consumers Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Bumped from a Flight? Know Your Rights As a Traveler

Paula — Tue, 02 May 2017 13:04:28 +0000

Bumped from a flight? It’s more common than you might think. Airlines routinely oversell their flights, booking more passengers than the plane can accommodate. You might be asking why they’d do such a ridiculous thing. It all boils down to economics. Airlines have to take into account that a certain percentage of passengers may have a delay from another flight, miss their flight, cancel their tickets, or any number of other things. Airlines overbook flights by selling last minute, highly priced tickets and then bumping people with lower priced tickets. They’ll give them a credit to take a different flight and still come out further ahead than they would if they’d forced the pricey ticket late payer to fly on a plane that wasn’t overbooked. So when you get bumped from a flight, your particular bump might be accidental, but it’s a symptom of a completely intentional money making business model. So what are your rights when you get bumped from a flight? Usually, there’s no problem, but as we saw recently in the United incident with a forcibly removed passenger, getting bumped does NOT have to be voluntary. And it’s not always handled well. Your Rights if You’re Bumped from a Flight The Voluntary Bump A voluntary bump can be a good thing. It can also be a win/win for everyone. When the airline realizes its overbooking process is going south, they’re required to begin checking with passengers – usually at the counter – to see if they’re willing to take a bump. Unless you really have somewhere to be, it can come out cheaper for you to take the bump. You can negotiate things like free upgrades, a voucher, or even a hotel room if the bump requires you to stay overnight. Be aware that this is all a negotiation process. They will, of course, try to low ball you at first, but you’d be surprised at what you can get just by asking. The Involuntary Bump Here’s where things get dicey. The airline cannot exceed passenger count. They only have so many seats, after all. The thing is, they WILL bump the lowest priced fares first, whether the flyer wants to get bumped or not. Remember that business model I talked about earlier? The Involuntary bump is a big part of it. They want the highest fares to stay on the plane. If you’re involuntarily bumped from a flight, the compensation will likely be higher than you’d receive on a voluntary bump, especially after the United incident. However, the fact that you were involuntarily denied flight means that you likely had somewhere important to be or were otherwise inconvenienced by the whole thing. In many cases, you’ll be entitled to a tidy sum for your trouble – up to $1,350. What you don’t know is that you can only get that if you ask. They’ll routinely try to compensate you with things like vouchers and refunds that are far less. Here’s what the Department of Transportation says you’re entitled to: If the airline provides transportation which gets you to your destination within an hour of your scheduled arrival, you get nothing. The airline is required to pay you an amount equal to 200% of your one-way fare to your destination for that day up to $675 if you will arrived one to two hours late. If you’ll arrive over two hours late and no substitute arrangements are made by the airline, you’re entitled to compensation of 400% of your fare up to a maximum of $1,350. If you have a ticket with no fare shown such as a frequent-flyer ticket, you’ll be compensated based on the LOWEST cash value of the flight. You can always keep your original ticket to use on another flight. If you choose this, you can request an involuntary refund. It’s basically a payment for your inconvenience. If you paid for extras like seat selection, checked baggage, etc. and you were denied those services as a consequence of being bumped from a flight, the airline is required to repay that money to you. Know Your Rights if You’re Bumped from a Flight Whether you’re voluntarily or involuntarily bumped from a flight, it pays to know your rights. And the first thing to remember in all of it is that airlines CAN bump you involuntarily. If you try to fight that, you might end up on the news. Rather than go through all of that, know your rights and make the most of being bumped from a flight. Their business model is more about them than you, so make your bump ALL about you.

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5 Things to Do Before Buying a Refrigerator

Paula — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 05:25:05 +0000

Buying a refrigerator is a great way to reduce your energy consumption and cost. Newer refrigerators have much better energy efficiency than older models, and that efficiency saves money in the long run. If you’re considering buying a refrigerator, like we are right now, there are some things you can do to make it a relatively painless experience. Tips for Buying a Refrigerator You would think that buying a refrigerator would be a simple thing, but a fridge is a major purchase and it needs to last. It pays to do some research and planning before just going out and buying a refrigerator. My family and I have been shopping for a refrigerator for a few months now already. We are trying to get the best price and the best value. Plus when we moved in we thought we had appliances all set but it turned out our appliances are as old as this house and they are in need of replacing. Energy Efficiency My number one criteria for a refrigerator – or any appliance for that matter – is its energy rating. I want my appliances to be as efficient as possible. The more energy efficient they are, the more money I save. When looking at refrigerators, always look for the best energy star rating you can find and work your way from there. [tweetthis]How important is the energy rating on a new appliance to you?[/tweetthis] Type of Refrigerator Another thing to consider when buying a refrigerator is what type of fridge fits you and your family. Do you need a lot of storage? If so, a traditional refrigerator with a freezer on either the top or bottom is great. If you don’t need to store enough food for an army, you might choose a French door refrigerator. I am referring to those French door refrigerators that go from top to bottom. Generally speaking, those types of refrigerators hold less food than standard refrigerators. I am stuck on a French door refrigerator this time around but I want one that is stainless steel with water filter in the door. That means some models are automatically out. Don’t Get Stuck on Brands When we started hunting for a new refrigerator, I didn’t chain myself to a particular brand right off the bat. Instead, I looked at energy ratings and customer ratings. I asked my extended social network. To me, other people’s experiences with a refrigerator is far more important to me than a name brand. I was able to narrow down the brands that way easily. Measure When buying a refrigerator, always measure. You may think that all fridges are about the same height, but “about the same” and “the same” can give you a very different outcome. Always measure. If you don’t, you’ll either be returning your dream fridge or doing a little DIY shaving off of the cabinets. That’s not cool. Shop Around I know we all have our favorite stores, but when you’re buying a refrigerator, it pays to shop around. Prices can vary drastically from store to store and from site to site. Always do your research on pricing. While we’re on the subject of pricing, buying a refrigerator online can be a great way to save money. Simply find the brand you like, scope it out at the store, and then buy it online at the great wholesale website you found. Caveat: ALWAYS check customer ratings, so you don’t end up ordering from a horrible store. Buying a Refrigerator Can be a Breeze If you follow these 5 tips on buying a refrigerator, you should be able to find the fridge that’s right for your family. Just remember, when buying a refrigerator, do your homework. If you do that, you should be just fine.

