Current Events in March 2024

Hurricanes are in but COVID-19 outbreaks are out in Airbnb's new cancellation policy. As part of the company’s ongoing efforts to improve things with travelers, it is introducing updates to its Extenuating Circumstances Policy – including renaming it to the Major Disruptive Events Policy – to better reflect its purpose.

That section will be overhauled to provide cancellation and refund support when major events like natural disasters, government travel restrictions, or weather events impact guests' ability to stay at a location.

Going forward, that shift accomplishes two things. First, it supersedes a host’s booking cancellation policy, thus enabling guests to cancel eligible upcoming and active reservations at the impacted location for a refund; and second, it also allows hosts to cancel reservations without fees and other related consequences.

Breaking that down to real-world situations, the policy will formally apply to foreseeable weather events – like a hurricane during hurricane season – that result in another covered event happening.

For example, if you were going to Florida during hurricane season, and the local government closed the roads or the power was out, you can cancel and receive a refund. Likewise, hosts can cancel without fees and related consequences -- both as long as the bookings are "eligible” reservations.

“The changes to this policy, including its new name, were made to create clarity for our guests and Hosts and ensure it’s meeting the diverse needs of our global community,” Juniper Downs, Airbnb’s head of Community Policy, said.

“Our aim was to clearly explain when the policy applies to a reservation, and to deliver fair and consistent outcomes for our users. These updates also bring the policy in line with industry standards.”

These policy updates come into effect for all reservations taking place on or after June 6, 2024.

Caveats, eligibility, and travel insurance

Airbnb suggested that there’s likely to be a little shakeout while it, guests, and hosts all get to the point where everyone knows what’s supposed to happen in these situations. 

As examples, it gave these three examples:

• Limiting coverage to large-scale events at the destination location only to help balance the needs of our entire community. This means that the policy will only apply to reservations where a major disruptive event has impacted the location of the listing. 

• Making clear that mid-trip cancellations can be made due to a covered event, with guests receiving a refund for any nights they didn’t stay and without fees and related consequences for hosts.

• Reminding hosts that they’re obligated to cancel reservations if their listing is uninhabitable or no longer consistent with what was originally booked by their guest and that they are able to do this without cancellation fees and related consequences.

But, the bottom line appears to be that it’s still the guest’s responsibility to make sure how it impacts them. One of those caveats is the word "eligible" as it applies to a booking. 

ConsumerAffairs asked Airbnb for an explanation of what "eligible" meant and here is their response:

"Reservations outside of the defined area and timeframe may not be eligible, though Hosts may still be able to cancel without adverse consequences if they are unable to host. We continuously monitor these situations and adjust coverage as needed to reflect changing conditions. If you believe this Policy applies to your reservation, please contact us to inquire about eligibility."

The bottom line here is that if you’re going to a destination where there may be some sort of disruption, you should first contact Airbnb to ask what’s covered.

Airbnb goes has far as saying that the second thing is that you might want to consider is travel insurance. “As this cancellation and refund policy is not designed to apply to all types of unexpected issues and emergencies that can impact a trip, guests should consider purchasing travel insurance,” the company said.

Nissan North America is recalling 12,019 model year 2024 Pathfinders and Infiniti QX60s.

The lap belt pretensioner in the left-side front seat belt assembly may be improperly secured, due to a missing bolt.

An unsecured lap belt pretensioner will not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Dealers will inspect and replace the left-side front lap seat belt pretensioner assemblies -- as necessary -- free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed by April 18, 2024.

Owners may contact Nissan customer service at (800) 867-7669 or Infiniti customer service at (800) 662-6200. Nissan's numbers for this recall are PD106 and PD107.

Ford Motor Company is recalling 9,847 model year 2023-2024 Bronco 4-door SUVs.

The left-side rear door may be opened from the inside of the vehicle when the child safety lock is in the "ON" position.

A malfunctioning child safety lock that allows a rear door to be opened unintentionally can increase the risk of injury.

What to do

Dealers will inspect the child safety locks and replace the rear door latch -- as necessary -- free of charge.

Notification letters are expected to be mailed to owners April 16, 2024.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at (866) 436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S15.

If you recently got a tattoo, a piercing, a laser treatment, or are thinking about getting one, you might want to consider one of a large yellow “Danger” sign.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers that the numbing creams you see online for those procedures often have too much  lidocaine, which might make your skin crawl in a whole different way.

The agency’s concern about lidocaine is that the cream’s concentrations are higher than what is permitted for over-the-counter, topical pain relief products. 

“When these products that contain high concentrations of lidocaine intended to be used before or during certain cosmetic procedures are applied in ways that could lead to increased absorption of the drug product through the skin, it may lead to serious injury such as irregular heartbeat, seizures and breathing difficulties," the agency said. "These products may also interact with medications or dietary supplements a consumer is taking."

The FDA isn’t playing around with this situation, either. In letters to six different companies -- such as this one to the manufacturer of NumbSkin -- the agency told these manufacturers that these products are in violation of federal law.

How to stay comfortably numb

The agency says that anyone who needs a “numbing product” would be wise to:

• Check the label: Never use anything over-the-counter with more than 4% lidocaine.

• Less is more: Don't slather it on huge areas of your skin, especially if your skin's already irritated.

• No plastic wrap: Don't cover the area with plastic wrap or anything that traps the cream.

And if you have any bad side effects from these creams, be sure to tell the FDA ASAP through its MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program so the agency can take action to protect the public from any unsafe products.

Florida is cracking down on kids’ social media use. 

Governor Ron DeSantis officially signed bill HB 3 into law, which tightens social media restrictions for teens. The bill mandates bars all children under the age of 14 from using social media, and all existing accounts will be deleted. 

Additionally, parents of 14 to 15-year-olds are being given more control over their kids’ social media presence. Parents are required to give permission for their 14- or 15-year-olds to be on social media sites, and if at any point they revoke that permission, the platform must delete the account. 

“Social media harms children in a variety of ways,” DeSantis said in a statement. “HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children.” 

“The internet has become a dark alley for our children where predators target them and dangerous social media leads to higher rates of depression, self-harm, and even suicide,” said House Speaker Paul Renner. “Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ signature, Florida leads the way in protecting children online as states across the country fight to address these dangers.” 

The specifics of the bill

In addition to the age requirements and giving parents’ more access and control over their kids’ social media use, the bill also requires users to verify their age before accessing explicit websites. 

To ensure users’ personal information is kept private, these sites will employ what is known as anonymous age verification. This means that the site itself won’t store users’ responses, but instead, a third-party will verify the information and discard it. 

Companies that violate the terms of the bill could be charged up to $50,000 per violation. On top of that, any minor whose account isn’t deleted before the bill goes into effect on January 1, 2025, has the right to sue the platform for up to $10,000 in damages.  

Social media platforms strike back

Though HB 3 has been signed into law, social media companies are expected to fight back. 

NetChoice, a trade association of social media platforms, has members like Amazon, Google, TikTok, X, Meta, and others. The company sued the state of Utah in December 2023 after it passed a similar bill, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment. 

Before the bill officially passed in Florida, NetChoice sent a veto request to Governor DeSantis, arguing that the bill violates constitutional rights. 

“We’re disappointed to see Governor DeSantis sign onto this route,” Carl Szabo, NetChoice’s vice president and general counsel said in a statement. “There are better ways to keep Floridians, their families, and their data safe and secure online without violating their freedoms.” 

Similarly, policymakers in Montana and Arkansas sought to pass laws that restricted teens’ social media use, and federal judges blocked both such laws. The law in Florida, which is being cited as one of the most restrictive, could face a similar test.