Recently by Chris Walters

(donbuciak)

Citibank Transfers Student Loan To Another Company, But Sits On $1000 Payment For 30 More Days
By Chris Walters on September 29, 2010 1:30 PM   32 Comments
The last time I uncovered an obvious error with my Citibank checking account, I realized it was time to move on. Our tipster Roarke may have just reached that same conclusion, only in his case Citibank has already passed along the account for him—just not the thousand dollar electronic payment he made on it a few days prior, which Citibank says it plans to hang on to for another 30 days. More »

Guess Which Charter Envelope Has Important Billing Information?
By Chris Walters on September 29, 2010 12:30 PM   61 Comments
Here's an excellent example of how a company will put more effort into getting you to notice its junk mail than any important account related information. David says this happens to him all the time, and it's usually a serious notice (as in "impending disconnection") thanks to a recurring billing error. More »

(Packmatt)

Priceline Promised No "Young Renter Fee," But Avis Says Pay Up
By Chris Walters on September 29, 2010 11:30 AM   43 Comments
When Lauren reserved a car rental through Priceline last week, she checked out the fine print to see if she'd have to pay any age-related extra fees, and according to Priceline what she bid would be the total price. Now Avis is telling her Priceline is wrong and she'll have to come up with more money at the rental counter. More »

(Scorpions and Centaurs)

Ben & Jerry's Dropping "All Natural" From Labels
By Chris Walters on September 28, 2010 12:15 PM   69 Comments
After the Center for Science in the Public Interest complained last month that "all natural" doesn't include things like alkalized cocoa and hydrogenated oil, Ben & Jerry's announced yesterday that it will stop using the phrase on its ice cream cartons. More »

(RAWRZ!)

Nielsen Partners With Facebook, Other Websites To Measure Ad Views Online
By Chris Walters on September 28, 2010 11:30 AM   21 Comments
If you don't like the concept of having your online actions tracked for marketing purposes, you can add Nielsen to you list of sworn enemies. The audience measurement company is better known for its TV viewer ratings, but yesterday it announced a new partnership with websites like Facebook where it will access user info (age and gender only, it says) to collect aggregate data on ad views around the web. More »

(WFTV)

Guitar Center Customer Loses Fight With Elmo
By Chris Walters on September 28, 2010 10:33 AM   31 Comments
Who would punch Elmo in the back of the head? A disgruntled customer at a Guitar Center in Florida, that's who. The Elmo performer was working a gig at a toy store next door, then wandered over to Guitar Center. That's when a customer came in, played some drums, behaved aggressively toward other customers and staff, then punched Elmo. More »

(Roadsidepictures)

JCPenney Switching To Priceless Catalogs
By Chris Walters on September 28, 2010 9:00 AM   61 Comments
When JCPenney killed off its traditional Big Book catalog last year, the result was a drop in sales on its website, says the retailer's chairman. Based on that successful strategy—wait, what?—JCPenney says it's killing off its remaining 12 specialty catalogs as well. Instead, it will start mailing out thinner "look books," which will contain a subset of merchandise and no prices. More »

FTC Says POM Wonderful Not So Great
By Chris Walters on September 28, 2010 8:00 AM   34 Comments
The FTC wants to see some proof that the pomegranate ingredients in POM Wonderful's products can actually treat heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction, which is what the company says in marketing and packaging materials. More »

(imorgan73)

RadioShack Employee Buys Customer An Accessory In Order To Get System To Approve Phone Upgrade
By Chris Walters on September 27, 2010 12:30 PM   56 Comments
Has RadioShack gone too far with its sales quotas? Allison wrote us to say that when she tried to upgrade her phone recently, the employee had to add accessories to the transaction before the system would approve it. She said he canceled some, and she ended up paying $2 for "two plastic covers for phones I don't own." But she says her mom had an even more bizarre experience at a RadioShack, where the assistant actually paid for the accessories herself. More »

(Gary Burke.)

Chase Approves Transaction Anyway After Customer Declines Overdraft Protection
By Chris Walters on September 27, 2010 11:30 AM   71 Comments
Paul opted not to sign up for Chase's overdraft fee trap—oh wait, they call it "protection"—but Chase happily ignored this fact and approved a transaction anyway, which led to a $34 overdraft fee that they refuse to reverse. The loophole they're using to get around Paul's opt-out is that the vendor was someone he'd authorized in the past, and therefore this new transaction isn't protected from the bank's "protection" fee. More »

(MyFoxDetroit)

Chrysler Workers Caught Drinking, Toking Up During Break
By Chris Walters on September 27, 2010 10:30 AM   131 Comments
Last week, MyFoxDetroit showed footage it had secretly taped of at least 15 autoworkers at a Chrysler plant "drinking beer and smoking marijuana before heading to work." Chrysler has told the television station that it has suspended the employees without pay pending an investigation, and that it will likely determine next actions today. Check out the video below. More »

(NBCLA)

Los Angeles Farmers Markets Full Of Lies, Warehouse Produce
By Chris Walters on September 27, 2010 9:30 AM   111 Comments
If you're in California and need to make a little extra cash, why not buy a bag of baby carrots from the supermarket, throw some potting soil on them, and sell them at your local farmers market as fresh-from-your-farm organic treats? Okay, maybe technically that's not permitted, but who's going to stop you? An NBCLA investigation found vendors at several farmers markets were lying to customers about their produce, and sourcing it from local warehouses instead of their own farms. More »

(BenjaminThompson)

How Do Airlines Compare On Fees?
By Chris Walters on September 27, 2010 9:00 AM   7 Comments
It's hard to keep track of all the extra fees airlines have invented to pad a ticket purchase, especially since they keep introducing new ones; USA TODAY says revenue from added fees have jumped nearly 16% from a year ago. The newspaper reviewed fees from 13 airlines in the U.S. and compiled this handy reference chart of current fee schedules, to make comparison shopping a little bit easier. As expected, Southwest continues to be one of the best values. More »

(_tar0_)

Starbucks' Prices Going Up
By Chris Walters on September 27, 2010 8:00 AM   40 Comments
Citing a 13-year high in the price of its coffee beans, plus "significant volatility" in other ingredients like dairy, Starbucks last week said it plans to raise prices on certain "labor-intensive and larger-sized" beverages. The small tall coffee will remain at its current price for now, says the company. I wonder if those truncated menus the company introduced a few weeks ago were really about hiding the least expensive option from consumers, especially since it isn't being included in the price hike? More »

(AdAge)

CAPTCHA Codes, Now With Ad Slogans
By Chris Walters on September 22, 2010 12:30 PM   61 Comments
A company called Solve Media is rolling out a new CAPTCHA interface that requires you type in an ad slogan instead of a nonsense word, reports AdAge. Advertisers are looking for message comprehension," says the company's owner, "And you know what they say, 'If you write something down, you remember it.'" And if you force a customer to repeat your slogan during an unrelated transaction, does he resent you for it? More »

(tubbynj)

Xbox Live Marketplace Card Already Used, Even Though It Was Opened Only Moments Ago
By Chris Walters on September 22, 2010 11:30 AM   53 Comments
Tyler says that on four different occasions now, the Xbox Live points and subscription cards he's bought have been invalid when he redeems them. He had a friend at Gamestop help him out with the invalid subscription card, but he's stuck with useless paper when it comes to the points cards. More »

(deviating.net)

An Insider's Look At A Four Hour United Express Delay
By Chris Walters on September 22, 2010 10:33 AM   36 Comments
If there was something that could delay United Airlines flight 1488 from Washington to Philadelphia, then it happened, writes our tipster dev. Although originally meant to be a short one hour flight, the delays stretched to over three hours. Dev writes that most of the delays were caused by the pre-flight crew: "Those of us in the front of the aircraft could hear the Trans States Airlines crew griping over the fact that the ground crew, another contract outfit (this group from Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation), did not do their pre-flight prep work on the plane properly." More »

(Meg Marco)

Bank Of America Patents Method For Denying Refunds
By Chris Walters on September 21, 2010 12:30 PM   58 Comments
Ah, innovation! Bank of America was just awarded a patent for a process that lets it make sure any teller at any branch will know not to give you a refund on a disputed overdraft fee. According to Techdirt, the idea is to prevent "refund shopping," where a customer might visit multiple branches hoping to find a sympathetic ear. More »

(Ben Heine)

Price Chopper Supermarket Emails Customer's Employer, Demands Disciplinary Action For Negative Tweet
By Chris Walters on September 21, 2010 11:30 AM   122 Comments
Last week, a customer at Price Chopper in upstate New York tweeted a relatively mild insult about the store: "Every time I go to @PriceChopperNY I realize why they r not @wegmans. Tonight -bare produce areas & this sign 4 ex http://yfrog.com/2tfj9sj." In return, Price Chopper contacted the man's employer and complained about him. More »

(Razor512)

Charter To Customer With Five Failed Service Calls: "You Haven't Bugged Us Enough To Resolve Your Problem"
By Chris Walters on September 21, 2010 10:30 AM   31 Comments
Charter tells it like it is: the problem with Eric's incorrectly installed Internet service is that he hasn't been trying hard enough to fix it. Here's a copy of an email that Eric tried to send to Charter's CEO last week, but it bounced back. Maybe someone at Charter can read it here? More »

(kyle tsui)

Man Arrested For Spilling His Midichlorians On Star Wars Toy In Florida Walmart
By Chris Walters on September 21, 2010 9:30 AM   56 Comments
The Smoking Gun website has posted an affidavit describing a particularly skeevy toy aisle incident in a Florida Walmart. A man allegedly took a copy of the February Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue over to the toy aisle, then masturbated to it in front of the Star Wars toys. When he was done, according to a Walmart employee who witnessed the incident, he wiped his hand on a nearby toy; a police source who spoke with TSG says it was a Star Wars lightsaber. More »

(ninjapoodles)

Theater Chain Fights Back Against Texting During Movies
By Chris Walters on September 21, 2010 9:00 AM   223 Comments
I don't go to the movies much these days because I'm in NYC, and I don't want bedbugs crawling all over me like that scene in Peter Jackson's King Kong remake. But if I did go to the movies, I wouldn't, because the last several times I went there was always some fool texting within my line of sight. Now a theater chain based in Arizona is launching a nationwide campaign to try to get through to these self-involved types that texting in a darkened theater is wrong. More »

(TheTruthAbout...)

Diesel Website Wants Color Scan Of Your Credit Card Via Email
By Chris Walters on September 21, 2010 8:00 AM   67 Comments
I know credit card fraud is rampant, but I'm not sure sending full scans of your card through email is the proper way to fix things. More »

(Madbuster75)

Advice For Holiday Travelers This Year: Buy Your Tickets Now
By Chris Walters on September 20, 2010 12:30 PM   23 Comments
CNN's Travel Companion suggests you start looking for Thanksgiving and Christmas tickets now, because airlines have cut capacity over last year, and the peak travel times for those two holidays are shorter this year than usual. The article also provide some tips for getting a good price: shop for single seats; aim for Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday flights; and if you can, try to fly on an actual holiday. More »

(epicharmus)

Best Buy Repairs Laptop With Fried Motherboard By Replacing Hard Drive, Removing Operating System
By Chris Walters on September 20, 2010 11:30 AM   97 Comments
The Geek Squad service timeline for Stephen's $1300 Asus laptop went something like this: ship it off for repairs, get it back in an even more broken state and missing all data, be forced to buy a $35 disk from Asus to prove to Best Buy that the problem is their responsibility, then finally find that something went missing during the first repair. Stephen eventually just asked for his money back on his ruined laptop, but the best he could get was store credit. More »

(oneiroi)

Time Warner Changes Customer's Phone Number, Forgets To Mention It
By Chris Walters on September 20, 2010 10:30 AM   38 Comments
If there's one thing you can depend on with Time Warner Cable, it's that if you call for technical support, someone is going to ask you to reboot your modem—even when the problem is that TWC changed your phone number without warning. More »

(tjean314)

Harry Potter Theme Park Modifies Ride To Accommodate Larger Visitors
By Chris Walters on September 20, 2010 9:30 AM   126 Comments
The "Forbidden Journey" ride at Universal Studios' Harry Potter park just got a little less forbidden, at least for some obese tourists. The park has added new larger sized seats to the ride, so at least some of those who were turned away in previous months might have better luck now. More »

(Don Solo)

Why Haven't Broadband Prices Dropped?
By Chris Walters on September 20, 2010 9:00 AM   104 Comments
Ten years ago, 5% of the country had access to broadband Internet. Now over 95% of the country has access. In other technology markets, notes the authors of a new study, prices tend to drop significantly once a technology matures—but with broadband, prices since 2004 have dropped by less than 10% in most markets, if at all. So what's going on? More »

(SCHMEGGA)

Sprint's Premium Data Plan For Samsung Epic Has Slower Upload Speeds Than Regular 3G Phones
By Chris Walters on September 20, 2010 8:00 AM   28 Comments
Yesterday, the blog Explain the Fee noted that Sprint customers with the new Samsung Epic 4G, who have to pay an extra $10 a month for a premium data plan, are reporting upload speeds slower than phones they had 3 or 4 years ago—with upload limits seemingly capped at 150kps. More »

Samsung Not Sure Where Its Samsung Apps Will Work
By Chris Walters on September 15, 2010 12:30 PM   40 Comments
James wanted to buy a new Samsung Blu-ray player that could download and run Samsung Apps, which are widgets that can connect to the Internet or—in the case of the Hulu Plus app—stream video content. He tried to make sure he knew what he was doing before making a purchase, because his whole point for upgrading was to access Hulu, but he still chose the wrong player. Or did he? No, he did. Right? More »

(FelixPomerantz)

Man Wants Verizon FiOS, Keeps Getting Credit Score Dinged Instead
By Chris Walters on September 15, 2010 11:30 AM   27 Comments
Todd's subject line to us was, "Verizon FiOS hates me," and maybe he's right. Each time he tries to sign up for their package deal, they check his credit score, proceed with the sign-up process, then cancel everything at the last minute due to a "technical glitch." They say he can try a third time if he wants. More »

(Hesweptlime)

Hobby Lobby To Couple: Only Women Can Carry Bags
By Chris Walters on September 15, 2010 10:30 AM   160 Comments
A Hobby Lobby employee asked Joe to leave his Maxpedition Versipack—I was going to call it a man purse, but it's so aggressively utilitarian that I think it gets a pass—at the front counter before he shopped in the store. That's unfriendly but not that weird, considering the loss-prevention strategies some stores use. However, they let his wife continue with the exact same bag attached to her hip, I guess because women can't steal. More »

(EricGjerde)

What's The Best Way To Help Manage A Relative's Finances Without Jeopardizing Your Own?
By Chris Walters on September 14, 2010 12:30 PM   38 Comments
A tipster wants to know whether adding his name to his mother's accounts will open him up to credit issues should something go wrong. More »

(DanCentury)

This Dunkin' Donuts Employee Doesn't Run On Anything
By Chris Walters on September 14, 2010 11:30 AM   126 Comments
I guess it's not appropriate to force Dunkin' Donuts employees to drink the coffee they sell, but they should at least show up to work with their short term memory intact. More »

(frankieleon)

Hobby Lobby's Return Policy: We Don't Have To Take Back Anything
By Chris Walters on September 14, 2010 10:30 AM   127 Comments
Michael says the first bullet point on the Return Policy plaque at his local Hobby Lobby (and also online) reads, "If for any reason you need to return merchandise purchased at Hobby Lobby, please return the product with the original sales receipt within 60 days of purchase." That sounds great—you can shop with confidence that they'll handle returns without too much trouble—but the reality is that the store can and will refuse any return, with or without a receipt, if someone there thinks it might lose them money in the short term. More »

(genebob)

Walmart's New Cellphone Plans Are Great If You Skip The Data
By Chris Walters on September 14, 2010 9:30 AM   38 Comments
Yesterday, Walmart announced that starting next week it will offer a new wireless plan under its own brand, but running on T-Mobile's network. The rates are good compared to national carriers: $45 per month for unlimited texting and minutes, and $25 per month for each additional line. There's also no contract, and you pay the bill at the end of each month instead of loading up a pre-pay account. It's one of the better family-style deals available, except for one thing: the data plans are actually more expensive than AT&T or T-Mobile. More »

You Can Get Any 42" Samsung Plasma TV From Target, As Long As It's Smashed
By Chris Walters on September 14, 2010 9:00 AM   85 Comments
Steve's TV buying experience with Target has not gone well. If he wants to try this a third time, the store is more than willing to let him, but they say he has to pay full price now and there's still no guarantee a broken TV won't show up on his doorstep. More »

(James Callan)

Bank Of America Wants Customer To Travel 1,500 Miles To Close His Mother's Account
By Chris Walters on September 14, 2010 8:00 AM   62 Comments
It hasn't even been a month since our last dead Bank of America customer story, but here the bank is at it again, refusing to let a woman's son close her checking account no matter what he does. Although she lived and banked in Tennessee and he lives in Pennsylvania, the latest nonsense has the bank demanding that he visit Texas in person to get a document notarized. More »

(Maulleigh)

Developers Spiking Homeowner Contracts With Hidden Resale Fee Covenants
By Chris Walters on September 13, 2010 12:30 PM   103 Comments
Last April, Techdirt pointed out that a financial firm in Texas was trying to attach "private transfer fees" to homes, so that developers would get a little bit of each sale as it passed among owners in the years to come. It sounded crazy then—imagine having to pay royalties on clothes or furniture whenever you resold them—but the firm is aggressively expanding its plan and has signed up more than 5,000 developers across the country, reports the New York Times. If you buy a new house in the next decade, look for a "resale fee" covenant hidden in a separate document that might not be included in your closing papers or even require a signature. More »

(kfas)

Sprint Customer Finds Naked Pictures On Her Repaired Cellphone
By Chris Walters on September 13, 2010 11:30 AM   94 Comments
A woman in Colorado had her eyes burned out by images of "nude women and male genitals" on her cellphone's new(ish) memory card, reports KRDO.com. She says the Sprint employees who worked on her phone must have known it was there, since they're the ones who swapped in the new card. She's pretty upset: "If [young family members] had seen those pictures, it could have ruined them for life." More »

(Lisa Pisa)

Keep Your Small Dog Info To Yourself; The Person Calling You Doesn't Need To Know
By Chris Walters on September 13, 2010 10:30 AM   59 Comments
Here's a weird possible scam going around. Our reader Chris writes, "Every day for the past week, I've been getting an automated call that asks me, 'This is Survey 2010. Do you have a small dog?'" More »

Barnes & Noble's Digital Textbook Rental Service Is Great, Except For The Downloading Your Textbook Part
By Chris Walters on September 13, 2010 9:30 AM   8 Comments
Before you spend money on a time-sensitive e-textbook rental from Barnes & Noble's new NOOKstudy application, take a look through the complaints that have popped up in the past few days on the bookseller's customer forum. Several threads exist where students are complaining that their rentals aren't coming through, but it seems B&N's tech support was away for the weekend because there's been no official response yet. More »

(Ninja M.)

AT&T Comes In Last In Latest Network Quality Survey Among Consumers
By Chris Walters on September 13, 2010 9:00 AM   32 Comments
J.D.Power and Associates released a new survey last week that measured customer complaints among national cellular networks, and although different companies excel in different regions, AT&T is still consistently the laggard when it comes to call connections and overall quality. Of the six regions covered in the survey, AT&T places last in four of them. The only part of the country where it does okay is the North Central Region, where it places third, and where the otherwise highly-ranked Verizon comes in last. More »

(frankieleon)

Are You Changing Your Car's Oil Too Frequently?
By Chris Walters on September 13, 2010 8:06 AM   140 Comments
According to the consumer advice editor at Edmunds, if you bought a car in the last seven or eight years, you don't have to change its oil every 3,000 miles. On these newer models, it's fine to wait until 7,500 miles or more, although a Pennzoil employee tells the New York Times that you should stick with what your manual advises (which is still probably less frequent than every 3,000 miles). You can also check out this California State list of guidelines for different cars. More »

(The Joy Of The Mundane)

Hyatt Charges Asthmatic Woman $250 For Smoking, Says It Has Secret Photos
By Chris Walters on September 8, 2010 11:30 AM   114 Comments
A woman who stayed at a Hyatt in Milwaukee last month was hit with an extra $250 charge for smoking in her room. The problem, she says, is that she has severe asthma—she offered to show Hyatt her prescriptions—and is not a smoker. When she complained to Hyatt, the hotel's director of operations told her "the Hyatt had photographic evidence of smoking in the room and would absolutely not refund her money." More »

(frankieleon)

Airport Body Scanners May Replace Your Naked Body With A Generic Avatar, Eventually
By Chris Walters on September 8, 2010 10:30 AM   35 Comments
Bloomberg reports that one of the big companies behind airport full-body scanners has released a software update that replaces your misshapen nakedness with a generically proportioned, nondescript avatar. The software then indicates on the avatar where you should be searched. More »

(armaburrito)

This Gap Manager Doesn't Want Your Groupon Coupon
By Chris Walters on September 7, 2010 12:30 PM   70 Comments
Alex and his wife bought into a Groupon offer for Gap, where you could buy $50 worth of merchandise for $25. Everything was going great until they ran into a manager at their local store who refused to even ring up the pants they'd chosen, saying anything already discounted wasn't eligible for the offer. More »

(pwrplantgirl)

Ryanair's Newest Cost Cutting Idea: Remove Second Pilot
By Chris Walters on September 7, 2010 11:30 AM   93 Comments
Did Ryanair's publicity-chasing CEO Michael O'Leary read about that American Airlines flight back in June? In a recent interview, he suggested that one way to reduce costs would be to get rid of the second pilot and just make sure every flight has a flight attendant with a pilot's license. More »

(SA_Steve)

Consumer Reports Tastes Store Branded Foods, Finds Some Are Just As Good
By Chris Walters on September 7, 2010 10:30 AM   104 Comments
Name brands exert a strong power over shoppers: 17% of us think name brand foods are more nutritious, even though there's little nutritional difference between the two categories. Consumer Report performed taste tests on several food categories to determine whether name brands tasted better than store brands, and found that in some cases the store brands actually won. More »

(epicharmus)

AT&T Customer Service Rep Says Store Employees Are Commission-Chasing Liars
By Chris Walters on September 7, 2010 9:30 AM   87 Comments
One of our readers just switched over from T-Mobile to AT&T, but he discovered that pretty much everything the salesperson promised him at the retail store turned out to be a lie. At least, that's what the angry AT&T customer service rep told his wife when she called in to dispute her first bill. More »

(zonaphoto)

DOT Updates 'Fly Rights' Airline Consumer Guide
By Chris Walters on September 7, 2010 9:00 AM   7 Comments
The Department of Transportation has updated its consumer guide to air travel, which provides a quick summary of what to look for when buying a ticket, and what protections you have during travel. It's also a good starting point when you have an airline-related problem and need more information before deciding what to do next. More »

(Listener42)

Would You Like To Donate To The Party City Injured Employee Fund?
By Chris Walters on September 7, 2010 8:00 AM   89 Comments
Do you find it annoying when a cashier tries to upsell you into making a donation to some group? Well, what if the money was going to a good cause—like another employee at the store? More »

(kyle tsui)

Google Settles Buzz Lawsuit For $8.5 Million; You Don't Get Any Of It
By Chris Walters on September 6, 2010 12:30 PM   16 Comments
Hey, remember when Google signed everyone up for Buzz without asking and revealed their private contact lists? The company has now settled a class action lawsuit brought by seven Gmail users. The BBC says that 30% will go to the legal team, while each of those seven users will get $2,500. The rest will not be turned into Google stickers or free AdSense ads for you, but instead will be "shared among organisations that promote online privacy." More »

(RockaWolf)

Hartz Dog Treats Recalled Over Salmonella
By Chris Walters on September 6, 2010 11:30 AM   24 Comments
Don't reward your dog a Hartz Naturals Real Beef Treat from a bag stamped with lot code BZ0969101E, says the FDA, unless you want a potentially confused dog. Hartz says salmonella has been found in at least one bag from that lot, so it's recalling nearly 75,000 bags. So far no one has reported any sick pets, but if you have questions you can call Hartz at 1-800-275-1414. More »

(kevindooley) (not actual house in story)

Man Sets House On Fire, Dies In It, After Losing Home To Homeowners' Association
By Chris Walters on September 6, 2010 10:30 AM   159 Comments
Feuds between homeowners and homeowners' associations can get pretty intense, as BoingBoing pointed out twice last week. One feud in Ogden, NC, was so bad that the man's house was sold by the court to pay for dues and fines levied by the association. The house was sold earlier this summer, reports the Star-News, and last month the man doused everything in gas and set the place on fire. More »

(Consumer Watchdog)

Consumer Group Launches Anti-Google Ad In Times Square, Keeps Google Analytics On Its Own Website
By Chris Walters on September 6, 2010 9:33 AM   41 Comments
The group Consumer Watchdog is pushing hard for Congress to establish a "do not track" list for online consumers, which I'm all for. I'm not sure whether releasing a ridiculously unpleasant cartoon in Times Square is the right strategy, though—especially when you use the very service you're warning people about. More »

(myfoxdfw.com)

Strip Club Nearly Blinds Southwest Pilots At Love Field
By Chris Walters on September 6, 2010 9:00 AM   32 Comments
Strip clubs and cockpits don't mix, at least not when there's a spinning search light involved, says the FAA. The agency has asked Bombshells, a club near Love Field Airport in Dallas, TX, to keep its newly installed rooftop light turned off after the pilot for a Southwest flight reported his cockpit was flooded with light while trying to land the plane. The pilot feared that it was a laser strike, which can cause temporary blindness. More »

(I Am Rob)

Court Rejects Lawsuit Against Ladies Nights
By Chris Walters on September 6, 2010 8:00 AM   146 Comments
Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a New York lawyer's claims that "ladies nights" at bars were unconstitutional because they forced men to pay more. The lawyer says he's going to appeal to the Supreme Court, but he admitted to the New York Daily News that the odds the court will agree to hear his case are "about the same as some pretty young lady paying my way on a date." More »

(The Next Web)

Watch For Mysterious Data Usage On Your iPhone
By Chris Walters on September 1, 2010 12:30 PM   52 Comments
If you're on one of AT&T's limited data plans, you'd better start carefully monitoring the data usage, because some customers are noticing unexplainable daily hits on their accounts. The support forums at Apple are filled with pages of theories and complaints from frustrated customers, but our tipster David got the following admission directly from an AT&T rep: "She told me that most, if not all, 3g-capable iPhones were being charged erroneously like I had been experiencing. She told me AT&T was unaware of why the data was being charged, and where it was coming from." More »

(Flying Photog)

United Hates U.S. Diplomatic Relations With Pakistan
By Chris Walters on September 1, 2010 11:30 AM   72 Comments
United has already mastered guitar bashing, so now the airline is moving on to more ambitious projects: screwing up diplomatic relations with other countries. More »

(moxythecat)

Yelp Reviewer Gives 1 Star For Restaurant That Hasn't Opened Yet
By Chris Walters on September 1, 2010 10:30 AM   128 Comments
As with any community-sourced online content, Yelp's reviews can vary widely in quality. Still, this may be one of the most ridiculously self-entitled and clueless reviews anyone has ever posted about a restaurant: More »

(Alan Rappa)

Mall Security And Suspected Shoplifters Engage In Car Chase
By Chris Walters on August 31, 2010 12:30 PM   53 Comments
Earlier this month, two mall security guards in Montville, NJ, gave chase to a carful of suspected Victoria's Secret shoplifters for six miles. Both vehicles eventually stopped at a liquor store parking lot two towns over, where a real policeman—who at first thought the guards were legit undercover cops—stepped in and started issuing tickets. More »

(Marike79)

AirTran Fined $500,000 For Lousy Wheelchair Service
By Chris Walters on August 31, 2010 11:30 AM   46 Comments
The Transportation Department has served AirTran a $500,000 civil penalty for repeated failures to accommodate disabled travelers, reports Associated Press. The airline was also cited for not providing adequate responses to customers who complained, and for not properly filing complaints with the government. The biggest issue, however, was that it doesn't always provide wheelchairs to disabled passengers in a timely manner. AirTran says it's working on implementing a wheelchair tracking system at its hubs. More »

(jhpope)

Sunglass Hut To Customer: Italy And China Are The Same, Don't Be Picky
By Chris Walters on August 31, 2010 10:30 AM   193 Comments
Brett tried on a pair of "Made in Italy" Ray-Bans at a Sunglass Hut and liked them, but they were the display model so he had to come back to pick up his own a few days later. When he did, he discovered that the real pair he bought said "Made in China," and in his opinion they felt lower quality. More »

(chickee510)

Customer Service Is Bad Because You Already Said Yes
By Chris Walters on August 31, 2010 9:30 AM   70 Comments
In this week's New Yorker, James Surowiecki takes a brief look at customer service in America these days, and offers up some theories to explain why it sucks. Most of it is stuff you've probably already seen: it's a cost center and therefore an attractive target when cutting expenses; bargain pricing makes it impossible; current attempts to make it more "efficient" just make it worse. But the real problem, he says, is that maybe companies are too concerned with the customers they don't have. More »

(themonnie)

FDA Finally Inspects Tainted Egg Farms, Discovers They're Unsanitary
By Chris Walters on August 31, 2010 9:12 AM   40 Comments
Conditions at the two salmonella egg farms in Iowa are so bad that you'd think they were Tylenol factories, according to recent FDA inspections. Wait, I mean the first and only inspections. More »

(edenpictures)

Calorie Count Rules Coming To Theaters, Airplanes, Convenience Stores, Supermarket Food Courts
By Chris Walters on August 31, 2010 8:00 AM   58 Comments
The FDA says the law that requires restaurant chains with more than 20 locations to post calorie counts also applies to other types of businesses, reports the Wall Street Journal. Specifically, movie theaters, airplanes, trains, food courts in grocery stores, and convenience stores are all considered chains and will soon have to start following the law. The agency hasn't made up its mind yet whether things like salad bars in grocery stores will have to fall in line. The FDA will announce official guidelines in December. More »

(tobo)

Twenty Cities That Are Doing Better Than The Rest Of The Country
By Chris Walters on August 30, 2010 12:30 PM   81 Comments
The Daily Beast has come up with a list slideshow of 20 "recession-proof" cities across the U.S. The 20 that made the list each showed growth since 2007 in three categories: overall employment, per capita personal income, and metropolitan area gross domestic product (GDP). More »

(Eric Flexyourhead)

Cab Driver Locks Doors, Holds Passenger Hostage For Trying To Pay With Credit Card
By Chris Walters on August 30, 2010 11:30 AM   191 Comments
There's a driver for Pittsburgh Yellow Cab Company who doesn't like it when you try to pay with a Discover card, even though the company's website says they accept it. When Adam tried this, the driver accused him of trying to avoid paying, then locked the doors and initially refused to let him go to an ATM 15 feet away unless he left all of his belongings behind. While Adam called the cab company to complain (he was routed to a voicemail inbox), the driver called the police. Twice. More »

(mattwi1s0n)

PayPal Says Man Owes Nearly $300 For Dispute That He Won
By Chris Walters on August 30, 2010 10:30 AM   66 Comments
Kentaro already went through a dispute resolution with PayPal for an HTC Droid Eris he sold on eBay. He says the reason for the dispute no longer exists, and anyway, he won and that was supposed to be the end of it. But now he owes $287, according to PayPal. More »

(cote)

Be Sure To Confirm Age Requirements Before Buying Airline Tickets For Kids
By Chris Walters on August 30, 2010 9:30 AM   28 Comments
A man in California ended up fighting with Expedia over compensation after his kids, ages 12 and 16, were left stranded overnight in a Virginia airport, because the airline wouldn't let them board the connecting flight without being accompanied by someone 18 or older. The man told Expedia the kids' ages before buying the tickets but the company's system didn't send up any red flags, so he thought the trip would be fine. More »

(John Morton)

Do I Really Need A Deep Teeth Cleaning?
By Chris Walters on August 30, 2010 9:00 AM   119 Comments
One of our readers just tried to take advantage of a $50 teeth cleaning offer from a local dentist, but once he got there he was quoted a new price of $1,136 for what they described as a "deep cleaning." Was their revised offer legit? More »

Summer's Eve To Ladies: If You Want A Raise, You'd Better Wash Your Hoo Hoo
By Chris Walters on August 30, 2010 8:00 AM   92 Comments
Maybe you thought bizarre "fix your naughty bits!" ads for feminine hygiene only appeared back in your grandparents' era, but no. This Summer's Eve ad from Women's Day magazine says that if you want a raise, one of the first things you can do is shower with "Summer's Eve Feminine Wash," although it might also be a good idea to bring some "cleansing cloths" with you "for a quick freshness pick-me-up" right before you ask the boss for more money. That's all in tip #1; tip #7 says "Don't let the conversation stray or get personal." More »

Stashitware Turns Your Underwear Into A Man Purse
By Chris Walters on August 25, 2010 12:30 PM   90 Comments
Hey guys, do you know what will really sex up a special occasion? First, take off your pants to reveal your enormous crotch bulge. Then reach into your underwear and pull out a 2 liter bottle of Coke. More »

(Concrete Forms)

Pool Manufacturer Shuts Down, Leaving Homeowners With Empty Pits And Liens On Their Homes
By Chris Walters on August 25, 2010 11:30 AM   128 Comments
The Aqua Pool & Spa company in California had been building pools for over 20 years and had built up a good reputation, but after a bank went under and called in a $3 million loan, the company abruptly laid off everyone last week and shut its doors. Now everyone who was in the process of getting a pool built is stuck with torn up yards and half-finished pools. What's worse, subcontractors are now dunning those customers for payment for services or supplies, even when the homeowners already paid (through Aqua Pool & Spa) months earlier. More »

(D Sharon Pruitt)

Brand Name Drug Prices Rise Significantly In Past Year
By Chris Walters on August 25, 2010 10:30 AM   54 Comments
Here's yet another reason to go for generic drugs when you can: drug makers keep raising prices on brand name products. If you group generics and brand names together, drug prices rose by 3.4% in 2009, according to an industry report. However, if you look at just brand name drugs as the AARP did in a new report, the average price hike was 8.3%. An earlier AARP report from May points out that if you look at specialty drugs "widely used by people in Medicare" then the hike jumps to 9.2%. More »

Kaplan Giving Away 90 Study Guides To iDevice Users
By Chris Walters on August 24, 2010 12:32 PM   26 Comments
If you're in the market for high school or college study guides and you have access to an iDevice from Apple, Kaplan is giving away 90 different titles between now and August 30th through the Apple iBookstore. Sadly, you can't access the iBookstore on iTunes, so you'll have to get to it through an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. More »

(Paraflyer)

GM Voids Warranty On Used Truck, Blames It On Chip Owner Didn't Know Was Installed
By Chris Walters on August 24, 2010 11:30 AM   114 Comments
Ken is facing a $13,000 repair bill on his 2007 Chevy 2500 diesel truck, because the full factory warranty the dealership assured him it had was voided by GM. The reason: GM says at some point in the past, someone put a chip in the truck that doesn't match the info GM has, so they don't have to service it. The problem for Ken is that the dealership didn't check for this chip before it sold the truck to Ken, and Ken didn't know about this loophole when he bought it. In fact, he says he bought it about a year and a half before GM implemented this rule. More »

Canon 7D Or Barbie Video Girl: Which Is Better?
By Chris Walters on August 24, 2010 10:30 AM   40 Comments
Sometimes when you're comparison shopping for electronics, it helps to find a fan-made video test that looks at the devices side by side. Luckily for you, if you can't decide whether to buy an $1800 Canon 7D or a $50 Barbie Video Girl, now you've got some help. (Hint: only one of these can be called "the sassiest camera money can buy.") More »

(Lara604)

190 Tons Of Walmart Deli Meat Recalled Over Potential Listeria Contamination
By Chris Walters on August 24, 2010 9:30 AM   33 Comments
A New York company called Zemco Industries has recalled 380,000 pounds of deli meat that it distributed to Walmart under the Marketside label, because it might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Although nobody has reported any illness and healthy people aren't usually in danger, listeriosis can kill old people, infants, and others with weak immune systems. More »

Museum That Lets Visitors Handle Gold Directly Has Gold Stolen
By Chris Walters on August 24, 2010 8:00 AM   85 Comments
A 74-ounce gold bar that was salvaged from the ocean floor in 1980 was stolen from the Mel Fisher museum last week. It's valued at $550,000, and it was kept on display in a special case that let visitors stick their hands in to lift it. Supposedly the case was designed to prevent any removal of the bar, but somehow a guy managed to pull it out and put it in his pants pocket before walking out. The insurance company is offering a $10,000 reward for its return. More »

(voobie)

Being Frugal Makes You More Appealing
By Chris Walters on August 23, 2010 12:30 PM   43 Comments
According to a new ING Direct study, the word that most comes to mind when a hypothetical blind date partner is described as frugal is "smart." Sadly, "sexy" only came to mind about 3.7% of the time, but at least you'll have more chances: an eHarmony review commissioned by Ron Lieber at the New York Times "found that both men and women were 25 percent more likely to have a potential mate reach out to them if they identified themselves as a saver rather than a spender." More »

(fimoculous)

Seattle Libraries To Close For A Week To Save Money
By Chris Walters on August 23, 2010 11:30 AM   54 Comments
If you live in Seattle, make sure you don't plan any library outings between August 30th and September 6th, when all branches will be closed. As it did last year, the library system is shutting down services and not paying employees for a week to cut about $650,000 from its budget. Fortunately, you'll still be able to access several electronic services that week, including ebook checkout and online databases. More »

(camardella)

Help, Expedia Sold My Chargeback To A Collection Agency!
By Chris Walters on August 23, 2010 10:30 AM   129 Comments
Ed and his wife successfully filed a chargeback against Expedia for a canceled trip earlier this year. Now he's being dunned by a collection agency for the amount that Amex refunded him. More »

(quinn.anya)

Nail Salon Charges Overweight Customers $5 More
By Chris Walters on August 23, 2010 9:30 AM   172 Comments
A Georgia woman says a local nail salon padded her bill by $5, and when she asked what the charge was for, she was told it was because she was too fat for their fancy-fragile salon chairs: "[The salon manager explained] the surcharge was due to costly repairs of broken chairs by overweight customers. She said the chairs have a weight capacity of 200 pounds and cost $2,500 to fix." More »

(TheTruthAbout...)

Couple Says Real Estate Agent Used Their Home For Sex
By Chris Walters on August 23, 2010 9:00 AM   39 Comments
Earlier this month, a couple in Minnesota filed a lawsuit against a local Coldwell Banker franchise and a real estate agent the company employed, alleging that the agent used the home for sexcapades while they were out of town, ruining their furniture, bedding and carpet. Neighbors say he showed up one day with an unidentified man and said they were going to be preparing the home for an open house, but no open house was held. Or at least not one the neighbors could see; maybe he uses that phrase in a different way. More »

This Condom Warning Label Arouses Confusion
By Chris Walters on August 23, 2010 8:00 AM   56 Comments
A reader bought this box of condoms from her local Safeway, and she says this sticker was underneath the outer packaging. People be freaky, but is there anyone who would want a raw chicken condom that you have to keep frozen until use? (Meh, probably.) More »

(markhillary)

Bank Of America Is Having A Hard Time Accepting This Whole Death Thing
By Chris Walters on August 18, 2010 12:30 PM   91 Comments
Dave can't get Bank of America to accept that his parents are gone, even after sending over the death certificates. He keeps telling the bank to take the house, because nobody in his family wants it and the mortgage is underwater. Bank of America keeps threatening his parents with letters about how behind they are on payments. Oh sure, everything about this story is funny on the surface, but not when Bank of America tries to extract money from a closed account you once shared with your dad, forcing it to re-open and siphon funds from your real accounts. More »

(contri)

Continental Refuses To Believe Woman's Service Dog Is Real
By Chris Walters on August 18, 2010 11:40 AM   189 Comments
Continental sure has a lot of skeptical employees when it comes to customers with disabilities. Jessica tried to buy a ticket yesterday and was told no, because the ticket agent didn't believe that Jessica's self-trained service dog was legit. More »

(TheTruthAbout...)

CitiFinancial Auto Keeps Deducting Payment On Zero Balance Loan, Triggers Overdraft Fees
By Chris Walters on August 18, 2010 10:32 AM   62 Comments
Marc's monthly budget just exploded into a mess of overdraft fees thanks to CitiFinancial Auto's negligence, and now he's not sure how to get them to actually do anything to fix it. More »

(heipei)

Don't Confuse Medical Discount Plans With Health Insurance
By Chris Walters on August 17, 2010 11:30 AM   23 Comments
If you don't have health insurance, you might hear about a medical discount plan and think that it's an affordable alternative, but be careful. Some of the plans being sold don't lower your health care costs at all, and in some cases can even increase them. That's why the the FTC and 24 states have recently filed a total of 54 lawsuits against companies selling medical discount plans to people who don't have health insurance. More »

(chimothy27)

California Says Some Bouncy Castles Have Too Much Lead In Them
By Chris Walters on August 17, 2010 10:36 AM   59 Comments
California's Attorney General, Jerry Brown, has filed a lawsuit that claims too many inflatable structures used at kids' parties come with high levels of lead in the vinyl—"sometimes dozens of times the federal limit," reports the New York Times. One of the defendants said the lawsuit was a "witch hunt," and warned that it would have a chilling effect on what the Times calls the "bounce-house industry." More »

(anee.baba)

Woman Says Southwest Refused To Serve Her Alcohol, Wouldn't Say Why
By Chris Walters on August 17, 2010 9:30 AM   178 Comments
Angel says she hadn't had any alcohol before getting on her Southwest Airlines flight last week, but for some reason the flight attendant decided—after first taking her order—that she felt "uncomfortable" serving Angel her vodka and Coke. More »

(borderlys)

Acai Berry Company Temporarily Shut Down By FTC Over Billing Practices
By Chris Walters on August 17, 2010 9:00 AM   27 Comments
Last summer, Central Coast Nutraceuticals settled a deceptive practices charge from Arizona's Attorney General by promising to pay $1.4 million in fines. Now the company, which peddles acai berry and colon cleansing products, has been forced to temporarily stop selling or marketing its wonder products completely under an injunction obtained yesterday by the FTC. More »

Chef Fined For Licking Toads In The Kitchen
By Chris Walters on August 17, 2010 8:00 AM   21 Comments
The chef at a Japanese restaurant in Iowa was fined $335 after health department officials watched a video of him licking and kissing toads, then putting them in his mouth and then back on the prep table, in the restaurant's kitchen. His brother taped the stunt and posted it on Facebook. More »

Mozy Wants To Explain Wireless Internets To You
By Chris Walters on August 16, 2010 12:30 PM   83 Comments
You might think that a company like Mozy, which sells secure online backup services, would be able to troubleshoot common technical issues that are directly related to its business. After all, surely Heather isn't the only customer to have problems with her initial backup hanging for several days in a row. But instead of offering useful assistance, Mozy's tech support person told Heather that the problem was that "wireless internets don't like lots of files flying through the air." Wow, that must really cause problems with Mozy's business model. More »

(Horia Varlan)

Is Rudeness Inevitable In A Service Economy?
By Chris Walters on August 16, 2010 11:30 AM   162 Comments
The funny thing about a service economy, writes Peggy Noonan at the Wall Street Journal, is that it's created a world where people who interact with the public are deliberately trained to be rude and compassionless. She thinks it's partly because we threw out manners right as we reached a cultural moment where we interact with strangers more than ever. But that's only part of it—she also notes that clerks are trained to get in your face and aggressively push for higher sales, and that the dreaded "Dead Face"—that stony look that's used to shut down any communication at all—is probably taught by consultants as an efficient way to handle people. More »

(Caitlinator)

Court Says California Mall Can't Ban Customers From Talking To Each Other
By Chris Walters on August 16, 2010 10:30 AM   131 Comments
The Westfield Galleria in Roseville, California takes the comfort of its patrons seriously—so seriously, in fact, that it wants them to shut up and focus on shopping, or else ask for permission first if they want to talk about any topic that's not mall related. Last week, the state's 3rd District Court of Appeal found that the rule violated the state's constitution, so now mall shoppers can gab as much as they want to each other. More »

This Hobby Lobby Reserves The Right To Search Your Car
By Chris Walters on August 16, 2010 9:30 AM   139 Comments
A tipster in Louisville, Kentucky snapped this photo of a small warning sign taped to the window of his local Hobby Lobby. According to the sign, the store reserves the right to go through pretty much anything you happen to be carrying with you, plus your car. But shoppers shouldn't feel too bad, because the sign says you can refuse and be escorted from the premises.

