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JetBlue’s Customer Bill of Rights: The Big Loophole

jet blue rightsThe past two weeks have been a publicity disaster for Jet Blue and a travel nightmare for passengers after hundreds of flights were still being cancelled days after a snowstorm passed.

To its credit, the company quickly admitted its errors and embarrassment, and pledged to do better in the future. Rather than a hollow promise to improve, the company put its money where its mouth is, and unveiled a “Customer Bill of Rights.”  It will pay people rather generously for their inconvenience when flights are delayed or cancelled — up to the price they paid for their ticket. Compensation increases as the time of the delay increases.

However, the airline will generally only provide these benefits when the cancellation or departure delay is a result of a “controllable irregularity.”  Nowhere in the policy is that term defined. So, our trusty mouse went to work, and ferretted out the definition from the company:

*MOUSE PRINT:

“A controllable irregularity is something that is within the control of JetBlue, such as staffing issues, technology issues, maintenance issues, etc. It essentially includes most everything except weather, air traffic control constraints, or airport conditions beyond the control of JetBlue.”

So, potentially the thousands of passengers stranded in airport lobbies around the country over Presidents Day weekend would not have been compensated a penny had the new policy been in effect at that time. No doubt arguments would have broken out over whether the problem was the weather or mismanagement.

Only passengers held captive on airplanes on the runway would clearly be covered because the “controllable irregularity” language does not apply to the “ground delays” section of the policy.

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Capital One No Hassle Rewards: Only $48,000 Roundtrip

Capital One card Everyone has seen the Capital One TV commercials that convey the impression that cashing in points you have earned for a free trip with other banks’ credit cards is nearly impossible. Whatever date you want, “the answer is always ‘no’.” [Watch commercial.]

The fix, they say, is to get a Capital One “no hassle” card with no blackout dates on any airline. Sounds great, right?

What they don’t tell you in the ad is that they charge you an arm and a leg in points for some “free” domestic roundtrips — far more than many of their competitors. So, in keeping with the spirit of their press release a few weeks ago, urging consumers to be more informed when making financial decisions, herewith are their terms and conditions: 

*MOUSE PRINT:

§ The number of miles required by the Cardholder for travel redemption will depend on the cost of the itinerary chosen by the Cardholder at the time of redemption. The mileage requirement is as follows: 15,000 miles are required for tickets up to $150.00; 35,000 miles are required for tickets from $150.01 up to $350.00; 60,000 miles are required for tickets from $350.01 up to $600.00. For tickets over $600.00 in value, the required number of miles will be determined by multiplying the cost of the ticket by 100 (ex. $768 ticket requires 76,800 miles). [see website]

Translation: A $400 airline ticket will require 60,000 points. To earn 60,000 points under Capital One’s revised system where every dollar spent earns 1.25 points on their regular card [up from 1 point], you would have to purchase $48,000 worth of goods and services.(Some purchases and other of their cards may earn 2 points per dollar spent.) 

It has been a rule of thumb in the travel industry to charge 25,000 points or miles for a free domestic roundtrip. Bank of America, for example, lets you redeem 25,000 points for a ticket worth up to $400. Earning points at the rate of 1 point per dollar spent, your free trip would require $25,000 in expenditures on the card, about half what Capital One requires.

Providian’s “Real Rewards” card earns a point per dollar spent, and one can get a $500 ticket for only 20,000 points. [Card no longer available to new applicants.]

Both Chase and Citibank, the two leading credit card issuers, make it almost impossible to determine in advance of applying for their cards how many points are required for particular rewards. And some of them are now imposing up to a $59 redemption fee.

The power of repeated advertising for Capital One’s “no hassle” card no doubt has brought it many customers who didn’t bother to check the fine print before applying.

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Clorox: Making a Stink about Scents

cloroxLaundry bleach has a very distinctive strong smell that some people like and other people hate. No wonder that major bleach manufacturers like Clorox have come out with scented versions of their liquid bleach.

They now make “Citrus Blend” (far right), “Fresh Meadow,” and “Mountain Fresh” scents in addition to regular.

There is one key thing, however, they don’t tell you on the label about the scented versions. They contain less than half the active ingredient of regular bleach.

*MOUSE PRINT:

“The scented bleaches contain a sodium hypochlorite concentration of 2.75%. Clorox Bleach – Regular Scent has a sodium hypochlorite concentration of 6%.”  –The Clorox Company

The label for the scented versions conveniently omits the ingredients statement that appears on the regular version: 

Clorox ingredients

When asked in an email why there was a lower percentage of bleach in the scented versions and why it was not listed on the label, the company did not respond. [But see below for lengthy explanation received after this story was posted.]

The label on the scented version does indicate that it should not be used for disinfecting purposes, however.

So, if your whites smell better but look a little more dingy these days, now you may know why.

UPDATE:  Harold Baker, also known as “Dr. Laundry” at the Clorox Company sent Mouse Print* a response to the scent issues raised above on February 22, 2007:

I wanted to briefly comment on some of the details you point out in this post, and hopefully shed some light on the “why” behind some of the differences in our products, and dispel any misconceptions.

What is the bleach level in scented bleach products?  As you point out in your Mouse Print quote, from a Clorox Company source, it is 2.75% sodium hypochlorite.  This is less than the 6.0% found in our Clorox®Regular-Bleach.

Why isn’t this displayed on the label? Are you trying to hide it from consumers?  Actually, if you check the store shelves, you will find that unless any consumer product is registered with a Government entity, it will NOT list specific amounts of any formula ingredient.  Clorox® Regular-Bleach is a registered disinfectant therefore the active ingredient statement you displayed is required by EPA.  The scented versions are not registered disinfectants and therefore do not list formula ingredients. Look at other laundry products: liquid or powder laundry detergents, stain and soil removers, even fabric softeners do not list specific ingredients on their labels. Most products are mixtures of 6-20 ingredients which would require a lot of label space to spell out.  So at best you will see general description, like surfactants or enzymes, rather than very long technical names which are meaningless to the average consumer.  How would this information help them decide whether to purchase and use a product?  Believe me as a formulator, I would love it if my competitors would list out their ingredients so I could duplicate it more quickly and get it to market.   The only other reason to have specific ingredients would be for safety.  In fact, all consumer companies share this information, on a confidential basis, with Poison Control Centers to insure appropriate treatments are followed in emergencies. 

Why wouldn’t all Clorox bleach products have the same bleach level?  The Clorox Company has a slogan “We begin and end with the consumer”.  This means that we spend a lot of time monitoring consumer needs and developing products that meet their desires.  Consumer use situations and preferences vary and if you want to be successful in the marketplace, one listens carefully, develops and tests carefully and then markets EACH product to a target group.  So some consumers want strong, disinfecting bleach, while others want less bleach odor or more control of the product.  It is our job to find the best way to deliver those needs to be the #1 bleach company that consumers trust. [PRODUCT LISTING OMITTED by Mouse Print*]

So hopefully, you better understand that there are good reasons to sell a variety of bleach products with different actives levels.  We know this is true and if you check the store shelves you’ll find a number of competitors that try to copy our products.    

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