Federal Express began operating on April 17, 1973, with 186 packages for 25 American cities. Its best-known slogan made a promise: “When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” In its “Fast-Paced World” commercials, the actor John Moschitta Jr. played a businessman who talked at top speed.
The Thirty-Minute Rule
Under federal rules, an airline flying to, from or within the United States must tell passengers about a cancellation, a diversion or a delay of 30 minutes or more. It must do so “within 30 minutes after the carrier becomes aware of such a change in the status of a flight.” The information must appear at the boarding gate at U.S. airports, on the airline’s website and through its telephone reservation line.
Quick Turnaround
ASAP. — As soon as possible.
Sorry for the delayed response. — An apology for a reply that took a day or two.
Quick question. — A short question that should get a short answer.
Just a heads-up: this will take until Friday. — The extra time is announced before anyone asks.
On it. — I have started.
Any update? — Silence has gone on too long.
The Billable Hour
American lawyers record their working time in tenths of an hour. The system goes back to Reginald Heber Smith, who joined the Boston firm Hale and Dorr in 1919. His timesheet was divided into six-minute units, because, he wrote, “I can more easily add, subtract, and divide on the decimal system.” The American Bar Association published his system in 1940.
Firms now set annual targets. Justice Stephen Breyer has said: “There is tremendous pressure on younger lawyers to produce 2,000, 2,200, 2,400 billable hours.” A Yale Law School estimate found that 2,200 billable hours a year require being at work 59 hours a week.
The No Surprises Act
Since January 1, 2022, a federal law called the No Surprises Act has protected patients against surprise medical bills. Before the law took effect, nearly one in five emergency room patients received a surprise bill, according to federal health officials.
The law does not forbid high costs. It forbids the surprise. Before non-emergency care, providers have to give uninsured patients a good faith estimate of the costs. A patient whose bill is $400 or more above the estimate can dispute it.
If You Didn’t Document It
Nursing guidelines state a rule. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services begins it with a capitalized word in its documentation guidelines: “REMEMBER, if you didn’t document it, it didn’t occur.”
A nursing textbook explains why. “Legally only actions or care documented are seen as being completed.” It adds a reminder that the note may go to court and must be readable by a jury.
Ask for One
The Federal Trade Commission’s guide for homeowners hiring a contractor gives plain advice: “Even if your state doesn’t require a written agreement, ask for one.” The contract “should be clear and concise and include the who, what, where, when, and cost of your project.”
Changes go on paper too. “A change order is a written authorization to the contractor to make a change or addition to the work.”
Truth in Lending
Federal law requires a lender to disclose the annual percentage rate, the finance charge, the amount financed and the total of payments, in a prescribed format, before the borrower signs. The disclosure is standardized so it can be compared across lenders. The borrower is not expected to know what to ask.
The SLA
The American service level agreement states uptime, response time and resolution time as numbers, with credits payable when they are missed. Reliability is written as a contractual quantity with a penalty attached.
24/7 support
American companies advertise round-the-clock availability as a product feature, with the hours stated on the packaging and in the comparison table. Responsiveness is specified in the same place as the technical figures.