Millions of Florida residents are battening down the hatches and evacuating in advance of the monstrous Hurricane Irma, which has already wrought havoc and devastation across many island nations of the Caribbean. But Florida is also a major travel and tourist destination for millions of visitors every year, whose plans to go to or through the affected areas are obviously going to be disrupted. So what are your rights and responsibilities if your vacation has to give way to the forces of nature?
Some islands, like St. Martin and Barbuda, have been completely devastated and will take years to rebuild; all tourist itineraries in the area will obviously be off the table for quite some time to come.
Even if an itinerary doesn’t go to a damaged port in the Caribbean, though, many major cruise lines leave from major American ports in or near Miami and Ft. Lauderdale — both of which are directly in the obscenely powerful storm’s path.
As a result, dozens of cruises that go to or through major ports in the area affected by Hurricane Irma have already been cancelled or rerouted, the Los Angeles Times reports — and many more may follow in the weeks after, once the damage is done.
So what should you do?
If you’ve got a trip booked already, and it’s been cancelled or rerouted, your cruise line is probably trying to tell you directly. Go ahead and make sure you open up that email as soon as you can.
You can also keep up with your cruise line on its website and social media; the major lines tend to push out updates on Twitter and/or Facebook, and you can usually log in to a site to view changes to your itinerary. Additionally, some cruise lines, like Carnival, are allowing passengers to receive hurricane-related updates by text.
You should be able get your money back for a vacation you can’t take, but cruise lines have different terms and conditions for cancelled itineraries.
Some may give you credit towards a future cruise, onboard credit, or other perks as well as refunding your fare. Others may be decidedly less generous, or may offer perks for rebooking sooner but not later.
Unless you live right near the port of departure, the cruise itself is only one part of the cost. There are also associated costs with getting to the ship in the first place, like airfare, hotel, and ground transportation.
Airlines and hotels may refund you or allow you to rebook; airlines are waiving their usually-hefty cancellation or change fees for some itineraries because of the hurricane.
If you bought travel insurance, read the fine print of your policy and check in with them, too. It may cover cruise, hotel, airfare, and other ancillary costs in whole or in part depending on the terms you agreed to.
Many passengers who were already prepared to travel may be stuck in the region with a hurricane bearing down on them, and cruise lines are preparing to help where they can.
Norwegian, for example, will basically be using one of its ships as a shelter to sail stranded travelers and crew away from the storm. The company shortened a recent itinerary on the Norwegian Escape to five days from seven, and adds, “For those guests who did not drive to PortMiami and are unable to secure a flight back home, we strongly encourage them to stay onboard the ship. Norwegian Escape will set sail from Miami on Thursday evening on a course away from the storm. While we are unable to confirm at this time when and where the ship will return to port, we welcome all guests to remain onboard to stay safe and secure.”
If your travel plans are being affected by Hurricane Irma and you’re having trouble getting a refund or changing plans, drop us a line: tips@consumerist.com.
After many travelers complained that prices for flights out of Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma were suddenly skyrocketing, several airlines are now capping fares and, in some cases, opening up more seats to meet demand.
Delta Air Lines
Delta is switching to larger aircraft and adding flights to airports in Punta Cana, Nassau, Freeport, Key West, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Sarasota, Orlando, and more. The airline also says that more than 2,000 seats have been added to airports along Irma’s path to help customers evacuate the area.
The carrier has also capped one-way fares in all cabins at $399 for flights to and from southern Florida through Sept. 13.
“There’s only so much airline capacity to any destination,” the airline said in a statement. “When bad weather hits, there’s typically a surge of last-minute demand. Normally, these last-minute fares may be expensive. When bad weather may affect a city or region, an airline can make more last-minute, lower-fare seats available to help people who need to travel find and get an affordable fare.”
JetBlue
JetBlue is “offering any remaining seats in select markets” at reduced fares starting at $99 and going up to $159, including taxes, until Sept. 13. However, “due to high interest in this offer, seats are predominantly sold out,” the airline said on Thursday.
RELATED: Hurricane Irma To Create Massive Travel Headaches In Florida, Caribbean
American Airlines
American said that although most of its flights out of Florida have sold out, it has put a limit of $99 on the price of one-way ticket for a main cabin seat, also through Sept. 13.
United Airlines
The airline has sold out all seats out of the state through Friday, and has added six new flights, All those flights have been capped at $399, the airline said, reminding travelers that it has also enacted a travel waiver and has expanded the cities and dates of that waiver. More information is available on United.com.
“We are suspending operations in South Florida beginning tomorrow afternoon. This will extend into the weekend,” a United spokesperson told Consumerist.