(Ryan Harvey)

Man Convinces JCPenney To Honor Online Price
By Chris Walters on August 16, 2010 9:00 AM   30 Comments
Gerry and his wife tried to buy a pair of sneakers that the JCPenney website had listed on sale. While other products were marked "online only," this particular pair of sneakers was marked "also in stores," so the couple assumed that the price would be the same. Naturally, the store's employees refused to see the logic of this argument. More »

(ste3ve)

Woman Says Donald Duck Groped Her
By Chris Walters on August 16, 2010 8:00 AM   65 Comments
Did Disney's eternally overreacting duck mascot put the moves on a woman visiting Epcot Center a couple of years ago? That's what the woman claims happened; in her lawsuit, she says a park employee dressed as Donald Duck grabbed her breast and molested her, "then made gestures making a joke indicating he had done something wrong." She's asking for $50,000. More »

(kkimpel)

Are Upside-Down Tomato Planters No Good?
By Chris Walters on August 11, 2010 12:30 PM   103 Comments
A tipster sent us a link to this short advice column on gardening at PennLive.com, where the author says upside-down planters in general aren't that great, and in dry hot summers are particularly bad for your tomatoes. More »

MTV News Becomes Paid Shill For FreeCreditScore.com
By Chris Walters on August 11, 2010 11:30 AM   28 Comments
Maybe you didn't take MTV News too seriously to begin with, but if you did you might want to reconsider. BrandChannel started noticing that MTV News was posting articles about FreeCreditScore.com's contest for a new sellout band for its TV spots. (This is the same company as FreeCreditReport.com; both charge for their services and generally suck.) The problem with the paid MTV sponsorship is that it's not disclosing that the "news stories" are just advertorials. More »

(WexDub)

Flight Attendant Weighs In On Angry Passengers, Job Stress
By Chris Walters on August 11, 2010 10:30 AM   129 Comments
Steven Slater's dramatic job walk-off slide-down on Monday wouldn't have been anywhere near as cool if he hadn't used that escape slide. Another flight attendant named Bobby Laurie, writing about the stress of the job for The Daily Beast, says popping the slide and stealing alcohol are "the two most taboo things in the industry." He also says he's fantasized about doing something similar after being forced to deal with angry or obnoxious passengers. More »

(thechive.com)

Woman Quits Job By Outing Boss's Farmville Addiction To Staff
By Chris Walters on August 10, 2010 12:15 PM   81 Comments
UPDATE: It appears that this was all a hoax perpetrated by the editors over at thechive.com. More »

(rentvine.com)

Blockbuster Chases GameFly, Offers Game Rentals By Mail
By Chris Walters on August 10, 2010 11:30 AM   18 Comments
Yesterday we noted that Blockbuster was launching a new DVD-by-mail rental service (which Netflix promptly one-upped by announcing a new streaming agreement), and today we're getting tips from people that the beleaguered brick and mortar movie rental company is throwing games into the offer as well. FastCompany notes that GameFly offers around 7,000 game titles compared to Blockbuster's library of 3,000 titles. On the other hand, Blockbuster's rental plans start at $9/mo compared to GameFly's $16/mo (both for one disc at a time). More »

Here's The Video Of That Crazy McNugget Lady Who Attacked McDonald's Employees
By Chris Walters on August 10, 2010 10:30 AM   81 Comments
Remember the McDonald's drive-thru customer who went all 28 Days after she was told they'd stopped serving Chicken McNuggets? Obviously a story like this is a hundred times more awesome if you can watch the actual attack, and fortunately for us the security footage of the event is now available. More »

(bgautrea)

Shoplifter Blames Devil
By Chris Walters on August 10, 2010 9:30 AM   21 Comments
A woman caught shoplifting from a Walmart in Cinnaminson, NJ, assaulted the store's loss-prevention officer and drove off, but accidentally left her pocketbook—which contained her driver's license—in the parking lot. She called back later to ask whether they'd found it, and when the police got on the phone she admitted to the shoplifting and assault, but blamed it on the devil. More »

Parents Group Calls Happy Meal Version Of The Human Torch A "Horrifying Spectacle"
By Chris Walters on August 10, 2010 9:00 AM   74 Comments
I'm having trouble telling whether the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is serious, or whether someone at the organization saw that Venture Brothers episode and got confused, so I'll just describe what they're doing and you can decide for yourselves. The group has launched a letter writing campaign to demand that McDonald's stop giving out Marvel superhero toys, specifically The Thing and The Human Torch, because they're too violent. More »

(steakpinball)

FTC Shuts Down Domain Name Scammers
By Chris Walters on August 10, 2010 8:00 AM   15 Comments
The FTC says a Toronto-based company called Internet Listing Service scammed thousands of U.S. consumers and small businesses by mailing invoices to them demanding payment for unnecessary domain registration services. The company was given a suspended judgment of over $4 million, based on "the total amount of consumer injury" caused, but in reality the people behind the scam have been ordered to pay $10,000 because that's all the money they have left. More »

(Patrick Hoesly)

It's Never Too Late To Haggle, Even At Target
By Chris Walters on August 9, 2010 7:00 PM   48 Comments
Kyle just emailed us a recap of his successful haggling adventure at Target this past weekend. If you're afraid to try haggling at a big chain store, check out his story for an example of how to make it pleasant for all parties involved; the goal is to approach it as a negotiation where everyone wins, not as a zero-sum competition. More »

(yaybiscuits123)

Krispy Kreme Accidentally Gives Customer $5,000 Box Of Donuts
By Chris Walters on August 9, 2010 5:55 PM   76 Comments
The manager of a Krispy Kreme in North Carolina protected each day's haul by hiding it in a donut box. Krispy Kreme just happens to sell donuts by the boxful to its customers, so it's clear that absolutely nothing could go wrong with this plan. More »

(taberandrew)

How To Avoid An Emergency Room Bill That Sends You Back To The E.R.
By Chris Walters on August 9, 2010 11:30 AM   25 Comments
Emergency room bills bring a special sort of sticker shock, because they don't usually show up until weeks later, and then come packed with all sorts of over-inflated fees and add-ons. The New York Times calls them "notoriously high and perplexing," and although it's unlikely you'll ever end up paying the full amount listed on the bill, there are strategies you can use to bring that initial figure down. More »

(www.tavares.org)

Woman Arrested Over Wet T-Shirt Complaints At Florida Children's Water Park
By Chris Walters on August 9, 2010 10:54 AM   87 Comments
A 36-year-old woman says she's planning on suing the city of Tavares, Florida, because its police force demanded her name for a "database" as she was leaving a children's water park last spring. She'd taken her 7-year-old son there for the third time that season, and on each visit, other parents complained that her wet t-shirt and bra look was offensive. As she was leaving, a police officer demanded her name, and arrested her when she refused. More »

Mr. Rooter Plumbing Job Quoted At $300 But Ends Up Costing $25,000
By Chris Walters on August 9, 2010 9:00 AM   52 Comments
Dave and his wife came into some money and decided it was time to get a professional out to solve their slow draining toilet problems once and for all. Mr. Rooter showed up, and in less than a week the company managed to also solve Dave's "I just came into some money" problem, by taking all of it. The problem is, Dave isn't sure that any of the expensive extra work was necessary now that he can see the pipes. More »

(geishaboy500)

Know How Much Your Bag Weighs Before Flying
By Chris Walters on August 9, 2010 8:00 AM   19 Comments
Delta tried to charge "Frustrated Traveler" an illegitimate bag fee yesterday by claiming it was over the weight limit. He knew, however, that unless the bag had been eating tubs of frosting throughout the flight, it was still the same 47 pounds it was when he weighed it himself before boarding. More »

(www.snack-girl.com)

Whole Grain Wheat Thins Are No Healthier Than Regular Ones
By Chris Walters on August 4, 2010 12:30 PM   48 Comments
Here's a perfect example of why you should ignore what's on the front of a product package and go straight to the nutritional info instead. Kraft's Wheat Thins now come in a "100% Whole Grain" variety, which you might think translates into more fiber for your digestive tract. It even says on the front that one serving packs 22g of whole grain versus 11g for regular Wheat Thins. It turns out, however, that both crackers provide the same amount of dietary fiber and fat—and the whole grain version also has more sodium and is made with high fructose corn syrup. More »

Courthouse In Florida Has 35,000 Body Scans Of Citizens
By Chris Walters on August 4, 2010 11:30 AM   93 Comments
Like it or not, advanced imaging technology (AIT)—capable of producing highly detailed pics of your naked body—is expanding rapidly throughout U.S. airports. Last month, there were at least 142 AIT units deployed in eleven airports, but by the end of the year that will jump to more than 450 nationwide, spread across at least forty airports (see full list below). The TSA has tried to downplay privacy issues by saying that the units won't save images, but that doesn't mean that they can't. In fact, the U.S. Marshals Service in Florida says they've got over 35,000 AIT scans of people saved. They also say that an AIT unit tested in the Washington, D.C. federal courthouse was sent back to the manufacturer with images still stored on it. More »

(the-digital-reader.com)

Geek Squad Will Turn On Your Ebook Device For You For $29.99
By Chris Walters on August 4, 2010 10:30 AM   72 Comments
The best way to understand Geek Squad is to realize that they will help you with anything if it means they can charge you a fee. Want batteries in your remote control? Having trouble putting a USB plug into its port? Need to know the time? OPTIMIZE IT WITH GEEK SQUAD. Those are just solid business ideas and not (yet) actual services, but Geek Squad's real offerings are almost as absurd. For example, Nate from the-digital-reader.com snapped this photo of their newish "eBook Device Setup" service for your Nook or Sony Reader, which promises to turn it on ("provide a functionality check") and show you how to read ("what to expect when you take the device home"). More »

(Ed Yourdon)

Banana Republic Credit Card Comes With Free Account Errors, Late Fees, Disconnected Calls
By Chris Walters on August 3, 2010 12:30 PM   27 Comments
Nick went shopping recently at Banana Republic and applied for a store credit card. Now he's being called by a collections department and receiving contradictory stories about whether or not the retailer has his correct address on file. More »

(smittenkittenorig)

Gift Card Error In Your Favor: When Do You Tell The Hotel?
By Chris Walters on August 3, 2010 11:30 AM   92 Comments
A reader emailed us to ask what he should do about an accounting mistake he discovered with some gift cards. He suspects the different parts of the hotel don't update the card balance in real time, but it could also be that the hotel's employees aren't processing the card correctly. Now he's wondering whether he should have said something. More »

(ravinia.org)

Chicago Music Fest Bum Rushes Paying Audience So It Can Prepare For Fundraiser Dinner
By Chris Walters on August 3, 2010 10:30 AM   47 Comments
Ravinia, a century-old Chicago summer music festival, is getting hardcore about raising money. This year it sold tickets to a concert performance of songs by composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, sung by Broadway veterans and played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Sondheim is always a big deal for musical theater types, and the event seemed like a home run for both the fans and Ravinia—until the concert ended after 65 minutes with no encores, and the general admission audience was told to leave so that Ravinia could reward their core supporters with a gala dinner. More »

(eisenbahner)

Virgin Atlantic Thinks Customer Is Making Up Pakistan Flood Disaster
By Chris Walters on August 3, 2010 9:30 AM   30 Comments
You can't expect every person to be up to date on the latest news cycle, especially not on a global scale. But there's a Virgin Atlantic Airlines CSR who not only somehow missed that Pakistan just suffered its worst flooding in 80 years, but who kept insisting the Elisa, a customer trying to make her way back home to NYC, prove that the flooding happened. Elisa says the CSR "insisted that there were no indications in her notes that a flood had happened in Pakistan," and that Elisa would have to prove the news or pay $933 for a "service change fee" to get back home. More »

(Fox23)

Coffee Shop Owner Uses Twitter To Ban Breastfeeding In His Store, Seems Surprised By Reaction
By Chris Walters on August 3, 2010 9:06 AM   359 Comments
Yesterday, a coffee shop called The DoubleShot in Tulsa, OK sent out a tweet announcing that breastfeeding was now banned on the premises: "Notice: No breastfeeding at the DoubleShot. Thank you." (The tweet has since been removed, but a tipster saved it for us.) This set off a torrent of angry reactions on Twitter, partly because everyone loves to fight about breastfeeding and partly because it's World Breastfeeding Week. More »

(jiazi)

How Often Is Your Car Model Stolen?
By Chris Walters on August 3, 2010 8:00 AM   63 Comments
The Highway Loss Data Institute keeps track of insurance claims for stolen cars, and it's just released a list of the highest and lowest insurance claims for auto theft for 2007-09 models. The winner is the Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV, followed by the Ford F-250 pickup—both of these vehicles have a relatively high claim frequency and high average loss payment per claim of $9,600-$11,000. On the other end, the Mini Cooper and Toyota Sienna 4WD are infrequently stolen and have average loss payments of around $2,000. More »

(emrank)

Rotten Economy Might Mean Big Savings On Airfare This Fall, If You Can Afford To Travel
By Chris Walters on August 2, 2010 12:30 PM   21 Comments
Travel guru Christopher Elliott thinks that airfare prices could drop significantly this fall, thanks to a double-dip recession and general economic misery. So far prices for car rentals and cruise packages are going up, but Elliott says he's hearing from travelers and travel companies about "dramatic, unexpected bargains" and "rates ... on par with last year's record-low prices" when it comes to flights. More »

Hot Flash Spray Evamist Causes Boobs On Pets, Kids
By Chris Walters on August 2, 2010 11:30 AM   48 Comments
I like FDA warnings like this new one about Evamist, because I can file the symptoms away and use them to impress someone with my Sherlock Holmes skills. Friend: "How did you know she used Evamist?" Me: "Note the tell-tale breasts on her grandchildren and her terrier." More »

(thirdrail)

American Apparel Isn't Doing Too Well
By Chris Walters on August 2, 2010 10:30 AM   67 Comments
It's been a while since we've had a good bankruptcy rumor floating around. Jezebel says thong superstore American Apparel is just asking for it: "[The retailer] has experienced declining year-on-year same-store sales in every month for which the company has made records available since February, 2009." More »

(Wesley Fryer)

Tips For Saving Money On Textbooks
By Chris Walters on August 2, 2010 9:30 AM   75 Comments
The second half of summer is "complain about textbook prices" season, and last week the New York Times put together a special section on the topic and asked experts to weigh in. Too many of the contributors just provide an overview of the situation but no solutions; a publishing industry representative actually defends textbook prices as trivial compared to other educational costs. Fortunately Anya Kamenetz, who writes for Fast Company, suggests Flat World Knowledge. And to be fair, the guy who defended textbooks prices suggests CourseSmart for ebook rentals. The Times also asked students, professors and parents to weigh in with advice. More »

Amazon Offers To Connect With Your Facebook Account
By Chris Walters on August 2, 2010 9:00 AM   14 Comments
Remember Beacon? This is not Beacon, Amazon wants you to know. The retailer has launched a new program where you can connect your Amazon account to your Facebook account, but it promises it won't broadcast your purchases or bug your friends. Instead, the connection seems designed to funnel all the likes and favorites on your Facebook account (and those of your friends as well) into Amazon's giant brain, so it can refine its shopping recommendations. Oh, and it will remind you of upcoming birthdays. More »

(Carly & Art)

The BPA! It's On Your Receipts! Get It Off Aaaa!
By Chris Walters on August 2, 2010 8:04 AM   38 Comments
The Environmental Working Group has a theory to explain why bisphenol-A, the controversial chemical that's sometimes found in plastic bottles and can linings, shows up in the urine of over 90% of the population: it's on paper receipts. The group found BPA on 40% of receipts collected from the sorts of businesses you visit every week, with the concentration topping 1000 times that of a can lining in some cases. More »

(fPat)

Auto Dealers And Fake Foreclosure Relief Offers Top Consumer Complaints For Last Year
By Chris Walters on July 28, 2010 12:30 PM   5 Comments
The 2009 Consumer Complaint Survey Report is out, and it says that among the 18 states that participated in the survey, complaints about auto dealers topped the list for the second year in a row. However, the fastest-growing category of complaints were about fake foreclosure relief offers. More »

GameStop Buys Pre-Owned Website Kongregate
By Chris Walters on July 28, 2010 11:30 AM   27 Comments
If you play games on the website Kongregate—its founders say 10 million players stop by every month—then congratulations, you're about to become GameStop's new BFF. There's no word yet on how this will affect the Kongregate community; the site lets people play online games for free, and GameStop says that the its founders will continue to run things for now. If we start seeing offers to pre-order an upcoming online free game, I guess we'll know the takeover is complete. More »

(mikebaird)

Apple Sued Because iPad Does Not Work "Just Like A Book" As Claimed
By Chris Walters on July 28, 2010 10:30 AM   104 Comments
A new class action suit filed in California takes issue with how the iPad shuts off automatically if it overheats. In particular, however, the suit claims that the marketing phrase "reading on the iPad is just like reading a book" is misleading, and that Apple is therefore engaging in fraud and misleading consumers. This is great news for me, because I was thinking of suing Apple for not providing dustjackets for iBookstore titles but my friends told me I shouldn't. More »

(BriYYZ)

Passengers Removed From Orlando-Bound Flight For Watching 9/11 Clips Before Takeoff
By Chris Walters on July 27, 2010 12:30 PM   96 Comments
A father and his son were removed from an Air Canada flight in Toronto last Tuesday after another passenger saw the boy watching footage of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks on his iPod, reports Canoe News. The airline says the pair were determined not to be a security risk, just people with a really bad sense of tact, and it cleared them for a following flight. More »

(Omar Omar)

Don't Give Greyhound Tickets As Gifts
By Chris Walters on July 27, 2010 11:30 AM   48 Comments
If you buy a Greyhound bus ticket for someone else, Greyhound will charge you a flat $18 "gift ticket fee," which must be the worst named fee in the history of transportation. On short rides, like a one-way trip from Cambridge, MA to Hartford, CT, it bumps the price up from $22 to $40. More »

(Andres Rueda)

Report Says The Poor Subsidize Credit Card Reward Programs
By Chris Walters on July 27, 2010 10:30 AM   157 Comments
A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston says that credit card reward programs have a sneaky hidden cost that the card holder doesn't have to bear. This occurs because the fee that a retailer pays to run a credit card varies with every card, and reward cards cost more to process—in other words, the card issuer passes the cost of the rewards program on to the retailer. The retailer adapts by raising prices across the board, which distributes the cost of the reward program among all shoppers. More »

(acaben)

Oracle, Apple, Capital One CEOs Rank Among Decade's Top Earners
By Chris Walters on July 27, 2010 9:30 AM   27 Comments
Being POTUS makes you age prematurely, and Lady Gaga is stuck in a 360 deal that takes a cut of everything she does. Screw that, I wanna be CEO. The Wall Street Journal has listed the top paid CEOs of the last decade, which is topped by Oracle CEO Larry Ellison at $1.84 billion. Steve Jobs comes in fourth with $749 million, and Capital One's Richard Fairbank is fifth at $569 million. The WSJ also notes that "four of the top 25 CEOs worked at financial companies, two on Wall Street." More »

(ernstl)

Hospital Confuses Survivor And Victim Of Traffic Accident, Tells Families Wrong News
By Chris Walters on July 27, 2010 9:02 AM   51 Comments
St. Joseph's Medical Center in Arizona mixed up the identities of two women involved in a car crash last week, says CNN, leading to some intensely unpleasant fake-outs for both families involved. More »

Man Who Offered To Set Car On Fire Saves Home
By Chris Walters on July 27, 2010 8:00 AM   46 Comments
The guy who offered to set his car on fire in exchange for "loanations" (his word—he says he's going to pay back all donations) managed to raise enough money to prevent the foreclosure sale of his house yesterday. Below is a video of him handing over a check for $21,000. The only problem is, now he's saying he might not burn the car. More »

Simple Mobile Unlimited Data Plan Is Of Course Secretly Limited
By Chris Walters on July 26, 2010 12:30 PM   49 Comments
Simple Mobile, a reseller of T-Mobile cellphone service, offers a $60 "unlimited everything" plan that includes unlimited data. To no one's surprise, there is a hard cap on the unlimited data according to Howard Forums and our tipster Eric. Naturally you can't find that limit anywhere on their website, and if you exceed it you're asked to pay $10 for an additional 100 MB of data. More »

Mike)

College Student Goes To Cancun For A Week, Comes Back To $11,667 Sprint Bill
By Chris Walters on July 26, 2010 11:30 AM   212 Comments
Stacey says while she was on vacation with her family in Cancun for a week recently, she checked her Facebook page from her Evo phone "maybe 5 minutes a day," but never uploaded or sent any photos, "only a handful of texts." Sprint says she managed to burn through either 600 MB or 4.7 GB of data during that period, and now owes them $11,667.73. (Note: Stacey doesn' t specify whether the 4,918,228 kb of data is in kilobits or kilobytes, so I don't know which number is accurate.) More »

foreclosureboys.com)

Man Offers To Set Car On Fire To Save Home From HSBC Foreclosure
By Chris Walters on July 26, 2010 10:30 AM   47 Comments
John admits on his blog that he's responsible for falling six months behind on his mortgage. But once he got over his divorce and losing his adopted son and started trying to make things right, he ended up in loan modification limbo at HSBC. The bank never moved forward on any modification, and now he has to pay $21,638.02 today if he wants to keep his house. Logically, he's offering to burn his car and post the video online in return for donations. More »

"Weat Paent Man" Sign At Lowe's Makes Reading Fun Again
By Chris Walters on July 26, 2010 9:30 AM   60 Comments
There is a free thinker at the Lowe's in Fort Oglethorpe, GA, who has rejected the system's stifling rules for spelling. Nice penmanship, though. (Thanks to Tim!)
Western Dental Upsells Relentlessly, Then Pulls Dirty Trick With Billing
By Chris Walters on July 26, 2010 9:00 AM   76 Comments
Ryan recently went to a clinic operated by Western Dental Centers, a franchise that operates in California, Arizona and Nevada, and now he regrets that decision. He writes that first he was forced to endure $800 worth of upsells while he was stuck in the chair, even though he was just going in for a cleaning. What happened with billing, though, was worse and may lead to lasting credit issues. More »

(shareski

Woman Sues Qantas Airline After Screaming Child Makes Her Deaf
By Chris Walters on July 26, 2010 8:02 AM   177 Comments
A 67-year-old American woman traveling in Australia last year has sued Qantas, because she says a screaming baby on board one of their flights made her deaf. Now before shake your head, what she describes in her suit is pretty horrific: "The boy allegedly leaned back over his armrest toward [her] and let out a scream so severe that blood erupted from her ears, leaving her 'stone cold deaf'." On the other hand, Qantas maintains that it has no way of predicting when a child might scream, since children naturally do that sort of thing. More »

(@boetter)

Consumers Hate Facebook As Much As Airlines, Cable Companies
By Chris Walters on July 22, 2010 2:00 PM   39 Comments
Has Facebook's ongoing foolishness with privacy settings, fine print, and advertising taken its toll on the brand? According to The American Customer Satisfaction Index's E-Business Report, Facebook scored 64 points out of 100, which puts it in the bottom 5% of private companies, "in the same range as airlines and cable companies." The one bit of good news for Facebook is that MySpace scored 63 points. More »

(bixentro)

Thief Steals iPhone While Victim Is Participating In GPS Tracking Demo
By Chris Walters on July 22, 2010 1:02 PM   38 Comments
On Monday, a man in San Francisco rode his bike up to a woman holding an iPhone and snatched it out of her hand, then took off. What he didn't know was that the woman had just walked out of her company's office to test a new GPS program that provides real time tracking. She went back inside, gave the police location updates over the phone, and man was arrested a half-mile away, reports the San Francisco Chronicle's Crime Scene blog. More »

(Manchester Library)

Coupon Use At Record High
By Chris Walters on July 22, 2010 12:00 PM   32 Comments
According to a new report from coupon marketing company NCH, the volume of coupons redeemed rose about 8% from a year ago, and marked the seventh consecutive quarter of growth. The report also indicates that manufacturers are increasing the value of coupons but moving up the expiration dates. More »

Soup Nazi Back In Business, But Not Actually Around To Yell At You
By Chris Walters on July 22, 2010 11:04 AM   30 Comments
Al Yeganeh, the man who inspired Seinfeld's Soup Nazi character, closed up shop six years ago, but this week he re-opened his business at the same location on 55th Street in NYC under the name "The Original Soup Man." The company is now a franchise with locations in nine states and Washington, D.C., and unfortunately (for us, but probably not for him) Yeganeh doesn't actually do any counterwork—he's just the brand at this point. More »

(aresauburn™)

Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurers Kept Hiking Premiums Even After Exceeding Recommended Surplus
By Chris Walters on July 22, 2010 10:12 AM   45 Comments
Insurers have to maintain a safety net of money to protect themselves from unforeseen market conditions, but a new study from Consumers Union says that some Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers took it too far, preferring to focus exclusively on stockpiling cash at the expense of customers. Two of the worst cases have stockpiles 5 to 7 times higher than state solvency requirements, yet continue to hike premiums each year instead of using the, uh, surplus surplus to offset customer costs. More »

(AlishaV)

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A Cheapskate?
By Chris Walters on July 22, 2010 8:04 AM   47 Comments
Jeff Yeager, Wise Bread blogger and author, has just published a new book titled The Cheapskate Next Door, where he interviews over 300 self-described cheapskates to find out what makes them tick. In an interview over at Daily Finance, he says that for most of his subjects, the choice to live frugal lifestyles wasn't primarily about money. More »

(spablab)

Is "Internet Content Screener" The World's Worst Job?
By Chris Walters on July 21, 2010 12:30 PM   72 Comments
Last week I thought I'd found the job I'd hate most of all (warning: it involves sewers, a shovel, and "fat mounds"), but then I read this New York Times profile of people who are employed as Internet content screeners, which appears to be the real world equivalent of web surfing in hell. More »

(Zevotron)

We're Actually Using Less Electricity This Summer
By Chris Walters on July 21, 2010 11:30 AM   66 Comments
Despite the record-breaking heat in some parts of the country, total U.S. energy consumption this summer has actually fallen compared to 2009, and peak demand levels—when electricity consumption is at its highest—have dropped as well. More »

(Ian Muttoo)

Verizon May Introduce Tiered Data Plans As Early As Next Week
By Chris Walters on July 21, 2010 10:30 AM   56 Comments
One month ago, Verizon Wireless's CFO hinted in an interview that the company might follow AT&T's lead and replace unlimited data plans with tiered ones. Now Engadget is reporting that the switch might come on July 29th. Because this is just a rumor so far, there's no word yet on whether Verizon will offer the same 200 MB / 2 GB split as AT&T or whether it will grandfather in existing unlimited customers. More »

(FindYourSearch)

Homegrown Currencies Are Popular Right Now, But Do They Work?
By Chris Walters on July 20, 2010 12:30 PM   65 Comments
Remember the Downtown Dollars that Ardmore, PA sold to its citizens this year? Sara Lepro at American Banker looked at that and other "homegrown currency" experiments happening across the country, which are intended to stimulate the local economy and take advantage of "a growing 'localism' movement." More »

Luxottica Customer Service Is Just As Broken As Your Sunglasses
By Chris Walters on July 20, 2010 11:30 AM   33 Comments
As we noted last week, Luxottica is the company behind pretty much all eyewear on the market these days, and you know what that means when it comes to customer service: if you don't have to compete to keep your customers happy, why bother? That's why Patricia is facing a ridiculously high repair fee, but can't get through on the provided phone number to tell Luxottica to cancel the repair. In fact, every time she calls she's put on hold and then disconnected. More »

(ryanfb)

United Removes Passenger From Flight After He Asks Whether A Meal Will Be Served
By Chris Walters on July 20, 2010 10:30 AM   115 Comments
Over at JoeSugarman.com, Joe writes that on his way home from a seminar in Austin, he settled into his first class seat—he's what United Airlines calls a 1K traveler because he flies over 100,000 miles with them every year—and asked the flight attendant, "Are you serving any meals during our flight?" A few minutes later, he writes, "two armed Austin police officers boarded the plane, looked at me and said, 'Sugarman, follow us.'" More »

This Home Depot Banner Upsets Customers For Some Reason
By Chris Walters on July 20, 2010 9:32 AM   103 Comments
What do you think of when you think of Home Depot? Planes from a nearby airport crashing into the building, of course, which is obviously why this Home Depot in Farmingdale, NY put up such a creative felt banner. The person who shot the photo and posted it to NYCAviation last Friday says that when he asked to see a manager the sales associate responded, "What kind of manager?" You know, the store manager or the incendiary felt banner manager, because there's both. More »

(bigcityal)

More Than 40 Experts Issue Call For More Government Stimulus And Tax Credits
By Chris Walters on July 20, 2010 9:00 AM   106 Comments
Online news site The Daily Beast is apparently tired of this whole "floundering economy" thing, so it got more than a dozen economists and historians to come together and issue a manifesto yesterday calling on the U.S. government to "reboot America." By the end of the day, the number of experts supporting the manifesto increased to more than 40. They argue that the government has to help return lost purchasing power to the unemployed and must use tax cuts and stimulus to boost overall demand, or we'll never make it out of this slump. More »

([puamelia])

Watch Out For Amazon Scam Making The Rounds
By Chris Walters on July 20, 2010 8:04 AM   19 Comments
The BBB says people are reporting seeing a new phishing scam going around that masquerades as an Amazon order alert. It arrives as a confirmation email with a product description, price, and Amazon logo. Naturally, if you click the provided account link to cancel the order or see whether you were actually charged for the item, the login screen you'll be taken to won't be Amazon. More »

Shrink Ray Hits JCPenney Clothing Now, Too?
By Chris Walters on July 19, 2010 12:30 PM   54 Comments
Kyle just wrote to us that the 36" sleeve on a Large Tall sweatshirt from JCPenney has been reduced to 35". It's not just a manufacturing accident, because the new length is printed in the retailer's sizing charts. But Kyle says for years he's had no problem with JCPenney shirts, and that this all started happening within the past year or so. More »

(debaird™)

United Overloads Plane, Kicks Off Passengers Who Paid The Least For Their Tickets
By Chris Walters on July 19, 2010 11:30 AM   177 Comments
Last week, a United Airlines flight from Burlington to Washington, D.C. was deemed too heavy to fly, so the company had to decide who to boot off. In a moment of what was almost certainly accidental honesty, they targeted the 20 least profitable customers. We know this was their criteria because they announced it to the rest of the passengers, so those who remained were able to rest easy knowing that all the cheapskates, budget travelers and poor people were gone. More »

Does "One Coupon Per Customer" Apply To Couples Making Individual Purchases?
By Chris Walters on July 19, 2010 10:30 AM   140 Comments
Liz is wondering what's going on at her local Hobby Lobby. She's a professional doll maker and she buys a lot of supplies from the craft store chain every month. So far, she and her husband have been able to use the company's in-store coupons for separate purchases even if they stand together in line at the register, but it looks like her Hobby Lobby may be cracking down on that. Should it? More »

Force A Reality Check With This "Real Cost" Credit Card Tool
By Chris Walters on July 19, 2010 9:30 AM   17 Comments
The next time you want to splurge on some big ticket item, you might want to head over to The Real Damage first to see what it's going to actually cost you in the long run. The free online tool looks at your current balances and interest rates, as well as your monthly payments, and then approximates how much extra you'll pay in interest on your new purchase before you're totally debt free. More »

(mightyohm)

Former Debt Collectors Tell All
By Chris Walters on July 19, 2010 9:00 AM   59 Comments
CNN's Money mag has published ten short confessionals from current and former debt collectors. A guy who's been doing it for twenty years says that "being authoritative and abrasive was like a high," and that it helped him provide for his two daughters. A woman who's been in the business for ten years says she knows collectors who hold contests to see who can make the most people cry each day. Another ten-year veteran quit after a debtor he was harassing shot himself. Yeah, it's a fun Monday morning read. More »

Nestlé Agrees To Stop Promising Boost Kiddie Drink Is Anti-Diarrheal, Pro-Studying
By Chris Walters on July 19, 2010 8:11 AM   18 Comments
Nestlé is the latest company to slap some nutrients (or in this case probiotics) in a product, call it "functional food," and market it to shoppers as a healthy and smart product. Last week, the FTC got the company to agree to stop claiming that its chocolate Boost Kid Essentials—which comes with a straw lined with probiotic bacteria (mmm delicious!)—will do things like protect them from diarrhea and improve school attendance rates. The FTC says the claims aren't substantiated with adequate scientific research. More »

Progressive Direct "Glitch" Hikes Premium From $800 to $2,000
By Chris Walters on July 14, 2010 12:30 PM   72 Comments
Kevin received a surprise when he checked the renewal notice for his car insurance recently. A 260 percent surprise, in fact, even though he's not a bad driver and hadn't been in any accidents. More »

Macy's Caught Selling Leaded Glass Rubies As Real Rubies
By Chris Walters on July 14, 2010 11:31 AM   51 Comments
In 2004, a "ruby-glass composite"—basically a mixture of ruby and leaded glass—hit the jewelry market. At the time, a jewelry industry watchdog group "concluded that the stones could not be sold as rubies or precious gems under Federal Trade Commission guidelines, since they lacked the durability and value of bona fide rubies." But Macy's has been selling them as good old-fashioned rubies, and its salespeople have been neglecting to tell shoppers the truth at the moment they purchase the pieces, writes David V. Johnson of the SF Public Press. More »

Kodak Demonstrates Its Awesome Camera Technology With Stock Photo
By Chris Walters on July 14, 2010 10:41 AM   40 Comments
It's common practice for companies to license stock photography to use in promotional materials, but one of our readers thinks it's somewhat strange that a camera company would go this route, when the one thing you're trying to sell to consumers is the ability to capture great images. More »

(bobjudge)

Government Wipes Out Geese Population In Brooklyn To Ensure Airplane Safety
By Chris Walters on July 13, 2010 12:30 PM   175 Comments
In what has come to be known as "Sully's Revenge" (by me, just now), wildlife biologists herded about 400 geese from Brooklyn's ginormous Prospect Park into cages last week, then "took them to a nearby building where they were gassed with lethal doses of carbon dioxide." More »

(Barnaby)

Artisanal Is The New Organic
By Chris Walters on July 13, 2010 11:30 AM   84 Comments
There's a burgeoning artisanal market in the U.S., where goods made by hand or in small batches—and marketed with lots of footnotes and descriptions of quality—are growing increasingly more popular. But why, and is it just a hipster lifestyle ingredient or an actual shift in the larger population? More »

(Yutaka Tsutano)

Apple Deleting Any Mention Of Consumer Reports Findings From Support Forum Threads?
By Chris Walters on July 13, 2010 10:38 AM   86 Comments
It would appear that Apple is unhappy with yesterday's bad news from Consumer Reports over the iPhone 4. Hmm, or maybe it just looks that way due to a goofy software glitch. At any rate, CNET is reporting that the company's forum moderators are deleting any mention of Consumer Reports' findings that the antenna issue is an inherent design flaw, and not just a software issue. But maybe that's for CR's own benefit as well, since CNET says many of the posts were from iPhone 4 fans who were "vehemently" defending the phone. More »

(daveynin)

Security Patching For XP Service Pack 2 Ends Today
By Chris Walters on July 13, 2010 9:30 AM   41 Comments
If you're still using Windows XP SP2, you're about to be on your own. Today Microsoft releases its final security update for Service Pack 2 (the 32-bit version, at least). More »

(Tracy Hunter)

Hey You In The Kitchen: You're Doing It Wrong
By Chris Walters on July 13, 2010 9:00 AM   88 Comments
Are you holding on to some old kitchen myths? If so, this website will shock and astound you as it slap chops the truth into your face. For example, baking soda in the fridge isn't an efficient way to prevent odors, aluminum cookware doesn't cause Alzheimer's, and mayonnaise—at least the commercial brands made in the U.S.—will actually help prevent spoilage in dishes like chicken salad. More »

Use Your Shoe To Open A Bottle Of Wine
By Chris Walters on July 13, 2010 8:00 AM   12 Comments
The next time you find yourself somewhere without a corkscrew, try the technique in this video before you buy one. If you've got a shoe and a wall, you might be able to tap the cork out with a few carefully controlled smacks. More »

Digital Sextant)

25 Percent Of American Consumers Now Have Low Credit Scores
By Chris Walters on July 12, 2010 12:37 PM   53 Comments
Before the recession hit, roughly 15% of Americans had FICO credit scores below 600. But after the past couple of years of late payments, defaults, and foreclosures, that number has grown to 25%, or about 43 million people. At the same time, the number of people with excellent scores (800 to 850) has increased nearly 5% from pre-recession average, which the Associated Press says is partly a result of people cutting spending and working to pay off loans more quickly. More »

McNeil Product Recall)

Johnson & Johnson Hit With Fraud And Racketeering Lawsuits Over Tylenol Recalls
By Chris Walters on July 12, 2010 11:30 AM   14 Comments
The only thing more certain than stinky Tylenol this year is that there would be a lawsuit from consumers at some point, and now it's happened. Five times, in fact. They've been filed against Johnson & Johnson's McNeil Consumer Healthcare unit and seek class action status, and accuse J&J/McNeil of failing to properly recall the bad drugs and of failing to adequately compensate consumers. More »

(ydhsu)

Don't Threaten Yourself Via Text Message Then Tell The Police
By Chris Walters on July 12, 2010 10:30 AM   58 Comments
The conventional wisdom has it that if you want to commit a crime with a cell phone, use a prepaid model. That's what a woman in California did to get back at her ex-boyfriend and his sister-in-law, by sending harassing text messages to herself and then reporting them to the police. The plan fell apart, however, when her victims hit the pavement to find proof that they were being framed. More »

Apple Offering Free Repair Or Replacement On Some Time Capsules
By Chris Walters on July 12, 2010 9:37 AM   4 Comments
If you were one of the early adopters for the Apple Time Capsule back in 2008 and yours won't power up, you might be able to get it repaired or replaced for free, or get a refund for repairs you already paid for, reports TUAW. To see if you've got a recalled model, look for a serial number between XX807XXXXXX and XX814XXXXXX. More »

(ioerror)

Prepaid Funeral Trust Money Used For Conventions And Lobbying, Say Auditors
By Chris Walters on July 12, 2010 9:00 AM   17 Comments
We've said repeatedly that prepaid funeral plans are bunk—the industry is too unregulated to be trustworthy, and it's far too easy to lose money when you could just as easily set up a savings plan for a funeral on your own. Now there's news from California that the state's second-largest prepaid funeral trust was spending money "improperly" on everything from political lobbying to conventions, blowing $12.6 million from the $70 million paid in advance by customers. More »

Hulu Plus Reviewed: Is It Worth Your Money?
By Chris Walters on July 12, 2010 8:06 AM   64 Comments
Staci D. Kramer at mocoNews tested Hulu Plus, the forthcoming "pay us $10 a month to watch commercials" subscription offering from Hulu, and reports that it's okay-to-disappointing depending on your needs: "Given that I’m a subscription addict, I was fairly sure I’d wind up keeping it after my free review month. One week in, not so much." More »

(morrissey)

Dollar Tree Stops Playing Music In Store
By Chris Walters on July 7, 2010 12:31 PM   95 Comments
Ultra-cheap discounter Dollar Tree has turned off the in-store music in all of its stores, citing cost issues. On the company's Facebook page, shoppers keep complaining that the company is being too cheap (many don't seem to know about licensing fees for music), but Dollar Tree's official response is that it freed up expenses to keep prices low. More »

(Brent)

Formerly Beloved Technical Analyst For Wall Street Warns Massive Market Crash Coming
By Chris Walters on July 7, 2010 11:31 AM   48 Comments
Pick any Roland Emmerich disaster movie and randomly select a scene—that's more or less what Robert Prechter, a market forecaster who was widely lauded as a technical analyst in the 1980s, says is coming to the Dow, writes the New York Times. More »

(*Sally M*)

PepsiCo Buys Its Way Onto Science Blog Network As A Food Nutrition Expert
By Chris Walters on July 7, 2010 10:45 AM   25 Comments
Update #2: On Thursday morning, July 8th, ScienceBlogs contributor PZ Myers posted that the founder and CEO of Seed Media (which owns the blog network) has announced that the PepsiCo sponsored blog has been removed—although as of this update (10:44 am EST July 8th) it's still online. More »

Walmart Aims For Store In D.C.
By Chris Walters on July 6, 2010 12:30 PM   27 Comments
Now that Walmart has finally triumphed over Chicago, it's setting its sites on the remaining urban markets that have so far resisted the retailer. The Washington Post says an unnamed source has told them that Walmart is in final negotiations with a plot of land "on New York Avenue NE near the intersection of Bladensburg Road." The area currently houses an auto parts shop and a strip club, among other businesses. More »

(Global Jet)

NYC To Retailers: Close The Door, Did You Grow Up In A Barn?
By Chris Walters on July 6, 2010 11:30 AM   55 Comments
In New York City, if you have a store with more than 4,000 square feet of retail space, or if you own a chain of at least five stores in the city, you're required by law to keep your cool air inside where it belongs. That means none of this leaving the door open so your cool air will "lure in overheated customers," reports WNYC. A city councilwoman says she hopes to conduct surveys this week to catch any retailers skirting the law. An employee at French Connection in SoHo said that her store is concerned about the energy crisis, so they only open one door instead of two these days. More »

watchwithkristin)

Woman Sues Movie Theater After Being Arrested For Filming Twilight Scenes
By Chris Walters on July 6, 2010 10:33 AM   154 Comments
A woman who was arrested last November during a screening of whatever Twilight movie was in theaters at the time has filed suit against the movie chain. She says that she only filmed two short sequences, the opening credits and a moment when her "favorite actor" took off his shirt. Wisely, she does not say in her lawsuit whether she's Team Beefcake or Team Emo, or my niece would possibly go ballistic. More »

(Flyinace2000)

Internet Sales Tax Bill Introduced Again
By Chris Walters on July 6, 2010 9:30 AM   113 Comments
Last week, Massachusetts Rep. Bill Delahunt introduced a bill called the "Main Street Fairness Act," which is a stupid name for a bill. The text of the bill hasn't been released yet, but if passed, it would presumably set up a process where sales tax could be collected on purchases made over the Internet. As anyone who has shopped online over the past decade is probably aware, this has been an ongoing and thorny issue, since billions in online sales tax would provide a welcome revenue stream for struggling states. More »

(mollypop)

Crazed Ice Creampreneur Keeps Inventing Horrific Flavors, People Keep Buying Them
By Chris Walters on July 6, 2010 9:00 AM   34 Comments
If you were tricked into volunteering for a Big Brothers Big Sisters-style program, and you live in San Francisco, here's an easy way to get out of the job. Take your kid to the Humphry Slocombe ice cream shop in San Francisco's Mission District and order her some Coconut Candy Cap Caramel sorbet—the "candy cap" is mushroom! Or try the Salted Licorice, which Elizabeth Weil in the New York Times says her kids threw on the sidewalk. Or leave the kids at home and try the Secret Breakfast, which contains so much bourbon that "the scoop always runs soft." More »

(biskuit)

Man Says Yoo-hoo's 'Good For You' Promise Is False Advertising
By Chris Walters on July 6, 2010 8:02 AM   41 Comments
A Brooklyn man is suing the makers of Yoo-hoo, the weird chocolate-flavored drink that's been around for 90 years, over their claims that the drink is as healthy as it is delicious. Although actually, if the company would change its description to "as healthy as it is delicious," they'd probably be able to avoid all lawsuits: "Look, we told you it wasn't healthy." More »

(rieh)

What Are The Best Smartphone Apps For Motorists?
By Chris Walters on June 30, 2010 12:30 PM   32 Comments
Maybe I can't play Plants vs. Zombies while I drive (or maybe I can!*), but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of useful apps for the average driver. In its August issue, Consumer Reports reviews a bunch of apps for motorists, both free and paid, that promise to help you remember maintenance dates, get the correct info after an accident, or find your car in a big parking lot. More »

Mint Makes Saving More Fun With New "Goals" Dashboard
By Chris Walters on June 30, 2010 11:30 AM   38 Comments
Mint was the cool kid on the financial website block until it cut its hair and went corporate, but the Intuit-owned service can still roll out some nifty features now and then. The latest is a "goals" dashboard, which takes advantage of our natural tendency to try harder if there's some way to see immediate feedback. Under your account there's now a goals tab, where you can activate any of the default choices ("get out of debt," "take a trip," "buy a home") or create your own ("laser hair removal," "pvc bodysuit"). Then you can link your accounts to that goal, and have a quick visual metric you can use to stay focused. More »

Use This Chart To Pick The Best Smartphone
By Chris Walters on June 30, 2010 10:30 AM   35 Comments
Lifehacker reader Apollo Clark has put together a matrix that compares seven of the most popular and/or feature-packed smartphones on the market, as well as the iPad for some reason. If you're planning on trading up to a fancy new phone/multimedia device in the next couple of months, it's worth checking out to see which phones best align with your wish list. More »

(cliff1066™)

Passenger Says Frontier Airlines Used Fake Weather Delay To Avoid Compensating Passengers
By Chris Walters on June 29, 2010 12:00 PM   63 Comments
Scott says his flight from San Antonio to Denver was delayed last night because "the weather computer was not working," but two hours later that excuse was replaced with a "weather-related delay" in Denver. The problem is, Denver was sunny and clear at the time. More »

This Kohl's T-Shirt Is A Great Bargain, If You Want To Introduce A New Stereotype
By Chris Walters on June 29, 2010 11:00 AM   34 Comments
This "I'm Irish" tee from Kohl's originally retailed for $20, but now you can get it for only two dollars. I'm definitly buying one. (Thanks to Dale!)

(turtlemom4bacon)

Do Broadband Providers Actually Do Any Real Innovation?
By Chris Walters on June 29, 2010 10:03 AM   78 Comments
The kind of "innovation" your Internet service provider (ISP) is fighting so passionately to protect won't lead to faster or better service, says Ryan Singel at Wired. To ISPs, innovation means finding ways to generate more profit without making further investments in infrastructure. Yeah, it's a deliberately provocative statement, but take a look at the list he provides for what ISPs have done to innovate in recent years versus what other companies have done. More »

Here Are The Best American Pale Ales
By Chris Walters on June 29, 2010 9:30 AM   76 Comments
If you haven't tasted a Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale, you're missing out on a "fresh, balanced and lively" drink that's "almost Pilsner-like," says a panel of beer experts in the New York Times. The Flying Dog took top honors in a taste test of 20 American pale ales, followed by Long Trail, Stoudts, Sly Fox, and Otter Creek. If you can't remember these smaller labels this weekend on your way to the cookout, you can always stick with Sam Adams pale ale, which placed seventh. More »

(christyxcore)

California Is A Hotbed Of Rogue Nurses
By Chris Walters on June 29, 2010 9:00 AM   39 Comments
Where can nurses go after they've been sanctioned elsewhere for misconduct? To California, it seems. The state's Board of Registered Nursing launched a review, spurred on by a Los Angeles Times/Pro-Publica investigation last year, and discovered 3,500 nurses who have licenses in California even though they've lost their licenses in other states; 1,700 of these nurses currently have active licenses. In more than half of all cases, the sanctions were for serious violations such as "sexual abuse, neglect, rampant drug use and criminality." More »

(bradipo)

Savings Rate Goes Up, But Spending Doesn't
By Chris Walters on June 29, 2010 8:05 AM   45 Comments
As a nation, we saved more of our paychecks last month than any time since last September—nearly 4% of income went unspent. That worries economists, because it means we're not spending at a high enough rate to support an economic recovery. But as the Washington Post notes, since unemployment remains high and most of the recent wage growth came from the government, consumers aren't exactly comfortable with buying something shiny and new just because it's on sale. More »

Stone Brewing Co. Discovers Its Beer Mustard Is Missing The Beer
By Chris Walters on June 28, 2010 12:30 PM   30 Comments
In addition to pale ales, Stone Brewing Co. sells mustards and sauces made with beer. Last week, in a blog post titled "MustardGate 2010," the company announced that it recently discovered its mustards were beerless. (Or as they describe it, those mustards are "instant beer mustards—just add beer!") The real mystery is what happened to the beer; the brewer says the kegs sent out to the mustard company were sent back empty. More »

Hagrid-Sized Humans Can't Ride New Harry Potter Attraction
By Chris Walters on June 28, 2010 11:30 AM   94 Comments
If you visit the Harry Potter theme park this summer and happen to see a relatively large person poking himself with his brand new wand and muttering reduccio!, don't be confused. He was probably just told he can't ride the Forbidden Journey dark ride at the park. More »

(awnisALAN)

Fisher Price Includes Batteries, But Not Ones That Work
By Chris Walters on June 28, 2010 10:53 AM   47 Comments
Dana is annoyed that the Fisher Price toy she bought for her baby promised her that batteries were included. They were in the box all right, but they were dead. In fact the manual Fisher Price enclosed with the toy suggests you immediately replace the included batteries with new ones. More »

(AMagill)

Fun Summer Project: Get Your Tax Records In Order!
By Chris Walters on June 28, 2010 9:30 AM   3 Comments
Inc. magazine has published a list of tips on how to get your home business tax documentation in order right now, so next year's tax filing will be trouble free. Sure, this isn't the most exciting staycation idea ever, but on the other hand anything you can do at home you can do in your underwear with a six pack of beer. I should really become a motivational speaker. More »

(alterna comics)

Relive Your Fondest Retail Memories With New Graphic Novel
By Chris Walters on June 28, 2010 9:01 AM   36 Comments
Have you worked retail? You might be amused by a new book called Hello Do You Work Here?, a collection of illustrated true stories about crazy-making customers. More »

35,000 Bottles Of Scope Recalled For Defective Caps
By Chris Walters on June 28, 2010 8:00 AM   13 Comments
If you have a 1-liter bottle of Scope Original Mint Mouthwash that you bought sometime since January 1st, you might want to test the cap. If it twists off without needing the sides pressed in and it's a got the number 4 stamped onto the bottom, Procter & Gamble would like to replace it, please. More »

(Rosaura Ochoa)

Consumers Have More Trust In Companies That Tweet
By Chris Walters on June 23, 2010 12:30 PM   17 Comments
A new survey shows that 75% of consumers think companies that tweet or post Facebook updates are more deserving of their trust than companies that don't. The CEO of Fleishman-Hillard, which conducted the survey with Harris Interactive, says he thinks it shows that companies need to respond to crises much more openly and quickly than in years past: "Not in a 24-hours news cycle, but in minute-to-minute monitoring." More »

(BillShrink)

Billshrink: iPhone 4 Is Best Value Among Latest Smartphones, If You Watch Data Usage
By Chris Walters on June 23, 2010 11:35 AM   78 Comments
BillShrink compared the new iPhone 4 to the Droid Incredible, the Evo 4G, and the Nexus One to see which one is the cheapest in total cost of ownership, and the results were somewhat surprising given the iPhone's reputation as a money gobbler. If you opt for the cheapest data plan AT&T offers, the TCO for the iPhone 4 is the only one of the four devices that comes in under the $2,000 mark. But beware! That "cheapest data plan" conditional is a pretty tricky one. More »

JetBlue Now Selling Food On Longer Flights
By Chris Walters on June 23, 2010 11:09 AM   21 Comments
JetBlue is getting into the box-o-food business on flights longer than 3 hours 45 minutes, it announced yesterday. The boxes are priced at $6 each, and there are supposed to be five different styles, including a "Wake Up" box with breakfasty food, a "Cheer Up" box with cheeses and fruit, and a "Shut Up" box that's filled with nothing but peanut butter and saltines. (I may have made up that last one.) Fortunately for frugal travelers, the airline plans to continue offering free snacks as well, but they probably won't tell you what to do as decisively as the boxes. More »

(Kaiser Survey)

Self-Insured Premiums Jump By 20%, Triggering Warning From White House
By Chris Walters on June 22, 2010 12:34 PM   57 Comments
About 10% of respondents in our informal poll yesterday about health insurance said they pay their own premiums, and according to a new poll from Kaiser Survey, three quarters of those people just faced a premium increase of 20% on average. The recent hikes have prompted the White House to say it will "sternly warn industry executives" today that insurers shouldn't try to use the new health care law as an excuse to gouge customers, according to the New York Times. More »

How To Opt Out Of Apple's iAds Service, Eventually
By Chris Walters on June 22, 2010 11:30 AM   10 Comments
If you don't want Apple collecting data on you and using it to target you with ads starting July 1st, you can opt out from "any device running iOS 4," says AppleInsider. The opt-out is automatic when you hit up http://oo.apple.com from an iOS 4 device, and as far as I can tell you can't undo it, so don't click the link unless you really want to opt out. Also, it's not working at the moment. More »

(ribena_wrath)

Coming Soon, A Way To Find Out How That Online Ad Knows What You Like
By Chris Walters on June 22, 2010 10:30 AM   13 Comments
Last year the FTC asked online marketers to regulate targeted advertising, so in an attempt to avoid new regulatory policies the major ad industry groups have gotten together to launch a new service. Starting late summer, when a targeted ad from a participating marketer appears on your screen, you'll be able to click a small icon somewhere on the ad and see your profile on that marketer's site. You'll also be able to then opt out of future ads from that ad network, reports Wired. More »

Old Thermos Ad: Use Our Product Or Your Baby Will Die!
By Chris Walters on June 22, 2010 9:30 AM   44 Comments
I know we all like to laugh at old homemaker ads, like where bad coffee will make your husband have an affair or the wrong douche will let the communists win, but here's one that pushes it a step further. How? Dead babies. As the scary ad explains, a thermos keeps filthy germ-ridden flies away from the milk, and keeps the milk cold, and that means the milk won't kill your baby. If you don't buy this thermos, you may as well make your baby into terrible tasting instant coffee and use it to drive your husband into the arms of his secretary, because that's what you deserve. More »

