how much they cost or simply don’t include them on the list of covered drugs (the “formulary”) at all, as CVS/Caremark recently did with Viagra and some other pricey brand-name medications.

  An old, inexpensive drug that has been on the market for decades might be Tier I and have a very low copay or even none at all. More expensive drugs might be on higher tiers or not on the formulary at all. What’s been happening recently is that a drug will sometimes increase in price significantly with no warning.

  “For whatever reason, raw material shortage or some other problem, literally overnight we’ll see a dramatic increase,” an independent pharmacist in Texas told Consumer Reports. Pharmacies pass the sudden cost increases on to their customers and to their insurance companies. Some generic drug prices have increased dramatically, like tetracycline, which increased from five cents per pill to $8.59 per pill in just a year.

  Consumer Reports recently polled adults who take prescription drugs to find out whether this had happened to them. One-third of respondents said that it had. Most of them (81%) simply paid the higher price at the pharmacy because, well, they needed the refills. Some paid more than $100 per prescription out-of-pocket.

  One example: a woman who doesn’t have insurance had to pay $500 for a three-month supply of hydroxychloroquine, a venerable drug for rheumatoid arthritis that used to cost about half that much. She didn’t have a choice, though, and paid the higher price.

  After leaving the pharmacy, most people in the poll tried to manage the issue, contacting their insurance company to make sure there was no error, and checking with their health care provider to find out whether cheaper alternatives were available. For many people, a sudden spike in the cost of important medication means skipping payments on other bills or avoiding other medical care.

  If this happens to you or to someone in your family, what can you do?

  Review your medications: you may be able to drop or change some maintenance medications.

  Check the formulary: It should be available on your health insurer’s website, and lists covered drugs and lower-cost alternatives.

  Shop around: Check prices between different pharmacies and big-box stores. Some offer cheap generics that other chains don’t, or offer some categories of drugs with no copay as a loss leader to attract new pharmacy customers. Costco fills prescriptions for non-members, and you might find assistance or the lowest price in an unexpected place.

  Are you paying more for your meds? [Consumer Reports]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uTarget Wants To Get Into The Grocery Delivery Businessr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (JeepersMedia)

  Earlier this year, we shared the news that Target was looking to expand and class up its food offerings. It might be that Target wants to get into another facet of the food business, too: much like competing Everything Stores Amazon and Walmart, the discount retailer is looking to get into the grocery delivery business.

  Almost exactly a year ago, CEO Brian Cornell assured Target customers that he wasn’t going to transform the retailer into a grocery store. (He spent his pre-Target career working for food companies and grocery stores.) Yet the proposed delivery service came up during the retailer’s vendor summit, where they also discussed how Target customers are interested in more natural and organic products than in the past.

  The company’s chief marketing officer told vendors that the company plans to start testing delivery “in the very near future,” but hasn’t yet said where the test will take place. The company is also testing curbside pickup of online orders in some stores in San Francisco and now near New Jersey.

  Target execs ask suppliers to embrace changes in stores and online [Star-Tribune]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uSephora Will Get Back To Angry Rewards Customers In Two Weeksr

4 4 4 9

• The Epic Rewards event was supposed to be an opportunity for customers who had accumulated a large number of points in the Sephora’s loyalty program to cash them in for valuable items. The question is: was it a rewards redemption or a sweepstakes that only people who have spent thousands at Sephora could enter? The company has promised to make things right with their customers, but are asking customers to give them 10 business days to figure out how.

  Customers aren’t upset because they thought they were entitled to free stuff and didn’t get it. As we explained yesterday, some people who took part in this promotion found the promotional e-mails and social media posts during the runup to the event misleading. They’re now disappointed because they believe that Sephora didn’t really explain the nature of the event, or the difference between rewards that they had earned and prizes that constantly-refreshing users nabbed within minutes.

  Yesterday, Sephora finally spoke up and issued an apology, asking people who had their attempted Epic Rewards purchase go wrong to e-mail the company. Here’s the response that they received:

  To Our Valued Beauty Insider,

  Thank you for contacting us regarding Epic Rewards. Despite our best efforts to predict the response, demand was overwhelming, resulting in our being out of stock very quickly. We deeply regret this and apologize. We are currently reviewing each case and will respond to you within 10 business days.

  Please know that we are committed to learning from this experience. Thank you for your ongoing support. We greatly appreciate you.

  Regards,
  Client Services

  Sephora has asked wronged customers to e-mail them by August 25, which is ten business days from when they posted their response. Maybe they’re waiting for angry customers to simmer down. Or run out of foundation.

  That’s even what the company’s CEO has posted on Twitter to try to calm the angry mob waving flaming mascara wands outside of his virtual door.

  If you tried to get an award and could not, email us at epicrewards@sephora.com by 8/25/15, we will make it right

  — Calvin McDonald (@Calvin_Sephora) August 12, 2015

  On epic rewards, we let you down. Not our intent & we want to set it right.

  — Calvin McDonald (@Calvin_Sephora) August 12, 2015

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uAmerican Apparel Says It Doesn’t Have Enough Financing To Continue Operations Next Yearr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (Michael Kalus)

  Between lawsuits, investigations and pressure from investors, American Apparel has its fair share of troubles over the past year and a half. But things don’t look to be getting any better for the retailer, as it announced today it doesn’t have enough financing to continue operations for another year.

  The Associated Press reports that American Apparel is looking at options such as raising money, refinancing, new capital-raising moves and restructuring its debt in order to support its operating costs.

  The company’s recent issues – including dealing with the behavior and subsequent lawsuits involving ex-CEO and founder Dov Charney – have only exacerbated its financial problems.

  According to the AP, the Los Angeles-based company has lost money every year since 2010. The company estimates that it lost $19 million in just the past quarter, bringing its total loss of the year, so far, to $46 million – double its losses from the year before.

  News of the company’s inability to meet operating costs comes just a month after it announced it would undergo a $30 million cost-cutting effort in an attempt to return to its former funky glory.

  The company launched a restructuring plan that includes cutting jobs and closing stores over the next 18 months.

  While the company didn’t specify how many jobs would be cut or stores would be closed, it said the new plan is an attempt to adapt to the changing retail industry while preserving jobs for the “overwhelming majority” of its 10,000 employees.

  American Apparel says it doesn’t have enough financing [The Associated Press]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

uPecan Pie M&Ms Spotted At Walmartr

4 4 4 9

• 

  (The Impulsive Buy)

  M&Ms aren’t as aggressively into new and exotic flavors as, say, Nabisco’s Oreo cookies, but they have experimented with holiday-themed flavors like gingerbread, pumpkin spice, vanilla shake, birthday cake, and candy apple. Now they’re expanding into another pretty standard flavor in the Flavors of Fall repertoire: pecan pie M&Ms have been spotted at Walmart.

  Not pecan M&Ms, of course, because that would mean figuring out how to integrate a whole new type of nut into the candy-shelled candies. These are humble chocolate candies with artificial pecan flavoring to them, probably disappointingly similar to the flavor blasted on the pecan pie Pringles that were available a few years ago.

  Flavored M&Ms usually aren’t all that interesting, since there isn’t much you can do with a palette of milk chocolate and artificial flavorings. The pumpkin spice ones, for example, just had a light cinnamon flavor.

  SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Pecan Pie M&M’s [The Impulsive Buy]

  
• 
  

ribbi

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist