My neighbor come to shop at the store. He specifically called for me, as I don't stay at the front lines of retail but behind, doing other stuff, and jokingly asked, "can I get neighbor discount?". I said sure, and while he's in front of me, I call the supervisor at the phone to approve that. Not even ten seconds pass that he's shouting in my face "can you hurry with that price? I have something else to do!!".

I hung up the phone, sorry, you asked discount, I had to approve that, your price is $LIST_PRICE

cross-posted from: https://piefed.world/post/423354

I "wrote" a previous post and I largely did it with AI as a experiment, thinking back on it...stupid and I'm sorry so I deleted it. With that being said, I did actually fight AT&T and won. Here's the story.

It all started with a simple offer, I trade in my phones they pay off my wifes phone, and we get brand new phones. Not an unbelievable offer, but a reasonable offer.

Now, here is where I made my mistake I ask if I need to port my number, and the rep says "Its up to you" I think about it, and kinda want a new number anyway so I say "Give me a new number" and so they do.

I then fill in the info to get my money to pay off the phone, and its declined because I didn't port my number, also some other paper technicality caused by previous carrier that I had zero control over. I escalated my compliant up and down their customer service chain, and got no where.

So I sat there, feeling defeated and dejected and most importantly pissed off. I was now PAYING MORE for my phone service, and we actually had NO NEED to trade in my wife phones and now I'm stuck with this contract for the new phones, it sucked. So I said "Fuck it I'll sue them"

And unlike others, I actually I started my research with ChatGPT. Which I will say WAS VERY, VERY HELPFUL. So I drafted a legal letter in that letter I did the following:

• I explained the situation in total honesty
• I citied their own advertisements
• I cited case law against them (they've been sued plenty of times)
• I cited treble damages in my state (means if I win in small claims court I can get 3x my damages)
• I offered them Option A or Option B
• I gave them a generous deadline

In short I was due approx $1,500 in value, they where looking at about $4,500 in losses if this went to court...which after my research I was kinda hoping WOULD HAPPEN.

I then sent the letter certified mail, to their legal entity. In order to find the legal entity go to google and type "Corporation name Legal Entity" and start doing your digging. I actually used ChatGPT to find it for me. And it was spot on.

So I sent the letter certified mail to their legal entity. A few weeks later I get a call from their presidents office. Which is basically their first line of defense against legal complaints.

We have a fairly pleasant conversation, he reviews my letter with me. He goes I see why we declined your service, I also see why you complained. He then said if Option A is still on the table I'd like to do that. I said "Of course, how fast can we get the money?" he said "next week" I said "Great and as for billing" he said "Next billing cycle" I said "Awesome"

In short they agreed to give me the money to pay off my wife phone and the trade in credits that where taken away from us. I've already received the money for the pay off.

So in short

If your mad at a company, write a letter, send it via certified mail to their legal entity, and ChatGPT can be a helpful resource.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/33333666

I love malicious compliance with car-centric rules 😎

This piece must be carefully written to avoid my being imprisoned for up to 14 years. That’s a curious sentence to say as a newspaper columnist in Britain in 2025. But since the government voted to proscribe the direct action protest group Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act, any statement seen as expressing support could lead to arrest and prosecution.

Last week, our home secretary joined other female Labour MPs in a photoshoot celebrating the suffragettes, who planted bombs, burned down private homes and smashed up art galleries. They then voted to classify a movement which positions itself as opposing violence against people as a terrorist organisation.

And this weekend, an 83-year-old retired priest, Sue Parfitt, was arrested after holding a placard that read: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Twenty-eight others were also arrested on those grounds. Questioned about her detention, the Metropolitan police commissioner, Mark Rowley, responded: “It is not about protest. This is about an organisation committing serious criminality.”

