Connections Planningness

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Connections Planningness

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5:45 PM (seconds ago)

Charging You For Things You Don't Buy: Preacquired Account Marketing [Free

from Consumerist

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One person who commented on this said it best, "these marketers aren't Lexus rich, they are 4 ferries rich". Its sad that people fall for this, and its even more sad to find people who entrap these poor online citizens. Ban pre-acquired account marketing indeed!

Tens of millions of consumers have fallen prey to "free" trial offers and membership clubs offered by preacquired account marketers. These companies insert themselves into your everyday transactions, hoping to trick you into letting them charge your account.

In a soon-to-be published law journal article, University of Minnesota Law School professor Prentiss Cox details how preacquired account schemes work, and says we should get rid of preacquired account marketing (PAM) entirely.

PREACQUIRED ACCOUNT MARKETING: THEMEMBERSHIP CLUB

Most PAM involves a FREE trial membership!!! offer. If you do not cancel within the trial period, you become a paying member (surprise!). The trick is that you never give preacquired account marketers your account number.

They are able to charge your account through arrangements with banks and merchants that partner with them. For example, you may not realize that the "Everyday Values" club offer in your Budget car rental packet is a separate company, Trilegiant. If you cash the $9.25 check from Budget's Everyday Values package, Budget will bill you and send the money to Trilegiant—minus a small fee.

MANUFACTURING CONSENT

Consumers who fall victim to PAM are generally unaware they have bought anything from the PAM company. In part, this is because all they have to do is get your "consent" to start the free trial offer. But "consent" here does not mean getting you to say "yes, I would like to purchase this product" or handing over your account number. More often, it just means getting you to say your birth date.

You may notice when that monthly fee appears on your account statement, but if so, you are not the PAM company's victim of choice. Like a good consumer predator, PAM's hope you are the kind of inattentive consumer who will not notice one more monthly—or yearly—fee that shows up a month or more after the "transaction" originally occured.

BAN PREACQUIRED ACCOUNT MARKETING

Because PAM is deceptive by nature, Cox advocates adopting the Uniform Consumer Account Control Act, which prevents anyone from handing out access to your account. Instead, you would get to decide what charges you authorize by explicitly authorizing them yourself.

The Invisible Hand of Preacquired Account Marketing [SSRN]

Sam Glover is a consumer rights lawyer, enemy of shady debt collectors, previous Consumerist contributor, and writes the Caveat Emptor blog. His column appears monthly on Consumerist.

(photo: Celeste)

(Infographic) The Future of Public Transportation

from PSFK

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Its scary to think about our relationships with machines. Were at an age where technology infects us with endless possibilities. From the ideas dreamt up when we were children imagining the future as a world where technology rains supreme and will nurture us.

EU Infrastructure has produced an interesting graphic describing what they view as the future of public transportation.

Sundays remind me of this!!!

Well it is another beautiful sunday night, and I know as soon as I close my eyes it will only be a moment until I have to be at my desk bright and early at the swift hand of 8 am. This video reminds me of my frustration and I share it willingly to all you poor bastards that have to wake up as early as I do :( ENJOY 

Sep 24, 2009 (3 days ago)

Bank Of America Reaches Out To Angry YouTube Star [Don't Try This At Home]

from Consumerist

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wow the power of YouTube and it's fearless leaders! I understand that 30% of interest rates are a bit high, but come on!!! A credit debt revolt? It just goes to show you the power of the mass media, and how it is shifting to new social mediums.

While we don't recommend doing this on a large scale, one woman's YouTube debt revolt has succeeded. Ann MInch, a YouTube sensation and then-unemployed credit card rebel, has been offered a lower interest rate on her card.

[YouTube Video]A BoA executive contacted Minch to talk about her situation, her video, and her debts, and negotiated a 12.99% interest rate. The executive explained to her that her interest rate was hiked up to over 30% because of one missed payment. In 2008.

Interestingly, the bank has not asked her to stop her Internet activities or to take the video down. She plans further "debtors' revolt" activities in the future, and hopes to help other Americans in similar situations. As banks tighten their lending standards and are generally more cautious, this is a good thing for all credit card customers to keep in mind.

Minch's success came once she was able to make her case, rationally and calmly, to a person in a position of actual power. Minus the quarter million YouTube views, this is exactly what we encourage consumers who have been wronged to do. Don't sit and refuse to pay back your debts - fight back.

PREVIOUSLY: Customer Tells Bank of America To Stick Her Debt "In Your Bailout Pipe And Smoke It"

DEBTORS UPDATE: BANK OF AMERICA RESPONDS!!! [YouTube]
Red Bluff woman prevails in bank protest [Record Searchlight] (Thanks, Joe!)

   

AMAZING BIRTH DAY WEEK

BBQ AT KAT'S ROOFTOP: Kat has the sickest rooftop I have everseen in san Francisco, We chilled up there for hours cooking and having good times. And thanks to Ted and Jacopo, for hosting the party ;)
SOME PERSON BROKE INTO OUR CAR: Don't leave your car at Hyde and Leavenworth!!! Cause some homeless guy will hook you up with a sweet window treatment, just make sure to have lots of valuables in plain sight, he will hook it up.
JAPAN TOWN: We went to a Benihanas in japan town, it was amazing, thank you guys so much for being apart of it. I had a blast with ya'll. 
SANTA CRUZ: The week kicked off in Santa Cruz, Thank you Edmond for the ride, and Thanks to Jacopo and Evgenia for making it such an awesome road-trip. 

THE VIDEO LINK

The video link is up. Here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpWT6sQ5c3Y. Please log on to youtube and vote for our video, it has been a real blessing getting an opportunity to work with such amazing people, and now its up to you guys to watch and vote. Thank you all!

Today I worked all day at 60 Federal with Rob beeson, and Jose Irizar, we just finished within the last hour, filming our Cannes youtube project. I am in the mix of sitting down and updating our new Twitter, Youtube page, Facebook Group, Gmail accounts. Please stay tuned tomorrow we will have the youtube link. 

NET-JETS final comp

This was a project that I worked on for my account planning class. The assignment was to go out

and use any resources to build a map of yourself. I decided to film a video in my perspective 

on a typical day in the life, living out in california and how much this city and state 

have to offer. I had help with this project, and thanks to all that were involved!!

The future of advertising. Starting from the upper left, Darin B. Nguyen, Denise Quattrini, Kathleen Kerry, Josie Ng, Jacopo 'Apo' Bordin, Noah Simon, Rob Beeson, Estefania Serrano, Jordan Burkhart, Patty Castaneda, Martin Olsson-Prescott, Christian Rongavilla, Matute Irizar Varela, Jennifer Flores Rodriguez, Morgan Nelson, Liz Swenson

This is incredible and very uplifting. This should be the way of the future, no more hybrids, straight electric