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Best Brands Offer Customer Friendly Return Policies

Paula — Thu, 06 Nov 2014 20:21:51 +0000

The shopping experience can turn a loyal shopper off if the return policy is hard to negotiate Almost every customer has returned a purchased product for a store credit, exchange or refund at least once in their lifetime. The experience is often remarkably routine. However, sometimes returns do not transpire the way they should. Let’s face it we all have a return story that made us feel undervalued as a customer. An experience shopping at even a beloved regular store can make you reconsider where you spend your money if the chain ends up having not so customer friendly return policies. Customers will be more likely to shop in retail stores offering seamless, no questions asked return policies. For obvious reasons, practicing good customer service will enhance your bottom line. However, good customer service during the return experience is a test retailers often fail. When this occurs, customers feel deceived and their loyalty to your brand diminishes greatly. This breaking of trust can undo the retailer-customer relationship forever. Examples of Best Brand Return Policies Nike offers one of the best return policies. Put yourself in their customer’s shoes for a moment. If one of their most popular products, the FuelBand, breaks, you can visit any Nike store. You will be promptly greeted by a friendly sales person with iPad in hand. They will immediately scan your FuelBand so your customer profile and proof of purchase will come up on their point of sale system. No paper receipt is necessary; everything they need to know about your purchase is already electronically linked to the product being returned. After all, when you made your initial purchase, they asked if you would prefer an electronic receipt to be emailed to you and you said yes. Within minutes, the product is replaced, and you are walking out of the store a very happy and satisfied customer. No forms. No questions asked. No demands for the original paper receipt. You leave the store with a feeling of mutual trust, and are determined to repay the favor by being a forever customer of Nike. Costco also offers an excellent return policy. Did you know if you are not satisfied even with a half-eaten, perishable product such as lettuce, you can return it, no questions asked? It would make sense to assume most customers would never take advantage of this policy using perishable items. But while some do, the average customer assumes a more conservative approach by only returning nonperishable items and consumer goods which are either defective or they are not satisfied with. Costco customers leave the store with cash in hand after a return has transpired. They are left with a feeling of mutual trust. Customer loyalty is being hardwired because of the customer friendly policy in the purchase-return-refund cycle. Returns and Refunds: The Law Most retailers are lenient with their return policies if a customer changes their mind or receives a gift they do not want. Why? Because it makes good business sense. However, you are not mandated to honor a return request unless if there an clear defect with the product covered by an implied warranty. You must abide by laws governing the communication of refund and return policies. The law is on the side of your customer. If you do not abide by your advertised and written store return policy, your customer can contact the consumer protection division of their local district attorney’s office or file a complaint with the Attorney General’s office. Beware of Return Fraud Customers can defraud a retailer when returning a product in many ways. U.S. Retailers lose between $9.6 billion and $14.8 billion annually from return fraud, according to the National Retail Federation and the Loss Prevention Research Council, as reported by Find Law. Examples of fraud include when a customer buys items for one-time use and then returns them, items are returned at the same store they were stolen at, found or stolen receipts are altered to show a higher price in order to make a profit, and price switching in which a higher-priced tag is placed on a product to receive a higher refund. An investment should be made to make your customer return experience seamless and hassle free and to protect your business from return fraud. Invest in the security of your store with hidden non-invasive surveillance video equipment and other security measures. Also, investigate mobile cloud-based point of sale hardware and software for your retail store. Shopify offers everything you need to sell in store including a credit card processing terminal with an encrypted card reader to safely store your customer information. If in the future, they come in to return an item, their credit card will be on file and the ease of the return will be simplified. It is also important to consider your price adjustment policy. Top retailers that abide by this policy give their customers the opportunity to have the difference in price credited to their credit card if the price of an item they purchase drops. Also, some credit card companies offer price protection for their clients who register purchases. While you may not want to publicize your price adjustment policy, have one in place and educate your sales staff to be prepared to handle such customer inquiries. Overall, customers will be more likely to shop in retail stores that offer seamless and no questions asked return policies. For obvious reasons, practicing good customer service and customer friendly return policies will enhance your bottom line and build consumer trust and confidence in your brand.

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