While price-gouging is illegal in Florida after a declared state of emergency, airlines are regulated by the federal government and thus, are not subject to state laws.
To that end, after many travelers reported fares of more than $1,000 for seats on flights out of Florida, the Department of Transportation said that it has received consumer complaints from areas impacted by Harvey and Irma, and that it will evaluate whether they raise any violations of our regulations.”
As a child, it was always exciting to receive a book that also included a toy, because well, I was a kid. But as it turns out some of those toys could be dangerous. Case in point: 79,000 slap bracelets included in the DreamWorks Trolls: It’s Hug Time! storybook were recalled after several children were cut by the accessories.
Studio Fun International recalled the bracelets this week after receiving reports that five children sustained cuts on their hands and fingers when the outer covering of the metal bracelet was damaged or came off.
According to a notice posted with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the metal band can wear through the fabric covering of the flexible bracelet, creating a laceration hazard.
The flexible metal bands — which are wrapped in purple and contain a pink flower — were included in DreamWorks Trolls: It’s Hug Time!, which can be identified by the ISBN for the book is 978-0-7944-3840-1 printed on the back of the book.
The books with bracelets were sold nationally at bookstores and book fairs, as well as at online retailers, such as Amazon and Walmart.com, from Sept. 2016 to Aug. 2017 for about $13.
Parents should immediately take the recalled bracelets away from children and contact Studio Fun International for instructions on discarding the bracelet and to receive a free Trolls book.
The company can be reached at 800-489-3402 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or online at http://ift.tt/1dMJBTa.
The federal government won’t fine United Airlines for the forcible removal of a ticketed passenger from an overbooked flight last April, an incident that prompted the carrier to implement a slew of policy changes.
That’s according to a May 12 letter from the Department of Transportation to United [PDF] — which passenger advocacy group Flyers Rights obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. In the letter, the agency said its investigation of the April 9 incident focused on whether United complied with the DOT’s oversales rule and federal anti-discrimination statutes.
“Based on the information we gathered during our investigation, we find that that United complied with some, but not all, of the requirements of the Department’s oversales rule,” the letter reads.
The agency’s review of United’s boarding policies, its internal manuals and reference guides, passenger records, and statements from airline employees “indicated that United properly established and used non-discriminatory criteria to select passengers who were involuntarily denied boarding.”
“There was no evidence that United discriminated against any of the passengers who were involuntarily denied boarding on Flight 3411 based on their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or ancestry,” the DOT says in its letter.
And while the agency noted that United hadn’t provided Dr. David Dao and his wife with a written copy of federal rules on what airlines can do when flights are overbooked, the agency said the carrier only failed to do so because the couple quickly left to take the injured Dao to the hospital.
RELATED: Airline Complaints Soar Following United’s Forced Removal Of Passenger
However, the DOT says it was “unable to determine” whether United had complied with the requirement in the oversales rule to involuntarily bump passengers only if an insufficient number of volunteers come forward.
While it’s “undisputed that United sought volunteers willing to give up their seats for compensation several times,” there is “conflicting information” regarding whether United had then offered Dao and his wife the chance for one of them to stay on the flight.
“The written statements from different individuals who are material to our investigation are in substantial conflict and in our view the conflict is unresolvable,” the DOT writes.
Although the DOT says it found United hadn’t provided the correct compensation to one of the five passengers who were bumped involuntarily from that flight, the airline sent the rest of the money 10 days later.
“We generally pursue enforcement action when a carrier exhibits a pattern or practice of noncompliance with the department’s consumer protection regulations and federal anti-discrimination statutes that we enforce,” the agency said. “Therefore, we conclude that enforcement action is not warranted in this matter.”
Not included in the investigation was the conduct of the three Chicago airport police officers who pulled Dao out of his seat after he refused to leave the plane.
“This incident should never have happened and we are implementing all of the improvements we announced in April, which put the customer at the center of everything we do,” United said in a statement, noting that while it still has work to do, it’s made “meaningful strides” that improve the customer experience.
The president of Flyers Rights, Paul Hudson, called the removal of Dao “egregious in every sense of the word.”
“For the Department of Transportation to conclude that United Airlines’ conduct did not warrant an enforcement action is a dereliction of duty,” he said in a statement.
As residents in Texas head back to their homes following Hurricane Harvey and those in Florida prepare for Irma to make landfall, federal safety regulators are warning them about potential dangers lurking in their storm-ravaged homes.
From carbon monoxide poisoning to electrocution risks, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a warning on hazards to avoid after the storms clear.
With thousands of residents without power in storm-hit areas, many consumers have turned to alternative power sources, including generators and camp stoves.