Manufacturers To Market To You Via Messages Hidden In UPCs
By Chris Walters on June 22, 2010 9:00 AM   19 Comments
Stickybits is a social network that combines your phone's camera, a web connection, and UPCs to leave virtual notes and images scattered all around you like invisible sticky notes. The important question, as always, is can it be used to sell stuff? Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Campbell's, Frito-Lay, and Ben & Jerry are all planning to find out in social media campaigns this summer, reports Brandweek. More »

(Ian Muttoo)

Verizon Wireless May Follow AT&T, Drop Unlimited Data Plans
By Chris Walters on June 22, 2010 8:00 AM   101 Comments
When Verizon Wireless begins to introduce plans for its next generation data network later this year, don't expect to see any all-you-can-eat unlimited offerings. In an interview with BusinessWeek, the company's CFO said the company will likely have to change how it bills for data consumption as more data-hungry smartphones and apps enter the marketplace—and that means tiered data plans similar to the ones AT&T has introduced to help control data consumption. More »

Palm Holds Fire Sale, Almost All Apps Half Off
By Chris Walters on June 21, 2010 12:30 PM   17 Comments
Palm, which is a smartphone company that is not Apple, has halved the prices of almost all apps in its U.S. app store until July 9th. Although I called it a fire sale, mocoNews thinks maybe it's a way for HP to "say that Palm devices are here to stay." Either way, if your phone uses Palm's webOS then this is a great time to pick up some apps at a big discount. More »

(Ballistik Coffee Boy)

Target Point Consulting Calls Stranger At Home To Insult Him
By Chris Walters on June 21, 2010 11:30 AM   69 Comments
Jon says someone called him earlier this month and claimed to be from a company called Target Point Consulting, and asked Jon to answer a survey. When Jon said no and asked how the caller got his number, which is on the Do Not Call list, things got interesting. More »

HP And Yahoo Want To Put Ads On Your Printouts
By Chris Walters on June 21, 2010 10:30 AM   55 Comments
Google's not the only company that wants to put ads on everything you read. HP's new web-connected printers will let you send pages or photos directly from websites or phones and schedule recurring printouts from content partners—and the company is pilot testing a program with Yahoo's advertising network to deliver targeted ads on those scheduled printouts. More »

Rent Enterprise Car At Twice The Rate, Get Free Dentures (Check Under Floormat)
By Chris Walters on June 21, 2010 9:43 AM   35 Comments
Timothy rented a car from Enterprise last month when he flew into Newark Airport in New Jersey, and he was forced to pay almost twice the amount quoted in his reservation because of problems with a coupon code and an uncooperative manager. But there's good news: the rental came with a special, stinky surprise that he and his wife didn't find until the second day of the rental. (Warning: there's a big close-up photo below.) More »

(MarkWallace)

NYC Forces Retailers To Stop Selling Illegal Knives
By Chris Walters on June 21, 2010 9:04 AM   71 Comments
If you were planning on picking up a sturdy switchblade or gravity knife from one of the Home Depots in NYC for your next home improvement project, or because you wanted to stab someone, you should note that they're no longer available. That's because last week, the Manhattan District Attorney's office persuaded that store and 13 other retailers to stop selling such knives. They're generally illegal in New York, and the retailers have agreed to surrender their inventory and forfeit any profits they made from illegal knife sales over the past four years. More »

Special Lovemaking Coffee Can Cause Sudden Drop In Blood Pressure, Lovemaking
By Chris Walters on June 21, 2010 8:18 AM   12 Comments
If you want to be a passionate lover, or at least a noticeably hyper one, of course you should drink a lot of coffee before hitting the sheets. That's just common sense. But the FDA says that a specially marketed aphrodisiac coffee, Magic Power Coffee, can interfere with prescription drugs and cause a dramatic loss of blood pressure. More »

Funeral Home Director Accused Of Partying Pretty Hard
By Chris Walters on June 16, 2010 2:40 PM   51 Comments
The Ohio state board that licenses funeral homes has shut down a business in the town of Findlay while it investigates a list of allegations against the funeral director who owns the business. It's a long list, too, including being naked or half-clothed during business hours, putting on the jacket of a deceased man in front of the man's family, threatening employees, and being drunk. More »

(DrPleishner)

American Airlines Flight Attendant Uses Awesome Pilot Powers To Help Land Plane
By Chris Walters on June 16, 2010 1:55 PM   62 Comments
It's good to have outside interests. For instance, there's this 61-year-old flight attendant who works for American Airlines who also happens to have a commercial pilot's license, which was good news for the pilot—and the 225 passengers—after his first officer went all Airplane! on him mid-flight. More »

ABC Doubling The Commercials On iPad App, Online Streams
By Chris Walters on June 16, 2010 11:03 AM   45 Comments
If you watch ABC's shows online or with an iPad, your limited commercial interruptions are about to get a little less limited. So far, most of ABC's streaming shows contain 5 to 6 ads of 30 seconds each, but mocoNews says one of ABC's executives just confirmed that the network is going to double that ad load, perhaps leading the way for other networks to do the same. More »

(Andres Rueda)

Authorities Bust International Credit Card Cloning Ring
By Chris Walters on June 15, 2010 5:05 PM   11 Comments
Over 170 people around the globe were arrested on suspicion of participating in a massive credit card scam, reports Reuters. Fourteen countries were involved, and although most of the arrests were in Spain, there were also raids and/or arrests in Romania, France, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Australia, Sweden, Greece, Finland, Hungary, and the United States. In all, police say they discovered at least 120,000 stolen credit card numbers. More »

It's iPhone 4 Day, So Naturally AT&T Is Exposing Account Info To Strangers
By Chris Walters on June 15, 2010 4:51 PM   23 Comments
AT&T knows it needs to step up if it wants to be taken seriously these days as a wireless provider, so it's been beefing up 3G coverage, rejiggering data plans, and of course ramping up the speed at which it leaks your private data to strangers. In fact, according to multiple reports from AT&T customers, the company has managed to pull off the neat trick of logging customers in to strangers' accounts today during the iPhone 4 pre-order fiesta. See? You no longer have to wait until you've got the device in hand to worry about privacy issues. More »

Hallmark Pulls Card With Audio Clip Over Accusations Of Astronomical Racism
By Chris Walters on June 15, 2010 1:59 PM   247 Comments
It's so hard to understand each other in this life. First there was that unfortunate honey bun mixup, and now Hallmark is trying to prevent a bunch of press conferences from happening (too late!) by pulling a graduation card from shelves. Why? Because either Hoops or Yo-Yo—I don't know which character is which—spouts shockingly racist insults and threats when you open the card. Well, maybe. More »

Washington Wants Better Oversight Of For-Profit Colleges
By Chris Walters on June 15, 2010 1:34 PM   94 Comments
Enrollment in for-profit colleges like the University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Kaplan University—Gawker calls them fake colleges—tripled in the past decade, and has become such a fast-growing segment of the education market that some members of Congress think it needs better oversight. More »

(cliff1066™)

Delta Plays Airport Roulette When Flying Into D.C.
By Chris Walters on June 15, 2010 1:14 PM   39 Comments
On Sunday, Andy emailed us from his seat on Delta Flight 2744 from Minneapolis to Washington, D.C., to let us know that he had no idea where his flight was going to land. The ticket he purchased said he was flying to Ronald Reagan National Airport, but Delta said it would all depend on whether they could beat their scheduled 10:19 arrival time and get there before the ten o'clock airport curfew—otherwise they'd have to land at Dulles. Strangely, they didn't mention this 10 p.m. curfew to Andy before he bought the ticket. More »

(deltaMike)

Arby's Is Expanding To Supermarket Shelves
By Chris Walters on June 15, 2010 10:59 AM   27 Comments
Although the Arby's spokeswoman who talked to the website Nation's Restaurant News wouldn't give specifics, she confirmed that in the near future you might see "packaged Arby's items" in your grocery store. Sadly, it looks like these will be food items and not giant foam hats. More »

BP Customer Service Rep Says Disaster Call Center "A Diversion"
By Chris Walters on June 14, 2010 5:51 PM   43 Comments
"Janice" has been working in the BP Call Center in Houston, answering calls about the disaster from all over the world, and she says she and her coworkers don't think the calls are being sent any higher up in the company. "We’re a diversion to stop them from really getting to the corporate office, to the big people. I don't want to get emotional, but it's so frustrating when these people live right there [in the Gulf Coast] and nothing is being done to help them." More »

Want A Good, Cheap Chardonnay This Summer? Try 7-Eleven
By Chris Walters on June 14, 2010 5:23 PM   36 Comments
No, seriously. According to taste tests performed by wine experts at Consumer Reports, Yosemite Road chardonnay—which is sold by 7-Eleven for around $5 a bottle—is among the top four "very good" recommendations by the magazine in its July issue. More »

(sanctumsolitude)

Dunkin' Donuts Robber Says He Was Just Asking For A Honey Bun
By Chris Walters on June 14, 2010 4:16 PM   34 Comments
Be sure to always enunciate clearly when you're placing an order, so that you don't accidentally rob the cashier. That piece of advice comes from a man in Massachusetts who was charged for attempted armed robbery of a Dunkin' Donuts back in April. He now claims that the cashier misunderstood him. What he really said was that he wanted a honey bun, not "Give me the money, I have a gun." More »

(yomi955)

USDA Wants To Make Sure That Organic Food From China Is Really Organic
By Chris Walters on June 14, 2010 3:39 PM   35 Comments
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has banned one of the biggest food inspector groups in the nation from operating in China, reports the New York Times, because of conflict of interest concerns. It turns out the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) was using employees of a Chinese government agency to inspect Chinese government-owned farms, which sort of misses the point of independent certification entirely. More »

(prayitno)

Cruise Line Employee Used Reservation List To Determine When To Rob Vacationers
By Chris Walters on June 14, 2010 2:22 PM   26 Comments
I guess you could try to prepare your robbery schedule based on Foursquare and Twitter updates, but a former Royal Caribbean Cruise Line employee found a much easier way: she accessed the cruise line's reservations list, wrote down the addresses of passengers and the dates they'd be on the cruise, and handed the list off to her husband. She's being charged with 24 counts of burglary, while her husband will be charged soon. More »

(ShashiBellamkonda)

Johnson & Johnson Hired Fake Shoppers To Buy Up Bad Motrin, Avoid Public Recall
By Chris Walters on June 14, 2010 11:26 AM   24 Comments
Ever since the FDA and Congress started asking Johnson & Johnson to explain why it keeps recalling medicine, there have been references to an unpublicized "recall" that happened in November 2008. Last month, at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, a J&J executive swore that the company didn't mean to mislead anyone. It turns out that wasn't exactly accurate: Bloomberg has obtained emails from J&J's company, McNeil Consumer Healthcare, that show executives knew the secret recall would trigger an FDA reaction if the agency got wind of its full scope. More »

(geocam20000)

Walgreens Launches Innovative Showroom Store, Where You Can Look But Not Buy
By Chris Walters on June 9, 2010 2:13 PM   82 Comments
The thing about locking up all of your merchandise behind glass is your customers can't actually buy it. Well, they can if you have employees who give a damn about helping a customer. This Walgreens in Brooklyn does not have those kind of employees. More »

(SuperFantastic)

Texas Sues Bally Total Fitness Over Fake Past Due Billing
By Chris Walters on June 9, 2010 1:18 PM   38 Comments
Texas' Attorney General Greg Abbott is going after Bally Total Fitness for the fraudulent "past due" scheme it was using to trick former customers into re-upping with the gym. The AG office says that the gym mailed more than 11,000 fake notices to former customers between last summer and March 2010, and at least 1,000 Texans fell for it and paid the fees. More »

Angry Driver Buys Police Department's Website, Launches Anti-Speed Camera Site
By Chris Walters on June 9, 2010 12:50 PM   157 Comments
Brian McCrary in Bluff City, TN received a $90 speeding ticket in the mail earlier this year, thanks to an American Traffic Solutions speed camera the police department turned on in January. McCrary says when he looked up information to call the police department with questions about the ticket, he discovered something else: that their website's domain registration was about to expire. So he bought it. More »

Hey AT&T, Can I Upgrade From An EDGE Data Plan And Still Get The Unlimited Option?
By Chris Walters on June 8, 2010 6:31 PM   76 Comments
Say you've got one of the 1st gen iPhones that operates on the EDGE network, and you want to upgrade to that fancy new model that was just announced. Can your unlimited data plan be grandfathered even though it was never 3G? That's what Consumerist reader and 1st gen iPhone owner thecrazypnut wanted to know, so he contacted AT&T for an answer. More »

Got A Shrek Drinking Glass? McDonald's Will Pay You $3 For It
By Chris Walters on June 8, 2010 5:49 PM   28 Comments
McDonald's is upping the ante in its recall of the not-so-collectible Shrek drinking glasses. Although the four glass designs were recalled officially on June 4th by the CPSC, McDonald's has announced that starting tomorrow you'll be able to bring them back to the restaurant, fill out a refund form, and get a $3 refund per glass. More »

(Torley)

Medicare Donut Hole Checks Being Sent Out This Week
By Chris Walters on June 8, 2010 5:31 PM   16 Comments
Hey people with Medicare, you're about to become a little more attractive to scammers. That's because this week the government will start sending out its one-time tax free rebate checks to those of you who have already hit the donut hole gap in your Medicare coverage. The main thing to know, advises Medicare, is that you don't need to provide any information to anyone to get the rebate—it's automatic. More »

The New York Times Doesn't Want You Accessing Its RSS Feed Via An RSS Feed Reader
By Chris Walters on June 8, 2010 1:38 PM   44 Comments
Update: Apple apparently realized that losing 30% of revenue on sales of the Pulse News Reader wasn't worth playing along with the Times' weirdness, and put the app back up for sale before the end of the day—with the newspaper's feed still included as a default. More »

(Alaskan Dude)

Airlines' Approval Ratings Rise
By Chris Walters on June 8, 2010 12:56 PM   10 Comments
You love the airlines now! Or at least, you don't hate them any worse than you did back in 2007, according to a new survey released by J.D. Power & Associates. More »

Watch Jane Lynch Make Fun Of The iPhone 4
By Chris Walters on June 8, 2010 12:21 PM   26 Comments
Jane Lynch is a funny woman, so even though a parody of the iconic (and now dead) Mac vs. PC ads is a little tired, it's fun to see her going all Sue Sylvester on the iPhone 4. If you enjoy spoofs of ads and want to see why Jane Lynch dislikes Gizmodo as much as Steve Jobs, take a look. More »

(NatalieMaynor)

Sorry, We Already Buried A Lady Next To Your Husband
By Chris Walters on June 7, 2010 4:12 PM   137 Comments
The last place you want to find The Other Woman is on her back next to your husband. Especially when he's dead. A woman named Lillas Hawkins in California found just that when she went to visit her husband's grave two weeks ago. When she pointed out the error to a cemetery worker, she says he responded, "We are in terrible trouble." The cemetery is owned by a company named Dignity. More »

86-Year-Old Receives Surprise $19k Bill From Macy's
By Chris Walters on June 7, 2010 3:18 PM   57 Comments
Lorene Pounds is 86 years old and says she hasn't shopped at Macy's in years. That's partly why she was surprised when Macy's called her up and told her she was delinquent on her credit card account. The other reason she was surprised was they said she owed $19,791. More »

Did Target Adopt This Sorbet?
By Chris Walters on June 7, 2010 2:56 PM   55 Comments
In the Super Target at St. Charles, IL, there is a forgotten container of sorbet that is damaged, missing a seal, and over a year past its expiration date. Keith says it's been sitting there by itself in the freezer case for at least four months now. He and his wife say hi to it whenever they shop there. More »

This Subway Meatball Isn't For Kids!
By Chris Walters on June 7, 2010 2:41 PM   125 Comments
It's great that everyone's concerned about keeping kids healthy and all, but Jay says the woman working at his local Subway put her foot down on his request for a meatball sandwich for his kid. He says she told him, "You can get ham or turkey but no meatball." Kids don't need meatballs! More »

New Billboard Smells Like Steak, Sort Of
By Chris Walters on June 7, 2010 12:08 PM   41 Comments
If you find yourself driving down River Highway in Mooresville, NC this summer and suddenly smell a vaguely steak-like odor, don't worry, you're not having a stroke. You're passing by the billboard for Bloom, a supermarket chain that's owned by Food Lion. The billboard went up last Friday and poots out a charcoal-and-pepper fragrance from 7 to 10 a.m. and again from 4 to 7 p.m. More »

Town Prints Its Own Money To Get Locals Shopping
By Chris Walters on June 7, 2010 11:49 AM   51 Comments
Last month, a business improvement group in Ardmore, PA issued $15,000 in local currency, which citizens bought at half the face value and which can be spent like real money in stores and restaurants in the downtown area. Strangely, despite the 50% savings promised only $2,900 of it has been spent so far, with thrift stores receiving more than any other type of business. The group is going to launch another money printing campaign in November to try to boost holiday sales, preferably of new things. More »

(skippyjon)

Congress Considers Federal Anti-Slapp Law To Protect Consumers From Angry Businesses
By Chris Walters on June 2, 2010 6:42 PM   43 Comments
The New York Times has an article about Justin Kurtz, the college student who angered the owner of T&J Towing by creating a Facebook page about the company and who is now fighting a $750k defamation lawsuit. That sort of lawsuit—the kind meant to intimidate an opponent into silence—is called a "strategic lawsuit against public participation," or Slapp. Now two Representatives are sponsoring a bill that would create a federal anti-Slapp law to protect consumers from vengeful businesses. More »

(Kumar Appaiah)

Looking For Jobs, Innovation And Culture? Try These 10 Cities
By Chris Walters on June 2, 2010 5:54 PM   62 Comments
Kiplinger has put together a list of 10 cities that it says are primed to be great places to build a career and enjoy your life at the same time. Even better: the magazine didn't put the list in a slideshow format, so you can read the entire thing on one page! Austin and Seattle take top spots, but there are some less predictable choices on there as well; how about Burlington, VT or Topeka, KS? More »

(qwrrty)

Save Money On Head Lice Removal
By Chris Walters on June 2, 2010 5:11 PM   64 Comments
You're a good Consumerist. You make your own kids at home. You grow your own lice in a coffee can you found on the street. You dump the lice on the kids' heads before you send them off to school. After all that, the last thing you want to do is spend a fortune on lice removal treatments, right? You're in luck: the New York Times says you don't have to spend a lot of money de-lousing your itchy little child. More »

(Ed Yourdon)

AT&T Capping Data On New iPhone, iPad Plans
By Chris Walters on June 2, 2010 11:30 AM   156 Comments
AT&T has officially delivered on the threats made by its consumer business director Ralph de la Vega last December: it's switching to usage-based pricing on data plans for smartphones and the iPad. Starting Monday, all new AT&T customers who buy an iPad, iPhone, Blackberry or other smartphone and purchase the necessary data plan will have two options: $25 for 2 gigabytes, or $15 for 200 megabytes. More »

High-Volume Sellers On eBay, Craigslist Can Look Forward To New Tax Form For 2011
By Chris Walters on June 2, 2010 10:29 AM   51 Comments
If you tend to move a lot of merchandise on eBay or Craigslist, you should know that the IRS wants a share of those earnings. If in 2011 you sell more than $20,000 worth of goods and have more than 200 transactions, then come early 2012 you'll receive a shiny new flavor of 1099 form called a 1099-K, and you'll have to pay up. If you're an infrequent seller, where your eBay or Craigslist transactions more closely resemble a garage sale than a virtual storefront (and especially if you sell items at a loss), you probably don't have to worry. More »

Debt Collection Company Sued Over Racist Voicemails, Must Pay $1.5 Million
By Chris Walters on June 1, 2010 7:40 PM   64 Comments
Advanced Call Center Technologies tried to collect $200 on a disputed debt from Allen Jones a few years ago. Part of the company's advanced technology is its innovative voicemail strategy, where its employees leave wildly offensive, racist messages for people. Jones sued the company, and last week the jury awarded him $50k for mental anguish and $1.5 million in punitive damages. More »

PediaCare Pulled From Stores, Victim Of Latest Tylenol Recall
By Chris Walters on June 1, 2010 7:15 PM   4 Comments
Blacksmith Brands bought the PediaCare line of children's cough and cold medicines from Johnson & Johnson last November. Unfortunately, the company hadn't switched production over to a different facility, so last Friday it had to recall nearly 100,000 bottles that are guilty by association. There have been no complaints so far about the products, but when your manufacturer is under investigation by the FDA's criminal division you tend to want to play it safe. More »

(David McKelvey)

Shoppers Love Costco And Dillard's, Say Target And Walmart Are Subpar
By Chris Walters on June 1, 2010 12:34 PM   92 Comments
Consumer Reports asked 30,000 readers to weigh in on the best and worst chain stores in the country, and it looks like people really love Costco and Dillard's. Both stores received above average ratings in things like merchandise quality and value. On the other end of the spectrum, Target's women's fashion, jewelery and watches were rated below-average in quality. More »

(kcdsTM)

Arizona Restaurants Choose Sides On Letting Diners Bring Guns To The Table
By Chris Walters on June 1, 2010 11:49 AM   261 Comments
Arizona has a lot of gun lovers. Almost anyone in the state over 21 will be able to carry a concealed weapon without a permit starting June 29th, but some pro-gun advocates are already visiting local businesses with their weapons in plain sight in an attempt to make the practice more socially acceptable. Arizona lets businesses ban guns at their discretion, so this weekend the Arizona Star looked at how restaurants and bars are deciding who to piss off more: gun carriers or the people who feel uncomfortable around them. More »

Guys Love Spanx
By Chris Walters on May 31, 2010 3:10 PM   41 Comments
According to Neiman Marcus, people might make jokes about Spanx for men but they're flying off the shelves. The men's fashion director at the department store told the New York Times, "We are selling them as quickly as Spanx can make them. Men may not be talking about it, but they're buying it." The president of Freshpair, a website that sells "torso-enhancing" tees, says "profile-enhancing" underwear is also quite popular. More »

(cell105)

Beer Sales Drop, Brewers Scramble For Your Beer Money
By Chris Walters on May 31, 2010 2:49 PM   79 Comments
In the past month, sales of premium light beers fell 11%, reports Advertising Age. Instead of light Coors, Miller, or Bud brands, people have been buying cheaper brews like PBR, or saving up for fancier brands. But we're not just spending our beer money differently—we're also drinking less of the stuff. Well, not me. But someone's cutting back. More »

Tylenol Recall Factory Was Staffed With Undertrained Temps
By Chris Walters on May 31, 2010 12:28 PM   20 Comments
The manufacturing plant that has been the cause of Johnson & Johnson's latest in a string of recalls has already been described as dirty and poorly maintained. It turns out that it was also staffed with temps and contract employees who weren't properly trained, according to tax records and an FDA inspection report filed earlier this year. More »

Need Sunscreen? Here Are The Ones Consumer Reports Likes
By Chris Walters on May 31, 2010 12:09 PM   52 Comments
It's Memorial Day! There is sunshine out my window, and it's calling me to come bathe in it! But before I go get arrested for public nudity in the park, I'm going to apply some decent sunscreen that blocks both UVB rays and UVA rays. Consumer Reports tested sunscreens recently and says these are the top 4 products in terms of effectiveness. All of them are sprays, and fortunately the top scorer is also the second cheapest in the entire test group. More »

(auxesis)

What iPhone Owners Complain About When They Complain To The FCC & FTC
By Chris Walters on May 31, 2010 11:49 AM   12 Comments
Last month, InformationWeek filed a Freedom of Information request with the FCC and the FTC for complaints made about the iPhone in the past year. Although the breakdown of complaints is interesting, what I found most striking was that in a nation of over 11 million iPhone owners, less than 600 complaints were filed in the past 14 months*, and some of those were for other Apple products. If you have a legitimate grievance with a company, you might have a much better chance of being heard by the FCC or FTC than you think. More »

Need A Blender? Here Are The Ones Consumer Reports Likes
By Chris Walters on May 31, 2010 11:01 AM   47 Comments
Consumer Reports recently tested the drink-making abilities of over 40 blenders, and then they passed out in a pool of frozen margarita. But seriously folks, you don't need to spend $400 on a Blendtec "Total Blender"—there's a $40 Oster model "did just as well." More »

(Janek B)

"I Spent Two Days As A Door-To-Door Salesman"
By Chris Walters on May 26, 2010 3:42 PM   181 Comments
Kole McRae is a writer in Toronto who says he worked for two days as a door-to-door salesman for an unnamed company. The sales pitch involved asking people who answered the door whether they were happy with their current service, so I'm guessing the company sold something something related to phone, cable, or utilities. More »

(vrogy)

Facebook Announces Simplified Privacy Settings
By Chris Walters on May 26, 2010 2:07 PM   45 Comments
Faced with a steady stream of criticism from users, privacy advocates, and more recently members of the government, Facebook has announced today that they're simplifying how privacy settings work on the site. The WSJ is liveblogging Facebook's conference call right now. CNET's coverage is coming in faster, though, and offers more detail. Below is a quick summary of what Facebook is changing. More »

(bradley j)

Want More Lead Or Pesticide In Your Body? Try Dietary Supplements
By Chris Walters on May 26, 2010 9:42 AM   52 Comments
Lead has a deservedly bad reputation when it comes to human health and development, but because it's classified as a heavy metal it will always be kind of awesome. Well, to me. Pesticide, not so much. If you dislike ingesting either type of toxin, you might be interested in a new study being released today by the Government Accountability Office that found trace amounts of "lead and other contaminants" in every sample of 40 health supplements tested. More »

(RobotSkirts)

Verizon Bill Collector Threatens To Blow Up Man's House
By Chris Walters on May 25, 2010 6:33 PM   83 Comments
A man in New Mexico is suing Verizon Wireless over a series of harassing phone calls made by Verizon bill collectors last year. The man, Al Burrows, says the calls were concerning a relative's unpaid cellphone bill. When he hung up on one of them, the disconnected Verizon rep called back, said she knew where Burrows lived, and added, "I am gonna blow your mother fucking house up." More »

In The Military? Museum Admission Is Free This Summer
By Chris Walters on May 25, 2010 5:13 PM   32 Comments
Starting Memorial Day, May 31, and lasting until Labor Day, September 6, more than 600 museums around the country are waiving admission fees for active members of the military and members of their immediate family. The Blue Star Museum program is a joint effort that's being launched by the National Endowment for the Arts and a nonprofit group called Blue Star Families. The NEA has a map showing which museums are participating around the country. More »

(Ken_Mayer)

Fighting About Money Frequently Increases Risk Of Divorce
By Chris Walters on May 25, 2010 12:45 PM   49 Comments
You already know that it's not healthy to fight about money all the time, but it might be a bigger risk factor for divorce than you think. A 2009 University of Virginia study found that couples who argue about finances every a week are 30% more likely to divorce than those who argue less frequently. In addition, a couple that marries with no assets are 70% more likely to divorce in three years than a couple bringing $10k in assets into the union. More »

(snappED_up)

Huff Post Ranks Airlines On Safety Records
By Chris Walters on May 25, 2010 12:07 PM   21 Comments
Even the Huffington Post admits that their Safest U.S. Airlines list is a bit unnecessary, considering the excellent safety records of everyone on the list. Still, it's fun to rank things, so that's what they did. U.S. Airways and JetBlue came in near the top, while Delta, United and Continental came in at the bottom. Regardless, you're likely to remain alive after a flight on any of them. More »

(cowbite)

Delta Leaves Man On Two Week Business Trip Without Work Clothes
By Chris Walters on May 25, 2010 11:39 AM   69 Comments
Bryan is stuck in San Francisco for two weeks on a business trip without his business clothes, which is what Delta loses when it doesn't have a dog nearby. More »

Keep PayPal From Using The Default ATM Debit Setting
By Chris Walters on May 25, 2010 10:08 AM   52 Comments
PayPal exists to make money, not to help you. That's why the unregulated money broker likes to ensure that when you pay with a linked account, you pay via the ATM debit card setting, because it's cheaper for PayPal. Of course, that "savings" is sometimes deducted from you in the form of a transaction fee by your bank, but PayPal doesn't care. If you want to change that payment method the next time you use PayPal, be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops. More »

(athomson)

Passenger Accused Of Groping Sleeping Woman On Continental Flight
By Chris Walters on May 24, 2010 5:08 PM   55 Comments
A 63-year-old New Jersey man has been charged with abusive sexual contact after he was allegedly caught reaching under a sleeping woman's blanket on a recent Continental flight from Hong Kong to Newark. Passengers seated behind the man say they saw him reaching under the blanket, so they kicked the woman's seat to wake her, at which point she alerted the flight crew. More »

(LGEPR)

HDTV Lies Exposed By Industry Expert
By Chris Walters on May 24, 2010 4:47 PM   62 Comments
The next time you go shopping for a new HDTV, keep in mind that the brightness and contrast settings don't adjust brightness and contrast, and most of the fancier-sounding image quality controls don't do anything except possibly degrade the image. Also, motion blur in live video is largely imaginary, which is good because advertised response times are highly exaggerated. And hey, that impressive "dynamic contrast ratio" the manufacturer is crowing about? Most of the extra contrasty goodness happens when there's no image on the screen. More »

(TheTruthAbout...)

Fix Mortgage Errors By Promising The CSR "Phone Fun," At Least At Wells Fargo
By Chris Walters on May 24, 2010 3:59 PM   26 Comments
According to a lawsuit filed in New Jersey, a CSR at Wells Fargo's Home Mortgage Division refused to correct a payment error for Jamie Nelson unless she had some "phone fun" with him first. Phone fun, in this case, seemed to mean naked pics of the woman. She's suing for emotional distress, since you can't take someone to court simply for being a skeevy jackass. Wells Fargo says they're taking the allegations seriously. More »

Fidelity Sent Me Someone Else's $300,000 Retirement Savings
By Chris Walters on May 24, 2010 3:40 PM   53 Comments
Douglas received an unexpected delivery from UPS last week: a check from Fidelity Investments made out to Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company for over $300,000, along with a bunch of 401(k) rollover paperwork that included the real account holder's address, date of birth, SSN, and phone number. More »

(Edward Vielmetti)

54,000 More HP Batteries Recalled
By Chris Walters on May 24, 2010 12:35 PM   20 Comments
Hewlett-Packard doesn't just make props for cringeworthy feature length commercials; the company also sells batteries that sometimes catch fire. A year ago HP recalled about 70,000 bad batteries, and now it's added another 54,000 to the list. More »

(CPSC)

Congress May Consider Banning Drop-Side Cribs
By Chris Walters on May 24, 2010 12:02 PM   44 Comments
Kirsten Gillibrand, a senator from New York, is apparently unsatisfied with the CPSC's pledge to implement a voluntary ban of drop-side cribs. Gillibrand plans to introduce legislation this week that would outlaw the sale of drop-side cribs and ban them from daycare centers and hotels. Earlier this month, the CPSC said that this crib design has killed at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000, that over 7 million drop-side cribs have been recalled since 2005. More »

(Michael P. Ferrell/Times Union)

Verizon Buries Bags Of Rocks In Woman's Yard
By Chris Walters on May 19, 2010 2:42 PM   53 Comments
A woman in Albany, NY was gardening in her front yard and uncovered a white plastic bag filled with rocks. Then she found more, over a dozen in all, which turned out to have been placed there by Verizon workers who had removed an old utility pole last month and had run out of sand. More »

FDA Announces Widespread Investigation Of McNeil After Tylenol Recalls
By Chris Walters on May 19, 2010 2:09 PM   10 Comments
Remember the recalled liquid Tylenol and other children's medicines last month? Or the stinky drugs that were recalled back in January? Or the children's Tylenol that was recalled last September? The FDA remembers, which is probably why it's "conducting a company-wide investigation of McNeil Consumer Healthcare's drug manufacturing practices to determine whether similar problems exist throughout the company." Also, a date has now been set (May 27) for the House Committee hearing where the CEO and chairman of parent company Johnson & Johnson are expected to testify. More »

(sylvar)

Kmart Wants Your Dirty Laundry
By Chris Walters on May 19, 2010 11:22 AM   38 Comments
If you live in Iowa City, Iowa, you'll soon be able to do your laundry at Kmart. I don't get it either, but that's what the retailer has announced. It will be testing a laundromat addition to one of its Kmart stores in the city, and has named it Kwash. I'm assuming you're supposed to pronounce it K-Wash, but for the first five minutes I kept reading "quash" and wondering how in the hell that was supposed to make me think of clean clothes and cheap goods. More »

Groupon Shows How To Properly Explain TOS Changes
By Chris Walters on May 18, 2010 2:47 PM   43 Comments
Groupon is a daily deal sort of website, but the reason it's on Consumerist today is because of how well it communicated some recent changes to its Terms of Service agreement. Consumerist reader Pureboy sent in a copy of the email he recently received where the website explained the changes in plain English, with examples. More »

(cliff1066™)

United Leaves Blind Passenger On Plane
By Chris Walters on May 18, 2010 2:01 PM   104 Comments
Jessica Cabot was born blind, but she'd been on two flights by herself before boarding a United Airlines flight last month, so she figured she knew what to expect. On all three flights, she was told by the flight attendants to remain seated until everyone else was off the plane, and then someone would help her off. That worked the first two times at any rate. More »

Custom TeleConnect Charges Man $20 For 20-Second Collect Call
By Chris Walters on May 18, 2010 12:28 PM   39 Comments
Mike's mom is one of the fifteen people in the U.S. who doesn't have a cell phone, so she called him collect from a pay phone in California. Mike and his mom didn't know it at the time, but they fell into the sarlacc pit that is Custom TeleConnect, a creature that hides in payphones and charges $20 fees for less than half a minute of talking. More »

(avlxyz)

Waitress Disses Customers On Facebook, Gets Fired
By Chris Walters on May 18, 2010 11:58 AM   153 Comments
Brixx Pizza in North Carolina takes social media pretty seriously, because it fired a waitress after she complained on her Facebook page about a stingy couple who occupied a table for three hours and only left a $5 tip. More »

(CarbonNYC)

Skip College, Suggest Some Economists
By Chris Walters on May 18, 2010 11:06 AM   189 Comments
In a country where the mantra "you can be anything you want" is practically a national prayer, it's still kind of shocking to see someone suggest that a high school student should skip college. Some economists and professors, however, argue that college has become too expensive to throw money at if the odds are high that either you won't finish, or you'll go into an industry that doesn't require a degree. More »

(marestra)

Customer Says Supermarket Sold Rotten Chicken With New Sell By Date
By Chris Walters on May 18, 2010 9:23 AM   39 Comments
A woman in Brooklyn has accused a local grocery store of slapping a new "sell by" sticker over an expired one in order to unload some old poultry that was past its prime. More »

(Phineas H)

Watch Out For These Travel Scams
By Chris Walters on May 17, 2010 3:54 PM   14 Comments
Kiplinger has posted six travel scams you should be aware of, including "Be your own travel agent!" and "Join our travel club!" The key thing to remember is to stay away from unfamiliar travel agencies or websites, or at least do some research and try to find evidence that they're legit before handing over your money. You should also make sure that any travel insurance you buy comes from a licensed insurer. More »

(Muffet)

Sears And Kmart Want To Buy Your Gold
By Chris Walters on May 17, 2010 3:31 PM   17 Comments
The next time you want to sell some old gold jewelry, you can just take it to your nearest Kmart or Sears. The retailers have announced a partnership with something called Pro Gold Network, which basically amounts to, "You can pick up a mailer and instructions at our jewelry departments." Remember, though, that mail-in services almost always pay less than what you can get locally from a jeweler or pawn shop, or by selling to a refinery directly. Here's what Pro Gold Network will pay so you can compare rates. More »

Wireless Industry Lobbyists Explain Why The FCC Should Back Off
By Chris Walters on May 17, 2010 1:12 PM   45 Comments
The president and a vice-president for CTIA, a lobbying organization for the wireless industry, spoke recently with CNET about why they think the FCC should leave their members alone. The vice-president, Chris Guttman-McCabe, is a lawyer and as such his answers are useless. President Steve Largent, however, actually has a couple of candid moments during the interview. More »

(erocsid)

Late Payments Are Dropping Thanks In Part To The CARD Act
By Chris Walters on May 17, 2010 12:36 PM   18 Comments
Banks and card issuers warned against the credit card reforms that went into effect a few months back, but so far it's been a good thing for consumers, according to new delinquency numbers. More »

(seantoyer)

How To Spot Fakes When Shopping For Green Products
By Chris Walters on May 17, 2010 12:08 PM   11 Comments
If you want to buy environmentally friendly products when you're out shopping, you'll find plenty of options these days. The trouble is that "green," like "organic," is considered a very loose concept by lots of manufacturers. The Chicago Tribune put together a list of ways you can spot the fakes on your next shopping trip. Here's an easy rule of thumb: the words eco, earth, green, friendly, gentle and kind are all frequently used to give the impression of being environmentally friendly, but they're essentially meaningless marketing words. More »

Okay, Who's Been Using Tyler Perry's Credit Card?
By Chris Walters on May 17, 2010 9:04 AM   35 Comments
Writer/director/actor Tyler Perry updated his website on Friday with a friendly letter to his fans. He talked about wrapping up his latest theatrical tour, and how beautiful his vacation spot was, and then ended on a strange note: "By the way, some idiot stole my credit card number. Can you believe that? Take a look at all the stuff they charged. If you know any of these people, call the police." The charges, mostly airfares between L.A., Las Vegas, New York and Fort Lauderdale, came up to more than $28,000. More »

Paper Company Plans Campaign To Encourage Kids To Print Things Out
By Chris Walters on May 12, 2010 2:52 PM   71 Comments
If John Williams, the CEO of Domtar Corp., has his way, kids all across North America will be asking for printers this holiday season. Somehow I doubt he'll have his way, but here's his plan: his company is about to launch a "Put It On Paper" campaign via print, Facebook and YouTube that will encourage people to print out things like emails and web pages. More »

(gothopotam)

Are Pay-Per-View Hotel Movies Pointless In 2010?
By Chris Walters on May 12, 2010 2:06 PM   43 Comments
LodgeNet provides pay-per-view movie services to hotels, and the company's latest financial filing shows nearly a 10% drop in revenue in the first quarter of 2010 compared to the same period a year ago. (And that's after a 19% drop in revenue from 2008 to 2009.) Travelers seem to be wising up to the high prices of hotel pay-per-view and are resorting to other ways to stay entertained. Now if only our laptops and smartphones could contain a mini-bar compartment. More »

(tibchris)

Why Phishing Works Even If You're Not Normally Stupid
By Chris Walters on May 12, 2010 10:14 AM   17 Comments
If you spend a lot of time online, you're probably aware of phishing scams and know what to look out for. In other words, you're not one of those ignorant types who clicks on links and starts entering personal information without hesitation. Writer and blogger Cory Doctorow is what you might call hyper-vigilant—he keeps unique passwords, uses a VPN when going online in public, and generally knows not to trust strangers. Still, he got phished a couple of weeks ago. More »

(Martin Kingsley)

Marijuana Dispensaries In Montana Firebombed
By Chris Walters on May 11, 2010 2:36 PM   90 Comments
Some residents of Billings, Montana are pretty upset at the burgeoning medical marijuana industry there—CNN says the town of 100,000 has had about 90 applications for storefronts since the state legalized it in 2004, and that the businesses operate with little regulation. On consecutive mornings this past weekend, someone spraypainted "Not in our town" on the sides of two establishments, then threw rocks through the front doors followed by Molotov cocktails. And then they probably chilled out for a while. More »

(Photomish Dan)

USDA Tightens Chicken Rules
By Chris Walters on May 11, 2010 1:54 PM   29 Comments
Yesterday the USDA announced new poultry safety rules intended to slightly reduce the number of poisonings annually from salmonella and campylobacter. An agency official says that the new rules should prevent about 65,000 cases of food sickness a year, which is only a fraction of the over a million cases annually. However, most of the other food products that contribute to that number fall under FDA regulation, so the USDA can't say anything. "This is something we can do, so we're doing it," the spokesman told the Los Angeles Times. More »

Safety Commission Cracking Down On Cadmium In Kids' Jewelry
By Chris Walters on May 11, 2010 12:44 PM   23 Comments
It's a good thing summer camps are coming up, with their weird seminars on bracelet weaving and whittling rings, because the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just announced a recall of 19,000 charms sold at Claire's stores, and says that's just the beginning. More »

(soylentgreen23)

Shari's Berries Looks On The Bright Side Of Dementia To Improve Customer Experience
By Chris Walters on May 11, 2010 12:11 PM   33 Comments
Let's say a Mother's Day gift food delivery gets delivered to a stranger's address, so you call the customer on behalf of your company to deliver the bad news. Uh-oh, now that customer is angry that her Mother's Day gift isn't going to make it in time! What do you do? You probably don't say, "Well your mom is 85 years old, so maybe she won't remember which day Mother's Day is?" More »

Use Doctor Finder To Prescreen Your Doctor
By Chris Walters on May 11, 2010 11:33 AM   28 Comments
If you're like most people, you pick a new doctor by going through an approved list provided by your insurer and selecting someone nearby. Doctor Finder from insiderpages.com hopes to make the process less random by providing reviews for doctors and dentists. You can search by zip code, then narrow down results by your insurer, distance, gender, specialty, language, and experience. More »

(ktylerconk)

Samsung Sues Journalist For Satirically Pointing Out That Its Chairman Keeps Getting Convicted Of Crimes
By Chris Walters on May 11, 2010 8:35 AM   48 Comments
Did you know that the chairman of Samsung, Lee Kun-hee, was convicted in 2008 for tax evasion in South Korea? Or that he was convicted in the 90s for bribing politicians? A British journalist, Michael Breen, wrote a satirical column in a South Korean newspaper last December, and now the electronics giant is suing him for libel. If found guilty, Breen could face jail time. More »

(z-x)

Awesome Game Offer Removes All Incentives For Piracy, Gets Pirated Anyway
By Chris Walters on May 10, 2010 5:07 PM   112 Comments
Wolfire Games is running a special sale called the Humble Bundle, where you can pay as little as one penny via PayPal, Google Checkout, or Amazon, for five cross-platform indie games that are completely free of DRM or even serial numbers. Despite that, says the company, it looks like over 25% of downloads are coming from "shared links from forums and other places without actually contributing anything." That's not counting anything happening over BitTorrent. More »

Wired Reviews Smart Mop, Says It's Dumb
By Chris Walters on May 10, 2010 4:28 PM   23 Comments
The twistable, change-your-life-forever Smart Mop that's sold via infomercial looks sort of handy, but does it work? Wired tested one out, and says no, it does not work. In fact, it leaves behind liquid instead of sopping it up, falls apart frequently, and scrapes across the floor if you don't hold it just right. Wired wraps up the review with this very non-infomercial suggestion: "If you're sick of taking paper towel to floor every time Junior dumps his milk, well, tough, that's part of being a parent." More »

(EAWB)

Police Officer Prepares Orders At McDonald's
By Chris Walters on May 10, 2010 3:31 PM   163 Comments
Wherever Craig lives, that's where the most Hamburgler-proof McDonald's in the country is located. He says he was there the other night and a police officer got up from the seating area, went around behind the counter, and prepared his order for him. When Craig asked why the officer was also a McDonald's employee, the officer followed him outside and asked why he cared. That officer probably thought you were the Hamburglar, Craig. More »

Man Gives $150,000 To Psychic, Then Suspects Fraud
By Chris Walters on May 10, 2010 12:16 PM   69 Comments
A man in Portland, Oregon says he's now bankrupt after giving cash, a Hummer, and lots of trust to a local psychic. In all, he says his payments totaled $150k and now he's bankrupt, and that he wants to warn others not to fall for such things. So just to be clear: don't give $150,000 in cash and autos to a psychic in exchange for removal-of-demon services. And if you want to buy a tabernacle from the Vatican, deal with the church yourself and don't go through the local psychic. More »

CVS Employee Strangles Shoplifter
By Chris Walters on May 10, 2010 11:53 AM   235 Comments
A CVS employee in Chicago chased a 35-year-old shoplifter out of his store and held him in a chokehold for "several minutes" on Saturday morning until police came. The thief—who had stolen tubes of toothpaste—was taken to a hospital and initially described as in "fair-to-serious" condition, but then declared dead about 45 minutes later, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The death is being ruled an accidental homicide, and the police aren't going to press charges against the employee. More »

(bradleyolin)

New Jersey Wants To End Mail In Rebates
By Chris Walters on May 10, 2010 10:55 AM   70 Comments
Mail in rebates are a sneaky way to make things look cheaper than they actually are at the point of sale, since many consumers never actually get any cash back. Now New Jersey's state Assembly is considering legislation that would require retailers to charge shoppers the after-rebate price on goods, instead of forcing them to mail in or submit online requests. If the retailer still wants to take advantage of the rebate, that's no problem; he'll just have to mail it in himself. More »

(pjan vandaele)

Things You Don't Need To Buy For A New Baby
By Chris Walters on May 5, 2010 3:03 PM   100 Comments
Cameron Huddleston, an editor at Kiplinger and a mom, has some advice on how to make the most of your new baby budget. The money you save on things like play mats, changing tables, and fancy first-year clothes can be used to pay for less pleasant but more important safety-net things, like life and disability insurance, health insurance, and a will. More »

(controltheweb)

Bodies Found Stacked Like Firewood In Garage Of Maryland Funeral Home
By Chris Walters on May 5, 2010 2:05 PM   129 Comments
Apparently the Chambers Funeral Home & Crematorium in Riverdale, Maryland had more bodies for its crematorium than it could handle, so it stored them in the garage—stacked in piles, with fluids leaking out. A state investigator discovered the stash during an inspection, although to be fair he was warned by an employee, "Don't get upset about all the bodies in there." More »

FDA: McNeil Plant That Made Recalled Tylenol Is A Dirty Stinkpot With No Quality Control
By Chris Walters on May 5, 2010 10:06 AM   34 Comments
One of the implied promises of a brand name, especially when it comes to drugs, is you can expect higher quality, but maybe that doesn't apply when it comes to McNeil products.The FDA says the plant that produced the recently recalled children's Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl, was using raw materials that were contaminated with bacteria. The plant also lacked adequate quality-control procedures and was dirty. So far none of the recalled medicine has tested positive for bacterial contamination, but the FDA report suggests that the contaminated material was used to make the recalled lots. The plant has been shut down indefinitely. More »

(Photo: Sister72)

Wendy's Employee And Customer Reenact Jerry Springer Episode At Drive-Through
By Chris Walters on May 4, 2010 6:22 PM   54 Comments
Wendy's employee Lorissa Mendez and Wendy's customer Ashley A. Roberts have been feuding over the father of Mendez's child. Ashley and her two friends pulled up at the drive through at 1 a.m. Sunday morning while Lorissa was working, and according to Lorissa they started "talking shit" about her. Lorissa responded by throwing a cup of fruit punch in Ashley's face. The police were called once Ashley tried to climb through the drive-through window to get at Lorissa. Meanwhile someone at the counter was probably wondering why his Frosty order was taking so long to fill. More »

Man Seals Self Inside Foreclosed Home
By Chris Walters on May 4, 2010 2:03 PM   89 Comments
Now we finally understand the secrets of the pharoahs: a bunch of angry people in Stony Ridge, Ohio have sealed up a home with the homeowner inside, with his permission, leaving only a golf ball-sized hole in the front door. The man, Keith Sadler, says he fell behind last year after paying on his mortgage for 12 years, and that his bank promised to work with him but instead proceeded with foreclosure. More »

Two Facebook Apps To Help You Fight Back Against Facebook
By Chris Walters on May 4, 2010 12:23 PM   14 Comments
If you're unhappy with the latest Facebook privacy settings but don't want to kill your account completely, ReadWriteWeb has highlighted two services—both Facebook apps—that might give you back some control. They're not perfect solutions, though. The Green Safe app scrapes all your data into a stand-alone tab that only your friends can access, but it also means a third-party developer will replace Facebook as your data holder (the app will use your data to serve ads as well). The Give Me My Data app lets you export all of your Facebook content so that you don't lose anything if you disconnect your profile from Facebook's pages. More »

Health Supplement Guru Nearly Dies After Ingesting Own Product
By Chris Walters on May 4, 2010 11:53 AM   68 Comments
Gary Null sells something called Ultimate Power Meal, which he says you're supposed to eat twice a day every day. He did that for a month and nearly died, so now he's suing the company that manufactured the product. More »

(lejoe)

Watch Out For Balance Billing With Your Medical Expenses
By Chris Walters on May 4, 2010 11:28 AM   62 Comments
If you receive a medical bill dunning you for whatever your insurer didn't pay, take a closer look before writing your check. The New York Times writes that although balance billing is a common practice, it's not always legal, and you may be able to ignore it. More »

(Hugo90)

Tips For Buying A Used Car This Year
By Chris Walters on May 4, 2010 8:35 AM   30 Comments
The sorry state of the economy the past couple of years has actually led to higher prices for used cars, writes Kiplinger. That's because more people started buying used cars, which tightened the supply while also reducing the number of fresh trade-ins. It may be a couple of years before prices drop again, but Kiplinger has some suggestions for saving money if you plan on buying a used car this year. More »

(VictoriA)

USPS Thinks Everyone Lives With Dan
By Chris Walters on May 3, 2010 3:35 PM   121 Comments
Dan can't get his postal carrier to understand the concept of people moving away—if you've ever lived in Dan's apartment, you've always lived in his apartment. More »

(Benimoto)

How To Live Out Of Your Car
By Chris Walters on May 3, 2010 3:11 PM   45 Comments
A few days ago, someone posted on reddit that he was divorced, unemployed, and now living out of his car. This prompted someone who'd already had the experience to post a list of tips for the (hopefully temporarily) homeless, including safe/legal places to park, strategies for staying clean, and how to maintain social connections. How does he know all this stuff? He lived out of his truck for over a year and saved his money to pay off $17k in debt. More »

(TheTruthAbout...)

