Ineffective rectangular frisbees? Tiny coasters? Better start thinking of some ideas for any of those unredeemed Borders gift cards you may still have lying around: A judge ruled this week that customers won’t see a nickel of a total of $210.5 million in remaining balances on gift cards they failed to use before Borders bit the big one and went off to that great mall in the sky. [More]
Judge Says Customers Won’t See One Red Cent Of Unredeemed Borders Gift Cards
By May 24, 2013
The Fiery Debate Raging Over Charcoal Briquettes Vs. Lumps Is Making Us Very Hungry
By May 24, 2013
Full disclosure: I’m clueless when it comes to lighting grills, be they charcoal or gas. As such, I never realized there’s a heated debate (pun totally intended) over what kind of charcoal one uses, should that be the grill of choice. I see chunks of black stuff on fire cooking up a burger and I think, “Yum. Gonna eat that.” But it’s true, dear readers — there’s a battle brewing between charcoal lump fans and charcoal briquette devotees. [More]
After A House Fire, Watch Out For Actual Criminals, Not Just Scummy Contractors
By May 24, 2013
Earlier this week, we posted about the public adjusters and contractors who show up at the scene of a house fire, often before all of the flames are even out. Reader Josh’s family has been through a fire recently, and he wrote in to warn people about a whole different set of entrepreneurs who might stop by your home after a fire…looters. [More]
How New York State’s Indoor Smoking Ban Has Led To An Uptick In Bowling Alley Lawsuits
By May 24, 2013
In one corner, you’ve got your run-of-the-mill bowling alley. You’ve probably been to one, so you know the drill — everyone’s got to wear those darling bowling shoes. In the other, you’ve got New York State’s ban on smoking indoors. Put those two things together and you’ve got an uptick in lawsuits against bowling alleys. [More]
Samsung Thinks Women Would Upgrade Husbands Into Creepy Housework Robots
By May 24, 2013
If you could upgrade your partner’s skills and abilities with a bit of hardware or software, would you do it? To promote their “Evolution Kit” that upgrades the processor and capabilities of their smart TVs, a Samsung ad imagines what would happen if humans had similar upgrade capabilities. In the ad, a woman upgrades her husband into a creepy and robotic super-capable version of Rosie from “The Jetsons.” [More]
Think You Can Tell A $99 Wedding Dress From An $1,800 One?
By May 24, 2013
Times used to be, you wanted to buy a wedding dress, you had to go to bridal shops boasting designer creations, with the prices to match. But now retailers are getting into the wedding game, providing cheaper options for customers. Target just threw its veil into the ring with its new line of bridal gowns starting at the low price of $99, which made us wonder — can anyone even pick out the less expensive gowns from their pricier counterparts? [More]
Delivery Guy Caught Treating Customer’s Pizza As His Personal Snack Bar
By May 24, 2013
The next time your pizza seems a bit skimpy on the toppings, you might want to consider asking your delivery guy if he was feeling particularly hungry. A pizzeria employee in St. Petersburg, Russia responsible for ferrying a customer’s pie on its journey to consumption couldn’t resist the urge to snack before the pizza reached its final destination. Unfortunately for him, there just so happened to be a security camera in the elevator. [More]
Victoria’s Secret Charges Me $15 For The Privilege Of Returning Stuff
By May 24, 2013
When Debra placed an online order from Victoria’s Secret and then returned everything unworn, she didn’t know that she would have to pay an underpants rental fee. She returned merchandise that she had paid $114.16 for, and received $96.69 back. Was that a shipping charge? No, Debra paid to ship the items back herself. Did the items go on sale and she didn’t have a receipt? No, that wasn’t it either. She bought them during a “$15 off a $100 purchase” promotion, and Vicky’s kept the $15 discount that they had given her. Huh? [More]
We’re All Basically Clueless When It Comes To How Many Calories Are In Fast Food
By May 24, 2013