Note how even Britain’s top police officer could not bring himself to claim Palestine Action was “an organisation committing terrorism”, which is what the law proclaims. I suspect he knows that, in doing so, he would have exposed the grotesque absurdity of this legislation. Yes, those who have helped drown Gaza in blood have turned the world upside down – treating the opponents of this mass extermination as dangerous, hateful extremists – but words have still not been entirely emptied of their meaning.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/31994141

The lawyer, Erez Reuveni, answered most questions asked by Judge Paula Xinis with "I don't know why" or "I haven't been told why". For example, when asked on what legal basis or authority the US government had deported the man in question, Abrego Garcia, the lawyer said he didn't know.

"From the moment he was seized, it was unconstitutional," Judge Xinis said during the hearing. "If there isn't a document, a warrant, a statement of probable cause, then there is no basis to have seized him in the first place. That's how I'm looking at it," the judge said.
(Source is linked article)

The judge also questioned why the U.S. can’t get him back. Reuveni said that was the first question he asked when he was assigned to the case.
“I have not received today an answer that I find satisfactory,” he added.
Source: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/judge-orders-return-of-maryland-man-wrongly-deported-to-el-salvador-mega-prison

The judge also asked for evidence that the deported man, , was a member of the gang MS-13. But Reuveni couldn't provide

Xinis noted in her opinion Sunday that the Justice Department presented “no evidence” that Abrego Garcia belongs to MS-13, effectively abandoning that position in her court.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/06/judge-order-return-man-el-salvador-00274526

Finally, the lawyer made one last request, to wait and let him ask his client - the US government - to try and return Abrego Garcia first. But look at how he frames his request:

“I would ask the court to give us, the defendants, one more chance to do this,” Reuveni said. “That’s my recommendation to my client, but so far that hasn’t happened.”

Basically telling the judge "I've already asked and got told no way but let me ask again" as a surefire way to make the judge ignore the request.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/05/doj-lawyer-leave-deportation-00274412

Admittedly, it's not entirely clear yet that this was deliberate malicious compliance - but Erez Reuveni has nearly 15 years of experience and almost certainly would have known how to make a more compelling argument before the court, had he been so inclined.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/05/doj-lawyer-leave-deportation-00274412

In fact, the current US attorney general said this about the matter,

“He did not argue,” the attorney general complained, although Reuveni did argue that Xinis had no jurisdiction to consider the case. “He shouldn’t have taken the case. He shouldn’t have argued it, if that’s what he was going to do,” she said. “You have to vigorously argue on behalf of your client.”
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/05/doj-lawyer-leave-deportation-00274412

He could have not taken the case, it seems. But he would have known that if he passed on it, someone else would argue it, and that someone might do a much better job in front of the court. So it's probable that he took it upon himself to throw the case and save this man.

Alas, it seems his bosses saw through that. Even though he did argue that the court had no jurisdiction to consider the case, as he was likely ordered to do,

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche sent Reuveni suspending him for failing to follow “follow a directive from your superiors” and “engaging in conduct prejudicial to your client.”
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/05/doj-lawyer-leave-deportation-00274412

To me, that reads as if Blanche had figured out that Reuveni had complied with orders, but only maliciously so, and thus treated it as a case of non-compliance. (In truth, malicious compliance here hurt the government's case worse than actual non-compliance - refusing to take the case at all - would have.)

I'm not 100% sure I'm right - after all Erez Reuveni is a professional lawyer and thus knows what to say and not say in public to protect himself - but if I am right, then I'd consider Erez Reuveni a true USian hero.

Kohl's eliminated DEI title, so now they have a chief inclusion and belonging officer.

You know, the Nintendo character doing completely normal things, but a constant flood of nothing but. Would be pretty funny. Sounds like a cool and fun thing to do.

My bf has a Minecraft plugin that can generate dungeons

I played around with it a bit and wanted to see if it could be used to create Jump&Runs

I found a bug somewhere deep in old code

To contain me (there are no bugs if you cant find them) he put me with world edit in a glass sphere...

... large enough for me to try something else

I found two other bugs :D

This is a twofer.

Combatant 1: Google.

Once every time period of questionable length, Google gives me an Android pop-up that I can't dismiss. This is to "comply" with the EU law. They want me to be extra sure of my rights to choose and want to know which search engine I'm using for the Android search widget and Chrome.

Well, as a matter of fact, I use Google! So I tell them that. I hope it makes them happy.

