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2024-12-17 23:10:06| Engadget

Grubhub has agreed to pay $25 million to settle charges from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Illinois Attorney General. The company was accused of a laundry list of sketchy behavior, including misleading customers about delivery charges, deceiving delivery drivers about income and listing restaurants on the platform without consent. Last month, the food delivery startup Wonder bought Grubhub for one-tenth of what it was worth during the pandemic. Under the proposed settlement, Grubhub has to make changes to remedy the problems. The requirements read like a stop doing that list, one per charge. This includes notifying customers of full delivery costs, being honest with drivers about pay and listing restaurants only with their consent. The FTC says Grubhub, to appear more robust than it was, added as many as 325,000 unaffiliated restaurants to the platform without permission since at least 2019. Customers ordering from those businesses discovered added fees and numerous ordering problems. Meanwhile, the agency says the restaurants bore the brunt of diners ire, leading to damaged reputations and lost money. The company also allegedly added junk fees after advertising to customers that theyd pay a low-cost, flat rate for deliveries. The FTC says Grubhub labeled them service fees or small order fees, but they were simply delivery fees under another name. The agency quotes a former Grubhub executive as calling it a pricing shell game. The FTC also accused the company of blocking customers accounts with large gift card balances, leaving them no way to regain access. The agency said diners who complained to the company either werent told their accounts were blocked or werent given any meaningful way to contest the ban. The false pay allegations include advertising that Grubhub drivers could make up to $40 hourly in the New York area. In reality, the median driver pay in that area was around $10 hourly  and only 0.1 percent of drivers are said to have made the advertised rate. And in Chicago, an ad promised earnings of up to $26 hourly when the median was $11. Grubhub denies the allegations but says it settled to put the matter behind it. At Grubhub, were committed to transparency so that every single day diners, restaurants and drivers can make well-informed choices to do business with us, the company wrote in a statement. While we categorically deny the allegations made by the FTC, many of which are wrong, misleading or no longer applicable to our business, we believe settling this matter is in the best interest of Grubhub and allows us to move forward. Our investigation found that Grubhub tricked its customers, deceived its drivers, and unfairly damaged the reputation and revenues of restaurants that did not partner with Grubhub all in order to drive scale and accelerate growth, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan wrote in a statement. Todays action holds Grubhub to account, putting an end to these illegal practices and securing nearly $25 million for the people cheated by Grubhubs tactics. There is no gig platform exemption to the laws on the books.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/grubhub-settles-with-the-ftc-over-adding-restaurants-without-their-consent-221006330.html?src=rss


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2024-12-17 22:55:37| Engadget

Threads is previewing yet another significant new feature before the end of the year. The app will soon begin testing the ability for users to schedule posts ahead of time, according to an update from Meta exec Adam Mosseri. Mosseri shared a screenshot of the upcoming feature, which shows a simple tool to set a date and time for a post to go live in Threads post editor. Interestingly, Mosseri said that users will only be able to schedule new posts, not replies to existing posts because the company wants to continue to prioritize real-time conversation. Though he didn't give any indication of when the tool may roll out more broadly, he said that the feature had been in the works for months, so its likely Meta plans on releasing it more widely at some point. The ability to schedule posts will be particularly useful for brands, creators and others who use the service to manage professional accounts. Though there are already third-party tools that enable post scheduling, many require a paid subscription. Post scheduling is the latest sign that Meta is looking to add more features geared toward brands, businesses and other social media professionals to the 300 million-user app. The service also began testing post analytics earlier this month. Both features could come in handy when Meta decides to flip the switch on advertising for the platform a change rumored to be coming next month.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/threads-is-working-on-scheduled-posts-215537909.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

2024-12-17 22:38:17| Engadget

Elon Musk and SpaceX are under three federal reviews from three different US military departments for allegedly failing to comply with reporting protocols. The New York Times reported that Musk and his private aerospace company have repeatedly disregarded requirements to disclose trips and meetings with foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The three reviews of Musk and SpaceXs suspected activity were opened by the Defense Departments Office of Inspector General, the Air Force and the Pentagons Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. The Air Force also reportedly denied Musks request for high-level security access because of concerns over potential security risks if he were allowed to handle certain pieces of classified information. Some SpaceX workers with knowledge of the reviews expressed their concerns to the Times about Musks ability to handle sensitive data when he posts openly about meetings on his X account. He already has top-security clearance at SpaceX that allows him to view certain pieces of classified material such as information on the US advanced military technology. Musk is required to disclose certain details about his personal life and travel habits to the Defense Department but some employees allege that he and his company have failed to meet those requirements as far back as 2021. Sources also told the newspaper that Musk allegedly failed to provide department officials with his full itinerary including meetings with foreign leaders. He also may not have provided reports on his personal and prescription drug use as part of his vetting procedure even though he smoked marijuana with Joe Rogan on his The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and talked about microdosing ketamine on his X page. and with former CNN anchor Don Lemon. America isnt the only country concerned about Musks ability to keep a lid on classified information. Nine other countries including in Europe and the Middle East, raised security concerns about Musk sitting in meetings with US defense officers over the past three years, according to The New York Times. Employees who were concerned about the lax reactions to these vetting requirements failed to report the behavior out of fear of losing their jobs.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/elon-musk-spacex-reportedly-under-federal-review-for-undisclosed-meetings-with-foreign-leaders-213817035.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

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