Wells Fargo Pulls $4,000 From Checking Account To Repay Student Loan
By Chris Walters on May 3, 2010 2:52 PM   65 Comments
When you borrow from a bank where you also keep your day-to-day cash, you might be opening yourself up to problems down the line. Most banks have a right of setoff, which means they can tap other accounts you hold with them to repay themselves money you owe. For a woman in Atlanta, this meant Wells Fargo legally drained her checking account without warning, leaving her and her husband with no cash and $385 in overdraft fees, due to some ongoing confusion over a student loan. More »

Johnson & Johnson Not Taking Refunds On Recalled Tylenol Very Seriously
By Chris Walters on May 3, 2010 2:15 PM   27 Comments
When J&J's McNeil Consumer Healthcare Unit announced a recall of children's Tylenol, Motrin, Zyrtec and Benadryl over the weekend, it also provided a toll free number you could call for more info. Ron Lieber at the New York Times called it on Saturday to find out how the refund process would work. What he got was a three minute recording telling him to throw the products in the trash, but nothing else. More »

Video Professor Gives Employees Free Trial Offer Of Unpaid Furlough
By Chris Walters on May 3, 2010 11:18 AM   28 Comments
Have we learned all we can from Video Professor's free training discs? (Well, free for 7 days, then $30 every month.) Or did the professor blow all his cash on legal fees in order to bully critics and attack competitors, as techdirt suggests? Either way, the company called all its employees to a meeting last week and gave them an unpaid summer vacation. More »

(HotelChatter.com)

Which Hotels Have Decent Wi-Fi?
By Chris Walters on May 3, 2010 10:41 AM   47 Comments
If you want to pay out the nose for Wi-Fi, stay in a W hotel, says HotelChatter. The site has released its 6th annual report on Wi-Fi in U.S. hotels, and the W Hotel chain is named as the worst with no free lobby access and $15/day room rates. Other hotels that suck when it comes to wireless: DoubleTree, Four Seasons, Marriott, and Mandarin Oriental. More »

(Denver Westworld)

Sprint Employees Fired For Capturing Apple Store Shoplifter
By Chris Walters on April 28, 2010 2:20 PM   160 Comments
Two employees at the Sprint outlet at Cherry Creek Shopping Center, where that iPad customer had his pinkie ripped off by a criminal earlier this month, were fired for chasing down and holding a different shoplifter one day later. More »

(Chris Ware)

See The Fortune 500 Magazine Cover That Was Too Brutally Honest To Run
By Chris Walters on April 28, 2010 9:02 AM   45 Comments
Fortune magazine commissioned artist Chris Ware to design a cover for their 2010 Fortune 500 issue, so he did. Unfortunately, what he delivered was a detailed, funny, and biting commentary on the current state of our economy—with banker types dancing on the top of mega-buildings that spell out "500," a factory in Mexico churning out big box merchandise, and a "401k cemetary." Fortune rejected it, but hasn't provided any comment on why. Well, okay, it's probably self-evident why they killed it, but it's still funny. More »

(ThinkGeoEnergy)

Here Are America's Most Corrupt Industries
By Chris Walters on April 28, 2010 8:04 AM   77 Comments
Do you work in a corrupt industry? The Daily Beast took a look at data gathered by Transparency International, a "global anti-corruption think tank," and put together a list of America's most corrupt professions. Everyone may be hating on Wall Street right now, but the worst offenders according to the criteria used are utilities. In second and third place were Wall Street and telecommunications, and media came in fifth, well before banking, insurance, or retail. More »

(hugamonkey)

Who Keeps Trying To Kill Our Babies?
By Chris Walters on April 27, 2010 6:36 PM   51 Comments
This "Recalled Baby Products 2009-2010" graphic from the website hugamonkey is massive, and it shows how many types of products were recalled over the past 16 months. You can use it as a reference tool to see if there's anything in your home on the list, or to remind yourself why you'd rather have a houseplant. More »

(dierk schaefer, alex_ford)

Can A Price Scanner Give You Tourette's? (No, Says Judge)
By Chris Walters on April 27, 2010 12:12 PM   56 Comments
I've certainly fought back the urge to shout obscenities at the register over the years, but until now I never thought it might be because the laser in the scanner was triggering an inherited tic disorder; I just thought I was angry about something. A woman in Pennsylvania thinks otherwise and sued a convenience store, claiming that when a clerk shone a price scanner's LED in her daughter's face and told her to cheer up, the light burned her daughter and triggered Tourette's-style symptoms. The judge threw out the case earlier this month for lack of evidence. More »

(maltman23)

What's The Best Smoothie?
By Chris Walters on April 27, 2010 11:27 AM   29 Comments
Whatever smoothie I'm drinking at the moment, that's my answer! Consumer Reports took a nerdier approach, as they often do, and gathered a bunch of people to taste test various store-bought smoothies, then combined those opinions with information from nutritionists. Coming out on top in the dairy category was Lifeway Lowfat Kefir Strawberry, and in the fruit category was Bolthouse Farms Berry Boost Blend. More »

(stuartpilbrow)

Should You Abandon McAfee Or Take Their Free 2-Year Extension?
By Chris Walters on April 27, 2010 10:45 AM   101 Comments
If you use McAfee's anti-virus program and have Windows XP with SP 3, you may have noticed last week that your PC was shutting down every 60 seconds. That was because McAfee pushed out an update that it now admits wasn't properly tested. To apologize, the company says it will reimburse you for repairs (although it hasn't provided details on this yet), and it's offering everyone who was affected a free 2-year extension of the service. Should you take the offer and call it even? Seth Rosenblatt at Cnet says you shouldn't bother. More »

(kevindooley)

Did Paulson Violate The Fair Credit Reporting Act?
By Chris Walters on April 27, 2010 9:29 AM   19 Comments
When the SEC announced its fraud complaint against Goldman Sachs, people noted that the penalties involved would involve money, not jail time. But an attorney writing for seekingalpha.com argued over the weekend that John Paulson, the hedge fund manager who worked with GS to create "synthetic derivatives," accessed FICO scores to create his financial product and therefore violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)—which could mean a penalty as high as $1 billion, and even jail time if the FTC or Justice Department decides to go after him. More »

Watch Boeing Build A Plane For Southwest
By Chris Walters on April 27, 2010 8:37 AM   32 Comments
This time-lapse video of a Boeing manufacturing facility is pretty awesome, if you're into watching "how it's made" type stuff or if you like to see sped-up footage of people. I recommend keeping the volume down and making up your own sound effects starting at 1:03, when employees begin to test everything on the plane. More »

(tylerdurden1)

Supreme Court Makes It Easier To Sue Debt Collectors
By Chris Walters on April 26, 2010 12:15 PM   38 Comments
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that debt collectors can't use a "bona fide error" defense to avoid being sued for misinterpreting the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA). In other words, if a debt collection agency makes a demand that's in violation of the Act, it can't say it didn't know any better. Well, it can, but you can go right ahead and sue. More »

(frankieleon)

What To Do If You Didn't File Your Taxes
By Chris Walters on April 26, 2010 12:06 PM   13 Comments
So you couldn't pay your taxes and you opted not to file them, or an extension, at all. Don't sit around worrying about when the IRS will catch on and come after you; file them as soon as possible, writes consumer reporter Iris Taylor, so that you can set up a repayment plan and move on with your life. The sooner you do this, the sooner you can pay them off (you can take up to 5 years to pay them), and the less you'll end up paying in penalties and fees over the long run. More »

(sociotard)

Save Money On Haircuts
By Chris Walters on April 26, 2010 11:05 AM   88 Comments
Personally I can't imagine a haircut costing much money, so MainStreet's list of 18 ways to get a cheap haircut seems like frugal overkill to me. But then again I'm a guy and I'm going bald, so I just use clippers to avoid the sadness of listening to scissors snip away at nothing, and consequently I don't really know much about the world of hair salons. Apparently a good haircut for a woman can cost a lot of money, unless you know how to find a bargain. More »

(egmTacahopeful)

Delta Passenger Fights Satan, Sprays Others With Water
By Chris Walters on April 26, 2010 9:37 AM   60 Comments
A Delta flight from L.A. to Florida had to make an emergency landing in Albuquerque, NM on Friday, after a first class passenger sprayed people with a water bottle from the beverage cart, threatened to "bring down" the plane, and shouted, "Get behind me Satan," apparently referring to a flight attendant. More »

(scottfeldstein)

Senator Asks FTC To Provide Privacy Guidelines For Facebook, Other Social Networks
By Chris Walters on April 26, 2010 9:01 AM   17 Comments
Senator Charles Schumer is upset on your behalf over Facebook's latest loosening of its privacy policies, and yesterday he called for the FTC to step in and provide some guidance, offering to introduce legislation if the agency feels it needs that extra authority. Specifically, Schumer wants three things: opt-out defaults should be switched to opt-in, sites should always disclose where the information is going, and there should be some general "guidelines for user privacy" that sites follow. More »

(Willivolt)

What To Do When A Company Pulls Your Fair Use Video From YouTube
By Chris Walters on April 26, 2010 8:38 AM   37 Comments
Last week Constantin Films got YouTube to pull almost all the Angry Hitler parody clips by using the website's Content ID tracking system. The process is automatic, and YouTube immediately takes down a video once it's been tagged. However, that also means you can use this system in reverse to get your clips back up, at least for as long as you're in dispute with the copyright holder. Whether you do this or not will depend on how willing you are to risk a potential lawsuit later on. More »

Pay Your Doctor In Chickens
By Chris Walters on April 21, 2010 2:01 PM   103 Comments
Sue Lowden, a senate candidate in Nevada, says if you want to combat health care costs you should consider bartering with your doctor. In an appearance on a local political talk show yesterday, she clarified her proposal: More »

(neoliminal)

Chase Charges $5 To Use Non-Chase ATMs Outside The U.S.?
By Chris Walters on April 21, 2010 1:40 PM   46 Comments
Chase says this about using non-Chase ATMs: "$2 each for any non-Chase ATM withdrawal, balance inquiry or transfer. $3 per ATM withdrawal outside the U.S." You might think that means it costs $2 in the U.S., and $3 outside. You'd be wrong. More »

(Disney)

$100 Bill Redesigned, Now Has Hidden Images
By Chris Walters on April 21, 2010 10:36 AM   85 Comments
Today the Treasury Department will reveal a redesigned $100 bill. The new design brings the bill in line with the smaller denominations that are already in circulation, and it adds a fancy new anti-counterfeiting measure called Motion that uses special threads to "create an optical illusion of images sliding in directions perpendicular to the light that catches them." More »

(dreamglow pumpkincat210)

How To Use Makeup Testers Without Giving Yourself A Disease
By Chris Walters on April 20, 2010 7:02 PM   34 Comments
Elizabeth Brooks, a professor at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, has some advice for people trying out makeup when they're out shopping. As most people know, makeup can harbor bacteria and viruses, and shared testers are the worst offenders: Brooks tested hundreds of makeup counter samples for a study and found 100% of it was contaminated with things like staph, strep, and E. coli. More »

(photogirl7)

War Declared On Salt!
By Chris Walters on April 20, 2010 6:37 PM   70 Comments
Are you tired of the high fructose corn syrup battles? Today the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report that said Americans on average eat enough salt every second to kill a humpback whale kraken. I have not actually read the report, but it probably said something like that. It also said that public education campaigns have failed to reduce sodium intake, and voluntary self-regulation by the food industry hasn't been effective. More »

Should Google Be Broken Apart?
By Chris Walters on April 20, 2010 5:44 PM   83 Comments
The consumer group Consumer Watchdog is planning to ask the Justice Department to "launch an antitrust action against the search giant and seek remedies including a possible break up," reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The group will host a press conference in Washington, D.C. tomorrow where it will argue that there's enough evidence to warrant antitrust action from the feds. More »

(formatc1)

Amazon Sues North Carolina, Says It Won't Divulge Customer Names
By Chris Walters on April 20, 2010 12:51 PM   140 Comments
North Carolina's tax collectors want to find out which of the state's residents have bought untaxed goods from Amazon over the past seven years, so they visited Amazon's HQ in Seattle and demanded the retailer turn over its records. When Amazon said no, the state threatened to sue. What it got instead was a preemptive lawsuit from Amazon that "says the demand violates the privacy and First Amendment rights of Amazon's customers." More »

(Extra Ketchup)

SEC Wants Disclosures For Asset Backed Securities Written In Python
By Chris Walters on April 20, 2010 12:29 PM   34 Comments
"Waterfall" provisions of asset backed securities are the rules that explain the flow of funds in the transaction, and they are are very hard to read. Blogger/professor Jayanth Varma calls them "horrendously complicated," leading trustees to make mistakes or pull stunts that investors never expected. To remedy this, the SEC is proposing that the provisions be written in a programming language, filed on EDGAR, and made available as downloadable Python source code. More »

(jclarson)

J.C. Penney and Home Depot Discover Strange New Concept Called "Customer Service"
By Chris Walters on April 20, 2010 11:21 AM   80 Comments
Whaaaaa? The Wall Street Journal says J.C. Penney and Home Depot have been investing in better customer service training, because apparently some egghead thinks it might increase sales. Penney started it back over the holiday shopping season, by giving cash bonuses to employees who improved their customer service scores. Home Depot should be rolling out some new improved customer interaction this month, where cashiers will ask if you found everything you needed and will call up the right department on your behalf if you didn't. More »

(zieak)

How Far Can You Get On $10?
By Chris Walters on April 19, 2010 5:17 PM   67 Comments
Earlier this month, CNN asked readers to see how far they could stretch $10. A lot of people chose unusual purchases or silly things, but there were some good ideas for tightwads too. More »

(Kaiban)

Embassy Suites Wants To Sell You Bedding And Alarm Clocks
By Chris Walters on April 19, 2010 3:32 PM   60 Comments
Embassy Suites plans to launch a site next month that will let people buy sheets, comforters, pillows, coffee pots, and alarm clocks just like the ones in their hotel rooms, reports national hotel paper USA Today. A Hilton executive in charge of the Embassy brand says the company doesn't plan to make much money off of it and that the items will be priced below retail, but I'm not sure that means you'll find any bargains. More »

(Jesse Wagstaff)

Energy Star Introduces Stricter Rules In Attempt To Prevent Cheating
By Chris Walters on April 19, 2010 2:45 PM   11 Comments
Last year the Department of Energy, which co-administers the Energy Star certification program with the EPA, admitted that it allows many companies to certify their goods themselves. That was somewhat worrying, but nothing like what happened earlier this year when government auditors successfully got ludicrously power-hungry designs approved for the Energy Star label. The EPA and Energy Department have responded by announcing a new, stricter certification process. More »

The KFC Double Down: What A Restaurant Does When It Gets Desperate
By Chris Walters on April 19, 2010 11:11 AM   145 Comments
It seems like the best promotional campaigns for KFC in the past few years have been on South Park, and that's despite the fact that Cartman is the chain's most vocal supporter. An AdAge article today points out that Chick-Fil-A has been eating KFC's lunch for a while now, and so far every stunt KFC has pulled—name changes, PR-engineered recipe events, botched giveaways, getting Oprah's blessing—hasn't stopped the restaurant from losing customers.That's right: your lack of interest in KFC is what created this bundle of cheesy fried-fried in the first place. More »

Art Institute Of Pittsburgh Sees Our Post, Fixes Student's Billing Issue
By Chris Walters on April 19, 2010 10:39 AM   10 Comments
Last month, Daniel wrote in to complain that the Art Institute Online, which is part of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, had completely jacked up his final semester with them. When he wrote to us, he had no diploma, and he was being charged nearly $3,000 for undisclosed course requirements that the school had promised to comp. Fortunately, he's written back with some good news. More »

(goingslo)

Loud Restaurants Make You Eat And Drink More
By Chris Walters on April 19, 2010 10:18 AM   50 Comments
It turns out that, at least for smart restaurateurs, making the dining experience ridiculously noisy is good for business: people buy more drinks per hour, and they finish eating and leave sooner. More »

(Alec Peden)

"Help, Equifax Won't Give Me My Credit Report!"
By Chris Walters on April 14, 2010 10:12 AM   25 Comments
A reader just had his credit limit lowered on a credit card due to some bad credit history that he says isn't his. He'd like to see what's going on with his credit report, but Equifax says he'll have to pay for the privilege, because they have no record of any inquiries in the past 60 days. The reader asks, "Has this happened to anyone else, where a credit card company waited over 60 days to notify them of credit limit reductions? Also, does this violate the FCRA?" More »

(whatatravisty)

Do You Trust Gas Stations To Self-Inspect Their Pumps?
By Chris Walters on April 14, 2010 9:29 AM   68 Comments
Pennsylvania is considering privatizing its Bureau of Weights and Measures to save money, reports CBS affiliate KDKA. This would mean gas stations would be responsible for making sure their pumps gave out the right amount of gas, and supermarkets would take over the certification for their deli scales. A consumer advocate calls this a "fox in the henhouse situation" that would make cheating far too easy. More »

(So Cal Metro)

Shopper Successfully Haggles Macy's Clerk
By Chris Walters on April 14, 2010 9:11 AM   54 Comments
You never know when an opportunity to haggle might present itself when you're out shopping, as our reader Marty demonstrates. He was able to get a 10% discount on a blazer at Macy's just by asking the clerk at the register. More »

Toyota Stops Selling Lexus SUV After Consumer Reports Says "Don't Buy"
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 7:40 PM   44 Comments
It's a big deal when Consumer Reports awards a "Don't Buy" rating to a vehicle, and when it announced earlier today that the 2010 Lexus GX 460 should be avoided because of safety risks, the story started popping up all over the web. Now only 12 hours later, Lexus has announced that it is asking dealers to temporarily stop selling the vehicle while it looks into the situation, and that it's taking the Consumer Reports claim "very seriously."
Towing Company Sues Student Over Facebook Page
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 6:58 PM   134 Comments
T&J Towing of Kalamazoo, MI wants to send a message to anyone in the town who feels like complaining about the company online. They've filed a $750,000 defamation lawsuit against a Western Michigan University student for starting a Facebook page about them. More »

(Maulleigh)

Bank Of America Technician Turned ATM Into Free Money Machine, Stole Over $200,000
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 1:20 PM   44 Comments
A former BoA IT worker has agreed to plead guilty to installing malware on the bank's ATM machines in order to withdraw money whenever he felt like it, reports Wired. According to the plea agreement, his total take from the crime was between $200-400k. The bank won't disclose how he did it or what the malware was like, but earlier this month Visa announced that new malware has hit the U.S. that could not only capture customers' PINs and card data, but also give the criminal the ability to empty the machine of any cash that was in it. More »

(Nevada Tumbleweed)

Bank Of America Employee Allegedly Demanded Illegal Fees To Prevent Foreclosures
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 11:19 AM   22 Comments
It's bad enough that banks have been negligent at implementing the government's loan modification program, but now a BoA mortgage loan officer is being sued for making extra money illegally on struggling homeowners. According to the Boston Globe, a new lawsuit claims the employee was demanding as much as $1,500 from each borrower before offering help foreclosure help, and routing the funds through his own company, Foreclosure Alternatives. The lawsuit also alleges that the man falsely represented himself as an attorney for BoA. More »

(frankieleon)

Spirit CEO Justifies Carry-On Bag Fees
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 10:36 AM   91 Comments
Executives love to justify price increases or staff reductions by hauling out the customer service argument, because then any complaint you make can be framed as self-defeating. ("Don't you want better service?") On that note, Spirit's CEO Ben Baldanza told travel blogger Christopher Elliott last week that the new carry-on bag fee is really intended to reduce gate delays. Remember to send a thank-you card to Baldanza. More »

(Gonzalo Baeza Hernández)

Don't Buy An iPhone Right Now
By Chris Walters on April 13, 2010 9:48 AM   64 Comments
If all this iPad iPad iPad Apple Apple Apple gyrating has got you hot and bothered for an iPhone, take a deep breath and calm down. Now is probably the worst time to take the plunge, notes The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Historically, mid-summer is when Apple ugprades the hardware, so if you wait a couple of months you might be able to get a faster or more feature-rich iPhone for the same cash you'd be shelling out today. More »

(liewcf)

MasterCard Opens Online Store, Uses Predictive Software To Guess What You'll Buy
By Chris Walters on April 12, 2010 2:33 PM   20 Comments
MasterCard has decided to expand into online retailing, so it's opened a store that's sort of Amazon lite. Well, Amazon several design iterations ago. Actually the site looks like one of those themed mini-stores eBay keeps promoting these days, but the merchandise is all new and tailored to your shopping patterns. And by "tailored," I mean that the card issuer is using special customer behavior software to predict the things you're most likely to buy, which it then shows to you. More »

(PCWorld.com)

Latest Facebook Gift Card Scam Nabs 37,000 Victims In One Day
By Chris Walters on April 12, 2010 1:41 PM   32 Comments
When you see a free gift card offer on Facebook, just stay away. Last Friday a fake IKEA gift card scam attracted over 37,000 eager Facebook users, and it's at least the third one to successfully go viral on the site since late March. More »

(Claus Rebler)

Are Credit Monitoring Sites Really Worth The Money?
By Chris Walters on April 12, 2010 1:06 PM   32 Comments
Now that everyone is so obsessed with their credit reports and FICO scores, credit monitoring services have popped up everywhere. For a modest recurring fee—one that easily adds up to over $100 a year—you can have a company constantly watch your credit report and alert you of any changes in it, so you can always be on top of your creditworthiness. But should you bother? The consumer director of the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups federation (U.S. PIRG) tells BusinessWeek that credit monitoring is a "protection racket" that turns people into "financial hypochondriacs... who are scared of their own financial shadows." More »

(PhillipC)

Senator Joins DOT Secretary In Blasting Spirit's New Carry-On Bag Fees
By Chris Walters on April 12, 2010 10:25 AM   67 Comments
Spirit Airline's ballsy new $20-45 fee for carry-on bags has already caught the attention of the Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and now New York Senator Charles Schumer is rattling his sword. More »

"Brownie Husband" Brings Emotional Eating To Delicious New Level
By Chris Walters on April 12, 2010 9:58 AM   17 Comments
Tina Fey's new fake commercial for a product called "Brownie Husband" is delicious and gross. (Whoever made the prop should get a special award.) It captures in one ridiculous product all the promises advertisers make about filling your emotional needs, with just a microwave and a vacuum-molded plastic tray. It's also kind of food porn-y. Watch it below. More »

(Brooks Elliott)

How To Find A Good Local Bank
By Chris Walters on April 12, 2010 9:35 AM   20 Comments
So you're tired of banking at one of the big, faceless national chains and want to keep your money local? You can try one of the recent sites devoted to the local bank movement, like anewwayforward.org or moveyourmoney.info, or you can follow this Kiplinger columnist's lead and do it yourself with a little online research. More »

Watch Out For Drugstore Price Traps
By Chris Walters on April 7, 2010 1:13 PM   79 Comments
I was at a Rite-Aid a couple of weeks back and went to pick up some cheap dish detergent, and the bottles that I remembered being less than $1.50 were all in the $3-4 range. I left and found sanely-priced soap at another store a few blocks away. Our reader Stan just wrote in with a similar example, where he caught his local CVS charging him three times as much as a nearby competitor. More »

Regions Bank Bans Customer For Life For Pestering Them About $29 Fee
By Chris Walters on April 7, 2010 12:48 PM   70 Comments
A man in Tennessee has been banned from ever entering any Regions Bank branch again, because the bank says he was so disruptive and hostile to their employees that they were forced to seek a restraining order. The cause of the dispute was a $29 late fee on an account where the bank had moved up the due date but hadn't noted it on the online version of the account. More »

At Walgreens, Every Holiday Is Hanukkah!
By Chris Walters on April 7, 2010 12:21 PM   24 Comments
Michael says his local Walgreens in Illinois can't seem to unload its inventory of last year's Hanukkah candy—so it just brings it back out with every other holiday. More »

AOL Plans To Sell Or Shut Down Bebo
By Chris Walters on April 6, 2010 8:39 PM   18 Comments
Bebo is a social network a few rungs down from Facebook, which for all practical purposes means it may as well be someone's Wordpress blog. That's why AOL is finally admitting it missed the window for social network dominance and will sell it or close it "soon," according to an internal memo. If you've been hanging on to a Bebo account and hoping the tide would turn, you might want to start checking out the other more popular social networks out there. More »

Brooklyn Police Close 6 Stores On The Same Street For Selling Pot
By Chris Walters on April 6, 2010 8:00 PM   111 Comments
Up until today, if you lived near a certain street in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and wanted some pot, you just had to go to the nearby variety store. Or the music store. Or the take-out restaurants. MyFox New York says police "made a sweep of the neighborhood" today and shut down six businesses for selling drugs either in the back or right alongside the regular merchandise. They also arrested 8 people, including a few store owners and employees, and are planning more arrests. Video below. More »

(Leonid Mamchenkov)

Lamps Plus Takes Deposit, Leaves Customer In The Dark
By Chris Walters on April 6, 2010 7:39 PM   25 Comments
Erica and her fiance are tired of waiting for a lamp to arrive from Lamps Plus, especially now that it's been three months and the company hasn't kept any of its promises so far. She wants to know what to do next. More »

(Jason Cochran)

W Hotel In Hollywood Won't Let Guests Use Its Pool
By Chris Walters on April 6, 2010 6:44 PM   60 Comments
If you plan to visit Los Angeles and want to stay at the W Hollywood, don't expect to get to see the rooftop pool. The hotel contracted the running and maintenance of its pool out to a Las Vegas promotion company, and now it's been turned into an exclusive club and is off-limits to paying customers of the hotel. More »

There Aren't Any Jobs Because These Five People Work Everywhere
By Chris Walters on April 6, 2010 5:32 PM   34 Comments
There's a funny post at the blog Fair Trade Photographer about cheap stock photography, particularly how companies who try to cut corners end up using the same image over and over. Barton has a serious message for companies, too: if you want us to trust you, maybe you shouldn't put a generic stock photo of generic office people on your generic website. More »

(Barb McMahon)

Is It Okay To Download A Pirated Copy Of A Book You Already Own?
By Chris Walters on April 6, 2010 10:47 AM   203 Comments
Yesterday we wrote about someone who downloaded a pirated copy of a game after he couldn't gain access to the copy he'd already paid for. In that case, which most of our commenters supported, it was clear that the consumer was trying to resolve a problem created by the DRM. But what about if you own a printed copy of a book and you simply want to read the ebook version? Should you have to pay for a second copy? Randy Cohen, who writes the The Ethicist column for the New York Times, says downloading a copy you find online is ethical. More »

(CBC)

Food Tampering Craze Hits Calgary As Copycats Join In
By Chris Walters on April 5, 2010 2:45 PM   17 Comments
Maybe Calgary's residents didn't like being eclipsed by the Olympics, or maybe there's just an awfully high number of bored crooks living there. Either way, the city has now reported 11 cases of food tampering, mostly involving shards of metal inserted into food items, in grocery stores across the city since January. More »

Want To Design It Before You Buy It? Try These Retailers
By Chris Walters on April 5, 2010 2:13 PM   7 Comments
Mass customization isn't really that hard to pull off anymore, if a retailer is willing to invest the time building a good interface for customers. BusinessWeek has a slideshow of 10 retailers that let you customize the product before purchasing it. You can buy sneakers, purses, shirts, and even jewelry this way, or if you're feeling really DIY you can go to a site like Ponoko or Shapeways and have product parts made to order. More »

(pierre lascott)

Prison Inmate Charged With Running Major Department Store Credit Card Scam
By Chris Walters on April 5, 2010 1:11 PM   4 Comments
Seven Ohio men between the ages of 27 and 50 were arrested last week and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, after an investigation found evidence that they were gaining access to strangers' store-issued credit cards to buy and resale merchandise. The group's leader, who was also charged, is a 33-year-old inmate at Fort Dix, NJ. Investigators think he initially met one of the Ohio men in prison. More »

(geishaboy500)

If An Airline Loses Your Luggage, Get Compensation
By Chris Walters on April 5, 2010 12:45 PM   13 Comments
The U.S. Department of Transportation says that despite what the airline tells you, there are certain regulations it must follow when it loses a passenger's luggage. Here are the things to remember if you're in this unfortunate situation. More »

Gas Fire Columns Recalled For Being Too Aptly Named
By Chris Walters on April 5, 2010 12:10 PM   7 Comments
Some outdoor gas fire columns sold through Costco in the past 6-7 months have been recalled, because "gas can leak from connections in the column, posing a fire hazard." I guess that's why the photo shows it next to a serene koi pond—it's so you can grab a rake and push it into the water if it gets too fire column-y. More »

(Photo: makdune)

Gas Prices On The Rise For No Good Reason
By Chris Walters on April 5, 2010 11:54 AM   68 Comments
Several states are reporting this morning that average gas prices have crept up slightly, despite the fact that oil consumption has dropped and refiners are operating below capacity. The Miami Herald blames the price creep on Wall Street speculators who are optimistic that the economy is getting better, which in turn will lead to increased gas consumption. More »

AirTran Makes Fun Of Southwest Seating In Commercial
By Chris Walters on March 31, 2010 12:20 PM   56 Comments
If you've ever been part of the mad dash for seats on a Southwest Airlines flight, you might find this video from AirTran funny. In it, mooing passengers race down the jetway while a Southwest employee makes ridiculous jokes. Meanwhile, AirTran serves its assigned-seat passengers Kool-Aid. Wait, now I'm confused about who's being mocked here. More »

(blog.livedoor.jp)

Erotic Japanese Game "Cross Days" Tricks Pirates Into Posting Personal Info Online
By Chris Walters on March 31, 2010 11:37 AM   23 Comments
If you're trying to pirate the Japanese erotic manga game Cross Days—and I don't care what people say, I love that I live in a world where I can type that phrase—you should know that the game's developers are wise to you, and they're going to do their best to shame and embarrass you. More »

(NatalieMaynor)

Asphalt Has Become So Expensive That Some States Are Going Back To Gravel
By Chris Walters on March 31, 2010 10:26 AM   93 Comments
Kiplinger says that in the near future, if you're driving down a rural or less-traveled road, you might find yourself driving on gravel. Road asphalt has doubled in price over the past three years and shows no signs of coming back down, so some states—Michigan, Minnesota, Indiana, Vermont, and Pennsylvania to begin with—are looking for ways to cut corners. Gravel costs $20 a ton compared to asphalt's current $400/ton price. More »

(Willie Lunchmeat)

Watch Out, The J.C. Penney Security Guard Has A Gun!
By Chris Walters on March 30, 2010 10:22 PM   107 Comments
If security guards start carrying guns at department stores, I'm going to stop referring to them as rent-a-cops. Not because they've suddenly jumped up on my respect-o-meter, but because they might open fire. At a mall in Virginia last Sunday, a J.C. Penney security guard pursued a shoplifter into the mall parking lot and fired a gun into the air. The shoplifter was arrested, and the police confiscated the guard's gun. The store won't say whether it was owned by the guard or issued by management. More »

(Apreche)

This Is Why You Don't Answer Anonymous Telephone Surveys At Work
By Chris Walters on March 30, 2010 9:48 PM   117 Comments
Jay's roommate says he was bored at work recently and decided to go ahead and take part in a random telephone survey. Now he's been fired. More »

(Robert Couse-Baker)

The Census Is Getting Weird With Its Marketing
By Chris Walters on March 30, 2010 9:00 PM   73 Comments
"Nobody expects the U.S. Census! Our chief weapon is surprise!" A Seattle blogger posted a photograph of a fortune she received in her fortune cookie recently, and it looks like the Census is using surprise fear and surprise surprise, fear, and a ruthless efficiency to remind people to send back their forms. Oh, and they're ruining fortune cookies. I fully expect to be forced into a comfy chair soon, which all in all isn't a bad way to be tortured, so meh. More »

(Sue Waters)

Investigation Reveals Widespread Fraud In Seafood Packaging
By Chris Walters on March 30, 2010 8:25 PM   34 Comments
It's a common, legal practice to protect seafood with a layer of ice before packaging it up for retail sale. It's also apparently a common practice to add that ice into the total weight of the seafood, and in some cases to add more ice than necessary just to bump up the total weight, which isn't legal and which defrauds the consumer. The National Conference on Weights and Measures recently investigated seafood packaging in 17 states and pulled more than 21,000 packages of seafood from store shelves, noting that in one particularly bad case ice made up 40% of the total listed weight. More »

Judge Says You Can't Patent Human Genes
By Chris Walters on March 30, 2010 1:37 PM   42 Comments
A judge just invalidated the patents on two human genes whose mutations have been linked to breast and ovarian cancer. The genes were isolated by a biotech firm called Myriad Genetics, which argued that because it figured out how to isolate the genes outside of the human body then they were patentable. The judge called that "a ‘lawyer’s trick’ that circumvents the prohibition on the direct patenting of the DNA in our bodies." The company sells a $3,000 cancer screening kit and has maintained a monopoly on the test because of the patents. More »

Don't Worry About What The iPad Costs, You Can't Afford The Apps
By Chris Walters on March 30, 2010 1:13 PM   69 Comments
One of the cool things about the iPhone ecosystem is there are nearly 17 quintillion apps available for it, and although many of these are crap, the good ones frequently cost only a dollar or two. Even the premium-priced "productivity" apps—things like note pads and to-do lists—rarely cross the $10 threshhold, which means you can load up your iPhone or Touch with a lot of cool stuff on a modest software budget. But if a leaked video of the iPad app store is accurate, you can expect to pay 200-500% more for simple things like 99-cent games, and PC-level prices for more robust apps, on your fancy new iPad. More »

Which Retail Bank Has The Best Online Service?
By Chris Walters on March 29, 2010 7:22 PM   109 Comments
Tom is moving here from New Zealand in a few weeks and he needs to find a bank. He writes, "I've checked out the major players, but the number one thing that's turning me off is their online banking systems are horrible! I use online banking A LOT, so this is important to me. In terms of services I'd want, I need a debit card, and that's about it. Maybe I've been spoiled, but this is what I'm used to." He sent us a screen grab of his current bank's online presence, and it's quite attractive (see bigger screenshot below). More »

(Marcus Q)

The Story Behind The Man Who Designed Apple's Glass Cube Store
By Chris Walters on March 29, 2010 6:39 PM   25 Comments
It's not often that a retail store becomes an icon even before it opens for business, but Apple managed to pull off this weird architectural/cultural feat with its glass box Apple store in NYC in 2006—it's the 5th most photographed landmark in the city and 28th worldwide according to a new study of Flickr images. The man who designed it, 70-year-old Peter Bohlin, has been awarded the 2010 gold medal from the American Institute of Architects for his entire body of work, and he doesn't like computers and had never designed a retail environment before the Apple store. More »

(Sydney and Russell Poore)

America's First Legal Male Prostitute Quits After Three Months
By Chris Walters on March 29, 2010 6:20 PM   55 Comments
Markus, the first legal male prostitute in the U.S., hung his shingle at the Shady Lady Ranch in Nevada in January. Since then he's had "fewer than 10 paying customers" according to the Associated Press (which seems to imply there were some free samples maybe?), so he's quitting and going back into porn. In other words, there's a new opening at Shady Lady, gentlemen. Wait, that totally didn't sound right. More »

Keep Your Hands On Your Urine If You Go To LabCorp
By Chris Walters on March 29, 2010 1:10 PM   81 Comments
Mike was sent to LabCorp for some routine medical tests last week, and what he found was an understaffed, overcrowded dump where patients were arguing that their urine samples were missing, or in one instance stolen while the patient watched. This could just be one badly managed lab, but the Internet is swimming in LabCorp complaints around the country that all repeat the same problems. More »

These Antenna Installation Instructions Are Surprisingly Specific
By Chris Walters on March 29, 2010 11:09 AM   58 Comments
I am typing this post with a digital TV antenna stuck in my ear, and all because nobody told me that this wasn't the right way to install it. Ow! Apparently Antennas Direct of Missouri knows that there are people like me out there, because they've included some very specific warnings on their installation instructions (PDF). (Thanks to Billy!)

(saaby)

Always Keep Your Boarding Pass
By Chris Walters on March 29, 2010 6:13 AM   16 Comments
Over on his travel blog, Christopher Elliott writes that if you want to ensure you'll get the reward program miles you deserve, you should hold on to your boarding pass. In his example, a frequent flyer with Air France couldn't get his Delta miles credited even though the airlines codeshare, because Air France demanded the original Delta boarding pass, which the customer had thrown away. Elliot managed to get the airline to cave on this instance, but he points out that it's easier (and better in case of an IRS audit) to hold on to them "just in case." More »

(Fiverr

Everything Is Five Bucks, And Completely Random, On Fiverr
By Chris Walters on March 24, 2010 11:18 AM   23 Comments
Fiverr is a website where people post gigs they're willing to do for five dollars. Does it work? I dunno, but it's a lot of fun to read through the offers: someone will burn a small paper effigy of your enemy, or send you a sock puppet, or turn a photo into a cross-stitch pattern for you. My favorite is, "I will give you $10 if you find two people to give me $5 for $5." More »

(lancefisther)

Study Finds Grocery Store Shoppers Are Honest Folk
By Chris Walters on March 24, 2010 10:53 AM   19 Comments
The people on that People of Walmart website may wear some ugly t-shirts, but at least they're honest when it comes to dealing with strangers. According to a new study that looked at how markets, religion, and the size of a community impact concepts of fairness and punishment, Walmart grocery shoppers in Missouri came out on top in terms of treating the other side fairly and punishing selfishness. More »

(dimsis)

How To Find Affordable Therapy
By Chris Walters on March 24, 2010 10:02 AM   40 Comments
I know of two great ways to deal with issues in one's life: drinking heavily, or seeing a therapist. I've tried both, and I have to say that the therapy route is more efficient, because if done correctly it can help you figure out why you do what you do, so that you can properly enjoy your liquor without all the tears.
 
The problem is that therapy sounds expensive, but there are actually affordable options out there if you know where to look. Here are some tips. More »

Target Ignores Its Own Ban, Lets Petitioners Annoy Shoppers
By Chris Walters on March 23, 2010 1:12 PM   161 Comments
Target has a ban on any sort of petitioning or fund-raising activities in front of its stores, even in California, but G says that yesterday he went to the Target in Vallejo, CA and ran into a group of petitioners at the entrance (see photos). More »

Best Buy Clarifies Its Policy On Imaginary Sync Service For 3D Glasses
By Chris Walters on March 23, 2010 1:11 PM   49 Comments
Last week, HD Guru pointed out that Best Buy was advertising 3D glasses syncing as part of a $150 installation service for people buying 3D TVs. The problem with the offer is it's not necessary (or even possible) to manually "sync" your 3D glasses with a 3D TV. Now Best Buy has responded to the post, partly by explaining that some customers might not know that the glasses sync up automatically and that they can depend on Geek Squad to educate them. More »

UPS Guy Outwits Thieves With Clever Hiding Place
By Chris Walters on March 23, 2010 12:08 PM   111 Comments
Sometimes a reader writes in to complain about how the UPS guy left a package in full view of anyone passing by. Not Nick, who was at work yesterday when he saw that UPS had delivered his shipment from from Amazon. Usually the delivery guy hides packages in Nick's bushes, but this time the notice said, "FD MAT." Nick writes, "That worried me a bit, as this is a pricey piece of electronic equipment. But my worry was misplaced; the clever UPS man hid this package extremely well." More »

(Description Without Place)

Anonymous Protestor Leaves Pile Of Manure In Chase ATM Vestibule
By Chris Walters on March 23, 2010 11:23 AM   55 Comments
Someone who was fed up at Chase made a special deposit on the floor of one of their ATM vestibules in NYC a couple of days ago. Fortunately for the clean-up crew, it looks like it was manure and not actual human poop. More »

Interactive Chart Helps You Vet Health Supplements
By Chris Walters on March 23, 2010 9:51 AM   26 Comments
Are you tired of forgetting whether you should add creatine or cinnamon to your kale smoothie? Do you worry that the milk thistle you've rubbed on your genitals isn't helping? The "Snake Oil?" graphic at informationisbeautiful.net can help you out—it provides a graphical overview of 166 different health supplements and arranges them according to how much evidence there is that they actually work. More »

(Wired)

TJX Hacker May Have Also Been Working For The Secret Service For $75,000 A Year
By Chris Walters on March 23, 2010 9:30 AM   11 Comments
Albert Gonzalez, the mastermind behind most of the multi-million dollar credit card breaches in the past few years, is being sentenced this week. (Feds are asking for 25 years.) Now his former accomplice, Stephen Watt, has told Wired that while Gonzalez was busy stealing and selling credit card data he was also being paid under the table by the U.S. Secret Service to inform on others, earning as much as $75,000 in cash annually. More »

(Photo: christo.bakalov)

Weird Auto-Dialer Scam Curses At You If No Operators Are Available
By Chris Walters on March 22, 2010 4:13 PM   35 Comments
There's a strange auto-dialer message going around right now that asks you to call back for important info. When you call back, you might end up being offered lower interest rates on your credit card... or you might get a voicemail inbox where a man yells at you, "You stupid f***ing b*tch!" More »

62 DFAS Employees To Be Terminated For Bad Credit
By Chris Walters on March 22, 2010 3:47 PM   85 Comments
The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), a military payroll facility in Ohio, has told at least 62 of its employees that they will be terminated for having bad credit, reports WKYC. Troy Marshall, a 17-year veteran at the DFAS and one of the people being fired (incidentally, he's also the president of a union that expanded jobs at the DFAS five years ago), told WKYC that he handles Social Security numbers and maiden names, but nothing else. “We are people. We are not just numbers. We are not just credit reports... Look at the whole person.” More »

Don't Count On That Rebate From MSI
By Chris Walters on March 22, 2010 3:04 PM   65 Comments
My advice on mail-in-rebates is to ignore them when you're trying to decide on a purchase. They take too long to receive, during which time you've paid a higher amount on the product. Even worse, it's easy for a company to deny a claim and refuse to cooperate with you, and it's hard for consumers to get misbehaving companies to play fairly. More »

Art Institute Of Pittsburgh Decides You Need To Buy One More Class To Graduate... After Graduation
By Chris Walters on March 22, 2010 2:46 PM   62 Comments
Update: The school saw our post and has been in touch with Daniel. Here's what happened. More »

(Photo: rxb)

"The Woman Next To Me At Eat'n Park Kept Kicking An Old Lady!"
By Chris Walters on March 22, 2010 11:40 AM   100 Comments
What should you do when you witness someone abusing someone else, but you're in a retail establishment and the management won't help you? While eating at an Eat'n Park last week, Myriad claims she watched a young woman repeatedly kick the elderly lady sitting with her, and when Myriad tried to intervene the girl threatened to punch Myriad in the face. Myriad says the manager refused to cooperate, only repeating that he knew the girl and that she was "very nice." More »

(Photo: tylerdurden)

Don't Believe The Phone Call That Says Your Card Has Been Deactivated
By Chris Walters on March 22, 2010 11:13 AM   20 Comments
Nick received an automated call from some scammy outfit this morning that told him his debit card had been deactivated. The scam looks simple enough, but it's probably worth looking at as a reminder to others. More »

(Photo: inottawa)

JetBlue Takes 2 Hours And Charges $15 To Redeem Customer's Gift Card
By Chris Walters on March 17, 2010 12:02 PM   24 Comments
Angela won a "Wish List" contest from American Express, which let her buy a $100 JetBlue gift card for $70. JetBlue managed to wipe out that $30 savings and any good will Angela might have felt by making her waste 129 minutes trying to redeem the card—and then charging her $15 for the service. At the end of her letter to AmEx and JetBlue, Angela writes, "I don’t know about other AmEx cardholders, but spending almost two hours on hold in order to be able to use something you’ve already paid for is not on my Wish List." More »

(Photo: Abeeeer)

American Airlines, Jet Blue, Delta Seek To Delay Tarmac Imprisonment Rule
By Chris Walters on March 17, 2010 10:37 AM   30 Comments
You know that new rule that says airlines have to let passengers off the plane if it's stuck on the tarmac for more than 3 hours? It's supposed to go into effect in April, but at least three airlines are hoping to delay it because they say runway repairs at JFK Airport will interfere with schedules. More »

(Photo: Torley)

Walmart Wants To Know Who Made The Racist Announcement Over Their PA System
By Chris Walters on March 17, 2010 10:28 AM   132 Comments
This past Sunday, a male voice came over the public-address system at a Walmart in New Jersey and said, "Attention Walmart customers: All black people leave the store now." Understandably, customers and employees were pretty offended. One of the shoppers made sure that store management and local media outlets were made aware of what happened, and Walmart apologized—over the PA system, fittingly—on Sunday evening. Store officials say they're now reviewing security footage to find out who made the announcement. More »

(geeksix)

This Is What Kids Did For Fun In The 80s
By Chris Walters on March 16, 2010 6:04 PM   58 Comments
Josh at GeekSix unearthed a comic book ad that might be familiar to you if you were a kid in the 80s. Olympic Sales Club was one of those door-to-door greeting card companies that enlisted kids across the country to sell crap to neighbors in exchange for merch your parents wouldn't buy you. More »

(LKaestner)

Credit Unions Ask Customers To Leave
By Chris Walters on March 16, 2010 1:35 PM   46 Comments
Credit unions might be attractive alternatives to big commercial banks, but they're not crisis-proof. OregonLive says about a fifth of the nation's credit unions are having financial troubles right now. To get in better financial health, they're introducing fees for services that have long been free, and even asking members to move their deposits to other institutions. More »

Charter Communications Rep Says Cable Companies Taking Over All Streaming Video On May 1st
By Chris Walters on March 16, 2010 1:03 PM   57 Comments
The Charter Communications CSR who spoke with Dustin has some pretty astounding news about what's on the horizon for all of us. It looks like starting May 1st, cable companies will have total, FCC-sanctioned control over streaming video and will take down all competing services. More »

(albany_tim)

Do You Mind If Mint Sells Data Based On Your Transactions?
By Chris Walters on March 16, 2010 11:34 AM   64 Comments
Financial blogger Felix Salmon wants to know why there isn't regulatory oversight of Mint and other financial management websites, especially if they're going to sell data created from their users' transaction histories. More »

(hyku)

Publix Giving Away Free Diabetes Drug
By Chris Walters on March 16, 2010 10:58 AM   44 Comments
Publix wants people with diabetes to become their longterm customers, so they're giving away 30-day supplies of generic metformin in 500 mg, 800 mg, and 1000 mg dosages, with unlimited refills. Although Publix would love it if you subsequently get all your prescriptions filled there, it's not a requirement for the free drug. More »

(jimg944)

CDC And Celebrity Cruises Can't Figure Out Why Passengers Keep Getting Sick
By Chris Walters on March 16, 2010 10:44 AM   49 Comments
Remember the diarrhea nightmare vessel that sickened 450 passengers a few weeks back? Once it got back home, Celebrity Cruises delayed the next trip by a day so that it could perform a "full cleaning." It didn't help much, though: CNN says that about 10% of passengers on the next sailing got sick, and about 19% of passengers on the current sailing are now sick. More »

(Nick Bramhall)

FCC Leaks Summary Of National Broadband Plan
By Chris Walters on March 15, 2010 2:02 PM   38 Comments
The FCC has released a scan (PDF) of the five-page executive summary of the National Broadband Plan that it will present to Congress in two days. Although the summary is packed with recommendations, here's a couple that a lot of broadband customers might be interested in: the FCC wants to develop "disclosure requirements for broadband service providers" so that consumers can make the best choice for service, and it wants to map broadband services across the country to better identify "specific geographies or market segments" where there's not enough competition. More »

(eedrummer)

Group Critical Of Baby Einstein DVDs Gets Evicted, Blames Disney
By Chris Walters on March 15, 2010 1:33 PM   17 Comments
The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) was the group responsible for pressuring Disney into offering refunds on Baby Einstein DVDs last October. Now the CCFC says Disney threatened the mental health center where the group had offices, and consequently the center booted them out in January. More »

(Johan Larsson)

Make Sure You Know Which Version Of Android Is On That Phone Before Buying It
By Chris Walters on March 15, 2010 12:39 PM   32 Comments
That brand new smartphone you want to buy may not be running the latest version of Android, reports Wired, and the manufacturer or cellular provider might like it that way. It costs money to push updates out to existing customers, assuming the hardware is compatible. Besides, carriers can charge extra fees for add-on services (like turn-by-turn navigation) that newer Android OS versions include free of charge. Check out Wired's article for a comparison chart of the Android version on each handset. More »

(D'Arcy Norman)

How To Take Care Of Your Dishwasher, Washing Machine, And Oven
By Chris Walters on March 15, 2010 11:27 AM   79 Comments
My friends broke the high-efficiency (H.E.) washing machine in their new apartment last year because they were using too much soap. Alina Tugend at the New York Times says it's a common problem—one repairman told her that "most people use 10 to 15 times the amount of soap they need." More »

Track Free And Cheap Games For Your iPhone Or Touch
By Chris Walters on March 15, 2010 11:14 AM   8 Comments
There are several apps on the Apple app store that help consumers track sales and free offers from developers, but you have to launch them and check in regularly. The website App Spy offers an automated price tracker for games (just games, unfortunately) that will send you an email whenever a price threshhold is reached. If you tend to be an app junkie, it can help save you money by letting you get your fix on the cheap good stuff. More »

(nDevilTV)

Test Your Broadband Speeds For The FCC
By Chris Walters on March 15, 2010 9:34 AM   27 Comments
Last Thursday, the FCC started collecting information from consumers about the quality of their broadband service. If you've got a PC that can run Java, you can go to Broadband.gov and run the test now. (The FCC will collect your IP address and physical address, but not your name or email address, reports Wired.) If you've got an iPhone or Android smartphone, you can download an app to measure your connectivity and report it. More »

(bsdfm)

Making The Most Of Medical Expense Tax Deductions
By Chris Walters on March 10, 2010 2:13 PM   21 Comments
Kiplinger has advice on on how to maximize your medical expense deductions at tax time. You can only deduct out-of-pocket expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income, so you should try to bundle medical procedures in the same year if possible. More »

(purplejavatroll)

Don't Buy Your Crack With Monopoly Money
By Chris Walters on March 10, 2010 1:56 PM   33 Comments
If there's one thing every crack dealer hates, it's being paid in Monopoly money. A 33-year-old man in Wichita, KS, was pulled over by officers last week and found bleeding from the head. He told police he'd just been tricked by his angry crack dealer into coming over to his house, whereupon the dealer pistol whipped his face. According to the police report, the victim told them that "a couple of weeks ago he bought several hundred dollars of crack-cocaine with Monopoly money and now the dealer was ready for pay back." More »

(Carly & Art)

How Do I Protect My Gullible Grandma From Psychic Scams?
By Chris Walters on March 10, 2010 12:03 PM   45 Comments
Last week, Jon wrote to us asking how he can help protect his grandmother from falling for any more direct mail scams. She'd answered a piece from psychic Maria Duval, and subsequently her mailing address was sold to all sorts of scammers who thrive on easy marks. We suggested filing a prohibitory order via the USPS, but the core problem remains: how do you convince someone who wants to believe in psychics that she's being lied to? More »

(cwbuecheler)

Visit NYC, Eat Breast-Milk Cheese
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 7:27 PM   68 Comments
If you want to try human breast-milk cheese, make sure you stop in at Klee Brasserie in New York City the next time you visit. It's made from the chef's own wife, and he tells the New York Post, "It tastes like cow's-mik cheese, kind of sweet," and changes flavor depending on "what the mother eats." His wife says, "The breast is there to make food." Maybe, but I'm thinking this is a good way to shave a little off the cheese budget. More »

(Merelymel13)

Mercedes-Benz Ordered To Pay $482k Over Lemon Car
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 7:10 PM   12 Comments
Wisconsin's lemon law for cars is pretty strict. If a customer demands a refund on a newly bought car that won't run and can't be repaired, the manufacturer has to comply within 30 days or pay double the purchase price plus legal fees. Marco Marquez has been fighting Mercedes-Benz for 4 years now over a $56,000 E 320 he bought in 2005 that immediately stopped working. He says the company deliberately stalled on giving him the refund in time, and last week a judge awarded him $482,000. More »

(Gwyn Richards)

Hey Online Shoppers, Please Don't Agree To Withdraw Negative Reviews
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 6:46 PM   33 Comments
Jessica Palmer at the blog Bioephemera recently had a bad run-in with a bookseller on Amazon, which she talks about at great length in a post. The mistake she made, she says, was that she didn't exercise due diligence in researching the seller for complaints, and she didn't read through all the many reviews on Amazon to see if the negative ones demonstrated a pattern. But her bigger issue is that there's still no way to shame a bad retailer the way local news stations do with local brick and mortar stores, which is why it's so important to stick by your complaints once you make them. More »

Lindsay Lohan Sues E*Trade Over Talking Baby Commercial
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 1:01 PM   57 Comments
Does the milkaholic baby named Lindsay in the latest E*TRADE commercial remind you of a certain celebrity? Lindsay Lohan says it's supposed to be her and is a jab at her own milkaholism, and she's suing the company for $100 million and seeking an injunction to get it off the air. I agree that the baby playing the milkaholic doesn't give a very good performance, but I always assumed it was supposed to be Lindsey Buckingham. More »

(Macrumors)

How To Polish A Scratched iPhone
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 12:17 PM   17 Comments
Replacing an iPhone is expensive, which is why this guy decided to buy a heavily used and damaged one and clean it up himself. You might find the screen replacement side too daunting, but the procedure for turning a dull, scratched case into a glossy smooth one is something pretty much anyone can do. More »

(Almighty Franklinstein)

Mercedes Shows Off New Safety Feature For Cars
By Chris Walters on March 9, 2010 9:17 AM   24 Comments
Last week, Mercedes showed a bunch of journalists some new safety features it's working on to prevent deaths in the event of a car crash, and BNET describes them. I hope you like air bags going off all around you—the demo even has air bags for the car. Sadly, the people-scooper feature—something about when you hit a pedestrian, the car "scoops" the body onto the hood and keeps the person there, probably so that his screaming can alert you that you've been in an accident—will only be available in Europe. More »

Find Out Where Your Dairy And Produce Items Came From
By Chris Walters on March 8, 2010 5:35 PM   21 Comments
A longtime reader sent in a couple of links to websites that let you find out more about your food supply chain, if you're into that sort of stuff. Where is my milk from? matches carton codes with a list of dairies published by the FDA. FoodLogiq is less user-friendly and requires free registration, but you can apparently use it to track produce from participating growers. (Thanks to Cy!)