Combatant 2: ME

...I fucking hate the Android search bar and I'm this close to installing an alternative launcher just to get rid of it.

Also I use Firefox.

(What do you call it when there's two parties who want the same thing, but there's an arbitrary pointless grudge that both of them can see?)

A half-finished paint job on a Kent road has been described as a perfect example of “not my job, mate” culture.

Gas company SGN has been carrying out works in Dover Road and New Street in Sandwich throughout the summer.

The network upgrades are now finally complete - but that is more than can be said for the repainting of a 20mph marking near the Malcolm Waite petrol station.

SGN workers have only put a fresh coat of white on the sections of the road they had to dig up, leaving glaring gaps.

A spokesman for the gas company says it is “responsible for reinstating the areas we’ve disturbed”.

My company offers 3 days of unjustified sick leave for things like colds or minor health issues that don't really require seeing a doctor.

And sure enough, that guy - always that guy - got sick on Monday, then took a day off on Thursday, and now he's sick again on Friday. Strangely, his company car reports being at a ski resort 200 miles away.

Because you know, when you're bedridden, at least you should have a nice view out the window...

In a sleek, minimalist boardroom at Apple Campus 2, Aka "Apple Park," Apple's top executives, all uniformly dressed in black turtlenecks, are gathered. They're surrounded by the aura of their 'Reality Distortion Field' generator, as designed by and once used to enhance the persuasive power of Apple's co-founder, Steve Jobs. Their task is daunting yet critical: devising a strategy to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, laws aimed at opening up platforms to competition.

Each executive's calm determination is evident, a hallmark of the Apple ethos. On the giant screen, the complexities of the new laws are displayed. As they discuss, they are not just fueling their minds but also their bodies with unconventional choices - guacamole on toast and Ashwagandha tea, a nod to Apple's culture of thinking differently.

The conversation turns to Apple's response to the EU laws. One executive, channeling the spirit of innovation that led to groundbreaking products like the first mainstream tablet, the Apple Newton, suggests a plan. "Let's make it so convoluted and wrapped in red tape that it's technically open, but practically a labyrinth," they propose, bringing quiet, knowing laughter around the room.

"Perfect," agrees another. "We'll comply, but let's sprinkle in some Apple magic - complex notarization, a maze of moderation rules, and a hefty fee structure. After all, we can't let just anyone into our walled garden, can we?" This strategy, while adhering to the letter of the law, cleverly maintains Apple's control and profitability, key points pointed out by the other executives.

As they finalize their plan, there's a sense of accomplishment. They've managed to navigate the tricky waters of legal compliance while keeping the essence of Apple's exclusivity intact. It's a masterclass in sticking to the letter of the law, while artfully sidestepping its spirit. And thus, Apple's latest act of 'malicious compliance' is born, a decision that, without their 'Reality Distortion Field' would not sit well with customers, legislatures, rivals or critics.

As the Apple team revels in their clever compliance plan, one executive bursts out, "And the best part? We'll only do this in the EU!" The room erupts in laughter as they imagine developers around the world juggling two versions of their apps - one for the EU with all the new Apple mazes, and another for the rest of the world, as straightforward as a one-dimensional line on a three-dimensional Möbius strip inside a four-dimensional tesseract! "Talk about doubling the fun," they chuckle, raising their Ashwagandha teas in a toast to complexity.

One exec quips, "Thank goodness our 'Reality Distortion Field' is at full strength." Just then, a squirrel, a regular denizen of the park's green spaces, bursts through the ventilation. It skitters across the room, causing uproarious chaos. It leaps onto the table, causing a ballyhoo of spilled Ashwagandha tea and flying guacamole toast. The executives, momentarily flustered, watch as the 'Reality Distortion Field' seemingly flickers and thins, disrupted by this unexpected and wild intrusion of nature. The room, once a fortress of strategic planning, is momentarily thrown into a comical disarray.

• https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/25/apple-dma-changes/
• https://www.engadget.com/apples-rivals-arent-happy-about-its-eu-app-store-changes-160032585.html