| When flights go awry, get refund information in writing
Q: I would like to request your help in resolving an issue with AirTran Airways. I flew from Atlanta to Savannah, Ga., recently. But my return flight to Atlanta was canceled for mechanical reasons, and I was offered two options by a station supervisor. I could either spend the night at a hotel at AirTran's expense and fly out the next afternoon, or I could rent a car and drive to Atlanta, again at AirTran's expense. Since I had a morning business meeting the following day, I chose the second option. The following day I mailed my receipts for $124 to the station supervisor by certified mail. I also called the number on his card and left numerous messages. For two weeks I received no response from him or AirTran. Then a credit for $39 — the cost of the return flight — showed up on my American Express card.
Standard Chartered unveils new card
Dubai: Standard Chartered on Monday launched a business credit card in the UAE primarily targeted at the small and medium enterprise (SME) segment. The 'Gold Business Credit Card', co-branded with Singapore Airlines, offers business-centric benefits such as automatic membership to KrisFlyer - the loyalty programme of Singapore Airlines, the flexibility to convert business rewards from the credit card to KrisFlyer miles, preferential rates and offers from leading international hotels and discounts on office supplies, equipment and courier services. "Our Business Credit Card is aligned with our ongoing drive to deliver first-class services to all our valued customers above and beyond their stated needs," said Chris De Bruin, head of consumer banking chartered for the UAE.
Chase Paymentech Debuts Website for Small and Medium Businesses
DALLAS, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Chase Paymentech Solutions, LLC, has launched a new website designed to help small and medium sized businesses affordably accept credit card payments. The new site, http://merchantaccount.chasepaymentech.com, provides business owners with a simple, easy to use guide to access the latest Chase Paymentech payment processing tools. The site allows businesses to research payment products that fit their needs and offers quick access to experts who can customize a program to each business' requirements. These programs feature reliable terminals, low interchange rates to process credit card transactions and even custom gift card programs. Solutions can be designed for merchants who need secure payment solutions over the Internet, point-of- sale, telephone, or mail order.
Southwest Airlines Selects Interceptas(TM) Fraud Prevention Solution ...
CHICAGO, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Accertify, a Chicago-based provider of leading-edge fraud prevention solutions to online retailers, today announced that Southwest Airlines has selected its Interceptas solution to fight credit card fraud and ensure a high-quality experience for Customers. "Southwest is committed to running the best airline in the world and offering Customers the best overall travel experience," said Dodd Roberts, Director, Accounting Operations at Southwest Airlines. "Providing the best possible experience to the growing number of Customers who book online is a key part of that commitment." "We chose Accertify because its solution is the most comprehensive, flexible, efficient and easy to manage," Roberts said. "Interceptas will enhance our fraud prevention capabilities, help Southwest maintain a low cost structure and ensure a superior overall experience for Customers purchasing on southwest.com." Interceptas is the first end-to-end solution that addresses the entire business process of combating fraud from the perspective of the online travel merchant.
Love is a many-splintered thing
Romance is dead. Cupid shot his last arrow and it pierced Prince Charming's heart, striking him dead. What did you expect, a fluffy column about love at first sight? Lowellita is not for the faint of heart, my parents, or those that believe in soul mates. Happily ever after is a Disney-created fantasy and Valentine's Day is more tacky than a contestant on VH1's Rock of Love. To prove my amoré assumption I did not have to look further than this very newspaper. On Monday, the question of the day was: "What will you be getting your sweetheart for Valentine's Day?" A whopping 51 percent answered nothing. That's more than Ron Paul garnered in votes during the primary. Nothing. No card, no candy, no flowers, no cheesy stuffed-bear with a heart sewn to its paws. Somewhere between grammar school, when we gingerly cut out cardboard hearts for our crush, and now our love for Valentine's Day fizzled.
Both Obama And Clinton Hold Edge Over McCain
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) kicks off his general-election campaign trailing both potential Democratic nominees in hypothetical matchups, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) leads McCain, who captured the delegates needed to claim the Republican nomination Tuesday night, by 12 percentage points among all adults in the poll; Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) holds a six-point lead over the GOP nominee. Both Democrats are buoyed by moderates and independents when going head to head with McCain and benefit from sustained negative public assessments of President Bush and the war in Iraq. About two-thirds of Americans disapprove of the way Bush is handling his job and think the war was not worth fighting, and most hold those positions "strongly." A slim majority also doubt that the United States is making progress toward restoring civil order in Iraq, even as McCain and others extol recent successes there.
Guitar Man
It's quite good in a way for me to know what other people do like, because I can get very obscure. There have been points in my history where, with some of the songs, you'd have to have a lot of explanation as to what they were about. It was only me that understood them at all. The guitar is what I'm thinking at the time. That's what comes out." His musical journey begins in Edinburgh. When Bert was three months old, his mother left his father in Glasgow, and they moved into a council house in West Pilton. His interest in music was sparked at Pennywell Primary School, when a teacher brought in a Spanish guitar. This was the time of Elvis and skiffle, so his attention was snared. He built a guitar from a kit, and - by now at Ainslie Park high school - was introduced to the Howff club in the High Street.
Open Mike: Models? Strip poker? Sign me up
Voters and computers aren't equipped to deal with reality, just numbers, and if they can eliminate a team because it lost a game — even one the refs lost for it — they're happy as clams. Oregon shouldn't be penalized, but treated as if it's record is what it is — undefeated, if not unblemished. By the end of the season, it will all sort itself out anyway. But Boren should keep his nose — and his opinions — out of it. University presidents should oversee their athletic programs to guard against abuses. They shouldn't get involved in the games themselves. It only serves to display their ignorance of the way things work on the playing field. Boren also asked that Pac-10 officials not work future Oklahoma games, which isn't a bad idea, but it is one that should be presented by the athletic director.
Internet giants back single-ID system for Web sites
Some of the Internet's biggest players — Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, IBM and VeriSign — are working on a new "single sign-on" that would take some of the hassle out of surfing the Web. The five companies Thursday became the first corporate board members of the OpenID Foundation, which is behind an industrywide initiative aimed at creating the system. OpenID Foundation Chairman Scott Kveton called the addition of the Internet behemoths a huge boost. "Having these companies really lends weight to the adoption," Kveton said. "This will help us move the technology to the forefront." Under OpenID, companies would share sign-on information for any Web user who agreed to participate. They would also share users' personal information, such credit card data, billing addresses and personal preferences.
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