| Volume 105 Number 4 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Next time you send a mass email to friends, family, or colleagues, make sure you use the BCC line for the email addresses. Be courteous - help your friends avoid SPAM and unwanted mailing lists.
For more general information about the law, check out my website.
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Sprint's Half Off More Like 20% Off
Last week, Sprint made headlines by promising 50% savings to current Verizon and AT&T customers. If they made the switch, Sprint would give the consumers the same plan they currently have for half the price. Additionally, Sprint offered to pay early termination fees for consumers still tied to contracts.
If it sounds too good to be true, there must be a catch, right? Well, if consumers make the switch, they'll be required to pay the full price for a new phone. Most of the time, consumers can save about $200 on a new phone when they sign a contract. Taking the early termination fees out of the equation, the Sprint offer actually amounts to a savings of about 20% when accounting for the cost of a new device.
While the Sprint deal is still unique, there are other factors to consider beyond the cost of service. Take a look at the math.
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Carriers Begin Phasing Out 3G
Before long, the 3G network may be a thing of the past. While every major mobile phone carrier runs a 4G LTE network, many of their consumers still have phones that run on a 3G network. However, as new 4G phones and tablets are produced, carriers are pushing that traffic to lines that were previously reserved for 3G devices.
This is a trend that will continue. For example, although Verizon will service 3G devices to the end of the decade, it has indicated that the technology will eventually be phased out.
What does the end of 3G mean for consumers?
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L.L. Bean on Track to Sell 450K Boots
When young adults decide something is back in style, it's incredible what can happen. Take L.L. Bean's snow boots for instance. Nothing about the boot has changed over the years, but starting last year they started to become popular again. Now they're all over high school and college campuses. In fact, the demand is so high that the company has sold out of the boot months in advance. If you order now, you'd be lucky to have your boots by March. The waiting list for boots already extends 100,000 consumers deep.
Valuing quality over quantity, L.L. Bean representatives note that ramping up production to meet demand is no easy task. Mastering the stitching technique alone takes 26 weeks. Ultimately, making boots takes a long time, but the company is hiring new employees and adding additional shifts to lessen the wait as much as possible.
L.L. Bean expects to sell 450,000 of the popular $139 boot this winter. Will you get a pair?
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Your Money
If your retirement on track? Try this AARP retirement calculator!
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For the Lawyers
Consumer must arbitrate home invasion and assault.
A Missouri Court of Appeals held that the dispute between a man who rented a refrigerator and company service man wearing a company uniform who allegedly assaulted and robbed him, must go to arbitration.
The court held that it has to enforce the arbitration clause, and let the arbitrator decide whether the dispute over the person beating up the consumer is covered by the consumer’s contract about renting the refrigerator.
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