So you have a perfectly usable version? Let's patch that up for you...

(Image is in the Public Domain)

The Consumerist is running an article explaining how both Quicken and MS Money improperly and possibly illegally force users to upgrade to newer software by purposely cutting off necessary features to older versions.

(Image is in the Public Domain)

Here's a neat story from the Consumerist about an enthusiast turned pirate and why.

I thought I was the music industry's dream consumer.

…

"You don't understand," I said, "These files were not copied or pirated, I actually purchased them."

"Well" she responded, "You didn't actually purchase the files, you really purchased a license to listen to the music, and the license is very specific about how they can be played or listened to."

Now I was baffled. "Records never came with any such restrictions," I said.

She replied, "Well they were supposed to, but we weren't able to enforce those licenses back then, and now we can"

Crikey. Maybe your customers would be more loyal if you didn't abuse them?

Will Congress act on a predatory credit card industry?

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Consumeraffairs writes that congress may take a look at the credit card industry and how it's been hurting consumers for years. They talk about the practice of assessing fees for anything and everything, but don't forget about those difficult to understand agreements:

"Anyone who has ever tried to read a credit card agreement knows that the terms are simply incomprehensible," Warren said. "The inserts sent along with monthly bills to amend the card agreements are filled with language even a lawyer would have difficulty parsing."

It's as this point that some would say "well, if you don't understand it, then don't sign it". That's great in theory, but how many things in life actually work that way? Do you completely understand all the terms and conditions when you bought your car? Bought your house? Signed up for your last web service? People have a right to simple to understand terms and conditions for everything they do. Not everyone is a lawyer and even they don't want to read pages and pages of crap just to open an account with a retailer.

Most of all, the expert witnesses emphasized the willingness of banks to lend to just about anyone as a prime reason for the explosion in consumer credit card debt.

"To make the assumption of debt more attractive to these households -- and to entice them into carrying debt for longer periods -- creditors lowered minimum payment balances from around five percent of principal to just over two percent," Manning said.

How is this not illegal?

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A group of passengers was treated like livestock by being trapped on a grounded American Airlines plane for 9 hours. I can't imagine what I would have done after even an hour like that.

I don't know why this kind of thing is allowed, but it's customer abuse, plain and simple.