(mistress_f)

Crazy Cruise Line Telemarketer Pulls Out Every Trick In The Book
By Chris Walters on March 8, 2010 5:18 PM   46 Comments
John Tedesco of the San Antonio Express-News was badgered last week by a telemarketer who wouldn't take no for an answer. He decided to keep her talking for a while to see how many ways she'd try to get him to hand over his credit card number for a "free" cruise. Here were all the tricks she used during her sales pitch. More »

(Ingorrr)

Premium Organic Wines Are A Good Deal Right Now
By Chris Walters on March 8, 2010 4:27 PM   18 Comments
If you want a good deal on a high-end bottle of wine, a new study suggests you should look for wines that clearly indicate they're made from organic grapes. An economics professor and an environmental science Ph.D. candidate compared wines made with certified organically grown grapes to conventional wines, looking at both price and taste rankings, and found that the organic ones scored on average one point higher on Wine Spectator's rankings. For some reason, telling that to consumers seems to devalue the wine: high-scoring bottles that advertised their organic nature sold for less at retail, while bottles that withheld this info scored just as high on taste but also were priced higher than average. More »

(supertrixiecat)

Maybe People Are Stealing From Your Drugstore Because You Only Have One Employee
By Chris Walters on March 8, 2010 1:41 PM   117 Comments
I've stopped shopping at the two large drugstores in my neighborhood because they've put all the antiperspirant behind plastic flaps, like bagels at a supermarket. When you lift the flap to grab a Right Guard or Speed Stick, an alarm goes off that makes it clear to everyone in the store that you're a potential criminal with stinky pits. My guess has been that this embarrassing anti-theft deterrent is needed because there's almost no staff at either store anymore, and a new retail survey and a couple of loss prevention experts seem to back that up. More »

(Disney)

Will You Wear A $600 Disney Dress Based On One Of Its Movies? How About In 5 Years?
By Chris Walters on March 8, 2010 11:49 AM   23 Comments
The future of Disney merchandising will hit a lot more demographics than the mostly kid-oriented stuff of today, if Disney has any say over it. Disney has already angered theater chains by shortening the theatrical release window on its new movie-like product Alice in Wonderland, cutting into theaters' profit models in order to bump up the DVD release date. But CNBC notes that it's also launching the "most wide-ranging array of consumer products ever" for a Disney flick—and that includes thousand dollar necklaces, nail polish, and dresses that cost as much as $600. More »

(SuziJane)

It's National Consumer Protection Week!
By Chris Walters on March 8, 2010 11:13 AM   6 Comments
The FTC has designated this week National Consumer Protection Week, so all scams will be put on hold and businesses won't overcharge you until next Sunday. What, no? That's now how it works? Ah... it looks like it's more about consumer education, which is also a good thing since that will help consumers protect themselves year round. For adults, here's a whole page of various scam prevention tips, fact sheets, and videos. If you're an educator, you can enroll in the National Financial Capability Challenge and get an "educator toolkit" to help you teach students how to be smart consumers. There's a section for businesses too, with information on how to protect customers' personal info and deter ID theft. More »

(Editor B)

Reduce Your Chances Of Laptop Theft By Turning Off Wi-Fi
By Chris Walters on March 3, 2010 2:01 PM   45 Comments
A security company says that one easy way to find recently closed laptops hidden in cars or bags is to search for Wi-Fi radios, because some laptops can take half an hour or more before going into sleep mode. You need a specialized scanner to do sniff out Wi-Fi radios, but NetworkWorld.com says you can get one for about $50. The security company, Credant Technologies, says a group of lottery scammers in Jamaica were using stolen laptops that they found in this way. The solution: disable your Wi-Fi before you close the lid on your laptop. More »

Boston Bridal Show Was Massive Scam That Duped Over 6,000 Victims
By Chris Walters on March 3, 2010 11:22 AM   71 Comments
This weekend was supposed to be the Boston 411 Spring Home & Bridal Show, but it was cancelled at the last minute. Now police are saying that the entire thing was an elaborate scam that pulled in money from attendees and vendors, raking in more than $150,000 over the past five months. The scammers used a website, Facebook page and Twitter account to promote the event, used PayPal to accept payments, sold fake hotel room reservations and issued fake conference passes. Boston police and the FBI are investigating, but so far nobody has been taken into custody. More »

(WOW)

Man Arrested For Hanging Eight-Story Ad, Held On $1-Million Bail
By Chris Walters on March 3, 2010 8:38 AM   81 Comments
Los Angeles has had a problem with illegal billboards for a while, but apparently it's taking a ban on one type of display advertising seriously. "Supergraphics" are giant outdoor ads that stretch across the sides of buildings and are so big they can be seen from the International Space Station. Last month, the city filed a lawsuit involving several supergraphics already on display. A few days later a businessman hung an eight-story tall one on a building on Hollywood Boulevard, in the line of sight of cameras shooting red carpet coverage for the Oscars. He was arrested and held on a $1,000,000 bail. More »

(holisticmonkey)

No More Daily Show Or Colbert Report On Hulu
By Chris Walters on March 2, 2010 9:48 PM   39 Comments
The New York Times is reporting that Viacom plans to pull its Comedy Central programming from Hulu next week because it can't reach an agreement with the video site on compensation. In a post today on its blog, a Hulu executive notes that Hulu was "unable to secure the rights to extend these shows," and that they'll be gone as of 11:59 pm PST next Tuesday, March 9th. After that, you can continue watching them on TheDailyShow.com and ColbertNation.com. More »

(irina slutsky)

Rent-A-Center Settles With Washington Attorney General Over Customer Abuse Claims
By Chris Walters on March 2, 2010 8:39 PM   28 Comments
Rent-A-Center, the furniture/appliance rent-to-own company ("For When You Want to Piss Away Your Paycheck!"), has settled with the Washington Attorney General's Office over charges that its employees harassed customers who were late on payments. Last year, the company's employees in Washington were accused of trying to kick in one customer's door and threatening another one with jail, among other things. More »

FTC Shuts Down Multi-Million Dollar Cramming Business Inc21
By Chris Walters on March 2, 2010 8:15 PM   13 Comments
Inc21 supposedly sells web hosting and other Internet-related services, but the FTC says that in reality it contracted with offshore telemarketers who helped it cram charges onto unsuspecting customers' phone bills, earning $19 million over the past five years. Customers who complained about the charges said they were either never contacted in the first place, were promised a free trial, were told that the telemarketer was just verifying business information, or explicitly refused Inc21's offer and were charged anyway. More »

(Robert S. Donovan)

USPS Suggests Cutting Saturday Delivery And Increasing Rates
By Chris Walters on March 2, 2010 1:15 PM   189 Comments
The United States Postal Service is continuing its long slide into suckage according to a new report delivered by Postmaster General John E. Potter this morning. People sent far less mail last year ("more than double any previous decline," says the Washington Post) and labor costs continue to rise, which helped the USPS lose $3.8 billion in 2009. More »

(adulau)

What Do You Do When Your Credit Card Has Been Armed With An Interest Rate Trap?
By Chris Walters on March 2, 2010 12:00 PM   57 Comments
Harry's got a problem: the Bank of America card he's had for years is paid off, but now it's been set to explode in Harry's wallet if he ever uses it again because the variable APR will jump to 29.99 percent. What's worse, his other card has been canceled. Now Harry doesn't know if he should start using the BofA card or back away quietly from it. More »

(chippenziedeutch)

Slate's 10 Ways To Fix Airline Seating
By Chris Walters on March 2, 2010 11:20 AM   62 Comments
Yesterday we covered Slate's look at what's wrong with airline seating—it's not just overweight people who feel cramped on flights these days. Slate asked its readers to come up with some practical solutions to the problem, and today they printed the top ten suggestions. More »

(The Consumerist)

Woman Who Lost Home Over $68 Dental Bill Might Get Another Chance
By Chris Walters on March 1, 2010 3:41 PM   31 Comments
Almost a year ago, Sonya Capri Ramos was in the news because she'd lost her home over a $68 dental bill. Last week, the Utah Court of Appeals gave her some hope that she might be able to get it back from the title company that bought it at auction for $1,550. More »

(kiwanja)

Verizon And T-Mobile Offer Free Calls To Chile
By Chris Walters on March 1, 2010 2:26 PM   8 Comments
If you need to reach someone in Chile this week, try calling on a Verizon or T-Mobile phone. Both carriers have announced that they're temporarily waiving charges on calls. Verizon says that all calls from the U.S. to Chile will be free until March 6th. I couldn't find a similar press release from T-Mobile, so you might want to call first to confirm. Just remember that only these two carriers are offering free calls, and they're only free if you call from the U.S.; you don't want to end up with an unpleasant surprise like those U.S. soldiers in Haiti last month. More »

Did NBC's Coverage Of The Winter Olympics Suck?
By Chris Walters on March 1, 2010 2:03 PM   115 Comments
As a product, NBC's broadcast of the 2010 Winter Olympics seemed pretty disappointing to a lot of online users. TechCrunch points out that a recent analysis of comments on Twitter, blogs, and forums, shows a wide range of dissatisfaction with NBC's coverage, with the biggest percentage focused on content: 19% of the complaints were about the tape delay of events (what a former NBC sports exec once called "plausibly live"), and 20% were about there not being enough actual sporting events shown. More »

(Conor Lawless)

Slate Looks At What's Wrong With Airline Seating
By Chris Walters on March 1, 2010 1:51 PM   158 Comments
Although we've discussed it here plenty of times, the recent twitstorm caused by Kevin Smith after he was booted from a Southwest flight has brought more mainstream coverage to the issue of airline seating. Slate asked its readers for input, and today it published the most consistent arguments, like it's not just a problem for overweight people, and we might have to buy our way out of it. More »

Don't Call In To Complain About How You Can't Steal Wi-Fi
By Chris Walters on March 1, 2010 11:46 AM   171 Comments
Someone named Jennifer called in to the Leo Laporte show a week ago and asked for help on how to get back online. She'd been able to access a Wi-Fi hotspot for over a year and a half from her apartment, but "that's disappeared now for three weeks." She bought a wireless extender and that didn't solve the problem at all. Laporte gently tries to point out that she's being a freeloader, but she's not buying it. More »

Andes Struggles With Apparent Mint Shortage
By Chris Walters on March 1, 2010 10:51 AM   39 Comments
Roger is annoyed that the package of Andes mints he bought is much larger than it needs to be. In fact, it looks suspiciously like the company is trying to convince the casual observer that there are more mints inside than there really are. I'm not sure how making a consumer feel disappointed about a candy purchase is good for repeat business, but maybe parent company Tootsie hopes you'll eat a mint and forget the sadness.

(kballard)

Burger King Tells Singing Employee To Stop It
By Chris Walters on February 26, 2010 4:54 PM   81 Comments
You know how there are those people who, no matter what job they have, somehow retain a cheery outlook? And if you're grumpy like me you wish they'd go away, but secretly you marvel at how they spread cheer to everyone around them and make the day more pleasant? Well, that's one thing you'll no longer find at a Burger King in a Concord, NH, mall. The district manager put a stop to it. More »

(St0rmz)

Websites Offer After Death Services For Your Online Life
By Chris Walters on February 26, 2010 4:40 PM   27 Comments
If you don't want all your various online accounts left unattended when you permanently go off the grid, you can now hire several different services to clean up any loose ends—closing accounts, sharing passwords with survivors, transferring gaming accounts, and so on. Wired says they cost anywhere from $10 a year to $300 for a lifetime account, although after reading about this you may find it's cheaper and more efficient to just add the necessary info to your will. More »

(kthread)

Access America's "Comprehensive Trip Protector" Insurance Isn't Comprehensive, So Enjoy Your Overnight Layover
By Chris Walters on February 26, 2010 3:11 PM   44 Comments
Mark Smith just got suckered into buying travel insurance that turned out to be worthless to him. There was a huge hole in the middle of the coverage, which meant he and his two kids were stuck overnight in Denver on his own dime. Luckily the policy only cost $40, but that's $40 that now belongs to Access America in exchange for providing a useless service. More »

(WLWT.com)

Is The Guy Who Bulldozed His Home A Folk Hero?
By Chris Walters on February 26, 2010 2:03 PM   81 Comments
Terry Hoskins, the guy in Ohio who bulldozed his home earlier this month to prevent it from being taken back and auctioned off by his bank, is now the subject of a song. Someone else made t-shirts and caps—they feature a bright yellow bulldozer and the words, "Take 'Er Down"—that are being sold to raise money for him. WLWT says Hoskins didn't break any laws by dozing the home, but as he puts it, "I still have a mortgage of ($160,000). I still (have) to pay that." More »

Restaurant Bans Customer For Not Tipping Enough
By Chris Walters on February 26, 2010 1:26 PM   272 Comments
The menu of a restaurant in Winston-Salem, NC, says a gratuity of 15% will be added to parties of six or more. A former customer says she was in a party of three and saw that an 18% gratuity had been added, which she complained about but paid. She said the next time she showed up, she was met at the door by staff and told that she had to agree up front to pay 18% or she couldn't eat there. More »

Colorado Springs Billboard Company Says "No Puppet Boobs Allowed"
By Chris Walters on February 25, 2010 4:30 PM   71 Comments
Lucy the Slut is one of the puppets in the musical "Avenue Q," and like the other puppet characters she's frequently displayed in their advertising. But not in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where a billboard company refused to put up ads showing Lucy's cleavage. An exec for the billboard company told the local paper, "If I have to explain it to my 4-year-old or my grandmother, we don't put it up." Hey four-year-old, it's a puppet. Hey grandma, those are boobs. Problem solved. More »

(CNN)

Hot Dog Found At Coney Island May Be 140 Years Old, But Definitely A Hoax
By Chris Walters on February 25, 2010 3:50 PM   28 Comments
Update: As several readers have pointed out, it's a Coney Island publicity hoax, which probably explains why CNN yanked the clip.   *   People are calling it the caveman hot dog. Okay, nobody is calling it that. But one person interviewed by CNN News12 Brooklyn said, "That's unbelievable, finding hot dogs that are 140 years old. That's crazy, to me it's crazy." Another person said, "These things are irreplaceable, they're priceless. And it's great that they found it, and that it will be here for generations to come and see and learn." More »

(alvi2047)

CDC Will Probably Advise Flu Shots For Everyone This Fall
By Chris Walters on February 25, 2010 3:00 PM   88 Comments
An advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control has recommended that everyone get flu vaccinations from now on, not just people in special higher risk groups. According to WebMD, "the CDC almost certainly will make universal flu vaccination official U.S. policy for this fall's 2010-2011 flu season, as it consistently follows the advice of the panel of outside experts." More »

(davidChief)

Chicago Is Worst Place To Get Your Car Repaired, Memphis Is Best
By Chris Walters on February 25, 2010 2:31 PM   35 Comments
The website AutoMD.com sent mystery shoppers to 600 auto repair shops in 50 different market areas to ask how much it would cost to replace the front brakes on a Ford Focus. They found that on average, repair shops in Memphis were among the most affordable shops tested, and they tended to consistently quote their prices to customers. The worst was the Chicago area, where shops quoted anywhere from $425 to $150, and where every shop tested changed its quote depending on what information the mystery shopper presented. More »

(Moody75)

America's Best Airports: Detroit, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul
By Chris Walters on February 24, 2010 8:29 PM   74 Comments
J.D. Power and Associates has released rankings of U.S. airports based on a survey of 12,000 travelers last year, and Detroit's decision to mesmerize travelers with colored light really paid off. You can check out the list here and sort the airports by overall satisfaction or by factors like the quality of check-in or baggage claim. More »

Amazon's Frustration Free Packaging Still Not Quite Working Out For Electronics
By Chris Walters on February 24, 2010 8:08 PM   40 Comments
Tom wishes Amazon would use better packaging when it comes to shipping things like hard drives. Their "frustration-free packaging" is meant to save shoppers from dealing with blister packs and unnecessary boxes. For the Western Digital hard drive Tom was trying to buy, it meant bouncing around a half-empty box from the fulfillment facility to his doorstep, where it arrived broken. Twice. More »

(ksr8s)

Is It Okay To Switch Out Eggs At The Supermarket?
By Chris Walters on February 24, 2010 7:32 PM   243 Comments
Zachery says when he goes to buy a dozen eggs, he wants to make sure he's not paying for any bad ones, so he opens the cartons and switches them out. He says a fellow shopper told him this was illegal. Obviously this fellow shopper is an idiot, but I thought I'd post Zachary's question anyway just so readers can share their own supermarket QA methods. More »

(Ed Yourdon)

Humana Is Being A Little Dramatic About Alex's Health
By Chris Walters on February 24, 2010 6:16 PM   109 Comments
Alex is 24 years old and was laid off last year. He's trying to sign up for a high-deductible health insurance plan from Humana One, but they've rejected him because he's got a mess of health issues: "At my last checkup I mentioned occasional knee pain, occasional indigestion, and the fact that I experienced palpitations extremely rarely." Or as Human describes it, "a medical history of bursitis, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, palpitations and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)." More »

Walmart Closing Down Vudu's Porn Channel
By Chris Walters on February 24, 2010 6:03 PM   39 Comments
To no one's great surprise, Vudu has announced that now that it belongs to Walmart it will be shutting down the adult section. No more streaming HD porn from Vudu, everybody. Their announcement after the jump. More »

(fodt)

Credit Checks For Jobs On The Rise
By Chris Walters on February 24, 2010 9:59 AM   60 Comments
Some HR departments use credit checks to help determine whether to hire an applicant. The practice has always had critics, since credit histories can have errors that are hard to correct, and since there's no strong correlation between credit history and job performance. But in this economy the practice may be even less fair, notes MSNBC, even though more organizations are relying on it. More »

Hey Companies, Little Kids Are Not An Acceptable Sales Force
By Chris Walters on February 23, 2010 9:42 PM   107 Comments
Dale writes to us that his two kids came home tasked with a lame magazine subscription assignment on behalf of a classroom magazine called Weekly Reader. It's a little sleazy to use kids to pry cash out of the pockets of relatives and friends, and I hold that opinion as both a kid who has had to do it and an adult who has received the manipulative "please help my school!" plea in the mail. More »

Caribbean Cruise Ship Turns Into Diarrhea Nightmare Vessel
By Chris Walters on February 23, 2010 6:41 PM   96 Comments
When gastrointestinal illness hits a cruise ship, there's nowhere to run or hide, as nearly 450 passengers and crewmembers aboard the Celebrity Cruises ship Mercury have discovered. Celebrity Cruises says they they're still investigating what caused the outbreak, but the symptoms include "upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea," according to their spokeswoman. More »

Google Says It Will Ask Early Buzz Users To Doublecheck Their Privacy Settings
By Chris Walters on February 23, 2010 1:40 PM   13 Comments
Wired reports that Google will offer a do-over to early users of Buzz, the social network service that has earned the company criticism and a class-action lawsuit. More »

(Sindy)

Amazon Most Trusted Brand Of 2009; Toyota Was Seventh Most Trusted
By Chris Walters on February 23, 2010 10:33 AM   41 Comments
All the money that Amazon has sunk into infrastructure and rapid fulfillment has paid off—the online retail giant was the most trusted brand of 2009, according to a brand study released by Millward Brown. The market research company spent 2009 asking consumers questions like, "How trustworthy is this brand?" and, "Would you recommend this brand?" More »

(marcus_in_ny)

Woman's Water Bill Jumps From $80 To $1,600
By Chris Walters on February 22, 2010 5:25 PM   95 Comments
Erica Kocur in Minneapolis received her water bill from the city, and it's for $1,600, about 20 times what she normally pays. The city says it's accurate, but KSTP-TV says that she would have had to use almost 200,000 gallons of water in one month to generate that figure. More »

(Kossy@FINEDAYS)

2009 Second Safest Year For Western-Built Jets In Aviation History
By Chris Walters on February 22, 2010 4:39 PM   30 Comments
According to a new report by the trade group International Air Transport Association, 2009 comes in just behind 2006 as the safest year on record (kept since 1964), with an average of 1 accident for every 1.4 million flights on a Western-built jet. CNN notes, "If you were to take a flight every day, odds are you could go 3,859 years without an accident." With delays and cancellations it would actually take nearly 6,000 years to complete all those flights, but it's still a good statistic to tell yourself the next time you get nervous about flying. More »

(davidsilver)

Madonna Planning Clothing Line With Macy's
By Chris Walters on February 22, 2010 4:16 PM   34 Comments
Women's Wear Daily says that Madonna is in talks with Macy's to launch an exclusive women's collection that would include apparel, accessories, intimates, and footwear. "Label names under serious consideration for the product lines include Material Girl for the apparel and Truth or Dare for the lingerie and underwear." I'm crossing my fingers there's a "Papa Don't Preach" maternity line in the works as well. More »

(samwilkinson)

Let's Ask BillShrink About Credit Cards Under The CARD Act
By Chris Walters on February 22, 2010 3:58 PM   22 Comments
Greg wrote to us and said that he's in the market for a new credit card: "I canceled my Chase card because they raised my interest rate to 29.99% + prime. What credit card companies should I be looking at for a replacement card? What are their perks, their drawbacks?"
 
I spoke with Samir Kothari, the co-founder and vice president of products at BillShrink.com, to see what he thinks about the CARD Act and how it will change the credit card marketplace. More »

(Anonymous Account)

Citibank Freaks Out Customers With Weird 7-Day Rule On Withdrawals, But It's Not As Devious As It Looks
By Chris Walters on February 22, 2010 12:52 PM   12 Comments
Some Citibank customers recently received notice that the bank reserved the right to require 7 days written notice before authorizing a withdrawal on checking accounts. (It's also on page 23 of Citi's Client Manual [PDF].) As you can imagine, this freaked some people out. A Citibank rep quickly moved to clarify the rule, and he pointed out that it's actually required by federal law for certain types of accounts, and it's not unique to Citibank, and they don't intend to enforce it. More »

Bloom Box Can Supposedly Power A Small Home, But You Can't Afford It
By Chris Walters on February 22, 2010 12:10 PM   92 Comments
60 Minutes has reported on a new fuel cell product called a Bloom Box, a big metal box containing a small stack of ceramic disks and "ink" that can supposedly provide enough power to run a Starbucks. The big questions are: Does it work? And will it ever help the average homeowner save on energy costs? Google has supposedly been using four of them to power one of its data centers for the past 18 months, so yes to the first question. As for home use, a Bloom Box currently costs over $700,000, so no. Inventor K.R. Sridhar optimistically says he wants to get the price to under $3,000 in the next 5 to 10 years, though. Watch the 60 Minute segment below. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 22, 2010 10:04 AM   1 Comment
    Clothing
  • Cafe Press : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon COSH215
  • macys: [Womens Apparel] Macy's Sale: Up to 80% off select women's sleepwear
More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on February 19, 2010 5:56 PM   6 Comments
Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(ConsumerAffairs.com)

Managing Editor Of ConsumerAffairs.com Has Died
By Chris Walters on February 19, 2010 3:56 PM   19 Comments
Martin H. Bosworth, the 35-year-old managing editor of the website ConsumerAffairs.com, died on Wednesday after a long illness. We'll miss his work on behalf of consumer issues, and we offer our condolences to everyone who knew him. More »

(Fe Ilya)

California Town To Start Charging Up To $400 For 911 Calls
By Chris Walters on February 19, 2010 3:14 PM   168 Comments
The town of Tracy, California has come up with a new plan to make money: you'll have to pay between $48-400 to call 911. I wonder if Tracy is planning on giving the caller the bill over the phone—they might be able to chain 911 calls together by giving the first caller a heart attack, thereby prompting someone else to call, and so on. Money! More »

(Louis Abate)

Did You Make Calls From Haiti On Verizon? Better Start Saving.
By Chris Walters on February 19, 2010 2:09 PM   48 Comments
Update: Verizon won't charge the soldiers for the calls in question.
 
In the weeks immediately following the Haiti earthquake, Verizon and AT&T offered free calls to Haiti as a goodwill gesture to people in the U.S. with family and friends over there. The offers weren't identical, though, and Verizon was only offering free calls made to Haiti, not the reverse. Spc. James Crawford kept calling his pregnant wife each day from his station in Port-au-Prince, and now they have a phone bill for $1,919.44. More »

(Kelly Schott)

Ticketmaster Agrees To Only Sell Tickets It Has
By Chris Walters on February 19, 2010 1:49 PM   24 Comments
Ticketmaster has settled with the FTC over charges that it used "deceptive bait-and-switch" tactics when selling concert tickets, reports the Los Angeles Times. As usual for this kind of settlement, Ticketmaster admits no wrongdoing. For instance, the FTC noted that in one case "the same set of 38 tickets for the Springsteen concert in Washington were sold and resold 1,600 times," and Ticketmaster waited as long as three months to let affected customers know, which is a clear example of not doing anything wrong. More »

(aresauburn™)

Publisher: "If You Can Afford An Ebook Device, You Can Pay More For Ebooks"
By Chris Walters on February 19, 2010 11:47 AM   95 Comments
Imagine trying to buy a book from Big Generic Bookstore and watching the cashier add $5 to the sticker price. "What are you doing?!" you cry out, waving a fist menacingly at him. "You look like you can afford it," he says back to you with a hint of entitltement. That's basically what a publishing industry expert said in a piece he wrote last week about ebook pricing. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 19, 2010 10:15 AM   14 Comments
    Automotive
  • TireRack: [Tires] TireRack.com Wheel Clearance: Up to 71% off, deals from $59 + $19 s&h

    • Clothing
  • The Children's Place : [Apparel] 15% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon FAMILYA9 + Printable
  • YOOX: [Clothing & Accessories] YOOX.com: Up to 90% off clearance items + free shipping, more
  • Little Miss Matched : [Apparel] $5 Baby Blowout Sale
More »

It's Probably A Bad Idea To Cash A Check For A Stranger
By Chris Walters on February 18, 2010 8:14 PM   76 Comments
I bet if some guy approaches you on the street right as you're about to walk into your bank or credit union and asks you to cash a check for him, you'd say no. That's a good idea. Apparently at least two people in Madison, Wisconsin thought they were doing a good deed and helped the man out. It turns out that the checks were drawn on a closed bank account in Atlantic City, NJ. More »

(WLTW.com)

Man Bulldozes Home After Foreclosure
By Chris Walters on February 18, 2010 8:04 PM   87 Comments
A man in Ohio grew so angry at his bank for refusing to work with him to keep his home that he bulldozed it. He told WLWT News, "As far as what the bank is going to get, I plan on giving them back what was on this hill exactly (as) it was. I brought it out of the ground and I plan on putting it back in the ground." More »

(functoruser)

Jazz Air Kicks Stinky Passenger Off Of Flight
By Chris Walters on February 18, 2010 7:12 PM   87 Comments
Earlier this month, an American was removed from a flight operated by Canadian airline Jazz Air because of his "brutal" body odor. Apparently the flight crew tried to find a way to separate him from the other passengers, but eventually admitted defeat and asked him to leave. He flew out the next day. A spokeswoman for the airline told CNN that it doesn't have an official policy about body odor. More »

U.S. Mint Redesigns Penny
By Chris Walters on February 18, 2010 6:43 PM   97 Comments
Here's the new design for the back of the 2010 penny. Instead of the Lincoln Memorial there's now a shield, or maybe a tiny badge that you can flash whenever you want to announce, "I have jurisdiction over your pocket change." No, I'm pretty sure it's a shield. More »

(Photos8.com)

Stay On Budget By Maintaining One Indulgence
By Chris Walters on February 18, 2010 6:22 PM   35 Comments
Adam Baker at Get Rich Slowly suggests you'll be able to better stick to a budget if you pick one non-essential hobby or interest instead of cutting them all out. The key to figuring out whether or not it's something worth "wasting" money on is to identify any hidden benefits, and then to make sure there aren't hidden drawbacks. More »

PajamaJeans Help You Pretend You're Wearing Jeans
By Chris Walters on February 18, 2010 6:02 PM   45 Comments
Sometimes you need to leave the house, for instance to go to the supermarket or to attend a job interview, and let's face it: that's when the Snuggie fails you. Until they make the formal Snuggie, there's at least PajamaJeans. They're like sweatpants, but disguised as jeans. Sadly they're only for the ladies right now, so guys will have to stick to sweatpants when they give up on life. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 18, 2010 10:22 AM   2 Comments
    Clothing
  • jcrew: [Clothing & Accessories] J.Crew Final Sale: Up to 70% off + extra 20% off
  • Aeropostale : [T-Shirt] Boys and Girls Graphic Tees Buy One Get One Free
  • Bargain Outfitters: [Mens Apparel] M. Collection Men's Mosaic Leather Bomber Jacket for $20 + $6 s&h, more
  • Urban Outfitters: [Clothing & Accessories] Up to 80% off at Urban Outfitters: Deals from $2 + $6 s&h
More »

(News4Jax.com)

Burger King Employees Arrested For Putting Pills In Food
By Chris Walters on February 17, 2010 5:57 PM   88 Comments
Two Burger King workers in Jacksonville, Florida have been arrested and charged with "poisoning food with intent to kill or injure a person," reports WJXT. One customer took the bun off his fish sandwich to season it and found a blue pill smashed into mayo and lettuce. It turned out to be the painkiller hydrocodone. More »

(www.ftc.gov/jobscams)

Don't Fall For Job Scams
By Chris Walters on February 17, 2010 5:13 PM   21 Comments
The Federal Trade Commission has a website at www.ftc.gov/jobscams with information on the types of scams you're likely to find in Help Wanted listings. They've also put together a short video (below) that describes how scammers try to charge job hunters fees to pay for job certification, or to provide access to executive-level interviews, or to acquire study materials that are supposedly crucial to passing a hiring exam. It's a good refresher course in what to look out for when you're answering ads. More »

(walknboston)

Infomercial Pest Kevin Trudeau Jailed For 30 Days For Urging Followers To Annoy Judge
By Chris Walters on February 17, 2010 4:41 PM   58 Comments
Kevin Trudeau, a diet and disease cure-all peddler who has a rich history with the FTC, just earned himself a fat 30 days in jail for encouraging his fans and followers to email a U.S. District Judge. Last Wednesday, Trudeau posted a request on his website asking supporters to email the judge who is presiding over an FTC civil suit against him. The idea, apparently, was for Trudeau's happy customers to convince Judge Robert Gettleman to go easy on the pitchman. Instead, it had the opposite effect. More »

Don't Tweet The Identity Of Your Plane's Air Marshal
By Chris Walters on February 17, 2010 3:04 PM   78 Comments
On a flight yesterday, minor celebrity Kim Kardashian figured out that the guy next to her was the air marshal, at which point she excitedly announced it to her followers on Twitter. "Jim the air marshall makes me feel safe!" she tweeted. But it's okay, she understands how security protocols are supposed to work; after some of her followers complained about what she'd done, she responded, "[I] highly doubt anyone is twittering like me on this flight! shhh." More »

75-Year-Old Woman Attacks Convenience Store Robber
By Chris Walters on February 17, 2010 11:19 AM   47 Comments
A man tried to rob a convenience store in Massachusetts while a 75-year-old woman was at the counter buying something. This did not please her. Unfortunately I can't embed the video directly, but click through to Fox 8 News to watch the woman go all ninja with the price scanner gun. Never anger an old lady with a babushka! More »

(Creative Tools, rudolf_schuba)

Burger King And Starbucks Are Finally Teaming Up! Wait, What?
By Chris Walters on February 17, 2010 10:22 AM   58 Comments
If you like Starbucks coffee but you don't like paying coffee shop prices, starting this summer you should be able to order an iced-mocha-something from your nearest Burger King. The fast food chain is countering McDonald's recent coffee offerings by teaming up with Starbucks, and prices should be between $1-2.79 according to the Kansas City Star. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 17, 2010 9:10 AM   5 Comments
    Clothing
  • Eastbay : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon LKS1FAB2
  • Campmor: [Mens Apparel] The North Face Men's NSE Tent Mule Slippers for $20 + $7 s&h
  • Target.com: [Clothing] Extra 25% off & Free Shipping on Women's Apparel
  • 6pm.com: [House Shoes] Deer Stags Slippers (8 styles) for $9.95 Each
More »

(MikQuattro)

West Hollywood To Ban Retail Sales Of Cats And Dogs
By Chris Walters on February 16, 2010 1:37 PM   130 Comments
West Hollywood has a history of animal rights activism, culminating most recently in the 2003 ban on declawing cats. Tonight, the city council is expected to pass an ordinance that will ban pet stores from selling cats and dogs, reports the Los Angeles Times. If enacted, it will be the second place that bans such business after South Lake Tahoe, which is also in California but right up against the Nevada border. "Humanely bred, reared, or sheltered animals" would be exempt, notes the paper. Also worth noting: there are no pet stores within the city limits. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 16, 2010 9:36 AM   14 Comments
    Clothing
  • Under Armour: [Clothing & Accessories] Under Armour ColdGear winter apparel from $30 + $8 s&h
  • Lands' End: [Shoes] Up to 75% off shoes at Lands' End: Deals from $4 + free shipping
More »

(Photo: thetechbuzz)

After 8 iPhones And 14 SIM Cards, AT&T Still Won't Waive ETF
By Chris Walters on February 15, 2010 7:12 PM   77 Comments
AT&T seems determined to fix Mike's problem. Only they can't, apparently, because in the past 9 months he's gone through 8 iPhones and 14 different SIM cards, and still can't get a phone that does everything it's supposed to do. (Like ring when someone calls.) Normally an 8-smartphone customer might sound like someone who's being too hard to please, and maybe that's Mike, but let's face it: this is AT&T and it's the iPhone, so most of the issues he lists below sounds completely plausible. More »

(Photo: Elvert Barnes)

Staples Never Thought You'd Actually Try To Buy A Camera From Them
By Chris Walters on February 15, 2010 6:42 PM   80 Comments
Nessy recently tried to buy a new camera from a Staples store in Burlington, Vermont. She discovered some pretty interesting things about this particular store. For instance, no they can't put fresh batteries in a floor model! Okay fine, they'll do it, but it takes a manager and two employees—yes, three people!—to insert fresh batteries. Also, did you know that if a floor model isn't working, you can just check out a different model from the same company, because everything is the same? No, you say? That's stupid? Well, maybe that's why Nessy ended up buying the camera from... oh no... you'll have to read it for yourself. More »

(Photo: stuartpilbrow)

24 Ways To Make Some Extra Money
By Chris Walters on February 15, 2010 6:05 PM   58 Comments
If you're between jobs, underemployed, or just have a lot of extra time on your hands now that you've give up expensive hobbies like smoking or shopping, here's a list of 24 ways you can you earn some extra money. They're not full time jobs, or sometimes even part-time jobs, but they're a good starting point if you need some inspiration on how to bring in a little extra cash. More »

(Photo: red twolips)

Snow Thrower Wheels Still Exploding 4 Years After Recall
By Chris Walters on February 15, 2010 4:37 PM   26 Comments
Recalls are imprecise and never fully successful, but how can they be improved? Jeff Gelles of the Philadelphia Inquirer took a look at the recall problem with snow throwers manufactured by a company called MTD, and sold under Yard Machines, Troy-Bilt, and Craftsman brands. The snow throwers used plastic wheel rims which sometimes exploded, so in 2006 the company cooperated with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and announced a recall. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 15, 2010 8:47 AM   7 Comments
    Clothing
  • Chico's : [Apparel] $25 Off $50 Purchase w/ Coupon 6766
  • Justice : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase Online w/ Coupon 773 + Printable
  • Victoria's Secret: [Womens Apparel] Victoria's Secret Swimwear Clearance: Up to 70% off, deals from $4
  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] Up to 50% off Teva Footwear
More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on February 12, 2010 7:17 PM   25 Comments
Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. The last one, especailly, was picked. I have no idea how you're going to make up a story this week, GitEmSteveDave. More »

(loginhelper.com)

Here's A Simple Flowchart To Help Thwart Phishing Attacks
By Chris Walters on February 12, 2010 6:31 PM   30 Comments
I like flowcharts because they appeal to the part of me that wants to be a robot. I also like them because they make multi-step decision paths incredibly simple to follow, even if you don't have a lot of insight into the big picture. This flowchart from LoginHelper.com will help even your PowerPoint-slideshow-forwarding relative (yes, that one) shoot down phishers as soon as they hit the In Box. More »

Credit Card Hacker And ID Theft Forum Overlord Sentenced To 13 Years Prison
By Chris Walters on February 12, 2010 5:46 PM   22 Comments
Max Vision, the security consultant who was first sent to prison in 2001 for messing with the Pentagon, has now been sent to 13 years in prison for "stealing nearly two million credit card numbers from banks, businesses and other hackers," reports Wired. The FBI took a renewed interest in Vision in 2006 after he successfully made a power grab on several competing black market ID theft websites. "I've changed," Vision wrote in a letter to the court, and although he faced life in prison, he was given the shorter sentence partly because he'd cooperated with the government. With good behavior he'll be back out in 2018. More »

(Photo: PJLewis)

Whistleblower Nurse Acquitted
By Chris Walters on February 12, 2010 5:25 PM   56 Comments
The West Texas nurse who went on trial this past Monday for reporting a doctor to the state board was found not guilty after just an hour of deliberation, reports the New York Times. The jurors who spoke to the Times after the case said it seemed pretty cut and dried to them. Now the nurse's lawyers are focusing on their civil lawsuit against the county, the sherrif, the county attorney—who is described in the article as the surgeon's personal attorney as well—and the hospital administrator who fired the nurse for going over his head. Hooray for whistleblowers! More »

Morning-ish Deals
By Chris Walters on February 12, 2010 11:41 AM   6 Comments
[Delayed due to technical issues.]
    Clothing
  • JC Penney : [Apparel] $10 Off $10 Purchase w/ Coupon TEN4YOU
  • Lucky Brand: [Jeans] Extra $20 or $25 off Apparel and Accessories
  • 6pm: [Sunglasses] 30% to 80% off Oakley sunglasses, apparel at 6pm.com: Deals from $6 + $7 s&h
More »

(Andrei Dimofte)

Delta Gets Creative, Fakes Out Passenger With Reverse Cancellation Trick
By Chris Walters on February 11, 2010 5:20 PM   66 Comments
Nelson is a Silver Medallion frequent flyer on Delta, so clearly he's got some experience with the airline's usual bag of tricks. This time Delta out-smarted him, though, by cancelling an 8:30 flight and then re-confirming it after he'd seen that it was cancelled. As far as Delta is concerned, it's not their problem—the weather made them do it, and he should have kept checking in all morning yesterday. More »

(Photo: frankieleon)

Get Up To Speed On What The CARD Act Will Do To Credit Cards
By Chris Walters on February 11, 2010 3:05 PM   16 Comments
In just a little over a week, the CARD Act will go into effect, and a new set of rules will apply to credit card issuers. Here's a great summary of what will change and what won't, so you'll know what to expect. For instance, did you know that cards issued to business entities rather than individuals are exempt? More »

(funnyordie.com)

Learn To Love Your Messed Up Toyota With This Parody
By Chris Walters on February 11, 2010 1:16 PM   18 Comments
Funny or Die wants to help Toyota out of this awkward situation it's found itself in, so the site has posted a helpful video of a cheerfully steely spokeswoman who likes to point with both hands. It's like she's shooting good news in your face! Pow pow! And really, it's true that you can have an awesome garage party without ever needing to take your Toyota on the road, so maybe you should stop being so pessimistic. Video below. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 11, 2010 8:47 AM   4 Comments
    Auto
  • Amazon: [Winter Driving] IceDozer Plus Ergonomic Ice Scraper $16

    • Clothing
  • 6pm: [Sports] Save 60% or More off Adidas Shoes & Sports Clothing
  • Lee Jeans : [Jeans] $10 Off Any Pair of Jeans Sale
  • Flirtcatalog.com: [Womens Apparel] Flirt! Catalog: 30% off 5 pairs of panties, from $18 + $4 s&h, more
More »

(Photo: Carly & Art)

How To Protect Your Receipts
By Chris Walters on February 11, 2010 6:43 AM   52 Comments
There's a slight problem with many receipts these days—they're printed on thermal paper, and over time they fade. Some readers were discussing this in the Kodak warranty thread from earlier this week, and I thought it might be useful to highlight it here for other readers. More »

(Photo: jaymontgomery)

Without Proof Of Purchase, Your Warranty Options May Be Limited
By Chris Walters on February 10, 2010 8:37 PM   43 Comments
Rob's digital photo frame stopped working a few days ago, so he contacted Kodak to see whether they could help him. He writes that he knew it was at least one month out of warranty because the warranty is for one year, and he'd been given it as a gift a year ago on Christmas. Still, he was hoping Kodak would cut him a deal or do some sort of above-and-beyond thing.
 
