| Volume 61 Number 12 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Immediately review your bank statements and returned checks for forgeries. Promptly report any problems to your bank. A short delay may cost you your legal rights. Click here for more.
Netflix Now Larger Than Cable Operators
Netflix grew its subscriber base by almost seventy percent over the last year, giving the company more subscribers than the largest TV cable company in the United States. Seven percent of all Americans subscribe to Netflix (23.6 million users). Although Netflix continues to grow, new competitors like Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime may challenge Netflix for unique content. Will Netflix continue to grow at such an astonishing rate? Click here for more.
Hyundai Trade-In Guarantee Program
Last month, Hyundai ended its job-less protection program. Under the program, car buyers were allowed to sell their vehicle back if they lost their job within two years of purchase. This week, Hyundai introduced a new guarantee program. If a consumer buys a new Hyundai and then trades in the vehicle within two to four years, the company will offer a guaranteed price for their next Hyundai vehicle, effectively eliminating concerns over depreciation. Although Hyundai continues to use unique programs like this to grab attention, many of their vehicles rank well in performance and reliability. What's the catch? Is it worth it? Click here for more.
Windows XP Popular Despite New Editions
It has been ten years since its introduction, but Windows XP still remains the most popular operating system. According to a recent survey, fifty-four percent of PCs are still running Windows XP, while only twenty-four percent are running Windows 7 (the latest version). Are you still running Windows XP? If so, make sure your computer is updated to "Service Pack 3." Microsoft is no longer offering updates for "Service Pack 2," making it vulnerable to malicious software. Microsoft will stop offering updates for Windows XP "Service Pack 3" in April of 2014. Click here for more.
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The 529 College-Savings-Plan Estimator! Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Court may not substitute arbitrator when contract designated NAF. The Illinois Supreme Court held that a personal computer company could not enforce an arbitration agreement in its sales contract that designated an arbitral forum that no longer accepts consumer arbitrations. The court noted that the “plain language of [Gateway's arbitration] provision penalizes any party for bringing a dispute in any forum other than the NAF. It is self-evident that the provision was intended to apply if the NAF was available to administer arbitrations. That is the whole point of the clause. Gateway, which drafted the agreement and presented the nonnegotiable terms to [the plaintiff] when he purchased his computer, sought, by this clause, to ensure that only the NAF would administer any arbitrations that arose under the agreement.” Click here for more.