The exhaust from these devices can contain poisonous carbon monoxide.
Related: If You’re Getting Robocalls About Flood Insurance, They’re Scams
The CPSC notes that to safely use such devices and avoid the risk of poisoning, individuals should ensure there are at least 20 feet between generators, charcoal grills, and camp stoves and a person’s home.
Additionally, individuals should make sure the CO alarms in their homes are still working.
As flood water in Texas begins to recede and rain begins to drench Florida, it’s important to remember that downed power lines could remain charged, the CPSC warns.
People should stay away from power lines and refrain from operating or handling electrical appliances that have been in standing water.
“Have a qualified electrician check electrical appliances, circuit breakers, outlets and wiring before using them if they have gotten wet or have been in standing water,” the agency urges.
Related: Insurance Won’t Cover Damage To 80% Of Homes Flooded By Hurricane Harvey
While lighting a bunch of candles as you wade through your flooded halls might seem romantic or like a scene from a movie, it should be avoided.
The CPSC suggests consumers should use flashlights or battery-powered lanterns instead of candles.
“Candles should be used with extreme caution,” the CPSC notes. “Never leave burning candles unattended. Battery-operated lights such as flashlights are a safer option.”
Much like carbon monoxide poisoning, the CPSC notes that other gas leaks can be equally as dangerous.
As a rule of thumb: If you smell gas, don’t turn lights on or off, or use electrical equipment, including a phone. Instead, leave your home and call 911.
Additionally, before you use a gas appliance or a gas cylinder that has been underwater, have a professional check for damage or leaks.
When Disney recently announced that it was ending its exclusivity deal with Netflix and moving all Disney- and Pixar-branded content over to a new Disney-owned streaming service, it was unclear exactly whether Big D would also walk off with the Marvel and Star Wars movies that Netflix currently gets exclusive streaming rights to. At the time, Netflix was still hoping it could reach some sort of custody deal with Disney, but it looks like Iron Man and Kylo Ren will be living with Mickey and Nemo at their new house.
Speaking earlier today at a Bank of America/Merrill Lynch conference on media and entertainment, Disney CEO Bob “Bob” Iger clarified [via Deadline.com] that the eventual Disney streaming service — which has yet to be named — will have “the entire output of the studio — animation, live action and Disney including Pixar, Star Wars and all of the Marvel films.”
You’ll notice that Iger says “all of the Marvel films,” but does not make the same qualifier regarding the Star Wars titles. As things stand now, while Disney owns the overall Star Wars franchise and produces all the new movies and shows, Twentieth Century Fox still has the distribution rights for the original two trilogies through May 2020 and indefinite control over the distribution and home video rights for the original 1977 Star Wars film.
Currently, all new Marvel and Disney/Pixar movies get an exclusive streaming window on Netflix at some point after those titles have hit the rent/buy home video market but before they show up on premium cable stations like HBO or Starz. Some older movies will also cycle in and out of the Netflix library, along with Disney-produced shows under these brands. For example, right now Netflix subscribers in the U.S. can watch Doctor Strange, Rogue One, and Captain America: Civil War.
There are also the Netflix/Marvel original shows like Jessica Jones, Daredevil, and Luke Cage. It still remains unclear exactly what the longterm fate of these shows will be, given they are co-productions with Netflix’s original programming division. We’ve reached out to Netflix for comment regarding these shows and will update if we hear anything.
Maybe it’s the slightly lower prices, or the curiosity of seeing Amazon Echo speakers being sold in the produce aisle, or even the ground beef sculpted into Amazon logos — whatever the reason, it looks like Whole Foods is seeing a boost in foot traffic in the weeks since it officially became part of the Amazon family.
This is according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites anecdotal claims from Whole Foods managers, along with industry analysts who say that visits to the supermarket chain’s stores are up compared to the stores’ pre-merger traffic and the traffic at comparable times for the previous three years.
While Whole Foods might be seeing a bump in shoppers, it remains to be seen if these visitors are buying more or if the increase in foot traffic is just a result of people popping in because Whole Foods is in the news again.
After all, while our colleagues at Consumer Reports found that some items at the upscale chain have been discounted by as much as 43%, Whole Foods’ prices are still high when compared to the most popular supermarket chains.
Some stores are actually using Whole Foods’ discounted prices to highlight this disparity. For example, Whole Foods notably slashed prices on bananas from $.79/lb to $.49/lb after the Amazon takeover. But the Journal points out that some Trader Joe’s stores are countering that supposed price cut with signs that read ““Our bananas have been priced at 19 cents for 17 years.”