Maybe you can’t be bothered with those pesky calorie counts on fast-food menus, or perhaps that info isn’t posted at restaurants in your area, and instead think, “Hey, I’m sure I’m just eating [insert best estimate] calories!” You’re probably off. Way off, says a new study that looked at just how wrong diners are when it comes to estimating how many calories are in their fast-food meals. [More]
Acid Whey: The Less Delicious Byproduct Of The Greek Yogurt Boom
By May 24, 2013
Greek yogurt is a delicious dairy product that’s produced by taking regular yogurt and straining it to a delicious, protein-rich thickness. The thing is, though, all of that straining means that you’re straining something out of the yogurt. That something is more than water: it’s post-fermentation liquid called acid whey. For every three or four ounces of milk that enter a yogurt plant, one ounce of acid whey leaves. They can’t dump it in sewage systems or waterways, and at least one manufacturer actually pays local farmers to take the liquid whey away and do something with it. [More]
My Fifth Replacement iPhone 5 Doesn’t Work Either
By May 24, 2013
Usually, it’s owners of Android devices who get cast into the terrifying outer circles of Smartphone Replacement Purgatory, but owners of Apple devices aren’t immune. Reader Stephen first wrote to us back in February as he got his third replacement iPhone 5. Since then, he’s received two more phones. It’s nice that his phone is under warranty and all, but he’s on a two-year contract. Will he be stuck getting replacements every few months the entire time? [More]
Target, Macy’s Reject Fee-Fixing Settlement With Credit Card Companies & File Fresh Lawsuit
By May 24, 2013
Last summer, some of the country’s largest retailers reached a settlment with Visa and MasterCard that was supposed to put to rest qualms the businesses had with the credit card companies’ alleged practice of fee-fixing. The $7.2 billion settlement didn’t sit well with some, including Target and Macy’s, prompting a group of retailers to file a new lawsuit this week, effectively rejecting that previous agreement. [More]
Surprise! AT&T Adds New $0.61 Monthly Administrative Fee To Wireless Customers’ Bills
By May 24, 2013
Start up the chorus of grumbling and shine up your best “What in the what now?” faces: AT&T has just added a $0.61 monthly administrative fee to wireless customers’ bills. It’s totally great for AT&T of course, as reports indicate the move could bring in about $518 million in extra moolah for the company in 2014. So, yay for you, AT&T? [More]
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By May 24, 2013
Here are twelve of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or just plain neatness. [More]
9-Year-Old Girl Tells McDonald’s CEO: Stop Trying To Trick Kids Into Eating Your Food
By May 23, 2013
Oooooh, someone’s in trouuuuble! Chastisements can come in tiny packages, as one nine-year-old girl proved at today’s annual McDonald’s shareholders meeting. She took to the mic with a pretty clear message for Mickey D’s CEO Don Thompson: ”It would be nice if you stopped trying to trick kids into wanting to eat your food all the time.” Oh, snap. [More]
Guy Using The Last Name “Disney” Caught Giving Stolen Disneyland Tickets To Charity
By May 23, 2013
Listen, if you want to go around and tell people, “Yeah, I’m related to Walt Disney,” even if it isn’t true, that’s up to you. But one man allegedly impersonating a Disney heir took that delusion to another level when he, again, allegedly, passed off stolen Disneyland tickets as the real deal. [More]
House Passes Bill Tying Student Loan Rates To Treasury Notes
By May 23, 2013
While Senator Elizabeth Warren pushes for legislation that would allow student borrowers to enjoy the same insanely low interest rates as big banks (for one year at least), the House of Representatives today passed a bill that would link the interest rates on federal student loans to the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. [More]
How Much Did I Save If I Don’t Buy Anything?
By May 23, 2013
Whenever I throw away a coupon or decide not to take advantage of a sale, I tell myself that I’m saving more money by not buying the item in the first place. That is not exactly the approach that OfficeMax took when adding up the items in Tod’s cart. [More]
