Why I Won't Be Buying Another Vizio
Jeremy won't be buying any more Vizio TVs. He bought an HD one for $650 , then after 18 months of use, it began flickering on and off and then wouldn't turn it on. The CSR told him it would cost him ~$300 to send it in to repair the power supply, nearly half the purchase price, as the warranty expired. Jeremy thinks a TV should last longer than a year and a half, and so he wrote an open letter on his blog to William Wang, CEO of Vizio TV. More »
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Receipt Checker Avoidance Tactic: Confuse Them With Extreme Politeness
Reader Matt wants to share his technique for waltzing past the Walmart receipt checkers with a minimum of hassle. The secret? Be super nice, but don't stop walking. More »
Most-Viewed Super Bowl Ever Also Breaks Ad Records
Sunday night's thrilling thrashing of Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV wasn't just the most-viewed show in TV history, with over 150 million people tuning into the CBS broadcast, it was also the most advertising-heavy Super Bowl in the history of the football season's grand finale. More »
Netflix To Stream In 1080p And 5.1... Someday
For those of us who really enjoy streaming Netflix movies through our Xbox 360 or PS3, it seemed like wonderful news yesterday when it was reported that some Watch It Now flicks would be made available in both 1080p and 5.1 surround in the near future. Alas, after some clarification, it looks like only part of this is true. More »
Leno Explains How He Ended Up Shilling For Letterman
Just about the only commercial from Sunday night's Super Bowl ad blitz that still had anyone talking the next day was CBS' spot for The Late Show with David Letterman, which featured Dave watching the big game on his couch with Oprah Winfrey and his once-again time-slot competitor Jay Leno. So how did this all happen? Jay went on his own show last night to explain... well, sort of. More »
Very Special Episode Of 'House' Tackles Health Insurance, Prescription Breast Milk
Anyone familiar with the Fox medical hit House knows that the show's cranky, mad-genius protagonist often makes an end-run around hospital protocol, red tape and common sense. Which means the writers are often forced to omit any pesky "there's no way that's covered by their insurance" scenes. But Monday night's episode got its hands on the hot-button issue of health insurance in an almost realistic way. There was also a guy trying to get a prescription for breast milk. More »
Huge Nexus One ETF Magically Shrinks As FCC Investigates
The Washington Post is reporting that the ridiculously huge ETFs for the Nexus One are magically shrinking as the FCC continues to investigate the fees. Google has shaved $200 of the "equipment recovery fee" it charges if a customer breaks their contract with T-Mobile after a 14-day trial period. More »
Twilight Producers Get Into Documentary, Lawsuit Business Simultaneously
Apparently, the most dangerous creatures stalking the lush woodlands of Forks, Washington — the real-life town that's also the setting for the insanely popular Twilight series of books and movies — aren't the hunky teen vampires with sparkly skin or shirtless Native American werewolves, but documentary filmmakers that dare to tread on the feet of the films' producers. More »
Why People Stop Using Credit Cards
In yesterday's Money section, USA Today talked to some consumers who refuse to carry credit cards, and looked at the hidden costs. One 24-year-old says they make her uncomfortable; a guy working at a gas station to pay for college says he doesn't want to get accosted by endless junk mailings once his name enters the pool of potential customers. Then there's the bankruptcy lawyer who canceled his cards on principle 8 years ago, after seeing how lenders behaved when their customers suffered financial setbacks: More »
Mass Effect 2 Shopkeeper Makes Fun Of People Who Buy Expensive Cables
Mass Effect 2 is an awesome game that you should buy immediately. In addition, it also offers solid electronics buying advice in the form of an alien shopkeeper. More »
FBI Wants To Follow You Around The Internet
FBI chief Robert Mueller wants ISPs to track everything their customers do on the Internet, and keep those records for two years. The government plan would give the FBI access to "origin and destination information" for all users. Hey, at least they're not doing it in secret and lying about it. More »
American Airlines To Charge $8 For Blanket And Pillow, If You're Lucky
Starting in May, American Airlines will sell blanket-and-inflatable-pillow packs for $8 each on domestic flights longer than 2 hours. If your flight is under 2 hours and you tend to get cold on a plane, relax: you can't shiver to death in under 2 hours, and by then you'll be at your destination. Or, okay, still on the runway at your departure spot, raiding your carry-on for snacks. You might want to bring a light jacket. More »
How I Maneuvered Through The Walmart Receipt Check Gauntlet
(oamg823)
Jeff says he did what many dream about but few accomplish -- he kept his receipt hidden from Walmart snoops at the expense despite stiff resistance. More »
Consumerists, How Do I Deal With Credit Card Companies Now That I've Lost My Job?
Newly unemployed, credit card debt-carrying Lilgaladriel wants some advice on how to deal with the credit card companies. He writes: More »
TurboTax Charged Me $30 For An Upgrade I Didn't Realize I'd Ordered
Cindy says TurboTax sped her through a filing session that ended with her paying about $30 to upgrade to the deluxe version, even though she didn't realize she'd made such a purchase. These are the sorts of issues that make Tax Cat purr in quizzical contemplation. More »
Jack In The Box's Free Wi-Fi Experiment Ended. Did Anyone Notice?
Knowzy.com, the website that's been tracking which Jack in the Box stores were offering free Wi-Fi, reports that the restaurant chain has pulled the plug. The Wi-Fi offer came with the installation of HDTVs that displayed ads in the dining area, but those are gone too: "In mid-2009, the TVs and the Wi-Fi began disappearing. By the time McDonald's made their free Wi-Fi announcement in December, Jack had completely dismantled his Wi-Fi network." More »
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IKEA Wouldn't Sell Me An In-Stock Item, But It Did Ship It To Me For Free
Responding to last week's post about a guy who couldn't get IKEA to sell him a desk it had in plain view because the store does its restocking overnight, Ross writes in with a story of how he found himself in a similar situation. Only Ross came out a winner by guilting the staff into shipping the item to him for free. More »