As we’ve noted before, Amazon didn’t purchase Whole Foods just so it could run a few hundred high-end retail grocery stores. The addition of the Whole Foods operation is expected to be a big boost to Amazon’s Pantry and Fresh online services. Grocery delivery services only currently account for around 2% of annual retail food sales in the U.S., but it’s growing, up 21% last year alone. That’s why traditional supermarket chains are now beginning to take online ordering and delivery more seriously; they don’t want to end up like all of the bricks-and-mortar retailers who signed their own death notices by ignoring competition from Amazon and other e-tailers.
Federal authorities say they’ve arrested more than a dozen people and broken up a massive shoplifting network that trafficked in some $20 million in apparel and other items stolen from stores all over the country and then sold in Mexico.
According to a grand jury indictment [PDF] unsealed this week, the San Diego-based defendants allegedly assembled “crews” of shoplifters who would steal items from a variety of stores — Victoria’s Secret, Hollister, American Eagle, Banana Republic — at malls both local and thousands of miles away.
Prosecutors say that this ring pilfered items at stores as far-flung as Washington state, Illinois, and Maryland, all with the intention of transporting the stolen goods back to the San Diego area, and then on to a fence in Mexico.
The indictment details the various roles given to the shoplifters involved in any given theft. There were “team leaders” who selected stores and targeted items within the store, while doing advance scouting for the presence of police or loss-prevention staff. When it came time to shoplift, the team leader would relocate the items targeted for shoplifting, putting them in spots within a store that made it easier for others to steal them.
Then there were the “mules,” who were responsible for concealing the stolen merchandise and walking out of the store with it. Mules often used “booster bags” — shopping bags lined with material that shielded items from stores’ anti-theft sensors. You can see the metallic foil lining in the image below:
Aiding the mules were “blockers,” whose job was to prevent store employees from spotting a mule, whether by obstructing the employees’ views, distracting the employees, or physically preventing employees from responding to the shoplifting.
The alleged thieves were not just looking to steal a few pairs of socks, either. In one day in Sept. 2014, defendants stole more than $3,000 in clothing from a single Banana Republic store in California. About a year later, the indictment says that $4,500 in apparel was lifted in one day from a Victoria’s Secret store. Two defendants are also accused of stealing in excess of $10,000 worth of Tommy Hilfiger products on one day in April 2016. Most recently, authorities claim this ring is responsible for the theft of $5,530 in apparel from one Abercrombie store in late July.
Some of the incidents tied to the ring got violent, claims the indictment. In 2008, one defendant allegedly attempted to drive over an Abercrombie & Fitch employee that tried to stop the shoplifter from fleeing. In 2012, prosecutors say two defendants drove their vehicle through a crowd in an effort to evade arrest after shoplifting items from a San Diego Hollister store.
All of this stolen merchandise was funneled to a fence in Mexico, who is accused of selling these items through her store in Tijuana. According to the indictment, one Oct. 2013 shipment to the fence contained more than $480,000 in items stolen from at least 57 different stores.
“The mall is supposed to be a safe place for families to shop, eat and enjoy themselves,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Alana Robinson. “Instead, a prolific and violent group of thieves has stolen millions of dollars in merchandise as well as peace of mind from mall employees and customers.”
Ride-hailing service Lyft is nudging its way into the world of self-driving cars, announcing today that it will soon be offering rides in autonomous vehicles to customers in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The upcoming test, which was not given a precise start date, will be a partnership between Lyft and Drive.ai, a startup that builds software and hardware to retrofit traditional cars into self-driving vehicles.
When the Lyft test does launch, the small fleet of Drive.ai cars will not be sent out onto the streets of San Francisco without human supervision. Rather, a trained driver will be behind the wheel of each vehicle to monitor the car and take over control of the vehicle if needed.
Also, Lyft users won’t be taken fully by surprise when they are picked up by a self-driving car. Customers will have to opt in to participating if they want the option of riding in an a robot car. For those that do end up in one of the few autonomous cars, there’s additional good news: Your ride will be free.
If this all sounds familiar, it’s because Uber tried something similar in late 2016 in San Francisco. That test barely lasted a week, as Uber failed to get proper authorization from state regulators to operate their self-driving SUVs on public streets. During that very brief window of time, Uber vehicles were filmed running red lights and improperly entering intersections — incidents that Uber blamed on human error.
To preempt concerns that its program will be similarly short-lived, Lyft makes a point in its announcement of stating that the test will be “done in compliance with applicable regulatory requirements set by” state regulators.
Lyft is also planning to launch a separate autonomous vehicle test in the Boston area in the months to come.
