At last! A government price control law we can love . . .
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[i][b]Photo Above [/b]- Restaurants like Atelier Crenn are some of California's ritziest. But if you go someplace like this, and order the "chefs grand tasting entree" for $460, is that what you'll actually pay? Or will there be hidden surcharges, fees, and mandatory tips when the bill is presented? Ask first to avoid surprises . . .[/i]
The government gets a LOT of things wrong when it comes to consumers in the marketplace. California's new restaurant surcharge ban isn't one of them. Congrats to Newsom and all his fellow travelers for taking action. (see link below).
If you've been to California recently, you know that the restaurant owners there are some of the most conniving, unprincipled, morally oblivious people in America. Ever since covid 19 – and probably before that too – some eateries have bragged about “holding the line” on menu prices. While secretly whacking diners with undisclosed fees when the final bill is presented.
What kind of fees? California terms them “drip fees”. Some restaurants add 20% to 46% (!!!) to the final bill, for no reason other than putting real prices on the menu would scare customers off. Others add a mandatory tip for parties over 6. Well, make that over 4 some places. Word has it that a few are imposing 18% for every table, no matter how many guests. There have also been scattered attempts to impose fees to save the planet from carbon emissions, for tapwater served with your meal, and uneaten food. Don't laugh – buffets are doing this, to keep customer portions smaller.
In California, all this nonsense is coming to a screeching halt. Some of that stuff happens here in Florida too. I guess any place that makes a living from vacationers and travelers has some scam they try to pull on visitors.
Okay – well done California. Now let's tackle the big enchilada: Automobile purchases and leasing. Dealers have been adding lots of bullsweat charges, for-evah! There's the infamous “paperwork processing fee” which can run from $595 to $995, depending on how gullible the buyer looks. Tag retrieval from the DMV. How about those pre-installed blackout-badges Chevy is putting on their cars? $215 to replace the gold bow tie with a black one. Dealer applied pin striping. Gap insurance. Undercarriage rust inhibitor. Fabric protector. Ceramic paint protection. Extended service warranty (before you've even driven 1 mile). On and on. These things are SUPPOSED to be optional, but sometimes they just pop up unannounced on the final sales contract.
Why does California – and many other states – weakly enforce these rules, if at all? Well, auto dealers can be BIG contributors to election campaigns. It's also the reason companies like Tesla can't open factory direct dealerships to sell cars to customers in some places. The laws requiring an independent dealer front to sell a Tesla are intended to improve dealer satisfaction, not owner satisfaction.
Imagine if everything was sold the way cars are. Smart phones. Refrigerators. Shoes. You'd be seeing a ceramic shoe polish upcharge on your sales receipt. Or a freon environmental protection fee from Home Depot when they delivered your Frigidaire.
California, I'm lovin' it . . . your new restaurant law. All states should copy this. Now get busy on those auto dealers, apartment rental managers, liability insurers, airlines, Uber (peak pricing, and upcharges for highly rated drivers). Voters will thank you for it at the polls, even if wealthy oligarchs don't.
I'm just sayin' . . .
[u][b]~New California law will ban restaurants surcharges on customer bills along with other fees (msn.com)~[/b][/u]
@SusanInFlorida As much as I can see good intent of your idea, I have to disagree with it. Left to their own devices, people are greedy, grasping creatures and will vote themselves bread and circuses every time. You only have to look at tha MAGAts to see a bunch of lazy malcontents who think they deserve more. Where, with a different work ethic, no one would have been at the January 6 riot, because they would all have been working..The fact is that while it would be nice to have a national minimum wage. That only works if you have one nation. And in America, you just dont. You have several different economies, and no compromise of those governments to get along and cooperate ith each other, beyond the more productive states propping up the worse off, which they dont use to change thiings. Just prop up unsustainable industries. There just isnt a simple solution to the Heath Robinson situation America has gotten itself into.😷.
@whowasthatmaskedman i'm a constitutional originalist. the responsibilities of the federal government were intended to be quite limited. Instead we have $34 trillion in debt, and everything is subsidized.
@SusanInFlorida I dont agree with your position. But I understand and respect it.. So only male property owners get a vote.. (irony) While preserving the spirit of the Constitution, it has to be kept up to date with the world we live in. One that comes to find is the underlying assumption that all players in politics would be people of integrity, possessing a high moral and ethical code. Look how that turned out..😷