Instead, he found out that as far as Kodak was concerned, it had been out of warranty for over two years More »

Customer Breaks Tooth On Godiva Sweet, Godiva Sends Gift
By Chris Walters on February 10, 2010 7:45 PM   79 Comments
Carla is pretty angry at Godiva because the chocolatier won't take her complaint seriously. She says she cracked both a porcelain veneer and the tooth underneath on a chocolate covered pretzel last October, and Godiva has told her, "We sent you an apology gift, what more do you want?" More »

(Photo: bradleypjohnson)

Survey Indicates We All Distrust Big Banks
By Chris Walters on February 10, 2010 5:26 PM   35 Comments
This may come as a surprise to exactly no one, but it looks like most customers of big national banks are less likely to believe their banks are trustworthy, according to a new Forrester poll. Even less surprising: the same poll is done every year, and it's always the same big banks at the bottom of the list. A Forrester VP explains, "They are public institutions who are in business to make money for their shareholder and inevitably, that shows to customers." More »

(Photo: Design Packaging)

Blame Manufacturers For Annoying Hidden Prices Online
By Chris Walters on February 10, 2010 2:06 PM   57 Comments
Have you been noticing more and more lately that no matter which online retailer you visit, you have to add the item to your shopping cart to see the price? Blame it on manufacturers, who are taking advantage of a 2007 Supreme Court ruling to be more aggressive about controlling pricing online, writes the New York Times. More »

(Photo: daveschappell)

Google Opens Phone Support For Nexus One Customers
By Chris Walters on February 10, 2010 10:44 AM   9 Comments
Hey look, Google has finally decided to take selling smartphones seriously! After initially trying to treat Nexus One owners like Gmail users who'd locked themselves out of their accounts, the company finally admitted it might be good to have actual people on hand for troubleshooting. If you've got a Nexus One problem that T-Mobile can't solve, call 888-486-3987 (888-48NEXUS). The line is open from 7am-10pm ET. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 10, 2010 9:28 AM   12 Comments
    Clothing
  • Chadwicks : [Apparel] $20 Off $60 Purchase w/ Coupon CH20
  • Bealls: [Men's Jewelry] Levi's Men's 501 or 505 Jeans for $20 each + $6 s&h
  • Beach Camera: [Messenger Bag] Lowepro Factor M Messenger Computer Bag only $14 Shipped
More »

(Alan Rappa)

Revolutionary New Apple Service Bills Your AMEX Card For Nearly $50,000 In Music
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 7:03 PM   89 Comments
I think we can all agree that Jobs and his crew at Apple are a bunch of visionaries when it comes to gadgets, online stores, and now getting really, really screwed by an iTunes purchase. Joel writes, "I just got a call from American Express stating that my recent purchase for iTunes plus for my entire library (cost $146) has been charged to my account over 300 times and is currently still being charged. I have called Apple to have them stop charging me and they told me the only thing I can do is cancel my card. There is no number for iTunes and I have sent multiple messages to them without response via email." More »

(nate steiner)

Family Heirloom Wedding Bands Enter Kay Jeweler, Are Never Seen Again
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 6:45 PM   120 Comments
Mistakes happen, and apparently there was a hole in the UPS box and all the rings fell out. No really, that's what this customer's wife was told when she asked for an explanation of where their rings were. Now the customer says Kay Jewelers won't give him any other information, or even show him photos of the rings after they were sent to the warehouse. They'll replace them with jewelry up to $500, but nothing higher, and if he wants to find out anything else he'll have to lawyer up. Here's his story. More »

(velkr0)

Ohio Strip Club Raises Money For Haiti
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 5:55 PM   26 Comments
If you visited the strip club Marilyn's on Monroe in Toledo, Ohio, last weekend and paid the cover charge for their "Lap dances for Haiti" evening, congratulations, you helped the club raise nearly $1,000 for a local charity that's trying to send a container of relief supplies to Haiti. Oddly—as you already know if you attended—there were no actual lap dances because they're illegal in Ohio. The local charity says they need $5,000 to send the supplies, but luckily two other area strip clubs are staging their own fundraisers later this month. More »

Generation 2 Cribs Recalled After 3 Deaths
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 5:38 PM   20 Comments
The Generation 2 crib, which was sold by ChildDESIGNS until the company folded in 2005, is being recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) after reports of three infant deaths and 28 other safety incidents. Usually in a recall like this, the manufacturer offers to send out repair kits or replacement parts, but as the manufacturer no longer exists the CPSC is urging consumers to stop using the crib for good, effective immediately. But that doesn't necessarily mean you're out the $60-160 dollars that it cost. More »

(northernplateguy)

Why People Stop Using Credit Cards
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 12:05 PM   143 Comments
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 »

(randomduck)

American Airlines To Charge $8 For Blanket And Pillow, If You're Lucky
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 11:12 AM   50 Comments
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 »

(TheTruthAbout...)

Jack In The Box's Free Wi-Fi Experiment Ended. Did Anyone Notice?
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 9:24 AM   16 Comments
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 »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 9, 2010 9:09 AM   10 Comments
    Clothing
  • Hand Held Items: [Clothing] LED Sound Activated Fire Skull T-Shirt $12.99
  • Old Navy : [Apparel] $5 Off $25 Purchase w/ Printable Coupon
  • 6pm.com: [Shoes & Clothing] Save 50% to 75% off All Puma Shoes & Clothing

  • Amazon: [Jeans] Men's & Women's Levi's Jeans from $30 Shipped
  • Graveyard Mall: [Sunglasses] 10 Pairs of Men's or Women's Sunglasses for $10 + $6 s&h
  • Amazon: [Footwear] 25% off Gold Toe Socks
More »

State Investigators Find All Sorts Of Dirty Tricks At Mercury Insurance
By Chris Walters on February 8, 2010 6:12 PM   27 Comments
This summer Californians will be able to vote on Proposition 17, which if passed will allow insurers to bypass some legal restrictions on how much they can charge for auto insurance. Mercury Insurance Group is a big proponent of the proposition, but maybe that's because it's been possibly sidestepping the law in recent years anyway. Hey, making it legal will just prevent another state report like the one Carla Marinucci at the San Francisco Chronicle obtained, which contains findings that Mercury "has engaged in practices that may be illegal, including deceptive pricing and discrimination against consumers such as active members of the military and drivers of emergency vehicles." More »

(avenueslimited)

Septuagenarian Couple Scammed Inns And Hotels For Four Years
By Chris Walters on February 8, 2010 5:47 PM   31 Comments
The next time you stay at a bed and breakfast and you see a kindly old couple lingering in the common room after breakfast, be suspicious! The Wolffs have been scamming inns, hotels, rented homes, and bed & breakfasts since 2005, reports the Boston Globe. They offer to pay via check, and until recently—when they stayed in one place so long that they were still around when the check bounced—nobody ever thought they might be pulling a fast one. They're due in court this month for defrauding several inns over the past summer. More »

(zacaltman)

Microsoft Investigating Why Songs Are Disappearing From Zune Pass
By Chris Walters on February 8, 2010 5:27 PM   20 Comments
If record labels decided to pull some of their songs from the Zune Pass service in the past couple of weeks, they did a poor job telling Microsoft about it. The company seems to be as in the dark as Zune Pass subscribers about why songs, albums, or entire discographies have gone missing. Ars technica reports that a Microsoft employee wrote on a Zune forum, "We are investigating your reported missing albums indicated in this post—and will come back to you as soon as we understand why they're missing." More »

(taquitos.net)

Looking For A New Snack? Try Taquitos.net
By Chris Walters on February 8, 2010 11:51 AM   16 Comments
The Daily Beast has published a short profile of Jeremy Selwyn, a web developer in Massachusetts who runs the snack food review website Taquitos.net. Selwyn started the site about ten years ago, and now he has nearly 4.5 thousand different entries on various chips, candies, pretzels, and whatever else can be combined with salt and flavored powder. Naturally I immediately checked out the "Worst Chips Ever" section, which includes an awful lot of sea creature flavored abominations. Apparently sour cream and clam isn't a good idea for a chip. More »

(Tony Buser)

Whistleblower Nurse On Trial For Reporting Doctor To State Board
By Chris Walters on February 8, 2010 11:06 AM   75 Comments
Update: After four days, the nurse was acquitted. More »

(lumaxart)

Quick, Someone Develop Adblock For Online TV Commercials
By Chris Walters on February 8, 2010 10:28 AM   50 Comments
The ratings company Nielsen—the company you can blame for bad stunt-casting and stupid plot devices during sweeps week—is going to start rolling in data from online viewings of commercials this fall, which means networks will start using online viewing stats to help sell ads this time next year. What this means: if a network uses the new Nielsen rating system, "shows seen online will have to have the same group of commercials that run on TV," reports AdAge. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 8, 2010 9:44 AM   7 Comments
    Clothing
  • eBags : [Apparel] 25% Off One Item w/ Coupon EMRM72HOUR
  • Original Penguin: [Clothing] Save Extra 40% off All Sale Clothing & More with Coupon
  • Calvin Klein: [Clothing & Accessories] Calvin Klein Clearance: Up to 75% off
More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on February 5, 2010 4:26 PM   17 Comments
Here are seven wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(p e e p e r)

Judge Censured, Barred For Ordering Lawyer To Be Paid In Gift Certificates
By Chris Walters on February 5, 2010 12:07 PM   61 Comments
A judicial commission for California judges censured and barred the recently retired judge Brett C. Klein for showing bias, abusing authority, and grandstanding to the press. At issue was his January 2009 alteration of a class action settlement, where he ordered everyone, including the attorneys, to be paid the same way: via $10 gift vouchers from a woman's clothing store. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 5, 2010 9:39 AM   3 Comments
    Clothing
  • ShopEcko: [Clothing] Ecko Halo 3: ODST Track Jacket $15 or Halo 3 Master Chief Hoodie $19.99
  • Shoes.com : [Shoes] 20% Off Sale & Clearance Purchase + Free Shipping w/ Coupon 20OFFSALE
  • Sierra Trading Post: [Apparel & Housewares] Extra 15% or 20% off Store-Wide Orders of $100+

  • Figleaves: [Clothing & Accessories] Figleaves Designer Outlet: Up to 70% off apparel, swimsuits, intimates, and more
More »

(searchengineland.com)

Is Google Planning To Add Store Views To Google Maps?
By Chris Walters on February 4, 2010 4:34 PM   48 Comments
A store in New York City called Oh Nuts, which apparently sells nuts and nut-based goods, told the blog Search Engine Land that someone from Google showed up and took a series of photos of the interior as part of an upcoming "Google Store Views" service. Google has officially said no comment, so I guess now it's a waiting game to see if this shows up as an offshoot of Google's street view offering, or if Oh Nuts reports in the next few days that they've had their entire inventory stolen by nut fiends who knew the layout suspiciously well. More »

(NY1)

Update On Woman Sent To Jail For Using Gift Cards At Best Buy
By Chris Walters on February 4, 2010 4:13 PM   248 Comments
Last month, New York City's NY1 news channel produced a news segment on the woman who was arrested for paying with AMEX gift cards at a Best Buy. If you read our earlier post with Ilona's email, you already know most of the basics, but you can see the problematic gift cards and hear Ilona describe the experience in her own words. It turns out that after she was released, she went back to Best Buy for either a refund or the DVD player, but had to leave without either one—she was told she'd have to contact American Express to resolve the problem. More »

(kevindooley)

Maybe Homeowners Wouldn't Strategically Default If Lenders Cooperated
By Chris Walters on February 4, 2010 2:00 PM   115 Comments
There's an interesting detail at the end of this New York Times article on borrowers who strategically default—that is, they choose to walk away from the home when its value is significantly less than the mortgage balance. It turns out that the homeowner mentioned at the start of the article applied last fall for a loan modification with Bank of America after his income level had dropped, and this was BofA's response: "The lender came back a few weeks ago with a plan that added more restrictive terms while keeping the payments about the same. 'That may have been the last straw,' Mr. Koellmann said." More »

(fallenposters)

Nine Things That Are Overpriced
By Chris Walters on February 4, 2010 11:02 AM   148 Comments
CNN Money has put together a slideshow (ugh) of nine of "America's biggest rip-offs," and I think we've covered all of them at one point or another on Consumerist. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 4, 2010 9:34 AM   2 Comments
    Clothing
  • Lids : [Hats] $5 Off $25 Purchase w/ Coupon LIDSFEB5
  • Shoebuy: [Footwear] Extra $5 off Any Order of $30+ when you pay with Google Checkout
  • Eastern Mountain Sports: [Clothing & Accessories] Eastern Mountain Sports: Up to 60% off + free shipping on The North Face items

  • Amazon:[Apparel] 50% off Quicksilver for Boys
  • JC Penney : [Apparel] $10 Off $50 or $15 Off $75 w/ Coupon DOUGH4U + Printable
  • macys: [Women's Apparel] Macy's Dress Sale: Deals from $12 + $6 s&h
More »

(farmking.com)

Man Opens Fire At Farm King Store In Illinois
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 6:27 PM   79 Comments
Update: Chicagobreakingnews is reporting that the standoff is over, and the gunman has been found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. No one else was harmed.
 
Earlier today a man entered a Farm King farm supply store in Macomb, IL, and opened fire, although so far no deaths have been reported. He left five hostages go earlier—two women, two men and a small child, reports the Associated Press—and two other people left the store earlier in the day. More »

(The Providence Journal)

Here's The Repair Process For Toyota Accelerator Pedals
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 6:07 PM   49 Comments
The Providence Journal of Rhode Island filmed a service director at a Toyota dealership fixing an accelerator pedal. If you own one of the recalled models, Consumer Reports' Cars blog recommends that you learn the warning signs of pedal trouble and get to a dealership as soon as possible if you notice any of them. More »

(Raelene G)

Guy Refuses To Return Insurer's Calls, So Insurer Says It Doesn't Have To Pay For The Car He Hit
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 5:48 PM   199 Comments
A woman in Philadelphia says her neighbor just laughs every time he sees her now, because his insurance company refused to pay a claim on her car that he hit. The company told her that the man won't answer his phone, so there's nothing they can do. Update: Right after I posted this, the OP emailed with an update. See the bottom of the post. More »

(njt4148)

Greyhound Kicks Passenger Out Of Bus Station For Complaining To Reporter
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 5:24 PM   46 Comments
A Greyhound security guard threatened a stranded passenger in Memphis that if she spoke with a reporter from the local news, he'd kick her out of the bus station. The reporter was there to look at why a group of passengers had been left stranded for 2 to 4 days without any communication from Greyhound, and without any sort of meal or lodging help. More »

12 Ads That Didn't Make It To The Super Bowl
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 5:22 PM   18 Comments
If you can't actually manage to get an ad placed during the Super Bowl, the next best thing is to get it rejected by the network so you can make a big deal about it online. The Daily Beast has put together a list of 12 ads that were rejected for a variety of reasons. Well, actually in most cases it comes down to gay stuff, cussing, or sex. One thing you'll notice, though, is that most of the rejected spots aren't very well-made to begin with—I'd be happy if they were banned just for that. More »

Who Keeps Pooping In My Bags Of Salad?!
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 12:28 PM   87 Comments
In my household, there's an ongoing argument about whether bagged salad can be eaten straight from the bag, or whether it should be washed first, or why did we buy this bag of salad instead of more beer. When not championing beer, I've always come down on the don't-bother-washing side, but I might finally agree to change my food prep habits after this recent Consumer Reports study that says 39% of bagged salads are contaminated with bacteria. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 3, 2010 9:55 AM   9 Comments
    Clothing
  • Flirtcatalog.com: [Panties] Flirt! Catalog: 30% off 5 pairs of panties, from $18 + $4 s&h, more
  • Payless Shoes : [Shoes] 15% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 30568 + Printable
  • Macy's : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon WEARRED + Printable

  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 75% off Dr. Scholl's Women's Shoes
  • Amazon: [Accessory] Kenneth Cole New York Men's Automatic Watch #KC1491 $127.94 + free shipping
  • EddieBauer: [Clothing & Accessories] Eddie Bauer Huge Outerwear Sale: Up to 70% off select items
More »

Spirit Airlines Releases Another Naughty Sounding Promo
By Chris Walters on February 2, 2010 6:34 PM   61 Comments
Last year Spirit Airlines had something called a M.I.L.F. Sale. They played it off as an accident, but I don't think anyone believed them. Now they're at it again, this time with an otherwise generic online ad that "accidentally" puts the word "muff" next to the word "diving." Hmm, maybe that customer service number that really directed callers to a phone sex line wasn't an accident, either. I bet if you fly Spirit Airlines and ask the flight attendants for some salted nuts, they burst into shameful giggles and run off. More »

(Valerie Everett)

We Are Too Poor For Fancy Alcohol
By Chris Walters on February 2, 2010 5:41 PM   80 Comments
The numbers are in for liquor sales in 2009, and last year had the smallest increase in sales since 2001, reports Bloomberg. What's worse (if you own a high-end liquor company), sales shifted toward the products on the cheaper end of the spectrum, and people bought less at restaurants and other public places. But we're not actually drinking less, it turns out—we're just doing more entertaining at home. More »

(abardwell)

Best Buy Sends Customer To Jail For Paying With AMEX Gift Card
By Chris Walters on February 2, 2010 12:36 PM   296 Comments
Update: The news channel New York 1 has prepared a video segment about Ilona's experience with Best Buy and the NYC police.
  *    
A shopper just told us that last night last month at a Best Buy in NYC, she was taken to a back room, then cuffed by police officers and taken to a precinct for "further investigation," because she tried to pay with an American Express gift card her father had bought for her. More »

(frankieleon, cmorran123)

Citibank Postpones New Checking Account Fees For Newer Customers
By Chris Walters on February 2, 2010 10:58 AM   16 Comments
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo got Citibank to agree not to implement its new monthly fees on formerly free checking accounts, at least for some customers. If you signed up for one of Citibank's EZ Checking or Access Checking accounts between January 1, 2009 and November 5, 2009, the new monthly service charge will be waived until this time next year. If you're one of those customers, there's nothing you have to do—you'll get a notice in the mail from Citibank. More »

"Move Your Money" Profiled On NPR
By Chris Walters on February 2, 2010 10:38 AM   81 Comments
Last month, the Huffington Post launched a campaign called Move Your Money that urged people to support community banks. The idea is that by moving your money to a community bank, you can help put the "too big to fail" banks on a diet so that they get smaller, while at the same time help a local bank remain competitive. The NPR program All Things Considered took a look at the campaign over the weekend, and talked to some experts about whether it's worth making the switch. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 2, 2010 9:29 AM   10 Comments
    Baby Stuff
  • Target: [Baby] 10% off & Free Shipping on Graco Baby Seats, Strollers, Swings & More

    • Clothing
  • Coldwater Creek : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase + Free Shipping w/ Coupon WHH4345
  • 6pm.com: [Outdoors] "Snow Blowout Sale" - 60% off or more on Roxy, Oakley, Patagonia, others
  • Armani Exchange: [Clothing & Accessories] Armani Exchange: Up to 50% off + extra 30% off, free shipping
More »

(shioshvili)

Why Won't Time Warner Fix The "Old, Overtaxed" Wiring In This Neighborhood?
By Chris Walters on February 1, 2010 5:09 PM   73 Comments
Alex from Rochester, NY, says every year around this time his Road Runner high speed access slows to a crawl, and stays that way until April. It occasionally happens at other times throughout the year, too. Unfortunately, Time Warner won't fix the problem. Alex says one technician who came out to look at the issue told him, "The wires were installed when Adelphia provided service, and they haven't been upgraded since." Another one told him, "The problem has been going on for years, and management knows about it, but enough people don't complain." More »

Road Runner Rep Acts All Weird About Request For Upload/Download Speeds
By Chris Walters on February 1, 2010 4:50 PM   49 Comments
Richard sent us this screen capture of a chat he says he recently had with a Roadrunner CSR. I can't figure out why the CSR would withhold bandwidth stats from a customer, nor why she would capitulate so quickly when Richard asks for her supervisor. Maybe that's one mean supervisor.
Six e-Readers Compared
By Chris Walters on February 1, 2010 4:08 PM   64 Comments
If you're thinking of buying a digital reader in the next six months and you're wondering what device to get, here's a handy chart that compares six of the most highly publicized models side by side. As you might guess, bigger screens and more flexibility with file formats means higher prices. Also, the iPad is sort of a misfit here as it's the only device that's not a dedicated ebook reader. More »

(teofilo)

Bank Of America Took Customer's Name Off CD, Won't Give Her Access Now
By Chris Walters on February 1, 2010 3:34 PM   42 Comments
V. and her parents are having a heck of a time cashing in the certificate of deposit they opened jointly. She says it just matured, but she's in Canada (she doesn't say where her parents are) and they gave power of attorney to another party. BofA won't deal at all with this other person, but what's worse, V. says they've taken her name off the account entirely. More »

(Great Beyond)

Why Aren't You Haggling Yet?
By Chris Walters on February 1, 2010 2:00 PM   90 Comments
Michael S. Rosenwald saved $15 on a pair of shoes at Macy's, $3 on a steak at Giant, $6 on a DVD set at Best Buy, and $100 off his next Verizon bill (plus a 10% discount on future bills) during one week spent haggling. In this Washington Post article, he describes how it felt to switch from the habit of paying full retail to looking at a price tag as a "suggestion," in the words of one expert he met with. The executives Rosenwald spoke with repeatedly said that bargaining is not standard practice, but that didn't stop employees and managers from making deals in order to close the sale. More »

(weeta, WexDub)

Mysterious JetBlue Creature Offers Free Tix To Passengers
By Chris Walters on February 1, 2010 10:46 AM   15 Comments
If you wish hard enough on your next JetBlue trip, maybe the airline's People Officer will magically appear and hand out free tickets. That's what happened on David's flight home over the weekend. To be fair, the free ticket giveaway probably happened because JetBlue asked everyone to show up two hours early due to a computer glitch. It's still a much nicer airline story than what passengers usually send us. Also, this People Officer hinted to the OP about the airline's future Wi-Fi plans. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on February 1, 2010 9:51 AM   3 Comments
    Automotive
  • Advance Auto Parts : [Parts] $5 Off $25 or $10 Off $75 Purchase w/ Coupon 51020

    • Clothing
  • Bargain Catalog Outlet : [Apparel] 40% Off One Item w/ Coupon BC19004
  • 6pm.com: [Apparel] 50% off all Patagonia Jackets, Swimwear, Dresses, Shirts, Pants, Kids
  • Amazon: [Outerwear] Up to 70% off Trench Coats (incl. brands Jones New York, Kenneth Cole, Nine West, Tommy Hilfiger) + free shipping

  • Reebok: [Shoes & Gear] Save an Extra 20% off All On Sale Items with Coupon
  • ChronoShark: [Watches] Casio Men's Waveceptor Collection Watch for $22 + $5 s&h
  • Nike: [Shoes] NikeStore Clearance: Up to 50% off
More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on January 29, 2010 8:07 PM   14 Comments
Here are eight photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(jcarbaugh)

How To Improve Your Chances On Dating Websites
By Chris Walters on January 29, 2010 7:19 PM   53 Comments
The blog for OkCupid.com recently looked at over 7,000 profile pictures of men and women on the dating site, and compared various poses with the number of new contacts made each month. If you're using a dating site you might want to read through their findings and fine-tune your presentation. More »

(Goldmund100)

Mass Homeopathic Overdose Planned For Tomorrow!
By Chris Walters on January 29, 2010 6:57 PM   134 Comments
In a little less than 12 hours, over 300 skeptics throughout the U.K. will protest the homeopathic medicine industry there by deliberately overdosing on full bottles of homeopathic pills, which technically don't contain any molecules of the active ingredient. The group's goal is to highlight the fact that homeopathic cures are about as scientifically valid as your horoscope. I'm all for stunts, but don't they know that they'll likely suffer from the memory of an OD? That's how this stuff works, you know. More »

Check Out The Department Of Transportation's New Site For Airline Passengers
By Chris Walters on January 29, 2010 5:54 PM   10 Comments
If you've got a complaint about an airline, or you want to find out more about whether your complaint is valid, oh boy is there a treat in store for you! Earlier this month, the DOT launched a redesigned consumer aviation website at airconsumer.dot.gov. The goal of the site is "to make it as easy as possible for consumers to find the information they need to make their air travel experience as smooth and hassle-free as possible." More »

(Photo: PhillipC)

Continental Gate Agent Tells Passenger She Thinks Her Mental Illness Is Fake
By Chris Walters on January 29, 2010 11:44 AM   219 Comments
Laura has a pretty good description of what an anxiety attack feels like to her: "First, your chest starts to feel tight, like you are wearing a corset. You can't breathe properly, your heart rate starts to skyrocket, causing a pounding feeling. It's very out-of-body. You can't figure out what's going on. It's like being trapped by your brain into a tight corner." If the skeptical gate agent for Continental had ever experienced this—or had just been given adequate training for dealing with passengers with disabilities—maybe she wouldn't have told Laura her doctor's note looked fake, or asked her to stay put when Laura said she needed to get her meds. More »

(Photo: TheRoss)

You Can Now Make VOIP Calls On Your iPhone Using 3G
By Chris Walters on January 29, 2010 9:53 AM   25 Comments
I'll keep this short because it's Apple-related and we all need a break from that company: Apple has removed its ban on using your iPhone's 3G "connection" to place VOIP calls, so now you can use an app like Fring to place overseas calls even when you're not around a Wi-Fi hotspot. Call quality in those moments will naturally depend on AT&T's ability to provide a good 3G connection, so keep your expectations low, but still it's good news for any iPhone/AT&T customers looking to save money on calls. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 29, 2010 9:27 AM   1 Comment
    Clothing
  • Eddie Bauer : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon + Bonus Umbrella and/or Jacket with Purchase Offers JANTRA2
  • Chico's : [Apparel] $25 Off $50 Purchase w/ Coupon 6739
  • Karmaloop: [Clothing & Accessories] Karmaloop Sale: Up to 85% off + extra 15% off

  • Overstock.com: [Men's Apparel] Kenneth Cole Men's Slim Collection Wool Suits from $119 + $3 s&h
  • REI Outlet: [Pack] Save 54% off: Gregory Z22 Daypack Backpack $50
  • Amazon: [Outerwear] Up to 60% off Lee Women's Trucker, Moto, and Bomber Jackets + free shipping
More »

Bank Sues Victim To Avoid Replacing $200k In Stolen Funds
By Chris Walters on January 28, 2010 10:01 PM   99 Comments
What constitutes adequate security for a bank? PlainsCapital Bank in Lubbock, Texas says what it currently has is enough, and if after all that some crooks still manage to steal your money, it's not the bank's fault. The bank has preemptively sued a business customer, Hillary Machinery, to absolve itself from any liability on what it couldn't get back from the more than $800,000 that was stolen by foreign hackers last November. More »

(Photo: gillyberlin)

Google Not Done Yet With Direct-To-Consumer Phones, According To Motorola
By Chris Walters on January 28, 2010 5:00 PM   18 Comments
Motorola told its investors today that it's working on building an Android phone for Google to sell directly to consumers alongside the HTC-built Nexus One. There are no other details yet, other than that it should be released in 2010, according to Motorola's co-CEO Sanjay Jha. More »

(Photos: Ben+Sam, Chasqui)

Customer Punches Grocery Store Manager Over Price Of Crab Cakes
By Chris Walters on January 28, 2010 4:17 PM   68 Comments
A man in Sandusky, Ohio, grew so angry at the price of some crab cakes that he punched the store manager "five or six times," head butted him, and spit in his face. According to the Associated Press article, there was a pricing error in the customer's favor, and the manager had offered to give the customer the first crab cake at the incorrect price but wanted to charge full price for the rest. More »

(Photo: Robert S. Donovan)

Short Interview With A Possible 419 Scammer?
By Chris Walters on January 28, 2010 3:42 PM   27 Comments
The UK website Scam Detectives has published a two-part interview with a self-described former Nigerian 419 scammer. Take all of this a healthy dose of skepticism—the author admits he has no way of verifying if anything the guy says is true. Oh, and the reason I call it a short interview is because halfway through the second call, the author tells the scammer he doesn't like him and wants to hang up. Before that happens, though, you get to read about foot soldiers, something called a wash wash, and the response rate on scam email blasts. More »

Free "How To Be Invisible" Download In Exchange For Your Email Address
By Chris Walters on January 28, 2010 12:10 PM   42 Comments
J.J. Luna, a former security consultant turned author, released a guide ten years ago that showed readers how get rid of paper and digital trails. The subject matter is probably a little too paranoid for most of our readers, but it overlaps with issues we talk about all the time here, like identity theft and online security. He's just released a revised version, so he's giving away the 2000 edition in PDF format for free. Well, in exchange for your email address. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 28, 2010 9:43 AM   9 Comments
    Clothing
  • Amazon: [Jeans] 30% off Women's Lee Jeans + free shipping
  • Amazon: [Shoes] 50% off EMU Australia Women's Hip Button Boot, $39.90 + free shipping
  • Avenue / Jessica London: [Apparel] 50% Off One Item w/ Coupon JLE4472

  • Piperlime: [Apparel] Save 60% off Women’s Sweaters, Outerwear, and other Sale Clothing
  • Sears: [Women's Apparel] Sears Sale: 30% to 50% off women's intimates + extra 20% off online or in-store
  • Foot Locker : [Shoes] 25% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon FFJA328E + Printable
More »

(Photo: sun dazed)

Protect Yourself From Unexpected Fees At Medical Clinics
By Chris Walters on January 27, 2010 6:17 PM   134 Comments
An anonymous reader wrote to us to ask what he should do about unexpected bills from a medical clinic. He chose the clinic precisely because he can't afford hospital bills in the hundreds of dollars, and was led to believe that there'd be no out-of-pocket cost. It turns out there was. More »

(Photo: bdjsb7)

Best Buy Employee Surprises Customer With Free Replacement Earbuds
By Chris Walters on January 27, 2010 6:01 PM   30 Comments
Gonzalo went in to buy some replacement earbuds for his iPhone, and recieved some pretty amazing customer service from an anonymous Best Buy employee. More »

Dating Site eHarmony Settles Same-Sex Class Action For $2 Million
By Chris Walters on January 27, 2010 2:24 PM   138 Comments
In 2008, eHarmony responded to complaints that it wasn't serving gay and lesbian customers by setting up a second website, Compatible Partners, and keeping those customers separate from the official site. Some users sued the company, saying anyone with bisexual interests were being forced to pay twice for the same service. Now eHarmony has settled the class action and will allow members of either site to participate on the other one without having to pay a second time. More »

(Photo: Rich Moffitt)

JetBlue Responds To Tweet, Goes Looking For Passenger's Sunglasses
By Chris Walters on January 27, 2010 2:00 PM   10 Comments
David Friedman, a photographer and blogger of cool ideas, was at JFK airport in New York City earlier today and realized he'd forgotten his sunglasses at the security gate. He mentioned it in a tweet, and to his surprise someont at JetBlue saw it and investigated for him. More »

Toyota Stops Selling 8 Popular Car Models
By Chris Walters on January 27, 2010 9:48 AM   72 Comments
A week after issuing a recall on over 2 million vehicles due to faulty acceleration pedals, Toyota has announced it will stop selling 8 popular models in the U.S., as well as shut down 6 U.S. factories, while it deals with the problem. The faulty pedals were made by a U.S. manufacturer but have also been installed in cars sold in Europe, although Toyota hasn't said what it plans to do outside the U.S. for now. Update: SafetyResearch.net says Toyota was required by law to stop selling the models after it announced the recall last week, so it's actually kind of strange that it waited five days. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 27, 2010 9:28 AM   14 Comments
    Clothing
  • Target: [Clothing & Accessories] Save 75% off Over 150 Fashion Sale Items
  • Justice : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 775 + Printable
  • Express : [Apparel] Extra 40% Off Clearance Sale Event

  • 6pm.com: [Eyewear] Up to 75% off Oakley Sunglasses
  • Sears: [Men's Apparel] Dockers Men's Original Pleated Khakis from $10 + $7 s&h
  • SteveMadden: [Shoes] Steve Madden sale: Up to 50% off select styles + free shipping
More »

(Photo: sïanaïs)

Chicagoist Catches Walmart Astroturfing As Populist Local Group
By Chris Walters on January 26, 2010 6:55 PM   96 Comments
Kevin Robinson at the blog Chicagoist was curious about a commenter who sounded suspiciously on-message on some recent Walmart posts. Walmart wants to come into Chicago, and Walmart's opponents are fighting the retailer at the community level to prevent that. In return, a pro-Walmart community group has formed called "Our Community, Your Choice" that argues, "Everyone else but Chatham and the South Side are making the decisions - It’s OUR CHOICE, NOT THEIRS." More »

(Photo: r0bz)

Los Angeles City Council Votes To Close 80% Of Marijuana Dispensaries
By Chris Walters on January 26, 2010 6:22 PM   51 Comments
Frustrated at the number of marijuana dispensaries that have sprouted up since voters allowed its legal medical use in 1996, the L.A. City Council today voted to shut down the majority of them and relocate the rest to the industrial zones. Mayor Villaraigosa will have to sign the ordinance before it goes into effect. More »

EBay Says It Will Remove Listing Fees For Low-Priced Items
By Chris Walters on January 26, 2010 6:02 PM   60 Comments
EBay needs more people to buy and sell stuff on its site, so it will change its listing fees at the end of March, says Reuters. Once it goes into effect, auction items with a starting price of 99 cents can be listed for free, and eBay will take 9% of the final price or $50, whichever is less. More »

(Photo: stuartpilbrow)

Don't Let An Unknown Caller Talk You Into Downloading Software
By Chris Walters on January 26, 2010 5:07 PM   37 Comments
In the wide world of scams, this combination of a phone call and computer malware is sort of a novel twist. Jay likes to string phone scammers along to waste their time, so he managed to get quite a few details about how this particular scam works. If you've got naive family members with access to computers, either take away their computers or tell them never to download software from a stranger on the phone. More »

Google Voice Does End Run Around Apple, Launches New Web App
By Chris Walters on January 26, 2010 1:00 PM   60 Comments
Apple made it clear last year that Google Voice is not welcome on the App Store or your iPhone. "Fine," said Google. "We'll go through the browser!" Today the search engine revealed a new mobile web interface that uses some fancy HTML5 magic to provide voicemail, calling, and text message functionality. If you don't already know, you can turn any page in Mobile Safari into an App icon on your home screen (click the "+" icon in Safari), meaning now you can have a legitimate Google Voice "app." Below is a video tour. Update: There's a down side to this: Cy writes in to let us know that this fancy new version actually breaks functionality for iPod Touch owners—the old web-based version let Touch owners make calls, but this one doesn't. More »

How Walmart Is Going Green
By Chris Walters on January 26, 2010 12:41 PM   60 Comments
Ideally, companies choose to lessen their environmental impact because it makes financial sense, not because it makes them feel good—which is a good thing, since companies don't have feelings. Today, FastCompany published a slideshow that looks at 12 ways the mega-retailer is trying out various green initiatives. Some of them are more about selling the concept of green to consumers, which is dumb, but the ones that deal with shipping, energy consumption, and market creation are pretty impressive. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 26, 2010 9:18 AM   14 Comments
    Clothing
  • 6pm: [Shoes] 40-75% off Keen Footware
  • Chico's : [Apparel] $25 Off $100 Purchase w/ Coupon 6737 + Printable
  • Kohls: [Men's Apparel] 80% off + extra 10% off men's apparel at Kohl's: Deals from $5 + free shipping
More »

(Photo: Adidas)

Adidas Launches Shoes That Double As Game Controllers
By Chris Walters on January 25, 2010 6:05 PM   14 Comments
I've been thinking lately that my sneakers are too stupid. They don't do anything, at least not anything video game related, which is where it matters. Adidas has recognized this problem and has announced a new "augmented reality" sneaker that you have to hold in front of your webcam in order to play special online games. More »

(Photo: NBC-2)

Woman Accuses Dell Tech Support Of Launching Her Webcam Without Permission
By Chris Walters on January 25, 2010 5:47 PM   81 Comments
I always keep a little sticker over the webcam lens on my netbook when I'm not using it, because I don't trust that I know enough about computers to be 100% confident my webcam is off when I want it to be off. And if you think that's being too paranoid, look at what happened to Dianne Annunziato earlier this month when she called a Dell support line for help with her laptop. More »

(Photo: Alex France)

How To Make Sure You Get Paid What You're Worth
By Chris Walters on January 25, 2010 5:01 PM   37 Comments
Wired has put together a Wiki called a "Get Paid What You're Worth" that lists seven strategies to help you maximize your salary. To start off, use a salary calculator or report to get a ballpark estimate of the going rate in your area, and remember that you have to learn to negotiate if you want to make more money. More »

(Photo: Zug.com)

Which Alcopop Is Right For You?
By Chris Walters on January 25, 2010 4:45 PM   16 Comments
Why, none, of course! That's the conclusion reached by two foolhardy taste testers who rated the flavors of several brands of this weird hybrid drink category. It turns out there's no such thing as a "good" alcopop, at least not among the brands tested here. My favorite line: Twistee Sambuca and Banana "smells like Sesame Street the morning after the cast discover binge drinking and projectile vomit." More »

(Photo: SpecialKRB)

Waldenbooks Employees Protest Orders To Destroy Unsold Books
By Chris Walters on January 25, 2010 4:06 PM   81 Comments
If you've ever worked in a bookstore, you're probably intimate with the practice of pulping mass market paperbacks. Publishers reimburse booksellers for inventory they don't sell, but paperbacks are so cheap to produce that it would cost more to return them than to throw them away. Instead, stores tear off the covers, mail those back as proof of unsold inventory, and throw the books in the trash. More »

(Photo: frankieleon)

Watch Out For These Tricks After The CARD Act Kicks In Next Month
By Chris Walters on January 25, 2010 3:36 PM   24 Comments
The credit card reform bill will go into effect at the end of February, but that doesn't mean you should stop paying attention to what your credit card company does with your account. There are lots and lots of loopholes, notes WalletPop. For example, your card issuer can still raise rates on future purchases any time and for any reason. In addition, there's no limit to the number of fees that can be invented and applied to your account. The only way to make sure you don't get screwed by a profit-hungry card issuer is to read every single thing that's mailed to you, and closely review your statement for evidence of any changes that you may have missed. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 25, 2010 9:47 AM   7 Comments
    Clothing
  • Phat Farm : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon PF40OFFALL
  • Converse: [Sports] Save 50% or More off Clearance Shoes and Apparel
  • Oliveshoes.com : [Shoes] 80% Off All Shoes Going Out of Business Sale

  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 60% off all Cole Haan Footwear
  • Tanga: [Men's Jewelry] Men's 10mm Titanium Ring for $7 + $2 s&h, more
  • Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Shoes] New Balance Men's 820 Outdoor Shoes for $40 + $5 s&h
More »

(Photo: photographynatalia)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on January 22, 2010 8:01 PM   7 Comments
Here are eight cool photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(Photo: blackplastic)

Don't Call The Police To Complain About The Prostitute You Tried To Hire
By Chris Walters on January 22, 2010 2:01 PM   57 Comments
A man in New Hampshire called the police earlier this week to report a theft of services complaint. Unfortunately for him, the services happened to be sexual, which meant he was also basically turning himself in for soliciting prostitution. Both he and the alleged prostitute were arrested. More »

(Photo: David Daoust / techfun)

Plane That Landed In Hudson Last Year Up For Auction
By Chris Walters on January 22, 2010 9:21 AM   58 Comments
I'm not sure what you could do with an extensively water-damaged plane with the wings detached, but if you want to own a piece of aviation history you can now bid on US Airways Flight 1549. The plane that Capt. Sully safely landed in the Hudson river a year ago is being auctioned off "AS IS/WHERE IS," which happens to be at a salvage yard in New Jersey. CNN says the engines are not included. (The detached wings, however, are.) More »

(Photo: Design and Technology Student)

Macy's To Open Bloomingdale's Outlet Stores This Summer
By Chris Walters on January 22, 2010 9:00 AM   36 Comments
Macy's wants in on the discount department store market, so starting this summer the company will open four outlet stores under the Bloomingdale's brand in New Jersey, Florida, and Virginia, reports the Seattle Times. Apparently the real Bloomingdale's sales haven't been stellar in this economy, so Macy's is hoping that a discount offshoot will bring in more budget-conscious shoppers. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 22, 2010 8:47 AM   9 Comments
    Clothing
  • Ann Taylor : [Apparel] Extra 25% Off Sale Items Event
  • Fashion Bug : [Apparel] $10 Off $25 Purchase w/ Coupon 776242406
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Men's Shirts at Macy's: Up to 75% off + extra 20% to 25% off

  • Amazon: [Apparel] At Least 70% off Men's Outerwear
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Lauren by Ralph Lauren Men's Two Button Wool Suits for $144 + free shipping
  • Shnoop.com: [Men's Apparel] 12-Pair Men's Dress Socks for $11 + free shipping
More »

(Photo: KhayaL)

Buy Your Giant Snakes While They're Still Affordable
By Chris Walters on January 21, 2010 10:03 PM   59 Comments
Wired reports that the government is considering a ban on the import of Burmese pythons and eight other "injurious species" of snake, because loser pet owners in Florida keep releasing them into the wild where they breed and take over. If enacted, the ban would only affect imports, not sales by breeders in the US, but prices will probably shoot up. More »

(Photo: Pacdog)

This Mediacom Cable Box Comes With Invisible Roommate Who Keeps Ordering Porn
By Chris Walters on January 21, 2010 9:07 PM   112 Comments
Lesley lives alone, and says that despite what any Mediacom CSRs may think, she hasn't been consistently ordering adult movies for the past three months. More »

Is This Captcha Code Trying To Tell Us Something?
By Chris Walters on January 21, 2010 5:04 PM   22 Comments
A Consumerist reader writes, "So it's been a while. I'm starting to get desperate. Why don't I check out a new dating site I just heard about? My first concern is always, 'Is it a scam site or is it real? What happens to my credit card info if it is a scam?' So in the process of signing up, I received this warning." Look on the bright side, OP, at least it didn't make you type "Herpes."

(Photo: Robert S. Donovan)

Wash Your New Clothes In Case Someone Wore Them And Returned Them
By Chris Walters on January 21, 2010 3:59 PM   90 Comments
Okay, honestly this sort of stuff doesn't really bother me, but if you're a neat freak or just enjoy making gross-out faces when it comes to biology, remember to always wash your new clothes before you wear them. Good Morning America tested some new blouses, pants, a jacket, and underwear to see what sort of grime they could find. Here's a tease about the results: the term "vaginal organisms" is mentioned at one point. More »

(Photo: Artshooter)

YouTube To Rent Movies
By Chris Walters on January 21, 2010 11:05 AM   36 Comments
Tomorrow, YouTube will start renting online movies at $4 for 48 hours. At launch, the selection will consist of five titles from the upcoming Sundance Film Festival, says the Associated Press, but Google hopes to get studios on board in the coming months. Studios will be able to set their own prices and rental periods, however, should they participate. More »

(Photo: Ramon Coronado)

Artist Transforms Target Shopping Cart Into Furniture
By Chris Walters on January 21, 2010 10:17 AM   25 Comments
I haven't been to Target in a while, but it looks like they're starting to upgrade their shopping carts. Maybe they should convert the old ones to stylish chairs and lamps, the way this artist did, and sell them. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 21, 2010 9:30 AM   5 Comments
    Clothing
  • Perry Ellis : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon PERRYSALE40
  • Banana Republic : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon BRSALE20
  • Endless: [Shoes] PUMA Men's Roma Perf EXT Shoes $33 + free shipping, more
  • Amazon: [Outerwear] Up to 60% off Women's Faux Leather Jackets
More »

Verizon Shrinks The List Of Phones Subject To $350 ETF
By Chris Walters on January 20, 2010 5:13 PM   15 Comments
Verizon has dropped 10 phones from its list of models that will trigger the high $350 early termination fee. Cnet wonders whether this is Verizon's way of trying to make its "advanced devices are expensive to service" argument more palatable to the FCC, as the remaining models are all smartphones. More »

(Photo: net_efekt)

What To Do When You Don't Know Whether Something Should Be Recycled
By Chris Walters on January 20, 2010 4:57 PM   75 Comments
If your city has a recycling program but you keep forgetting how it works, Slate has some tips for you. The best solution is to print out a copy of your city's approved items and stick it to your fridge (doh), but the general rule of thumb is: "If in doubt, throw it out. Meaning don't recycle." More »

(Photo: Photos8.com)

Experts Answer Credit Questions From Average Americans
By Chris Walters on January 20, 2010 2:27 PM   22 Comments
Henry Unger at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has put together a multi-part series of questions and answers from readers. The detailed answers are provided by Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Greater Atlanta, and the questions—which I've listed below—cover a broad spectrum of personal finance issues, including credit cards, mortgages, and credit reports. More »

(Photo: dougwoods)

Don't Get Cat Vomit On Your Laptop
By Chris Walters on January 20, 2010 2:00 PM   101 Comments
Tayler's cat and Tayler's MacBook Pro just had an unfortunate run-in. Does anyone have any advice on cheap ways to repair this laptop, or at least how to get the content off of it without paying hundreds of dollars? More »

(Photo: __Dori__)

Hilton's Points-For-Haiti Offer Isn't A Good Value
By Chris Walters on January 20, 2010 9:13 AM   27 Comments
If you've got Hilton Honors points, the hotel chain will let you redeem them as cash donations for Haiti relief efforts. That's a pretty nice offer, but Oyster Hotel Reviews points out that the hotel chain is only offering $25 in donations for every 10,000 points—an exchange rate that puts the points at a fourth of what they're usually worth. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 20, 2010 8:59 AM   4 Comments
    Clothing
  • Roaman's : [Apparel] 50% Off One Single Item w/ Сoupon RD19383
  • Amazon: [Jeans] 30% off Jeans from Macy's
  • 6pm: [Eyewear] Save 50% or More off Sunglasses & Other Eyewear
More »

Google Voice Offering Free Calls To Haiti For Two Weeks
By Chris Walters on January 19, 2010 8:40 PM   13 Comments
If you need an affordable way to reach someone in Haiti for the next two weeks, use Google Voice. The company is making all calls to Haiti temporarily free:
To help those families, we're offering free calling to Haiti through Google Voice for the next two weeks. To place a call using Google Voice, use the Click2Call button on the website, the Google Voice mobile app, or dial your own Google Voice number and press 2 to place an outbound call.
More »

(Photo: randomduck)

US Airways Takes Parts Out Of Xbox To Make Flying Safer
By Chris Walters on January 19, 2010 8:19 PM   75 Comments
Adam writes, "I was flying out of Logan Airport and I checked my XBOX 360 in my baggage. The agent assured me that there would be no problem with it. When I got home my I found that they had put a little ziploc bag on top of my things, and the bag was filled with tiny metal components that used to be in the XBOX. It's broken now and they're telling me tough luck. Any advice?" More »

(Photo: strangelv)

Walmart Manager Takes Customer's DVD Away Because He Won't Show Receipt
By Chris Walters on January 19, 2010 8:04 PM   315 Comments
Yep, it's another Walmart receipt checker story! At the end of it, the OP asks, "What should I do?" And I sigh. I really don't know. Don't shop at Walmart anymore? Try to encourage your friends to not give their business to any company that acts in such a hostile way to honest, albeit uncooperative, customers? Spend a ton of money on a lawsuit that Walmart will use its very deep pockets to fight? More »

(Photo: usblsb)

Another Reason To Avoid Giant Megapixel Point-And-Shoot Cameras
By Chris Walters on January 19, 2010 1:12 PM   78 Comments
By now you hopefully know that more megapixels don't necessarily make a better camera. For one thing, you can almost double the megapixels of a camera while only gaining about a 40% increase in resolution. For another thing, it takes a lot more than just sheer number of pixels to produce a decent image. Nevertheless, point-and-shoot cameras with ginormous megapixel stats (now topping 12 MP) continue to hit the market. But Ross at Petavoxel says there's another reason to avoid huge MP point-and-shoot cameras: something called the Airy disk. More »

(Photo: iantmcfarland)

Netflix CEO Explains Why They Made The 28-Day Delay Deal
By Chris Walters on January 19, 2010 12:39 PM   70 Comments
Earlier this month, Netflix made a deal with Warner Bros. to delay new DVD releases for 28 days. Over at Hacking Netflix, the CEO of the company goes into some detail on why he approached Warner Bros. to begin with (it was his idea, not theirs), and why he thinks it will work out better for everyone except those customers who signed up expecting all new releases all the time. More »

Prosper.com May Be Riskier Than You Thought
By Chris Walters on January 19, 2010 12:20 PM   41 Comments
The person-to-person loan website Prosper.com has been talked about in mostly positive ways since it launched a few years ago. Mark Gimein at Slate's The Big Money says it's a lot less awesome than you've been led to believe. In fact, he says it's just a microcosm of what happened in the real financial world: "Loans to unqualified borrowers; reliance on mathematical models that turn out to be a lot less useful than they seemed; failed hopes that high interest rates could make subprime loans profitable; sky high default rates [of 39%]—Prosper has it all." More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 19, 2010 8:49 AM   11 Comments
    Clothing
  • Moosejaw: [Clothing] Moosejaw Best 96 Hour Sale Ever + Extra 10% Off + Free Shipping $49+
  • Coldwater Creek : [Apparel] $25 Off $100 Purchase w/ Coupon WHP1124 + Printable
  • Oakley Vault: [Men's Apparel] Up to 75% off Oakley men's jackets at Oakley Vault: Deals from $20 + $7 s&h

  • Walmart: [NFL] Adrian Peterson Jersey, #28 Minnesota Vikings $25 + $0.97 shipping
  • 6pm: [Shoes] New 6pm.com sales: 75% off Naughty Monkey women's shoes, 50% to 83% off sunglasses, more
  • Sears: [Children's Apparel] Up to 80% off toddler and baby apparel at Sears: Deals from 59 cents + $7 s&h
More »

(Photo: Robert S. Donovan)

American Airlines Raises Checked Bag Fees Effective February 1st
By Chris Walters on January 18, 2010 5:13 PM   62 Comments
American Airlines announced today that they're raising checked baggage fees by $5, effective February 1st. Your first bag will now cost $25, and your second one will cost $35. If you want to check a third bag, you will have to buy the airplane (cash or certified checks only), and if you want to check a fourth bag, you will have to endure a phone call from AA's CEO Gerard Arpey, where he will cry at you and say he doesn't know how to run a company and he's scared. He only made $8.9 million in total compensation last year, so cut him some slack. More »

(Photo: quinn.anya)

Taco Bell Founder Dies
By Chris Walters on January 18, 2010 4:56 PM   42 Comments
Did you ever visit a Taco Bell drive-thru late at night and wonder why it was named Taco Bell? It's because the very first one was opened in 1962 in California by a Marine named Glen W. Bell. The 86-year-old died this weekend and will be buried in a private ceremony. More »

(Photo: ellievanhoutte)

