Are the Guidelines the same for Diet Coke?

Via Turley, the latest version of the Pepsi Syndrome, this time a silly story of a clash between a $3.80 diet coke refill and a cafeteria patron at a VA hospital whose anger got the better of her.

From the Idaho Statesman,


[Natalie Walters,] 39-year-old North Idaho resident periodically drives her father, a disabled Vietnam veteran, to Boise’s VA Medical Center for doctor visits. She brings her own mug and fills it with soda in the hospital’s cafeteria. The cafeteria does not have a posted price for refills, and typically the cashier charges her $1 or $1.50, Walters said.


But on Aug. 20, when Walters filled her mug with Diet Coke, the clerk charged $3.80.


“I told her that cannot be right and asked to talk to the manager,” Walters said.


The manager told Walters the price is correct.


Walters decided she didn’t want to pay that much and offered to return the soda, she said. But the manager told her there was no way to accept the returned soda and Walters had to pay. Walters refused, and she said she was angry by this point, and she poured the soda onto the counter.


Little did Ms. Walters know what problems this would cause.  After a thorough investigation, including accessing her father’s medical records in order to identify the perp (so much for HIPAA), Idaho United States Attorney Tom Moss is bring her to justice:


The Bush administration’s top attorney in Idaho is bringing charges against a North Idaho woman for refusing to pay for a Diet Coke and then pouring it out on a counter at a cafeteria at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Boise.

Natalie Walters, now facing two counts that each carry a maximum sentence of six months in federal prison, thinks the case is a waste of taxpayer money and plans to fight the charges.

Sure, spill diet coke in a fit of pique and blame the government for wasting taxpayer money.  Seriously, Ms. Walters’ reaction to a charge of $3.80 for a coke refill was inappropriate, though charging $3.80 for a coke refill upon pain of jail should be a crime as well.  But is there no one left in the Department of Justice to say the words, “don’t make a federal case out of this?” 

Common sense is so often vaunted as the save-all of law enforcement, and yet it appears to be a commodity in short supply.  I can’t wait to find out which AUSA is assigned this prosecution, as that will alert the world to the prosecutor who is least admired in the office.

So many of these stories are so ludicrous that one doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. 

Back to a small point, but a worth a mention.  Since when does a diet coke cost $3.80?  While it seems impossible to believe that a cafeteria, even one run by a government that buys $600 hammers, charges $3.80 for a diet coke, this is in a Veterans Hospital.  Are they capitalizing on a captive veterans audience, with no option to quench their thirst other than to pay $3.80 for a diet coke? 

This does not bode well for those needing assistance from the customer service department at AIG.  I wonder what guidelines angry customers will face there?

2 thoughts on “Are the Guidelines the same for Diet Coke?

  1. Susan Cartier Liebel

    Maybe Coca-Cola is bailing providing the 500 billion to the govt. to bail out the mortgage crisis and this is how they are recouping it…one outrageous Diet Coke at a time. Knowing I’m a DC addict, they know I will pay it 🙂

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