Consumerist
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Ask the Consumerists
Help, My House Has A Nonexistent Warranty!
Adam and his wife have a question for the Consumerist hive mind. He says that the purchase of his house one year ago included a home warranty. Or, well, it was supposed to. When something went wrong, they tried to file a claim and learned that the agent who listed the house never mailed in the warranty paperwork. More » -
Price tags
Target's Reality Vortex Expands To Walgreens
Stephanie sent us this photo from her local Walgreens. Have they been taking lessons in pricing from Target? Sure, MSRP is is merely a suggestion, but this is a rather obvious case.
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Government
New York State Holds License Plate Fundraiser
As part of an attempt to make up a budget shortfall, New York State is holding a huge fundraiser. No, not a bake sale: starting in April 2010, the state is forcing all car and tractor-trailer owners in the state to buy new license plates when they renew their registrations. And not just any license plates. Ugly license plates. More » -
No eggo to leggo
Kellogg's Finally Explains Eggo Waffle Shortage
Consumerist's quest to find out on behalf of you, our readers, where all of the Eggo waffles have gone has come to an end. The culprit isn't aliens or unemployed Americans munching on waffles at home while watching Judge Judy. It was a flood at the factory in Atlanta where the waffles are made. More » -
Airlines
Congress Investigates Airline Fees In Search Of Tax Revenue
Congress is concerned about the new fees that airlines seem to enjoy piling on their passengers. But not out of any sense of concern for consumers' wallets. The problem is the lost tax revenue that airports are missing out on when airlines increase their prices through the use of fees instead of by raising fares. More » -
Comcast
An Insider Look At Comcast's Customer Service Boot Camp
Travel with Consumer Watch columnist Jon Yates of the Chicago Tribune to the training ground of our nation's elite. The few, the powerless, and the often berated: Comcast customer service representatives. Yates sat in on a training class for new reps, sat in on many live calls, and shared the secrets of agents' formation. Sort of. More » -
Adverse events
Rubber And Steel Fragments Found Inside Medication
The FDA has sent a warning to biotech company Genzyme after particles of rubber, steel, and fibers were found in vials of five of their injectable medications. The contamination occurred during the manufacturing process, and the FDA is concerned because doctors could be, y'know, injecting garbage fragments into their patients. More » -
No eggo to leggo
Poll: What Caused The Great Eggo Waffle Shortage Of '09?
Clearly, our post about the Eggo waffle shortages struck some kind of nerve. We contacted Kellogg's about the real reason for the nationwide shortage, and they haven't gotten back to us yet. So we let our imaginations run wild. More » -
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success stories
AT&T Waives $645 In Early Termination Fees For Reader With No Service
Reader Y0himba was a loyal and happy customer of AT&T Wireless. But then the iPhone 3Gs became cheaper and proliferated, and he told both Consumerist and AT&T that his family's phones became completely non-functional. But this is not a complaint—it is a tale of victory. More » -
Flickr
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
Here are seven wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out! More »
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warnings
You Can't Use A Barnes & Noble Gift Card For Ebooks
If you or someone you know is getting a nook, Barnes & Noble's version of the Kindle, this year and you want to use a gift card to fill it with books, forget it. For mysterious reasons, the retailer won't allow it. (By contrast, Amazon does.) More » -
Collection agencies
Am I Responsible For My Parents' Debt?
Jay's parents have gotten quite, uh, spendy with their retirement income, and now they've got a lot of debt they can't pay off. This has become Jay's problem not because he's a party to any of the debt, but because they've put him down as a reference and now bill collectors are harassing him. More » -
Govenment
FDA: Convince Us That Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages Are Safe And Legal
The FDA says that companies have 30 days to convince them that caffeinated alcoholic beverages are safe and legal, because they don't seem to remember approving them. More » -
Walmart
Walmart Takes Steps To Prevent More Black Friday Chaos And Tragedy
Hoping to avoid anything even close to last year's tragic Black Friday human stampede, Walmart stores nationwide aren't opening at the crack of dawn. Instead of opening their doors at 5 A.M. and inviting sales-crazed frenzies, they will open at 6 A.M. on Thanksgiving Day, then remain open overnight. More » -
Delays
Customer Says OnTrac Is Ruining His Amazon Prime Membership
Brian paid for an Amazon Prime membership in order to expedite shipments. Unfortunately, the company contracted to deliver the goods to him doesn't seem up to the job. More » -
Credit Cards
Chase Raises Interest Rate On Closed Account
David closed his Chase credit card account instead of accepting a rate increase earlier this year. That should have been the end of it, but it turned out Chase later went ahead and increased the interest rate anyway. More » -
General Motors
How Epic Bureaucracy Led To GM's Doom
Have you ever wondered how a profit-seeking entity could have possibly produced the Pontiac Aztek? The answer lies in GM's century-old bureaucracy. Like all good bureaucracies, it helped to stifle innovation, squash dissent, and perpetuate bad ideas. More » -
open thread
Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread
Mafia Wars CEO Brags About Scamming Users From Day One
Walmart Goes Crazy On Couple Suspected Of Shoplifting
Never Follow A Security Guard Into The Back Of The Store
MPAA Shuts Down Town's Free Muni WiFi Over 1 Download
You Can Make Your Own Liquid Tamiflu At Home(Photo: catastrophegirl)
New York, 5:52 PM
Sun Nov 15
7 posts in the last 24 hours
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