FDA Wants Tobacco Companies To Submit Ingredients List By June
By Chris Walters on January 18, 2010 4:30 PM   44 Comments
"Tobacco products today are really the only human-consumed product that we don't know what's in them," the director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products said to the Associated Press. To address that, the agency has told tobacco companies to provide a list of the ingredients in their cigarette brands by June 2010. The FDA says it won't publicize a lot of the data in order to protect trade secrets, but that by June 2011 it will publish a list of "harmful and potentially harmful" ingredients, at which point tobacco companies will have to start listing the amounts of each one on their products. More »

(Photo: Dawn Endico)

Goodreads: A Better Alternative To Amazon's User Reviews
By Chris Walters on January 18, 2010 1:12 PM   22 Comments
Amazon's user reviews for books are problematic because they serve more than one master. They're meant to help inform consumers, sure, but they're also meant to drive sales, and sometimes they're even used by angry consumers as a form of protest. If you're looking for more honest feedback on books, try Goodreads. More »

(Photo: Payton Chung)

Walgreens Wants To Sell You Food Now
By Chris Walters on January 18, 2010 11:46 AM   48 Comments
Walgreens told Bloomberg News that the company is looking into selling fresh food and prepared meals—things like salads, cut fruits, and sandwiches. From RetailWire:
Details of the program were sketchy, including when it would launch. [...] The drugstore chain has been in talks with food manufacturers, mentioning Unilever, Nestle and Sara Lee, about creating private-label and branded products for the initiative.
More »

(Photo: brykmantra)

Your Medical Records: Ask For Them!
By Chris Walters on January 18, 2010 10:07 AM   36 Comments
Hospitals can be slow to respond for health records, writes CNN, which can cause serious problems if you're moving a patient from one facility to another. Here are steps from that article on how to make sure you get your data as quickly as possible. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 18, 2010 9:14 AM   3 Comments
    Clothing
  • Amazon: [Packs] Save up to 65% off: SwissGear Backpacks from $30 Shipped
  • Phat Farm : [Apparel] 60% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon PF60OFF
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Up to 75% off men's suits: Tallia Men's Tuxedo for $225 + $17 s&h

  • Amazon: [Motorcycling] Decade Motorsport Street Rocket Armored Gloves $29 + free shipping
  • Amazon: [Footwear] Over 65% off Slippers International
More »

(Photo: meowth23's photo diary)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on January 15, 2010 6:19 PM   17 Comments
Here are eight cool photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(Photo: simone.brunozzi)

T-Mobile Offers $100 Refund To Customers Who Weren't Offered Original Nexus One Upgrade Price
By Chris Walters on January 15, 2010 5:32 PM   7 Comments
If you're already a T-Mobile customer and you bought the new Google Nexus One phone recently, you know firsthand that you had to pay $100 more than new customers. Today T-Mobile announced that they're dropping that heavily criticized price, and will be refunding $100 to customers who paid $379 for the phone before January 14th. More »

(Photo: on2wheelz)

AT&T Announces Proposed Settlement Over ETF Class Action Lawsuit
By Chris Walters on January 15, 2010 5:27 PM   5 Comments
Chris wrote in to us this afternoon, "I found this gem in my AT&T wireless inbox [today]. I received no notification it was there, just happened to notice that I had a new message from AT&T online." It's an announcement that AT&T Mobility has arranged a proposed settlement over a class-action lawsuit concerning early termination fees. If it's approved, there'll be a settlement fund created from which AT&T customers "may receive monetary or other benefits." More »

Are Corporate Boards Ruining American Businesses? This Book Says Yes
By Chris Walters on January 15, 2010 4:54 PM   39 Comments
The new book Money for Nothing looks at corporate boards: how they're frequently hand-picked and ruled by the CEOs they're supposed to keep in check, how they're sidelined by various conflicts of interest and lack of accountability, and how the worst ones have massively screwed shareholders. More »

(Photo: angermann)

Zagat Releases First Cellphone Carrier Survey Results
By Chris Walters on January 15, 2010 11:35 AM   52 Comments
Zagat, the popular consumer feedback-based restaurant review guide, now reviews wireless carriers as well, and they've released rankings on the four national carriers. The company surveyed 2,319 wireless consumers and then created Zagat-style scores in a variety of categories. Here are some of the highlights. More »

Consumer Financial Protection Agency On The Chopping Block
By Chris Walters on January 15, 2010 11:09 AM   23 Comments
According to the Wall Street Journal, Senator Chris Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, has offered to abandon the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) proposal in exchange for Republican support on other legislation. Nobody is saying anything official right now, but the WSJ reports that "the offer is conditional on the creation of a stronger consumer protection division within another federal agency." More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 15, 2010 10:02 AM   8 Comments
    Clothing
  • New York & Company : [Apparel] All Redline Sale Price Items Buy 1 Get 2 Free Event
  • REI: [Outdoors] January Clearance, 30-40% off Clothing, Footwear, Jackets, and more!
  • DSW : [Shoes] Extra 50% Off Clearance + Two More Coupons 50CLEAR

  • 6pm.com: [Clothing/Shoes] 50% off Puma Footwear & Apparel
  • Nordstrom: [Shoes] 33% to 50% off UGG Australia items at Nordstrom: Slippers for $40 + $8 s&h, more
  • EddieBauer: [Clothing & Accessories] Eddie Bauer Huge Outerwear Sale: Up to 50% off select items
More »

Conan And Aziz Ansari Talk About Thread Count
By Chris Walters on January 14, 2010 4:21 PM   68 Comments
Aziz Ansari wants everyone to know that the sheets he bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond were not of the quality he'd been promised. More »

(Photo: protohiro)

Tyson Chicken Settles Class-Action Suit, Will Pay $4.4 Million To Consumers
By Chris Walters on January 14, 2010 2:51 PM   64 Comments
If you bought Tyson chicken from 2007 to 2009, you may want to start keeping tabs on the new settlement being considered by Tyson to settle the class-action suit against it. The agreement was filed earlier this week, and a review is scheduled for tomorrow. If approved, approximately $4.4 million will supposedly be available to disburse to consumers. More »

(Photo: Cordey)

Apple Customers Growing Frustrated Over Defective 27-Inch iMacs
By Chris Walters on January 14, 2010 1:59 PM   75 Comments
Some unlucky iMac owners are still having problems with the screens on their new 27" models, including a writer for TechCrunch and another for Gizmodo. TechCrunch offers a DIY tip for dealing with the screen while you decide whether to return the product. Gizmodo, however, is warning readers not to buy an iMac until Apple can demonstrate that the problem has been resolved. More »

Update: All Four Major Carriers Now Waiving Fees For Haiti SMS Donations
By Chris Walters on January 14, 2010 12:13 PM   127 Comments
Update 2: Sprint has also announced that it is waiving fees, retroactive to Wednesday. (Thanks to changebumpin!) More »

NYC Cabbie Returns $21,000 Left Behind In Cab
By Chris Walters on January 14, 2010 12:02 PM   85 Comments
An Italian grandmother was visiting family in New York and forgot her handbag in the backseat of Mukul Asadujjaman's cab. Inside the purse was about $21,000 in cash, as well as jewelry and passports. Asadujjaman found an address in the bag and tracked down her family in Long Island, about 50 miles outside of the city, to return it. More »

(Photo: quinn.anya)

Don't Trade Your Toddler For A Gun
By Chris Walters on January 14, 2010 11:41 AM   45 Comments
Owning guns is fun! Bartering is fun! Trading your two-year-old for a gun, however, is just gonna land you in jail. And if that kid ever finds out what you did, she's gonna be pretty angry with you when she grows up. And really, lady, a toddler can cause just as much damage if you just give it time.
 
"Woman allegedly tries to trade 2-year-old daughter for gun" More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 14, 2010 9:25 AM   9 Comments
    Clothing
  • Lord and Taylor : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Order Including Clearance w/ Coupon - Printable
  • Lane Bryant : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase + One More Coupon 000208024
  • Gap.com: [Clothing] Up to 25% off Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy w/ coupon SAVE123
More »

(Photo: nate steiner)

Tips For Making Brownbagging More Interesting
By Chris Walters on January 13, 2010 6:37 PM   93 Comments
Here's my tip: change the definition of "brownbagging" to something dirty. But if that's not going to catch on, and you want to continue to think of it as "bringing my lunch to school/work," then here are a couple of tips from Wise Bread on how to avoid lunchtime boredom. More »

(Photo: Chris Rief aka Spodie)

NYC Police Dept Stops Giving Counterfeit Clothing To Charity
By Chris Walters on January 13, 2010 6:20 PM   60 Comments
It turns out H&M and Walmart aren't the only two organizations caught destroying clothes they couldn't sell. Yesterday the New York Times reported that the NYC Police Department has also been destroying clothing that would otherwise be wearable. The big difference this time is that the clothing is counterfeit. More »

(Photo: Earth2Kim)

Friday Is The Cutoff To Pay Estimated '09 Taxes Without Penalty
By Chris Walters on January 13, 2010 5:59 PM   27 Comments
January 15th is the last day you can pay estimated taxes for 2009 without worrying about the IRS's 4% interest penalty. For most people, you need to have paid 90% of what you owe for 2009 or have a good reason why you didn't (e.g. casualty, retirement). Kiplinger notes that even if you can't pay the full amount, pay whatever you can by January 15th to reduce the amount that's penalized. More »

(Photo: Nrbelex)

Want To Participate In Haiti Relief Efforts? Here Are Some Options
By Chris Walters on January 13, 2010 5:37 PM   42 Comments
Haiti's president says the death toll from yesterday's earthquake may rise above 100,000. You probably already know some organization you see eye to eye with that's trying to help out, but if you want to donate but don't know who to donate to, try these options. More »

(Photo: star5112)

Harrah's Las Vegas Resorts Say No To Resort Fees
By Chris Walters on January 13, 2010 5:05 PM   28 Comments
If you don't like the idea of paying a resort fee the next time you visit Las Vegas, make sure you check out the various Harrah's Entertainment resorts. Today they sent a press release to travel blogger and temporary TSA aggravator Chris Elliott in which they state that all of their Vegas resorts "exclude mandatory resort fees." More »

Pumpkinhead New Raisin Bran Crunch Spokesthing?
By Chris Walters on January 13, 2010 4:47 PM   13 Comments
When I first watched Pumpkinhead—an Alien-style monster who's rampaged through a few B-level horror movies—go on and on about finding inner peace and online dating, I thought of The Office. Now that I think about it, it's probably closer in style to Aardman's Creature Comfort animations. Either way, if you like horror movies, breakfast cereal, British accents, and very silly advertising, you'll appreciate this clip. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 13, 2010 9:53 AM   25 Comments
    Clothing
  • Original Penguin: [Apparel] Extra 30% Off All Sale Items w/ Coupon EXTRA
  • EyeBuyDirect.com: [Eyewear] 20% Off Prescription Glasses, Sale prices start at $6.36 + $4.95 shipping
  • Oakley Vault: [Men's Apparel] Up to 75% off Oakley men's jackets at Oakley Vault: Deals from $20 + $7 s&h
More »

(Photo: Moses)

Verizon Hold Times Inspire Song On M.I.A.'s Next Album
By Chris Walters on January 12, 2010 5:48 PM   20 Comments
According to Rolling Stone, when M.I.A.'s new album comes out later this year, there will be a track on it called "I'm Down Like Your Internet Connection"—and it will feature "Filipino Verizon workers singing the hook." More »

(Photo: Mike McCaffrey)

Here's A Possible Way To Avoid Citibank's New Account Fees
By Chris Walters on January 12, 2010 5:31 PM   74 Comments
Next month, Citibank will implement its new $7.50 fee on what were formerly free checking and savings accounts. The only way to avoid the fee is to keep a total of $1500 minimum in your linked accounts. John wrote in to tell us that when he went to his branch and asked about the new fee, they found a way to get around it. It may not work for anyone else, but it's worth sharing. More »

(Photo: Japan Trend Shop)

Preserve Your Modesty With The Pee Without Noise Stool
By Chris Walters on January 12, 2010 1:20 PM   88 Comments
Guys, as you probably already know, your bathroom is currently a horrible megaphone of urination when you're in there. Everyone can hear you! Gah! Luckily the Pee Without Noise stool will fix that right away. If you're still skeptical, check out this copy from the product page: More »

(Photo: RichardBH)

Bank Of America Seizes Wrong House, Causes Big Stink. No, Really.
By Chris Walters on January 12, 2010 12:29 PM   182 Comments
Last October, Bank of America screwed up and seized a vacation home that didn't belong to them. They also changed the locks and shut off the power, leaving 75 pounds of salmon and halibut rotting for a week before it was discovered, writes Laura Elder of the Galveston Daily News.
 
The owner, Dr. Alan Schroit, and his wife discovered what had happened when they showed up on Halloween to prepare for a party they were going to host the next day. More »

(Photo: schmilblick)

Customer Waits Six Weeks For Best Buy To Not Fix His TV
By Chris Walters on January 12, 2010 12:07 PM   27 Comments
A Best Buy customer has posted his ongoing TV repair saga over at Best Buy's own forums, and it's quite a read. Green blotches! Smoke! Parts were ordered! No parts were ordered! The wrong parts were ordered! Botched repairs! This all started back in November and his $3,000 TV still isn't fixed—although the last time a Geek Squad tech came out, he handed the customer a sheet that said Best Buy had already spent $1,500 on repairs. More »

(Photo: Ryan McFarland)

Hey Stores! How About Offering Some Cash Back With That Receipt Check?
By Chris Walters on January 12, 2010 10:46 AM   218 Comments
In the comments to our most recent receipt check story, I noticed a reader argued that as long as the store wasn't willing to reimburse him for his time, he wasn't willing to give it to them. It makes sense; nothing in the marketplace is free, right? Why shouldn't consumers be compensated for bag searches and receipt checks?
 
Another reader, Adam, suggested a similar idea in his email to us this morning. In fact, he thinks maybe the exiting-the-store moment could be a chance to make a little extra cash. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 12, 2010 9:20 AM   5 Comments
    Clothing
  • Shoebuy : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Order + One More Coupon BLOWOUT
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Up to 75% off men's shirts at Macy's: Alfani Men's 1/4 Zip for $15 + $1 s&h, more
  • Alloy : [Apparel] $10 Off a $25 Purchase w/ Coupon ALAGIFT

  • Tanga: [Clothing & Accessories] Reversible Neoprene Half Masks for $5 + $2 s&h
  • REI: [Hiking & Biking] Save 25% to 33% off Select Hydration Backpacks
  • Dickies: [Women's Apparel] Dickies Men's Sherpa Lined Jacket (limited sizes) for $17 + $7 s&h, more
More »

(Photo: tom.arthur)

Walmart Holds Another Customer Hostage
By Chris Walters on January 11, 2010 5:35 PM   411 Comments
Kerri (not her real name) says she was detained last week at a Walmart in Utah, after she declined to show the receipt checker her receipt on the way out. She says a police officer blocked her from leaving, told her to show the receipt checker more respect, and then had her go back inside and let Walmart examine her bags while he wrote down the info from her drivers license. More »

(Photo: bradleypjohnson)

States To Consider Labeling Requirements For Printer Ink Cartridges
By Chris Walters on January 11, 2010 5:08 PM   46 Comments
At the National Conference on Weights and Measures later this month, some states are planning to talk about printer ink cartridge labeling and whether it should be more standardized. "It’s time to sort all of this out," the Florida Weights & Measures chief told the Kansas City Star. Of course, printer companies aren't about to go along with any changes quietly—Lexmark has already submitted a letter saying that displaying any information on the cartridges will only confuse consumers, because the cartridges are micro-machines and not just ink containers. More »

Slim-Fast Thinks Its Shakes Are Worth About 29 Cents A Can
By Chris Walters on January 11, 2010 4:51 PM   44 Comments
Daniel agreed to throw away 35 cans of Slim-Fast after the company announced a recall last month over fears of contamination. He called the number provided by Unilever and provided his address, and then waited for the full refund they promised. What he got was a check for $10.20. More »

(Photo: how_long_it_takes)

Want A Cheap Way To Stay Fit? Buy A Pedometer
By Chris Walters on January 11, 2010 4:19 PM   41 Comments
The Los Angeles Times says that people tend to get weirdly fixated on pedometers when they have them, and will try harder to hit their daily activity goals. A San Diego State University professor tells the paper, "We don't know why exactly, but keeping a number, a prompt, in our consciousness on a regular basis is important, and that's why pedometers are superior to other methods. It's on you all the time." More »

More Footage Of The McDonald's Water Thrower
By Chris Walters on January 11, 2010 11:42 AM   59 Comments
Last week I posted a clip of an angry McDonald's customer throwing water at the cashiers. Here's a new clip of her tirade—sort of a greatest hits compilation. It turns out it wasn't mop water, so that's a plus, but she did manage to push all three registers off the counter.
 
"Caught on Tape: Women Goes Apeshit at McDonald's Over Bad Hamburger" [True Crime Report] More »

(Photo: CoreForce)

Why Aren't Cellphones Under Warranty For The Duration Of Your Contract?
By Chris Walters on January 11, 2010 10:06 AM   125 Comments
Adam got a bad iPhone that stopped providing some key functions—he can't make calls on it, for example—18 months into ownership. He didn't buy Applecare when he purchased it, which would have covered him during the second year of his contract. But that shouldn't matter, he argues: "[Why isn't it] incumbent upon a device maker to guarantee a product's proper function for—at the very least—the length of the contract required at purchase?" More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 11, 2010 9:09 AM   5 Comments
    Clothing
  • Amazon : [Apparel] $10 Off $50 Purchase of All The Basics Clothing
  • REI: [Outdoors] January Clearance: 30% off Apparel & Outdoor Gear
  • Ami Club Wear : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon LUCKY3

  • Graveyard Mall: [Sunglasses] 10 Pairs of Men's Sunglasses for $10 + $6 s&h
  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 75% off all Michael Kors Shoes
  • Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Shoes] New Balance Men's 410 Running Shoes for $28 + free shipping
More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 5:29 PM   15 Comments
Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

Company Introduces Bridal-Style Registry For Paying Off Bills
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 4:37 PM   57 Comments
BillPayRegistry is a new website where customers can create a list of bills they need paid off, and then have friends and family members make "gift" payments via the website to be applied to said bills. The site takes 5.9% off the gift amount and sets aside the rest in a fund that the registrant can only apply to the accounts listed—there's no way to cash out the funds, in other words. More »

China Introduces "Made In China" Campaign
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 4:05 PM   72 Comments
China has caught on to the fact that it doesn't enjoy a stellar reputation over here as a manufacturer of quality goods, especially after the tainted food and product stories of the past few years, so it's doing what any good profit-minded business would do: running an image rehabilitation campaign. More »

(Photo: dvs)

Home Improvement Books Recalled
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 2:03 PM   49 Comments
The publisher of a series of home improvement books has announced a recall of nine of them, because of errors in their instructions on installing or repairing electrical wiring. The Consumer Products Safety Commission says no injuries have been reported so far even though the books have been published since 1975, which I think proves that nobody has ever actually attempted a project from any home improvement book. More »

(Photo: PJLewis)

T-Mobile Changes Mind, Lets Family Off The Hook For Stolen Phone Charges
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 12:58 PM   35 Comments
Yesterday I posted about Zeb, a special needs guy whose phone was stolen shortly before Christmas. Between then and when his family found out about the theft and reported it to T-Mobile, the thief had made $6,000 in international calls and texts—and T-Mobile wanted Zeb's family to pay $1,500 of that.
 
Today I received word from Zeb's dad that T-Mobile has changed its mind and won't hold Zeb or his family responsible for the bogus charges. His email is below. More »

(Photo: MattHurst)

Apartment Complex Says "Use This Cable Company Or Pay Us $40 Per Month"
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 11:22 AM   121 Comments
The FCC has made it clear that apartment complexes can't force residents to use a specific cable company, but Amy Davis at KPRC in Houston reports that there's a sneaky way to get around this restriction. The residents of one Houston apartment complex don't have to go with the building's chosen provider, but if they opt out they'll have to pay an extra $40 per month for trash and water. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 8:43 AM   14 Comments
    Baby Stuff
  • Target: [Baby] BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier (Chocolate Brown) for $24.99 w/ Free shipping

    • Clothing
  • Jessica London : [Apparel] 50% Off One Item w/ Coupon JLF4690
  • Skechers: [Shoes] Skechers After Holiday Sale: Up to 70% off + free shipping
  • Timberland : [Apparel] 15% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon WORK15

  • Armani Exchange: [Clothing & Accessories] Armani Exchange Winter Sale Event: Up to 50% off + extra 20% off, free shipping
  • Aeropostale: [Clothing & Accessories] Aeropostale.com Bulldog Sale: Up to 70% off sitewide
More »

(Photo: laurenatclemson)

Check Fraudster Strikes On Craigslist
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 8:20 AM   59 Comments
Hopefully most of you know better than to ever accept a check from a stranger, but I think it's always good to share horror stories like this one to remind people of why it's a bad idea. The problem is, if you deposit a check that turns out to be fake, you're the one who will be held responsible for it. Unlike credit card theft, there's no law or rule in place to protect you from check fraud or advance fee fraud—and your bank doesn't want to be left holding the bag any more than you do. More »

Redbox Customer Rents Blank Disk
By Chris Walters on January 8, 2010 8:01 AM   90 Comments
Russ says he rented a movie from Redbox and ended up with a blank disc. He also says he can't get an answer from Redbox on what to do next.

I rented three DVDs for my kids at a San Antonio, TX location, then drove back home with them to Austin. When I took one of them out of its case, I noticed that it was a just a blank CD-R. The previous renter had taken the I.D. label from the original DVD and messily placed it on the CD-R. 

More »

(Photo: compujeramey)

T-Mobile Wants Family To Pay $1500 In Bogus Charges On Phone Stolen From Special Needs Customer
By Chris Walters on January 7, 2010 2:28 PM   130 Comments
Jennifer wrote to us about the trouble a family in South Carolina is having over a huge T-Mobile bill: "Zeb, a special needs adult living with his parents, had his cell phone stolen just prior to Christmas. By the time the theft was discovered, $6000 in calls and text messages had been made to Honduras." The good news is that T-Mobile hasn't asked the family to pay the full $6,000. The bad news is that they do want them to pay a fourth of that. Update: T-Mobile has let the family off the hook. More »

(Photo: Wonderlane)

Pitch Your Ideas To Procter & Gamble (But They Don't Want Kitty Swiffers)
By Chris Walters on January 7, 2010 2:00 PM   23 Comments
If you've been sitting on some great idea that will make life easier for the average consumer, you can try pitching it to Procter & Gamble, writes the New York Times. Swiffer, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and Glad ForceFlex trash bags all originated outside of P&G, although in most cases these outside ideas come from other companies. Still, you can go to their Connect + Develop website to pitch your own products if you like—just don't try putting swiffer booties on cats, because they've already rejected that idea. More »

(Photo: Omar Omar)

Greyhound Leaves 88-Year-Old Outside Of Locked Station In 38°F Weather
By Chris Walters on January 7, 2010 9:39 AM   93 Comments
Greyhound left an 88-year-old woman, along with around 30 other passengers, standing outside a locked bus station on Thanksgiving Day on a trip from Chicago to Detroit. Roxanne, who was one of the abandoned passengers on the sidewalk that morning, says that was just the final insult after an entire day of failure on Greyhound's part. She sent a complaint to Greyhound's executives on December 5th, but it was returned. Here is her summary of what happened. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 7, 2010 9:02 AM   12 Comments
    Clothing
  • Amazon: [Apparel] Reebok Men's Watershorts, 11 styles $13.50 each + $5.58 or FreeSuperSaver shipping
  • The Watchery: [Watches] The Watchery New Year Supersale: Up to 85% off + free shipping
  • Lids: [Apparel Accessories] Lids.com Clearance Sale: Hats for $5 + $5 s&h

  • JC Penney: [Apparel] 15% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon PCNEWYJC
  • Victoria's Secret : [Apparel] $10 off $50 Purchase + Two More Coupons - Printable
  • PacSun: [Apparel] Pacific Sunwear Coupon Code Extra 15% Off + Free Shipping $75+
More »

(Photo: Incase Design)

Save Money By Using Up Old Groceries
By Chris Walters on January 6, 2010 7:48 PM   67 Comments
Chances are you've got forgotten food supplies in your pantry, writes Herb Weisbaum, so why not feed your family some old food for a week and ban yourself from the grocery store? The woman in Weisbaum's article tried it out, and found that there were enough unused items that when she was forced to make do, she figured out a way. More »

(Photo: cole24_)

How To Make Sure Your Marriage Isn't Costing You Money
By Chris Walters on January 6, 2010 7:27 PM   40 Comments
Liz Davidson at Forbes has an article about ways you and your spouse can fine-tune spending and investment patterns so that your marriage isn't a financial drain. It's easy enough to compare financial health before marriage (although lots of couples don't do it, she notes), but even if your net income increases, your net worth could flatline or drop:
You might be doing well with your expenses as a married couple but making poor investment decisions, causing your financial situation to worsen even though your day-to-day money management has improved.
More »

(Photo: DeclanTM)

Best Buy Bans Visa Contactless Payment Over High Fees
By Chris Walters on January 6, 2010 4:46 PM   49 Comments
If you buy something with your Visa card at Best Buy, you'll have to go the old fashioned route, comparatively speaking, and swipe it. Visa demands that contactless payments have to be signed, which is more profitable for Visa but not for Best Buy. Visa refused to change their policy, so Best Buy says it will no longer allow customers to pay that way, reports StorefrontBacktalk. Mastercard doesn't ban PINs on contactless payments and will continue to be an option. More »

(Photo: vauvau)

Apple Says They're Investigating Stolen iPhone Claim
By Chris Walters on January 6, 2010 2:25 PM   61 Comments
Alisa, who told us last week that Apple wouldn't help her get back her stolen iPhone, has written to us today with an update.

This whole situation has turned out to be a happy story, e-mailing Steve Jobs actually turned out pretty well. I e-mailed him the same day I emailed you, which was the 30th of December, on the 2nd of January I got a phone call from the executive office of Apple. 

More »

(Photo: Carley & Art)

Ten Ways To Be A Smarter Consumer This Year
By Chris Walters on January 6, 2010 2:00 PM   14 Comments
The Better Business Bureau has come up with a list of 10 resolutions that could help protect you from being ripped off—and best of all, they're easy to keep. Here are five that you should already be doing. More »

Hungry McDonald's Customer Throws Mop Water At Cashiers
By Chris Walters on January 6, 2010 10:46 AM   111 Comments
A bucket of dirty mop water is nobody's friend, which is exactly why you shouldn't leave it out where customers can reach it. Because eventually someone will get angry over an order and feel a need to throw something, and oh look, mop water. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on January 6, 2010 8:59 AM   14 Comments
    Clothing
  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 60% off all Cole Haan Footwear
  • Coldwater Creek : [Apparel] 75% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 75SALE
  • Lord and Taylor : [Apparel] 50%-70% Sale + Extra 20% Off w/ Coupon TAKE2

  • Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Shoes] Joe's New Balance Outlet Year-End Clearance: Up to 70% off + free shipping
  • EddieBauer: [Clothing & Accessories] Eddie Bauer Ultimate Sale: Up to 50% off select items
  • Amazon: [Clothing] At Least 70% off Men's Outerwear at Amazon.com
More »

(Photo: Hosue Of Sims)

Customer Catches Cashier Stealing From Company, Wonders What To Do
By Chris Walters on December 31, 2009 2:02 PM   78 Comments
In a timely coincidence to the New York Times' story on employee theft, the following story arrived in our tipline about a day ago. The tipster wants to know who he should report this to: the store or the police? More »

Hollywood Video Giving Away Free Kids
By Chris Walters on December 31, 2009 12:01 PM   24 Comments
I'm going to grab a bunch and resell adopt them out for extra money in 2010. Thanks to Kevin, who snapped the pic and who adds, "I know Hollywood Video isn't probably doing that hot with the advent of Netflix, but I'm not sure if this is the way to go." More »

(Photo: bark)

Customer Knows Her Stolen iPhone Is Being Sent To Apple, But Apple Says They Can't Return It
By Chris Walters on December 31, 2009 10:59 AM   143 Comments
Alisa was robbed on the subway a couple of weeks ago, and now someone else has contacted Apple about replacing the phone due to a software malfunction. Alisa found out about this because her email account is still associated with it, but neither she nor the police can persuade Apple to return the phone to her once the other party sends it in for replacement. More »

(Photo: bixentro)

Stores Worried About Employees Using Gift Cards To Steal
By Chris Walters on December 31, 2009 9:48 AM   45 Comments
Gift cards may encourage spending, but they also make it easy for employees to steal, writes the New York Times.

Among the variations of such crimes, cashiers often do fake refunds of merchandise and then, with the amount refunded, use their registers to electronically fill gift cards, which they take. Or sometimes when shoppers buy gift cards, cashiers give them blank cards and then divert the shoppers’ money onto cards for themselves. 

More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 31, 2009 9:17 AM   4 Comments
    Clothing
  • Bagsbuy : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase + Free Shipping w/ Coupon NEWYEAR
  • Champion USA: [Sports] Extra 20% off plus Free Shipping on All Orders of $50+
  • Banana Republic: [Apparel] 40% off Banana Republic WInter Sale + Extra 20% off w/ Coupon BREXTRA20

  • Urban Outfitters: [Apparel & Accessories] Urban Outfitters Sale: Up to 70% off + extra 25% off
  • Altrec Outdoors: [Outerwear] New Altrec Outdoors Coupon Code Extra 20% Off Outlet + Free Shipping $45+
More »

How David Got A New Laptop From HP
By Chris Walters on December 30, 2009 6:48 PM   17 Comments
David and his wife got stuck with one of HP's lemon laptops, and since the repairs just kept involving more faulty parts, they weren't solving the real problem. Here's how he eventually got a brand new laptop—different model—from HP. More »

(Photo: e³°°°)

Guy Asks About His Comcast Bill, Comcast Kills His Cable Modem
By Chris Walters on December 30, 2009 3:01 PM   71 Comments
Matt owns his own cable modem, and it's worked fine so far with his $165-a-month Comcast Triple Play package. He wanted to check into how he could reduce that ridiculous $165/mo burden, so he chatted online with someone from Comcast to see what his options were. Then he ended the chat and went back to whatever it was he was doing, and Comcast killed his cable modem. Update: Comcast says the end of life (EOL) event was not related to Matt's chat with the CSR. More »

(Photo: Gage Skidmore)

Kill Off Your Online Identities With The Web 2.0 Suicide Machine
By Chris Walters on December 30, 2009 2:23 PM   20 Comments
Supposedly the most depressing day of the year is just a few weeks away, and that sucks. But if you off yourself, you can't drink, so it's a conundrum. What you can do is use the website suicidemachine.org to remove yourself from unnecessary social media sites that either you've stopped using or don't really enjoy anymore. More »

Star Trek Blu-ray Digital Download Codes All Used Up?
By Chris Walters on December 30, 2009 2:04 PM   43 Comments
Nero, the Romulan villain who was driven mad by lens flares in the latest Star Trek movie, found a way to travel forward in time and use up a bunch of authorization codes included in special edition Blu-ray sets. For now, until Paramount's support staff get back from the holidays, all you can do with that third disc is flash light into the eyes of people around you and call yourself J. J. Abrams. More »

(Photo: AZAdam)

Sony Replaces Customer's Broken Reader
By Chris Walters on December 30, 2009 10:13 AM   48 Comments
Earlier this week, I posted about Kate's bad experience getting her Sony Reader upgraded. She hadn't asked for an update, but was told by Sony to send it in, she says. What she got back was a busted Reader that wouldn't work, and a demand from Sony to pay for any repairs.
 
Happily, over the past two days Sony reps have been in contact with Kate and made things whole again. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 30, 2009 9:21 AM   11 Comments
    Clothing
  • Wilsons Leather : [Apparel] 60% Off Clearance Sale Event
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Macy's Men's Shirt Sale: Cubavera Tuck Panel Shirt for $8 + $6 s&h, more
  • Altrec: [Clothing & Accessories] Altrec Big Chill Sale: Up to 80% off + extra 20% off
More »

28-Year-Old Pleads Guilty To Stealing Over 130 Million Credit And Debit Card Numbers
By Chris Walters on December 29, 2009 4:33 PM   34 Comments
Albert Gonzelez pleaded guilty today to "conspiracy to engage in wire fraud for his role in stealing more than 130 million credit and debit card numbers from Heartland Payment Systems," reports Boston.com. More »

(Photo: Thermo Scientific)

Self-Described Toy Tester Will Go Through Your Stuff If You Pay Her
By Chris Walters on December 29, 2009 3:48 PM   39 Comments
Every time there's a warning or recall over lead-tainted toys—and it hasn't happened much this past year, but check out our archives from a couple of years ago—lots of people get up in arms about not being able to trust the government or big business. Well, one woman has bought herself an X-ray flourescence (XRF) analyzer and now hires her services out to worried families, reports the Washington Post. For a fee, she'll come to your house, point her gun at your kids' toys, your heirlooms, the fishtank, whatever you ask her to test, and then tell you whether you should throw it out. More »

(Photo: Wowbagger,
the Infinitely Prolonged)

New Jersey Wants To Stop Unsolicited Text Message Ads
By Chris Walters on December 29, 2009 3:25 PM   28 Comments
New Jersey isn't content with going after unsolicited junk mail checks and credit card offers—it appears to be aiming for Least Friendly Junk Marketing State in the Union. The latest target: marketers who send out unsolicited text messages. More »

(Photo: Lee Jordan)

RC2 Agrees To Pay $1.25 Million Over Lead Toys
By Chris Walters on December 29, 2009 3:05 PM   8 Comments
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just worked out another penalty settlement with a toy company over those lead-tainted toys that graced shelves from 2005 to 2007. Reuters says RC2 will pay a $1.25 million civil penalty to resolve allegations that it "imported and sold Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway toys with paints and surface coatings that contained lead levels above legal limits." About two years ago, RC2 settled a class-action lawsuit over the same toys. More »

(Photo: emdot)

Best Buy Enters Customer's Home Without Permission
By Chris Walters on December 29, 2009 11:02 AM   236 Comments
Michelle says that she explicitly told Best Buy's delivery guys that she was 8 minutes away and that they were not to enter her home (her teenage son was there alone) until she arrived. Guess what she saw when she pulled up? More »

I Wonder Why This Ornament Didn't Sell
By Chris Walters on December 29, 2009 9:53 AM   42 Comments
Josh sent us this photo of an ornament he found on the post-Christmas discount racks a few days ago. He notes, "Just goes to show you that typographic layout matters." More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 29, 2009 9:03 AM   13 Comments
    Automotive
  • Firestone : [Maintenance] Standard Oil Change for $12.99 w/ Coupon - Printable (Starts 1/2/10)

    • Clothing
  • Teva/Adidas: [Shoes] 60% off all Adidas and Teva + $7 shipping
  • REI: [Clothing] REI Holiday Clearance - up to 50% off
  • Hand Held Items: [T-Shirt] E-Sketch T-Shirt with Illuminated Changeable Message Panel for $19.99 + $5.95 Shipping

  • Amazon: [Shoes] Up to 70% off Designer Shoes at Amazon.com
  • OshKosh B'Gosh: [Apparel] 20% Off $50 Purchase w/ Coupon - Printable
  • Levi: [Clothing & Accessories] The Levi's Store Winter Sale: Up to 50% off + extra 20% off
More »

(Photo: kanegen)

TSA Gets Some Damned Sense, Eases Flight Restrictions
By Chris Walters on December 28, 2009 4:38 PM   90 Comments
Good news, people who are in the unfortunate position of having to do business with an airline in the near future: the TSA's embarrassingly reactionary new "security rules" have been eased as of this afternoon. Now it is up to the captain whether they're enforced on each flight, reports CBS News. More »

Comcast Introduces Literal Nicknames For Customer Service
By Chris Walters on December 28, 2009 4:08 PM   63 Comments
Check out the nickname for the Comcast CSR who helped Lauren set up her new account. Lauren adds, "'Nem' did a good job setting me up, though. I can't wait to see what the service tech's name is! Bane, perhaps?"

(Photo: AZAdam)

Sony Asks Customer For Her Reader, Breaks It, Then Sends It Back
By Chris Walters on December 28, 2009 3:46 PM   53 Comments
I'm not usually amused at the customer service horror stories that arrive in our in box, but this one is just so over the top that I can't help but laugh incredulously. The lesson here, which Kate sadly learned for all of us, is if Sony ever asks you out of nowhere to send in your Reader for an update, run away. More »

Everything You Wanted To Know About BestBuy.com
By Chris Walters on December 28, 2009 2:25 PM   37 Comments
Someone who says he's worked with BestBuy.com for a couple of years now sent us an exhaustive list of topics related to buying from the website. Learn about the Satisfaction Matrix that determines how a CSR treats you! Discover the best way to ensure a new shipping address is accepted into the system! Exciting stuff like that follows. More »

(slevinkalevras)

Sex In A Commercial Is The Equivalent Of A Gambler's Tell
By Chris Walters on December 28, 2009 12:17 PM   53 Comments
Over at Ditchwalk today, Mark Barrett points out that sex in mainstream advertising is a tell. There are two things it immediately communicates: that the product is "indistinguishable from its competition," and that it is generic. You don't have to stop appreciating libido-stirring images the next time a sexy ad airs (not that you probably could, anyway). But if you keep Barrett's advice in mind, you may start noticing that some companies are telling you more about their product than they probably mean to. More »

(Photo: jimg944)

Watch Out For Undisclosed Resort Fees When Using Sites Like Priceline
By Chris Walters on December 28, 2009 11:50 AM   71 Comments
Travel consumer advocate Christopher Elliott has a new post about an undisclosed $15/day "resort fee" that Trump International Hotel Las Vegas plans to tack onto a customer's bill. The surprise is that the customer reserved the room through Priceline, and thought when he made the reservation that Priceline was telling him the final room rate. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 28, 2009 8:58 AM   4 Comments
    Clothing
  • Puma: [Sports Gear] Up to 50% off Shoes, Apparel, and Sports Items
  • Nike Store: [Shoes] Save an Extra 25% off All Clearance Footwear and Clothing with Coupon
  • Eastern Mountain Sports: [Outdoor Apparel] Save 20% to 40% off Apparel and Sports & Outdoor Gear

  • Athleta : [Apparel] Extra 20% Off All Sale Items w/ Coupon MINUS20
  • Woman Within : [Apparel] 50% Off One Item + Free Express Shipping Upgrade w/ Coupon WW36635
More »

Learn What Candy To Eat With This Flowchart
By Chris Walters on December 24, 2009 11:45 AM   41 Comments
The blog Eating The Road continues to churn out amazingly helpful flowcharts to guide you with pretty much everything you can put in your belly. The latest is the Candy Edition, and you probably won't be surprised to see where candy corn and circus peanuts end up.Others we've missed since we last checked in: the Beer Edition and the Freezer Aisle Edition. More »

(Photo: cliff1066™)

Senate Passes Health Care Reform Bill
By Chris Walters on December 24, 2009 10:32 AM   138 Comments
In case you missed it, Senate Democrats managed to succeed at their goal of pushing through some sort of health care reform bill before Christmas Day—the chamber voted this morning 60-39 along party lines and passed the bill. Up next: the Senate and House have to get together and negotiate some final version. If you want to compare what's in the House and Senate versions, the New York Times has put together an excellent side-by-side comparison tool. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 24, 2009 9:35 AM   10 Comments
More »

(Photo: Eric Hauser)

FCC Commissioner Says She's Not Happy With Verizon's ETF And Billing Explanations
By Chris Walters on December 24, 2009 9:13 AM   25 Comments
At least one official with the FCC is not impressed by Verizon's latest explanations of its Early Termination Fees (ETFs) and Mobile Web billing practices. Commissioner Mignon Clyburn released a statement (pdf) last night where she called Verizon's explanation "unsatisfying" and "troubling," and she closed with the fighting words, "I look forward to exploring this issue in greater depth with my colleagues in the New Year." More »

Watch Out For FedEx SmartPost
By Chris Walters on December 23, 2009 6:55 PM   79 Comments
Cristiana says beware the trap of sending things via FedEx SmartPost: the USPS handles the local part of delivery, and "since you now have two shipping companies involved, nobody wants to take responsibility for the package" when it never arrives. More »

(Photo: Daquella manera)

Giant Supermarket Wants To See Your Receipt After You Get In Your Car
By Chris Walters on December 23, 2009 6:23 PM   166 Comments
Big box retailers checking receipts is old news. How about getting the suspected shoplifter treatment at a supermarket instead? Even better, how would you like having a security guard knock on your car window, and tell you that you're on private property when you tell him you don't have to show anything? More »

(Photo: telethon)

Watch Out For Fire Hazardy Knock-Off Christmas Lights
By Chris Walters on December 23, 2009 6:05 PM   29 Comments
CBS's The Early Show aired a segment last Friday about counterfeit holiday lights and extension cords, mostly from China and mostly available at dollar stores, that can cause fires. The problem is that the manufacturers use shoddy materials, and sometimes even fake UL stickers, to give the impression that they're following safety guidelines. You find out they're not when your tree goes up in flames. More »

(Photo: digital cat)

Apple Genius Insults Customer, But Apple Corporate Steps In To Fix Things
By Chris Walters on December 23, 2009 4:04 PM   65 Comments
Frank, one of the Geniuses at Tim's nearby Apple store, was kind of an ass to Tim and his wife when they brought in their iMac to replace it. Luckily, a woman at Apple's corporate office actually responded to Tim's complaint and provided excellent customer service. More »

Comfort Inn Driver Rescues Abandoned Holiday Inn Customers, Then Takes Them To Wendy's
By Chris Walters on December 23, 2009 3:41 PM   57 Comments
Here's a nice holiday-themed story of how a kind Comfort Inn driver not only helped out a group of stranded travelers, but even agreed to take them to get food after they checked into their hotel. Maybe he was hoping for some big tips, or maybe he's got some grudge against the local Holiday Inn. (Or maybe he's a nice guy.) Whatever his motivation, he probably just earned some repeat business for Comfort Inn. More »

(Photo: james_jhs)

If Wall Street Ran The Airlines
By Chris Walters on December 23, 2009 10:35 AM   16 Comments
The Baseline Scenario has written a pitch-perfect article that pretends financial industry types are now speaking for the airline industry. It's filled with appeals to the free market, and lots of threats about how the American Way of Life will collapse if we can't let passengers sit for more than three hours on tarmacs. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 23, 2009 9:32 AM   8 Comments
    Clothing
  • Moosejaw: [Clothing] TODAY ONLY Moosejaw FREE $25 e-Gift Card w/ Every $100 e-Gift Card Purchased
  • Chico's : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 6637
  • Justice : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 775 + Printable

  • Zappos: [Shoes] FREE Guaranteed Dec. 24 Delivery for Orders by 4PM EST on Dec. 23
  • Victoria's Secret: [Women's Apparel] Victoria's Secret Semi-Annual Sale: Up to 60% off
  • Kohls: [Clothing & Accessories] Kohl's Gold Star Clearance: 60% to 70% off, extra 20% off + free shipping, deals from $1
More »

(Photo: jepoirrier)

Walmart Accused Of Secretly Videotaping Public Restroom
By Chris Walters on December 22, 2009 7:13 PM   110 Comments
Seven current and former employees of a Pennsylvania Walmart Tire and Lube Center have filed suit against the company, reports the Morning Call. The employees say they discovered that they and the general public were being monitored via video camera in a public bathroom. More »

Consumer Reports Tests "Racist" HP Webcam
By Chris Walters on December 22, 2009 6:44 PM   138 Comments
Consumer Reports decided to test the now famous "racist" HP webcam for themselves, being product testers and all, to see if they could replicate the problem or even find a solution to it. The solution: the webcam needs foreground light to function, and the more pigment in your skin, the closer you seem to have to sit. More »

(Photo: dearbarbie)

Terrible Ideas For Secret Santa Gifts
By Chris Walters on December 22, 2009 1:54 PM   89 Comments
I know, you're on a tight budget this year, and office Secret Santa exchanges are tedious and awkward. But please don't fill a hot dog bun with cat food and then top it off with ketchup, then wrap that up in gift wrap and call it your gift. Because someone already did that. Someone at a Sunday School. MainStreet.com has a list of 13 of the worst Secret Santa gift ideas if you want to know what else has already been attempted. More »

(Photo: Eric Hauser)

Verizon Denies It Charges You $2 Each Time You Mistakenly Press A Certain Button On Your Phone
By Chris Walters on December 22, 2009 11:33 AM   103 Comments
Last month, David Pogue at the New York Times published a tip from a self-described Verizon employee. The employee accused Verizon of deliberately rigging its system to trap customers whenever they accidentally press the "Get It Now" or "Mobile Web" buttons on their phones—even if they cancel the operation immediately, they're charged a fee of $1.99 each time. Both Pogue and the FCC asked Verizon to explain why this happens. Verizon's response: it doesn't, and Pogue and the hundreds of people who wrote in to confirm this practice are all crazy. More »

The Necky: A Smaller, Stupider Snuggie For Your Neck
By Chris Walters on December 22, 2009 11:13 AM   68 Comments
The Necky is apparently for the person who keeps strangling himself when he tries to tie his scarf. There's nothing I can write about this that would make it more absurd than it is in real life, so just go watch the video if you haven't already. More »

(Photo: LasVegasNow.com)

Company Forecloses On Wrong Condo, Throws Out Everything
By Chris Walters on December 22, 2009 10:09 AM   245 Comments
It's still unclear exactly what's going on between this Las Vegas woman and a realty company, but they definitely sent someone to clean out her home when they weren't supposed to. She says they came and emptied the place of everything she owned, all because of an address mistake with the foreclosed property next door. They say she's misrepresenting the amount of her belongings to the media. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 22, 2009 10:07 AM   14 Comments
    Automotive
  • Advance Auto Parts : [Automotive] $5 Off $25 + Bonus $10 Off $50 Coupon to Use Later w/ Coupon SAVE

    • Clothing
  • Disney Outlet : [T-Shirt] $5 Disney Graphic T-Shirts Event
  • Amazon: [Clothing] 25% off Diesel Men's Underwear and Loungewear
  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 75% off all A. Marinelli Women's Shoes

  • Jos A. Bank: [Clothing] Jos A. Jos A. Bank 50% off or More Storewide & Doorbuster Deals
  • Frederick's of Hollywood: [Women's Apparel] Frederick's of Hollywood: Holiday lingerie from $14 + $6 s&h
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Macy's men's coats: 30% off + extra 20% off
More »

HP Face Tracking Camera Doesn't Track Black Faces?
By Chris Walters on December 21, 2009 8:37 PM   97 Comments
If you want to take advantage of this HP web cam's face tracking feature and you've got dark skin, you'd better, I dunno, sprinkle glitter on your cheeks first or something. The software doesn't seem to be able to recognize you otherwise. More »

Here's A Walmart Perp Walk In Action
By Chris Walters on December 21, 2009 8:07 PM   103 Comments
Maybe attacking, restraining, and physically marching off suspected shoplifters is the new "Stop, thief!" for Walmart employees. Here's video footage of an actual event that happened in a New Jersey Walmart last Friday, shot by our own GitEmSteveDave. More »

(Photo: jblyberg)

This Verizon Store Provides Weird Repair Services
By Chris Walters on December 21, 2009 7:48 PM   27 Comments
Some Motorola Droid phones are having problems with the battery cover coming off too easily. That's what was happening to Chris' Droid, so he and his girlfriend brought it into a Verizon store in Pleasant Hill, CA. His girlfriend brought along her defective enV Touch for service as well.
 
