Tag Archives: consumer rights

As Plane as Day

The holiday season typically welcomes the tradition of visiting with family and friends, which often requires travel by car, train, bus, or airplane. The latter option yields particularly high volumes of passengers around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. Although airlines appear to execute efficient effort to avoid delays and accommodate customers, one airline has developed a reputation for a reason some may not expect. Two lawsuits entered against American Airlines involve the treatment of underaged children. While one was settled, the other was recently filed.

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Serving Up Surcharges

At a restaurant in Georgia, tolerance for children is not part of the menu. The parents of even well-behaved children may be forced to pay an undefined surcharge, categorized as a fee “for adults unable to parent.” This business practice has raised questions about how far restaurants or other service-driven businesses may go to tack on outrageous or unjustified costs, and whether this policy violates the rights of consumers. Some view this policy as subjective and a way to trick patrons into paying for more than what they ordered.

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An Effort to “Like”

For years, social media has been scrutinized and criticized as one of the driving forces behind youth bullying, self-esteem issues, and poor mental health. Now, a federal lawsuit and subsequent state lawsuits have targeted Meta, the corporate owner of Facebook and Instagram, for employing dangerous tactics and features for drawing teenagers and children into its social media apps. The lawsuits suggest that the specific methods of encouraging continued use have contributed to a deterioration of mental health in its users.

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A Sour Mistake

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicates that 400 milligrams of caffeine per day is considered a safe dose for healthy adults. Depending on the type of roast and brand of coffee, this amount of caffeine equates to four or five cups of coffee. Despite this guideline, people with varying health conditions may exhibit sensitivities to caffeine that require them to limit their intake. The case of 21-year-old college student, Sarah Katz, exemplifies this circumstance. In September 2022, Katz’s caffeine intake was linked to her suffering of two instances of cardiac arrest.

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Cheese Co. Singled Out

Emphasized as a key Food That Built America, American cheese has remained a staple in households across the nation since James Kraft introduced it at the turn of the 20^th century. This episode of the History Channel’s popular food origin show concludes with food expert, Adam Richman reminiscently peeling apart the wrapper to a Kraft American cheese single, folding it, and taking a bite on camera. Two and a half years after this episode aired, Kraft has issued a recall for this exact product.

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