Quick reminder: Most old cellphones can still call 911 even without a plan. Federal law requires all cellphones to connect to emergency services, even if they don’t have active service. A 2-year-old in Oklahoma put this to the test by calling for an emergency donut delivery. The dispatcher played along, and the police showed up with Dunkin’ treats.
How to find and stop hidden fees
When I’m booking air travel, it seems like the price goes up with every click. By the time I pay to check a bag or two, that “great deal” isn’t looking so, well, great.
So of course airlines are fighting the Biden administration’s “junk fees’” rule, which would make them show their fees upfront for checking bags, carrying on a bag, and changing or canceling a reservation.
Virtually every major airline (American, Delta, United, JetBlue, Alaska and Hawaiian) is suing to stop this rule. Yeah, and they probably don’t want you to know their checked-baggage fees are going up again (at least, for American).
Airlines aren’t the only ones
It’s called price obfuscation, and I bet it’s happening in your online shopping carts all the time. You see one price when you hit “buy,” and as they tack on more fees, you’re less likely to notice them.
Concert tickets are some of the worst offenders, with service fees, order processing fees, delivery fees and facility charges.
The price obfuscation for concert tickets got so out of control, some states finally made Ticketmaster show “all-in pricing” — your actual ticket cost — instead of the ticket price you think you’re paying.
- 🎶 How to avoid it: When you can, buy tickets at a physical box office to avoid some of the fees.
Hotels stays: Many hotels tack on a “resort fee” they claim is for amenities. Some local governments charge a tourism tax, too. It can add up!
- 🧳 Ask about the charges: If your hotel’s “resort fee” is for a closed pool or a gym you’re not using, politely ask if it can be removed from your bill.
Online shopping: That outfit was a good deal … until you saw the shipping and handling fees.
- 🛍️ Do your own legwork: Literally. If you’re purchasing online for a store with a brick-and-mortar shop in your town, get it shipped there for free and pick it up.
📲 Whaddaya want? Soon, you’ll know why a business is calling — at least if you use an Android on the AT&T network. Maybe you’ve already noticed official logos pop up when a company calls. Now you’ll see what they want, with no extra app required. Options include appointment and refill reminders, delivery service, and upcoming visits. This is neat, but, of course, now I’m worried when someone will hack this …
Staying in is the new going out
Friday night celebration? Nah. We’ve got food delivery and streaming. You can thank Wi-Fi for that.
🪖 Welcome to drone country, soldier: The Army just launched its biggest makeover since the Cold War, and it’s all about drones. Think 1,000 drones (paywall link) per combat division, replacing aging gear with swarms of flying surveillance bots, delivery drones and attack craft that would make a Call of Duty dev blush.
61%
That’s the share of parents who use DoorDash. More than half of families with kids are ordering delivery at least once a week. Because between soccer practice and homework meltdowns, no one’s got time to sauté. Basically, Uber Eats is the new family dinner.
📦 “Help me”: A brave woman in Florida whispered that to her Amazon delivery driver, who saw marks on her neck and called 911. The police arrested her ex-husband, Frank Mandolini, for allegedly choking her. He still lives with her and their daughter. His excuse? He told the cops he didn’t “cause her to lose her breath.” Sound familiar to you? Call 911 or 800-799-SAFE (800-799-7233), text START to 88788 or go here. I care about you.
🥷 Another gold bar scam: A Florida woman lost over $280,000 after scammers tricked her into thinking her Social Security number was compromised. A fake federal officer told her to protect her assets by buying gold from a bullion store. They arranged a delivery, gave her a secret “password” and then vanished. PSA: No legit agency asks for gift cards, crypto or undercover missions.
$70
Total price of a $20 order on DoorDash. It’s not just delivery fees and tips. DoorDash now lets you split your bill into four payments with Klarna. Miss a payment? That’s a $7 late fee and maybe overdraft charges from your bank. The other day, I ordered DoorDash and got this message, “Jesus is on his way.” I thought, “He sure is!”
$2
That’s all an Indiana pizza delivery driver got after delivering a $40 order during a massive snowstorm. A police officer saw him, shared his story on TikTok and started a GoFundMe campaign. The goal was $500, but over $30,000 poured in. Thank goodness, he kneaded the dough. (Oh, that was so bad, it was good!)
6 pages
Length of Amazon memos. Keeping it short speeds up decisions. AI robotics startup Swiss-Mile followed suit when they pitched to Jeff Bezos in April. He gave them $22 million for testing delivery bots in Zurich. Less is more.
🪦 RIP, Chromecast: After 11 years, Google is upgrading its streaming device to something that feels suspiciously like the Apple TV. Google TV Streamer plugs in via HDMI and is a lot more powerful than the old Chromecasts. Preorder is live now with September delivery.
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👀 How FedEx is helping cops spy on you: Flock Safety makes automated license plate readers and video surveillance gear. Its 40,000 cameras are used in 3,000 communities across 40 states. FedEx has AI-powered cameras in its delivery trucks recording everything it sees. Now, FedEx is selling those recordings to Flock, which will provide them to law enforcement agencies and who knows who else. Reminds me of the book “1984.”
The post office delivery scam
Did you get a text about a package from the post office or FedEx? Stop and think. This message could be a dangerous scam.
This is so fly: Amazon Prime Air’s delivery drones have received Beyond Visual Line of Sight clearance to go nationwide in 2025. Pilots can operate them remotely, and drones can legally travel farther. Hopefully, this doesn’t turn into people skeet-shooting for “prizes.”
One email cost this man $167K
Pat Lawlor was happy to buy his first home — until he received a fake email from someone he thought was his escrow officer. Plus, closing apps doesn’t save iPhone battery, a flame-throwing robot dog, and Amazon’s new grocery delivery.
Hidden costs of Instacart
Opting for grocery delivery? It’s convenient, but be aware of the extra price.
New package delivery scam
The holidays are here. Packages are on the way — and so are delivery scams.
Avoid this new package delivery scam
Did you recieve a package from the IRS? Here’s why that could be a con, in one minute.