When they left, Chris had a sticker stuck to the back of his Droid, and his girlfriend was told to stop wearing makeup because makeup ruins the enV Touch. More »

(Photo: Bave New Films)

Alleged Walmart Shoplifter Dies After Being Tackled
By Chris Walters on December 21, 2009 7:28 PM   114 Comments
Walmart's loss prevention tactics took a morbid turn over the weekend at an Atlanta location, when a suspected shoplifter was tackled by two security personnel and a customer, and then died for mysterious reasons. More »

Shoes.com Website Doesn't Want To Ship To Lora
By Chris Walters on December 21, 2009 2:37 PM   42 Comments
Shoes.com doesn't seem to like Lora. Not the people at Shoes.com, who were helpful enough, but the website itself. Each time Lora places an order, the system cancels it—and naturally, owing to its hatred of this woman, it won't tell anyone why. Whatever Lora did to hurt Shoes.com's feelings, it worked. (Okay, it may have something to do with billing addresses, but nobody is sure.) More »

(Photo: Omar Omar)

Man In Wheelchair Unimpressed With Greyhound
By Chris Walters on December 21, 2009 2:14 PM   115 Comments
According to Richard, Greyhound has some real work to do when it comes to making people in wheelchairs not feel like second-class citizens. Even in snowy weather and with delays, you don't really want a driver telling a passenger that he should have brought an attendant if he wanted to get on the bus. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 21, 2009 9:02 AM   4 Comments
    Clothing
  • Altrec: [Coats] Men's R1 Trigger jacket for $96 + free shipping, reg. $240
  • Kenneth Cole : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon FAN40
  • Levi's : [Jeans] 50% Off Favorite Jeans + Free Shipping Event

  • 6pm.com: [Apparel] 55% off all Volcom Clothes, Hats and Shoes
  • jjill.com: [Women's Apparel] J. Jill Just Between Us Sale: Up to 80% off
  • Amazon: [Undergarments] 25% off Diesel Women's Intimates
More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on December 18, 2009 8:18 PM   15 Comments
Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(Photo: William Hook)

Apple Replaces Shattered iPhone After Customer Drops It
By Chris Walters on December 18, 2009 7:44 PM   43 Comments
Someone in Apple's iPhone Support department just got the crap haunted out of him by three ghosts, I'm guessing, based on what happened when David called to explain that his wife had dropped and ruined her brand new iPhone. More »

(Photo: soundman1024)

Man Pays $72 For Taco Bell Taco
By Chris Walters on December 18, 2009 6:23 PM   62 Comments
A man who either loves Taco Bell or hates his GI tract paid $72 for a taco at an Ohio Taco Bell on Monday. When the employee tried to give him his change, he refused and said that it was a Christmas gift, according to the local Fox news station: "He said, 'I don't need it so I want to pass it along.' ...the man then said 'Merry Christmas' and walked away." Presumably to a toilet. <—That wasn't very Christmas-y and I retract it. More »

Firmware Update Borks Man's Samsung Blu-ray Player, Samsung Says Too Bad
By Chris Walters on December 18, 2009 5:10 PM   70 Comments
Maybe manufacturers need to rethink how warranties work when it comes to firmware updates. Justin's Samsung Blu-ray player recently alerted him that there was an update available, so he told it to proceed. What he ended up with was a dead player. Now Samsung says because it's out of warranty for repairs he has to pay them $90 to get it working again. More »

Google Might Buy Yelp
By Chris Walters on December 18, 2009 4:26 PM   32 Comments
UPDATE: Yelp Walks Away From Google Deal More »

Fake Steve Jobs: "Go Protest At An AT&T Store Today"
By Chris Walters on December 18, 2009 10:54 AM   44 Comments
Now that Operation Chokehold—the plan to stress AT&T's 3G network today—has taken root in the media, Fake Steve Jobs is trying to redirect the enthusiasm into something that's more television friendly. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 18, 2009 9:43 AM   5 Comments
    Clothing
  • Avenue : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase + Free Express Shipping w/ Coupon AV91174
  • Reebok: [Sports] Save 40% off All NFL Jerseys, Tees, Hoodies, & Other Fan Gear
  • Aeropostale : [Apparel] $10 Off $50 or $25 Off $100 Purchase w/ Coupon - Printable

  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 80% off all Bruno Magli Italian Shoes
  • ShopEcko: [Men's Apparel] Halo and Black Rhino by Marc Ecko Men's Hoodies for $30 + $7 s&h
  • JewelryUnder100: [Jewelry] Triple Freshwater Pearl Necklace for $6 + $5 s&h, more
More »

T-Mobile Down Throughout Southern States, But Back Up Now!
By Chris Walters on December 17, 2009 9:37 PM   24 Comments
What the heck, did you guys strike early, and target the wrong wireless carrier? The day before the possibly-ill-conceived "Operation Chokehold" is supposed to bring AT&T's wireless network to a standstill, T-Mobile steals all the bad press by going out this evening across large parts of the Southeastern US and Puerto Rico.
 
Update: Immediately after posting this, T-Mobile announced the service was back up. More »

(Photo: Michel Filion)

Citicorp Deferred Interest Trap Springs Shut On Man Who Underpaid By $11
By Chris Walters on December 17, 2009 9:26 PM   66 Comments
I suspect some readers will say that Assefa Senbet is to blame for screwing up one of his final payments to Citibank on a deferred interest loan agreement. They'll be right—it was his responsibility. But he didn't skip a payment, and he wasn't late. In fact, he frequently overpaid in order to pay it off early. Near the end of the loan, however, he sent in a check for $70 instead of $81. As a consequence, he's now paying off $887 in deferred interest fees at a 30% interest rate. More »

(Photo: moressette.martin)

No, Fedex Kinko's Will Not Print Your Naked Family Christmas Cards
By Chris Walters on December 17, 2009 4:29 PM   208 Comments
Bob Cringely and his family send out family portrait cards every year for Christmas, and the gimmick is the entire family is nude, but not really nude: all the naughty parts are hidden away behind carefully placed props or accessories. The Fedex Kinko's in Charleston, SC doesn't appreciate his family's sense of humor—the woman there even remembered him from last year, and not in a good way. More »

(Photo: theogeo)

Citi Promises No Foreclosures Or Evictions For One Month
By Chris Walters on December 17, 2009 3:28 PM   39 Comments
About 4,000 borrowers who were either scheduled to have foreclosure sales or who were going to receive foreclosure notices will be left alone until January 17th, according to CNN. More »

Speak Out Against Ticketmaster-Live Nation Merger At TicketDisaster.org
By Chris Walters on December 17, 2009 3:15 PM   28 Comments
Yesterday a bunch of consumer advocates and anti-trust people held a press conference on Capitol Hill and asked the Department of Justice to block the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger. If you, too, feel that this spells nothing but trouble for consumers—that a Ticketmaster-Live Nation monopoly would ruin competition and increase ticket prices—then check out the website TicketDisaster.org. From there, you can contact the DOJ to voice your opinion about the proposed merger, read up on reasons why the merger sucks for consumers and for the concert industry, and sign up for updates. (Thanks to JammingEcono!) More »

GM Reveals Secret Project It Developed With Bailout Money
By Chris Walters on December 17, 2009 10:23 AM   56 Comments
Finally, the truth is revealed: this is clearly where the bailout money went. Below, watch a Chevy Volt promotion song-and-dance-spectacular performed earlier this month at the LA Auto Show. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 17, 2009 9:25 AM   16 Comments
    Free Shipping Day
  • FreeShippingDay.com: 725 retailers offering free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve

    • Clothing
  • Catherines : [Apparel] $15 Off $25 w/ Coupon 777002866 + Printable
  • Dickies : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon WDMC2
  • 6pm.com: [Footwear] Deer Stags Slippers (8 styles) for $9.95 each

  • Fresh Pair: [Clothing & Accessories] Freshpair.com: Up to 65% off underwear, sleepwear, more
  • Crocs.com: [Shoes] Crocs outlet: Up to 50% off + extra 50% off, 30% off, free shipping
  • JC Penney : [Apparel] $10 Off a $50 Purchase (In-Store)
More »

(Photo: TheTruthAbout...)

This Citibank Balance Transfer Offer Sure Sounds Dangerous
By Chris Walters on December 16, 2009 8:15 PM   51 Comments
RP was just offered a transfer on his Citi card by a Citibank CSR, but the CSR was kind of vague on the details of the offer and could only repeat the benefits. RP looked online while the CSR pitched the offer, and found that there's quite a big catch in the fine print—after six months, the interest rate jumps from 3.99% to 29.99%. More »

It's Hard To Do Your Christmas Shopping Online When The Items Arrive In Their Retail Boxes
By Chris Walters on December 16, 2009 7:52 PM   138 Comments
Newegg wants everyone who lives near our reader Deaf Mute to know that he just bought a Sony Blu-ray player. It arrived from their warehouse last week in its bright blue retail packaging, with a shipping label slapped on it. "If I lived in a worse neighborhood and/or my father didn't see it," he writes, "Someone could have stolen it. Not only that, but the gift recipient may have had their gift spoiled." More »

Borders Gets Into Ebook Business, Relaunches Shortcovers As Kobo Books
By Chris Walters on December 16, 2009 5:26 PM   28 Comments
Shortcovers, an ebook retailer that I recommended to a Sony Reader owner last month, has morphed into something called kobobooks.com, and it's now partially owned by Borders. If you own an ereader other than a Kindle, or if you read ebooks primarily on a smartphone, you might want to add it to your list of sources for ebooks. More »

(Photo: Señor Codo)

Why Can't Macy's Reverse This Charge On Their Customer's Debit Card?
By Chris Walters on December 16, 2009 5:01 PM   59 Comments
Amanda has been having a hard time getting Macy's to reverse an incorrect charge on her credit card—a charge that was canceled less than five minutes after it was made last week. Her story includes almost all of the things that can go wrong with customer support, including random transfers, rude employees, and broken promises. If she'd just been made to hold for 45 minutes before one of the disconnections, she'd have collected the set! More »

Craig Ferguson Badmouths Continental Airlines
By Chris Walters on December 16, 2009 1:21 PM   101 Comments
I just assume that celebrities get better treatment from airlines, but this story from Craig Ferguson proves otherwise. Here's a tip for gate agents: if you've just told a TV personality who volunteered to get off a flight that his reward is a 6 hour layover, it's probably not a good idea to add, "Don't badmouth us on TV!" More »

Make Your Own Zhu Zhu The Fad Robot Hamster Toy
By Chris Walters on December 16, 2009 11:57 AM   75 Comments
If you have kids, you're probably biting your nails down to the quick worrying how you're going to find—much less pay for—this year's super hot fad toy, Zhu Zhu the Robot Hamster. But don't be so stupid! The thing about fad toys like Zhu Zhu is that they're about 30% fun, 30% marketing, and 40% media hype. You can bypass all that nonsense and make your own in less than 20 minutes, and for a fraction of the cost. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 16, 2009 9:45 AM   1 Comment
    Clothing
  • New York & Company: [Apparel] $20 off $60, $50 off $125 purchase
  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 60% off all Cole Haan footwear
  • Gymboree : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Purchase Event

  • American Eagle : [Apparel] 15% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 96852031
  • NeimanMarcus: [Clothing & Accessories] Neiman Marcus Last Call Clearance: Extra 30% off sale items + free shipping, more
  • ShoeSteal: [Shoes] ShoeSteal.com Boots & Bags Blowout: Up to 75% off boots, up to 50% off bags, more
More »

Pretty Much All Roman And Roll-Up Blinds Recalled
By Chris Walters on December 15, 2009 10:17 PM   47 Comments
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council have announced a "recall to repair" of all Roman shades and roll-up shades, after multiple reports of deaths and near strangulations in recent years. If you've got kids in your house and you use either type of window covering, visit www.windowcoverings.org or call 800-506-4636 to receive a free kit that will let you retrofit the shades and blinds with clips. More »

Walmart Accidentally Sells All-Nude Beefcake Calendar Online
By Chris Walters on December 15, 2009 9:32 PM   67 Comments
A woman in Phoenix was shopping for travel calendars on Walmart.com when she came upon one called "All About the Boys 2010." It wasn't so much about travel as it was about fully nude models of a European porn company, which didn't sit well with Wendy McNaughton. More »

(Photo: striatic)

New Jersey Considers "Do Not Solicit" Registry To Block Credit Card Offers
By Chris Walters on December 15, 2009 5:59 PM   30 Comments
New Jersey politicians appear to be engaged in some sort of contest to see who can get the most stringent anti-junk mail law passed. First an Assembleyman introduced a bill a few weeks back that would ban companies from mailing unsolocited checks to consumers. Now the Assembley's Consumer Affairs committee has proposed starting a "Do Not Solicit" list, which would block credit card companies from offering new cards to consumers who aren't interested. More »

(Cat head: mathias-erhart)

NYC Anti-Soda Commercial Shows Man Drinking Tall Glass Of Fat
By Chris Walters on December 15, 2009 11:15 AM   104 Comments
No. You do not want to watch this video. Just promise the New York City Department of Health people that you won't drink sugary soda so much. Then we'll all be healthier, happier people, and nobody has to watch this video. (Video is embedded below.) More »

(Photo: wfyurasko)

Sonic Manager Arrested For Cooking Meth At Work
By Chris Walters on December 15, 2009 10:24 AM   47 Comments
Last week, police arrested a shift manager at a Sonic in Cape Girardeau, MO—it's about halfway between St. Louis and Memphis, TN—after they found him with a big pile of meth supplies in the restaurant. According to Slashfood, he'd come back after the place was closed and tripped the burglar alarm. When police showed up at 1:57 AM they found the man in his Sonic uniform "allegedly attempting to whip up a batch of meth." More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 15, 2009 9:04 AM   11 Comments
    Clothing
  • Armani Exchange : [Apparel] $50 Off Every $150 Spent Event
  • Dockers: [Clothing] Dockers Sale up to 70% Off + Extra 20% Off + Free Shipping
  • Calvin Klein: [Clothing] Calvin Klein Jeans 40% off + Free Shipping

  • The Limited : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 779
  • 6pm.com: [Clothing] 60% off Puma Footwear and Apparel
  • Lands' End: [Babies & Kids] Up to 65% off kids outerwear at Lands' End: Deals from $3 + free shipping
More »

This Customer Is Not Impressed By Time Warner Cable's Revamped DVR Service
By Chris Walters on December 14, 2009 8:14 PM   112 Comments
This past summer, Time Warner Cable introduced a new DVR service to subscribers. The New York Observer noted at the time that some of the changes—namely the "Start Over" feature that lets you watch something from the beginning even if you just switched to it—were nice. At least one customer, however, doesn't agree. In fact, now that he's given the revamped service a 4-month trial run, he's ready to list the problems with it, some of which sound suspiciously anti-consumer. More »

(Photo: JamesH. is now Near Earth)

Your Kids Are Bumming Out The Mall Santa
By Chris Walters on December 14, 2009 7:54 PM   68 Comments
The Wall Street Journal says that this year, mall Santas are spending their breaks looking bleakly at the wall and salting their mugs of bourbon with bitter tears. Why? Because your kids keep sitting on their laps and acting like characters from a Loretta Lynn song. One Santa used to joke that bad kids would get socks, but no more:

This year, he stopped telling the joke. Too many children were asking for socks. "They've probably heard their parents say, 'Geez, I wish I had some money to get them clothes,'" says Mr. Riemersma, 56 years old. 

More »

(Photo: kretyen)

Coming To Nevada Brothels In 2010: Male Prostitutes
By Chris Walters on December 14, 2009 7:28 PM   101 Comments
If you've always skipped the brothels while in Nevada because they didn't offer the kind of companionship you're looking for, Merry Christmas! On Friday, the Nevada Board of Health changed its health code so that male sex workers can be tested regularly for STDs, which means starting next year men can sell sexual favors alongside the women working at the Shady Lady Ranch. More »

(Photo: Wesley Fryer)

Which Notebook Brands Are The Best?
By Chris Walters on December 14, 2009 1:56 PM   79 Comments
The website Laptop has launched a new series of posts about notebooks and netbooks. This time, they're grouping the models by brand and asking readers to weigh in. Up first: HP, which generally has good aesthetics and keyboards as well as multitouch technology, but bad touchpads and heat issues. They also note that customer service is pretty bad for HP products. More »

(Image: FakeSteve.net)

Fake Steve Jobs Rants About The Decline Of American Quality
By Chris Walters on December 14, 2009 12:47 PM   32 Comments
While reading articles about the iPhone and AT&T this morning, I came across Fake Steve Jobs, which I haven't read in a long time. On Saturday Fake Steve Jobs had a phone call with an even more fake Randall Stephenson of AT&T, and the fake conversation reaches a brilliant, hilarious Network-level rant against big business about halfway through. More »

(Photo: William Hook)

AT&T Network Blame Game Takes Weird "It's Apple's Fault" Twist
By Chris Walters on December 14, 2009 12:19 PM   68 Comments
Last week AT&T, in yet another of a string of PR failures about the health of its network, made things even worse by publicly blaming its customers for, you know, being customers. Over the weekend, though, a new thread was introduced into the narrative: it's the iPhone's fault. Not because it's too popular, which has been the old complaint, but because the hardware doesn't work right, and AT&T can't say anything about it for fear that Steve Jobs will reach down through the clouds and smite them. That sounds pretty tragic and sad for AT&T, but the problem is nobody knows if it's true, or if this is yet another strategy to shift the responsibility from AT&T. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 14, 2009 9:50 AM   15 Comments
    Clothing
  • Perry Ellis: [Men's Apparel] 50% off entire order with code CYBER50
  • Old Navy : [Apparel] $30% Off One Item w/ Coupon - Printable
  • ShopEcko: [Store Events] World's Greatest Friends and Family Sale: ShopEcko, The Children's Place, Nautica, more
More »

(Photo: Tinnytintin)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on December 11, 2009 5:55 PM   16 Comments
Here are eight cool photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post, and one silly one I just want you to see. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(Photo: mcsquishee)

Should Rob Complain About His Bad Kroger Pharmacy Experience?
By Chris Walters on December 11, 2009 5:02 PM   87 Comments
Rob's local Kroger pharmacy screwed up the prescription on his kid's TamiFlu. Rob caught the error before any harm was done, and he's not the confrontational type. In fact, he's wondering whether he should just drop the whole matter. Here's your chance to convince him otherwise. More »

(Photo: The U.S. Army)

This Chase Customer Service Rep Is An Impenetrable Fortress
By Chris Walters on December 11, 2009 4:31 PM   56 Comments
Stephanie just encountered a Chase CSR who I'm pretty sure will never fall victim to social engineering, and who would likely be unbreakable in a courtroom cross-examination, too. Of course, in Stephanie's situation this just means that the CSR refuses to help her in any way at all, which isn't the kind of thing you hope to find when you call customer service. More »

(Image: www.searskilledmydog.com)

Sears Driver Runs Over Customers' Dog, Inspires Website
By Chris Walters on December 11, 2009 4:02 PM   120 Comments
What do you do when a Sears delivery driver runs over one of your dogs and kills it, but all Sears will tell you is that it's your fault for letting your dog out of the house? You start a website called searskilledmydog.com. Update: There has been a reconciliation between the owners and Sears. I've included a statement from Sears below. More »

(Photo: smlp.co.uk)

Apple And Audible Refuse To Sell Author's Audiobooks Without DRM Or Abusive Licensing Agreement
By Chris Walters on December 11, 2009 2:11 PM   40 Comments
Cory Doctorow is self-publishing a book and documenting the process for Publishers Weekly. His latest column is about selling audiobook versions of his past works, and how both Apple and Audible have refused to budge on their anti-consumer policies when it comes to digital rights management (DRM) and end user license agreements (EULAs). Even though both companies get paid the same either way, and even though both Doctorow and his publisher, Random House, want to sell the content without these restrictions, Apple and Audible have said no. More »

(Photo: hartman045)

Another Example Of How To Go Cable-Free
By Chris Walters on December 11, 2009 1:45 PM   78 Comments
We've posted before about how to break your cable habit without giving up on TV altogether—it's possible, but can't happen without some work on your end. This week, the New York Times' Nick Bilton explained how he and his wife have combined their existing devices with a few new ones to create a content stream that enables them to watch what they want without cable. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 11, 2009 9:23 AM   8 Comments
    Automotive
  • Advance Auto : $5 Off $25 or $10 Off $50 Purchase w/ Coupon - Printable

    • Clothing
  • Woman Within: [Blanket] Plus Size "Cuddler" Blanket (Red) for $5.99 w/ coupon WW32600 w/ Free shipping
  • Paul Frank : [Apparel] 50% Off Entire Purchase Event
  • Bebe: [Women's Apparel] Bebe Friends & Family Sale: 30% off + $10 off orders over $10, free shipping
More »

(Photo: ramsey everydaypants)

How To Make Sure Your Next Plastic Surgery Is Safe
By Chris Walters on December 10, 2009 4:26 PM   33 Comments
If you're dumb, you forget that plastic surgery is surgery with an extra word in front of it, a doctor tells CNN in their article on getting nip/tucked safely. As with any surgery, there's no real way to make it completely safe, but here are five tips from their article that you should follow to improve your odds. In fact, they're probably good tips for any kind of surgical procedure. More »

(Photo: ElvertBarnes)

Wireless Industry Needs Better Oversight From FCC, Says Government Audit
By Chris Walters on December 10, 2009 4:01 PM   36 Comments
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has just completed a survey of wireless customers and a review of the "tens of thousands" of complaints made to the FCC every year, and they've reached a verdict: the FCC needs to step up and provide a better way for consumers to get help. More »

(Photo: ellenm1)

Ruby Tuesdays' Steaks Too Small In Massachusetts
By Chris Walters on December 10, 2009 9:59 AM   48 Comments
The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs sent inspectors to five of the nine Ruby Tuesdays restaurants in Massachusetts after a customer complaint. Today they released an announcement that in all five locations, they found steaks that were smaller than their labeled size. The restaurant's supplier, Colorado Premium Foods, was fined $700 dollars. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 10, 2009 9:08 AM   26 Comments
    Clothing
  • CostumeCraze: [Seasonal] Princess Leia Slave Costume for $22 + $3 s&h
  • Puma: [Sports Gear] Save an Extra $20, $50 or $75 off Shoes, Clothing, and Sports Orders
  • Banana Republic: [Clothing] Save 20% off Store-Wide Orders of $100+ with Coupon

  • Lee : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Purchase + Free shipping Event
  • Gap.com : [Apparel] 25% Off One Item w/ Coupon - Printable
  • Lee: [Apparel] 30% off everything + free shipping (Thanks to John!)
More »

10 Great Commercials Of 2009
By Chris Walters on December 9, 2009 8:03 PM   31 Comments
Time just published its "Top 10 Any Category We Can Think Of" issue, and buried in there is a group of 10 great ads from the past year. Well, maybe not "great"—I would rather shove Norplant in my eyes than watch Evian's rollerskating babies spot, but some of the other ones are pretty good. There's also some great music in the list, including "Rapper's Delight," a Radiohead track, Bach, and Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf. More »

(Photo: gruntzooki)

What Makes A Person Good Scam Bait?
By Chris Walters on December 9, 2009 6:49 PM   23 Comments
We all like to think we're basically scam-proof, and that our reason and skepticism will protect us from even the most talented hustlers. More likely, we just haven't encountered those hustlers yet. More »

(Legs: Ed Yourdon)

AT&T Hints That It Might Introduce Usage-Based Pricing For Smartphone Customers
By Chris Walters on December 9, 2009 5:44 PM   62 Comments
What do you say when everyone keeps complaining that you can't handle traffic on your network? If you're AT&T, you say "We just need to charge more money" and "Our customers who are actually using their phones as advertised are ruining things." AT&T's head of consumer services, Ralph de la Vega, told investors today that usage-based pricing is going to happen eventually, and that the company is planning on giving heavy users—who make up 3 percent of their customers—"incentives to reduce or modify their usage." Somehow I'm guessing he doesn't mean coupons or cash-back bonuses. More »

(Photo: erix!)

"Public Option" Removed From Senate Health Care Reform Proposal
By Chris Walters on December 9, 2009 5:09 PM   108 Comments
Senate Democrats have just hammered out a new version of their proposed health care reform proposal, and as a compromise they've removed the part about requiring a government-run insurance program. The public option is still part of the proposal, but now it will only be triggered if the private sector doesn't create some new national nonprofit policies as spelled out by the government. More »

(Photo: gary j wood)

Facebook Will Let You Determine Privacy Levels For Each Update
By Chris Walters on December 9, 2009 2:51 PM   50 Comments
The next time you don't get that job because someone in HR saw your Facebook pics of you at the weekend cosplay orgy, you'll have only yourself to blame. (But not for the orgy, which sounded like a really good idea at the time.) Starting soonish—it's being rolled out now—you'll have the ability to set privacy levels for each status update. That sound you hear is the collective wail of moms everywhere who are about to be shut out of the more salacious aspects of their kids' lives. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 9, 2009 9:19 AM   8 Comments
    Clothing
  • Old Navy : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon ONSAVE20
  • PacSun: [Apparel] Buy One Get One 50% off on Hoodies/Sweaters/Jackets/Jeans
  • Lids: [Apparel Accessories] Lids.com Clearance Sale: Hats for $5 + free shipping
More »

Baby Hammock Recalled After Two Deaths
By Chris Walters on December 8, 2009 7:24 PM   25 Comments
Maybe those hamsters are okay, but these Amby Baby Motion hammock beds are not. Two infants have died—one in June, the other in August—from suffocation, prompting Amby Baby and the CPSC to issue a recall notice. You can make the hammock safe to use after repairing it with a free kit, which you can order directly from Amby Baby. More »

Relax, Toy Hamsters Not Metalloid Death Bringers After All
By Chris Walters on December 8, 2009 6:54 PM   19 Comments
You can dig up that bag of Zhu Zhus from your backyard and re-wrap them for the kids again. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has said that the robot hamsters are not loaded with too much antimony after all, despite claims made by the website GoodGuide. More »

Apple Bans 1,000+ Apps After Developer Is Caught Faking Reviews
By Chris Walters on December 8, 2009 6:15 PM   34 Comments
Apple just swung the banhammer pretty hard at Molinker, a development company, after a customer named Patrick Timney pointed out that the majority of reviews on Molinker apps were fake. Until yesterday, the company had 1,011 apps on the App Store, mostly easy-to-knock-out travel guides for 99 cents each. Now they're all gone, and Apple's VP Phil Schiller told iPhoneography, "Yes, this developer's apps have been removed from the App Store and their ratings no longer appear either." More »

PayPal Abandons Another Scammed Seller
By Chris Walters on December 8, 2009 2:02 PM   114 Comments
Todd got ripped off by a scammer on an eBay purchase. He made sure to insure the device before shipping it off via the United States Postal Service, but it turns out that an insurance claim won't help him get PayPal to step up. More »

(Photo: Joe+Jeanette Archie)

Kmart Workers Find $10k Tin Can
By Chris Walters on December 8, 2009 12:18 PM   39 Comments
Did you leave your tin can filled with over $10,000 on the customer service counter of a Des Moines Kmart? Because if you did, call them, they found it. Update: Several of our readers have pointed out that the owner has reclaimed the can and the money. She says her husband left it there by accident, possibly while having a reaction to some medication, and that she's going to deposit the cash in a bank. More »

(Image: Scott Meyer)

Let This Comic Strip Show You How To Save Money At The Movies
By Chris Walters on December 8, 2009 9:30 AM   74 Comments
Scott Meyer frequently makes brilliant observations in his "Basic Instructions" comic, and by brilliant I mean nutjob. In the most recent one, "How to Save Money," the comic version of Meyer realizes how expensive movie concessions are. Considering how many people commented on this the last time I posted about it, I thought you might find his ideas useful. Now I'm off to buy a stovepipe hat! More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 8, 2009 9:12 AM   14 Comments
    Woot
  • Woot-Off in progress (Thanks to Mike!)

    • Clothing
  • Target: [Shoes] Save 20% off Converse One Star Shoes for Adults and Kids + Free Shipping
  • Calvin Klein: [Apparel] 40% off most clothing, no coupon required
  • Banana Republic : [Apparel] 20% Off $100 w/ Coupon BRHOL20 + Printable

  • Gymboree : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase Sale + Free Shipping
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Macy's Men's Suit Sale: Up to 40% off + extra 25% off, free shipping
More »

Domino's Pulls Ads From 'Jersey Shore' Show
By Chris Walters on December 7, 2009 4:40 PM   89 Comments
MTV's gross new reality show, Jersey Shore, goes too far into offensive stereotype land as far as Domino's Pizza is concerned. After seeing the first episode last week, the pizza chain asked MTV to stop airing its ads during the show, apparently before anyone starts complaining. But really, there's no way you can eat Domino's and maintain abs so ripped that you call them "The Situation," so maybe it's for the best. More »

Consumer Reports And New York Times Ask Why There's So Much Air In Packages
By Chris Walters on December 7, 2009 4:16 PM   52 Comments
Padding chip bags with air is a pretty well-understood practice by now—supposedly it helps prevent the chips from being crushed. But what's the purpose of similar packaging tricks in frozen fish, or boxes of instant rice? After a recent Consumer Reports article questioned the amount of air in packages at the grocery store, New York Times reporter Andrew Adam Newman asked two of the manufacturers for an explanation. More »

(Photo: kevindooley)

Texas Attorney General Shuts Down Dishonest Price Comparison Sites
By Chris Walters on December 7, 2009 3:22 PM   16 Comments
ConsumerAffairs.com says that the Texas Attorney General has gone after a couple of online price comparison companies. The sites all claim to offer unbiased comparisons of retailers, but in reality the companies have been accepting payments in exchange for preferential listings. The companies, Intercept LLC and Everyprice.com Inc, both operated multiple sites with names like Flyingprices, Diduprice, and Lowpricedigital. All the sites are currently offline. More »

(Photo: stevendepolo)

Should Retailers Verify Customer Income Before Extending Credit?
By Chris Walters on December 7, 2009 12:03 PM   51 Comments
One provision of the CARD Act requires credit issuers to verify income and debt load before issuing new credit, and the Federal Reserve is now looking at how to enforce that. That's scaring retailers, who have come to enjoy the benefits of pushing "instant credit" offers at the register. More »

Apple Buys Lala
By Chris Walters on December 7, 2009 11:18 AM   33 Comments
Lala, the music streaming/backup service that's also a reasonably priced mp3 store, has been purchased by Apple. Does this mean Apple may introduce some sort of streaming service in the future? On Lala, you can pay 10 cents per song to stream it as much as you want, or $.99-1.29 to own it outright. At any rate, if you buy from Lala now, you're buying from Apple. More »

Reanimated corpse of Luke Wilson
off to attack Verizon customers.

AT&T Sends Monster After Verizon Subscribers In Threatening New Ad
By Chris Walters on December 7, 2009 10:36 AM   57 Comments
Happy Halloween from AT&T! The maligned cellular carrier's latest ad doesn't seem to be as concerned with getting Verizon to stop picking on it. Instead, a headless Luke Wilson staggers around the screen, roaring silently and searching for someone to kill. Stick to AT&T or who knows what might happen to you. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 7, 2009 8:35 AM   15 Comments
    Clothing
  • REI Outlet: [Sports Gear] Save Extra 20% off Any One Item Store-Wide
  • Kenneth Cole: [Apparel] $50 off $150 with web code HOLIDAY1, in-store code GIFT1
  • Lucky Brand: [Jeans & Clothing] Friends & Family Sale: 30% off All Apparel & More with Coupon

  • Adidas : [Apparel] 30% Off $50 Purchase w/ Coupon - Printable
  • 6pm: [Sunglasses] 65% off Oakley sunglasses, apparel at 6pm.com: Deals from $7 + $7 s&h
  • Timberland: [Men's Apparel] Timberland Men's Waterproof Fleece-Lined Jacket for $48 + $10 s&h
More »

(Photo: frankieleon)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on December 4, 2009 5:22 PM   12 Comments
Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(Photo: jyri)

Southwest Flight Forced To Land After In-Flight Entertainment Turns Out To Be A Live Birth
By Chris Walters on December 4, 2009 4:13 PM   102 Comments
A Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Salt Lake City was forced to land in Denver this morning, after a passenger on the flight surprised everyone by producing a baby in mid-air. More »

(Photo: Mark Coggins)

Having A Picture Scanned At OfficeMax Is Like Being On A Game Show
By Chris Walters on December 4, 2009 3:11 PM   28 Comments
Adam and his wife never know what they're going to be charged for scanning services at OfficeMax's ImPress print center. I like to imagine that the ImPress employee stands in front of them holding a very long microphone, and tries to build tension before a coworker flips over the Actual Price card. More »

Why Is Sears Being So Sneaky On This Dishwasher Rebate?
By Chris Walters on December 4, 2009 3:09 PM   33 Comments
On Black Friday, Sears offered free installation on select Kenmore dishwashers in the form of a rebate coupon. The coupon is pretty simple to understand as far as these things go—buy one of the listed models, and Sears will pay for the installation. According to William, however, the listed model that he wanted remained out of stock only for the duration of the coupon. When he asked Sears to honor it the next day, they agreed to—but then after he bought the dishwasher they told him he had broken a nonexistent rule and therefore had voided the coupon. More »

Never Embarrass Yourself Trying To Unscrew A Wine Bottle Again
By Chris Walters on December 4, 2009 2:33 PM   27 Comments
The horrible thing about screw-cap bottles of wine, says the website butterflywineopener.com, is that they suck all the romance out of bottle opening. But lucky you! "The Butterfly™ solves that by flawlessly and expediently opening any screw cap bottle while retaining the elegance of traditional wine service." More »

(Photo: gypsy fae photography)

H1N1 Phishing Email Making The Rounds
By Chris Walters on December 4, 2009 10:59 AM   13 Comments
The Centers for Disease Control have issued a warning that there's a new, swine flu-themed phishing email going around. It says something about an imaginary State Vaccination H1N1 Program, and asks you to create an account on the cdc.gov website—and if you click the link, malicious code may be installed on your system. Obviously you have brain worms if you fall for this. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 4, 2009 8:58 AM   10 Comments
    Clothing
  • Hot Topic : [Apparel] $10 Off $10.01 Purchase w/ Coupon htbday09
  • Justice : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 774 + Printable
  • Land's End: [Apparel] Girls' Velveteen Pants $2.99 shipped, with code STOCKING and PIN 1421

  • Cabela's: [Shoes] Cabela's Men's Moc-Toe Roughneck Boots (limited sizes) for $33 + $9 s&h
  • Cabela's: [Men's Apparel] Cabela's Men's Shirts from $5 + $6 s&h
  • 6pm.com: [Apparel] 60% OFF all Nike Apparel
More »

Sprint Served Customer GPS Data To Cops Over 8 Million Times
By Chris Walters on December 3, 2009 6:04 PM   59 Comments
An Indiana University grad student has made public an audio recording of a Sprint employee who describes how the company has given away customer GPS location data to cops over 8 million times in less than a year. Ars technica reports that "law enforcement [officers] could log into a special Sprint Web portal and, without ever having to demonstrate probable cause to a judge, gain access to geolocation logs detailing where they've been and where they are." Update: Sprint says the 8 million figure refers to individual pings of GPS data, and that the number of individuals involved is in the thousands. More »

(Photo: Moe_)

Crazy Customer Makes Death Threat In GameStop, Gets Hauled Off By Police
By Chris Walters on December 3, 2009 3:15 PM   50 Comments
A man in Michigan grew so angry that GameStop wouldn't take back his Xbox without a receipt that he threatened to kill someone and went to get something from his vehicle. The GameStop clerk called 911, and "Four Troy police officers, armed with rifles, stormed into [the] Oakland Mall store" and subdued him. He had an illegal stun gun on him but no firearm. More »

Diablo 2 Scammer Inadvertently Shines Spotlight On Self
By Chris Walters on December 3, 2009 2:38 PM   63 Comments
Robert usually writes about energy and the environment on his blog. However, he recently ran into a scammer online, and surprised the scammer by fighting back:
After I didn't roll over for him, he resorted to sending me numerous threats and harassing e-mails, going so far as to threaten harm to my elementary school aged son. I wasn't about to let him get away with this.
More »

(Photo: Scarleth White)

AMC Theater Chain Bans All Outside Snacks
By Chris Walters on December 3, 2009 2:02 PM   259 Comments
After reporting a loss in the 2nd quarter of this year, AMC is doing what it can to increase revenue. Since the business model of movie theaters is to give all the ticket sales to the studios and scrape out a living on concessions, that means forcing more patrons to buy snacks—so it's officially banning any outside food and drink. More »

ECA Responds To Membership Controversy, But Doesn't Say Much
By Chris Walters on December 3, 2009 11:30 AM   57 Comments
Yesterday, ECA President Hal Halpin emailed Consumerist and other blogs a formal statement addressing the charges that the ECA is deliberately making it hard for members to break free. I'm printing the letter below, along with a summary of the key points Halpin makes and the issues that remain unanswered. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 3, 2009 9:16 AM   7 Comments
    Clothing
  • J.Crew: [Apparel] 20% off Women's Sweaters & Cardigans w/ coupon HOLIDAY
  • MaxStudio: [Women’s Fashions] Save an Extra $20 off Women's Apparel Orders
  • Amazon: [Jewelry] Up to 70% or More off Diamond Stud Earrings

  • eBags : [Apparel] $25 off $75 Purchase (No Coupon Needed)
  • Oakley Vault: [Men's Apparel] Oakley Men's Enlist Jacket for $70 + $7 s&h
  • Timberland: [Shoes] Timberland coupon: 40% off no minimum
More »

(Photo: wot nxt)

It's Official, Everybody Hates AT&T
By Chris Walters on December 2, 2009 8:29 PM   96 Comments
There's a new Consumer Reports survey out that ranks cellphone companies by customer satisfaction, and to pretty much no one's surprise, AT&T comes in last in all 19 cities surveyed. (Verizon came in first.) As AllThingsD notes, the survey "suggests that AT&T’s shortcomings are more widespread than the carrier would have us believe and not simply the product of a high concentration of iPhones in the country’s larger cities." More »

(Photo: Dazzie D)

Go Ahead, Strategically Default On Your Underwater Mortgage
By Chris Walters on December 2, 2009 5:14 PM   190 Comments
"Homeowners should be walking away in droves. But they aren't. And it's not because the financial costs of foreclosure outweigh the benefits. One can have a good credit rating again—meaning above 660—within two years after a foreclosure." That's the conclusion reached by a law professor who's written a paper about strategic default, which is when you elect to walk away from an underwater mortgage because you stand to lose more money trying to keep it than if you cut your losses immediately. The problem is, lots of people think it's the wrong thing to do, because individuals are supposed to play by different rules than the companies they do business with. More »

(Photo: jimg944)

Fry's Says It Will Give HDTVs To Stiffed Black Friday Customers
By Chris Walters on December 2, 2009 3:24 PM   32 Comments
Jeff, who tried to buy a Samsung HDTV from Fry's on Black Friday but was turned away after already paying for it, has written back to us with an update: More »

ECA Tries To Prevent Members From Canceling
By Chris Walters on December 2, 2009 9:58 AM   58 Comments
Some members of the Entertainment Consumers Association (ECA) are pretty upset that the consumer advocacy group for gamers removed the ability to turn off auto-renewal on member accounts. They've also removed the phone number you used to be able to call to cancel. In fact, the only way to cancel your ECA membership now is to mail them a letter—and if your request isn't processed at least 30 days before your membership is due to renew, you can expect to be charged again. Update: The ECA has responded, but their formal statement leaves a lot of questions unanswered. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 2, 2009 9:33 AM   11 Comments
    Clothing
  • New York & Company : [Apparel] $30 Off $75 Order w/ Coupon 1738 + One More Coupon
  • Puma: [Sports] Free Shipping and $20 off Shoes, Apparel, and More
  • Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Shoes] Joe's New Balance Outlet sale: Up to 85% off

  • WilsonsLeather: [Clothing & Accessories] Wilson's Leather Cyber Tuesday Sale: 30% off + free shipping w/ $75
More »

(Photo: peopleofwalmart.com)

Yay I Haven't Been Crushed To Death By Bargains Yet!
By Chris Walters on December 1, 2009 9:07 PM   67 Comments
It's easy to pick on the people who end up on PeopleOfWalmart.com, but... yeah, it's just easy. Especially when they trap their babies under a mountain of crap. Parents, I wish I could recall you. More »

(Photo: Kamoteus (A Better Way))

Sprint Forcing Customers On Too-Good-To-Be-True Plans To Upgrade
By Chris Walters on December 1, 2009 8:26 PM   91 Comments
I don't know how Corey ever managed to secure a monthly plan that only costs $2.50—oh wait, it looks like some old offer Sprint forgot about but some of their customers found. Well, now Sprint knows about it, and they're not happy. On the bright side, hey, no ETF to worry about if you want to switch carriers, Corey. You can read Sprint's take-it-or-leave-it offer below. More »

(Photo: "T"eresa)

Experian Fixes Messed Up Credit Report By Deleting Everything
By Chris Walters on December 1, 2009 8:04 PM   29 Comments
Monique X. is trying to get a loan to consolidate her debts into a more affordable payment. She writes that she's been careful with her credit history and knew that her credit score was adequate to get approved at her bank, "even with the economy the way it is." That's when she discovered that someone else's accounts had been folded into hers, and that Experian's solution to their error was as bad as the problem. More »

Video Professor Goes After TechCrunch, Washington Post Over Scam Accusation
By Chris Walters on December 1, 2009 6:12 PM   54 Comments
The people at Video Professor, a mail order company that lures in customers with words like "free" and "trial" and then hits them with $290 in charges, are drifting back to their old habits again. They don't like it when people accuse them of being a scam, even though they deliberately minimize or leave out altogether the expensive details of their offer, and even though hundreds of people have complained about difficulties getting refunds. This time, the targets are TechCrunch and the Washington Post, but as usual the whole "silence my online critics" strategy has backfired. More »

This Freshly Shaved Deli Meat Is Making Me Uncomfortable
By Chris Walters on December 1, 2009 11:01 AM   60 Comments
Maybe Oscar Mayer was thinking that folding the turkey that way would make shoppers think about turkey breasts. Maybe I have spent too much time in the more colorful parts of the Internet. Either way, I am not sure I could see this in the supermarket without doing a double take. And probably giggling. More »

(Photo: Giorgio Montersino)

Secrets Of Waiters
By Chris Walters on December 1, 2009 10:35 AM   144 Comments
Michelle Crouch at Reader's Digest has compiled another list of secrets that your waiter won't tell you. Some are just going to make you annoyed, like the waitress who lies for sympathy tips. But there are plenty of useful secrets on the list that might improve your experience the next time you go out to eat. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on December 1, 2009 9:10 AM   14 Comments
    Clothing
  • Moosejaw: [Apparel] Moosejaw FREE $51 Gift Card w/ The North Face Purchase $149+ Free Shipping
  • New York & Company : [Apparel] $25 Off $75 Order w/ Coupon 2263 + Two More Coupons
  • American Apparel : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon FF95624Y

  • Bebe : [Apparel] $10 Off $10.01 Order w/ Coupon SURPRISE
  • Graveyard Mall: [Apparel Accessories] Tactical Leather Gloves from $6 + $6 s&h
  • Dickies: [Clothing & Accessories] Dickies Men's Lined Eisenhower Jacket for $15 + free shipping, more (updated)

  • Walmart: [Clothing & Accessories] Men's apparel clearance at Walmart: Deals from $3 + $1 s&h
  • Zappos: [Shoes] Free Shipping via Overnight for Life at Zappos.com with signup
More »

Let This Flowchart Tell You Which Chain Restaurant To Visit Next
By Chris Walters on November 30, 2009 2:52 PM   115 Comments
Sometimes it's hard to decide on a chain restaurant when you're going out to eat. Luckily, the blog Eating The Road has produced a handy flowchart. What I like best about it is it asks the important questions, things like "Are you Drunk? Do you want to be? Are you high?" And most important, "Do you mind flair?" More »

(Photo: Jacob Davies)

Judge Tells Debt Collection Firm To Pay Stranger $115 For Dragging Him To Court
By Chris Walters on November 30, 2009 2:45 PM   68 Comments
Last week, a Brooklyn judge ordered strongly suggested that the law firm of Pressler & Pressler, "one of the biggest in the collection industry," pay a day's worth of income to the man they falsely accused of owing an unpaid debt. To encourage the firm to do the right thing, Judge Noach Dear scheduled a sanctions hearing but told the firm's lawyer, T. Andy Wang, that he might drop it if they pay up. More »

(Photo: David Paul Ohmer)

Citibank Closes Overdraft Protection Due To Lack Of Overdrafts
By Chris Walters on November 30, 2009 2:27 PM   28 Comments
We all know that banks offer overdraft protection because it makes them money, not because they want to be kind to customers. Still, it seems weird—or maybe just brutally honest—that Citibank would cancel Corrie's overdraft protection service simply because she'd managed to avoid any overdrafts since she opened her accounts. More »

(Photo: formatbrain)

New Study Suggests Drug Ads Ineffective, But Expensive For Consumers
By Chris Walters on November 30, 2009 1:32 PM   50 Comments
Researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver looked at sales figures and prices for the blood thinner Plavix after direct-to-consumer advertising started in 2001. What they found was that the campaign was largely ineffective at increasing prescribing rates, but that the price of the drug shot up 12% almost immediately to cover the cost of the marketing campaign. More »

(Photo: The Consumerist)

More Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 30, 2009 12:43 PM   19 Comments
We've received a lot more Cyber Monday tips since the Morning Deals post went up, so here's another look at some bargains, most of which are good for today only. More »

(Photo: nerdcoregirl)

New Jersey Wants Marketers To Stop Mailing Unsolicited Checks
By Chris Walters on November 30, 2009 12:12 PM   30 Comments
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty wants direct mail marketers to stop sending out those "free money!" checks that auto-enroll you in expensive programs when you deposit them, while a senator has introduced a similar measure. "Instead of relying on tricks, companies looking to sell their services in New Jersey should go back to the old-fashioned way: earning consumers' trust," said Moriarty. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 30, 2009 9:39 AM   11 Comments
    Clothing
  • Dickies : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon WDBFC
  • Steve Madden : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Order + Free Shipping w/ Coupon MADDEN30
  • Nike: [Clothing & Accessories] NikeStore clearance sale: Up to 70% off, extra 25% off, free shipping

  • Victoria's Secret : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon VSSAVE20
More »

(Photo: andyjakeman)

Macy's Cheerfully Helps Customers Get Parking Tickets
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 7:55 PM   59 Comments
The employees at the Macy's in Washington, DC, sure were helpful earlier today! They showed customers where they could park for up to two hours while they shopped. Unfortunately, it turns out Macy's employees are not well-versed on parking rules in DC, and the manager there doesn't really think it's Macy's problem. More »

Fry's Sells Magical Disappearing HDTVs To Customers
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 6:42 PM   139 Comments
The Fry's store in Renton, Washington, just played a mean trick on at least half a dozen customers. This morning, Jeff successfully navigated through the crowd outside, the crowds inside, and no less than five different lines in order to purchase a 52" TV. Everything went remarkably smoothly. Well, until the very end. More »

(Photo: digitizedchaos)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 5:56 PM   7 Comments
Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Also, be sure to check out our new Photo Gallery to see the latest additions all week long! More »

(Photo: MPD01605)

Walmart Shuts Down For 3 Hours After Shoppers Go Crazy
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 4:22 PM   92 Comments
The Los Angeles Times says that a Walmart in Upland, California had to kick everyone out and shut down for 3 hours this morning, because shoppers lost their damned minds. More »

Police Called To Quell Fight Over Toy Hamsters
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 3:05 PM   37 Comments
People in Indiana really want those trendy little robot hamsters that are the designated fad toy of 2009. Police were called to two Toys R Us stores, one in Indianapolis and one in Greenwood, on Friday after fights broke out among toy shoppers. More »

'I Stopped Denying People': Ex-Bank Of America CSR Tells All
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 11:58 AM   125 Comments
Here's a testimonial from a former Bank of America customer assistance employee. She was fired on Monday for offering repayment plans to too many customers, even those who "deserved" the 29.99% APR for making late payments. After hearing her story, you might conclude that this job was never a good fit for her skills. The next time you run up against a dead-sounding CSR, though, remember that people like Jackie don't make for profitable collections department employees, which is why they don't stick around for long.
Robots Play Trick On McDonald's Advertisement
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 10:26 AM   8 Comments
This is what happens when you let robots select up-and-coming stories for your banner ad on Digg. Although now that I think about it, I'm not sure I'd ever let a Digg story be assigned to my brand, automatically or otherwise, without looking at it first. (Thanks to Jeff!)
Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 27, 2009 9:52 AM   0 Comments
  • ShirtsMyWay: [Custom Shirts] $75-200 gift certificate with $150-350 purchase
  • Gap: [Clothing] Up to 50% off Sweaters, Fleece, & Other Apparel
  • GeekBouteek: [Tshirts] 30% off all tees

  • Altrec: [Clothing] Black Friday - Additional 20% off Sale items w/ coupon SANTA
  • BCO: [Clothing] Bargain Catalog Outlet - 40% off any one item w/ coupon BCBLACKFRI
  • New York & Company: [Clothing] 50% Off Everything + Free Shipping w/ coupon 4136
More »

Hammacher Schlemmer Helps Consumerist Reader With Refund
By Chris Walters on November 25, 2009 10:13 PM   10 Comments
This morning, the general manager of Hammacher Schlemmer saw the post about The Unrefundable Headache Wrap and left his contact info in the comments section. I forwarded it on to Tanya, and she's just emailed me back with good news. More »

Planet Fitness Publicly Shamed Into Refunding Dead Member's Fees
By Chris Walters on November 25, 2009 10:31 AM   30 Comments
Gregory Rowell has been dead for nearly two years, but no one knew that he'd set up an auto debit with Planet Fitness on a second checking account. The gym continued to debit his account each month until a bank employee notified the victim's mother, Patricia Rowell. When she provided the death certificate and asked them to refund the money, they not only refused, but said it was her fault and offered her a six month membership instead. That's when Rowell took her story to the local newspaper. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 25, 2009 9:28 AM   5 Comments
    Clothing
  • Timberland : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon GIFTS09 + Printable
  • Lands' End: [Shoes] Lands' End Men's Cashmere-Lined Lambskin Leather Gloves for $20 + free shipping
  • Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Shoes] Joe's New Balance Outlet sale: Up to 80% off

  • Kohl's : [Apparel] 15% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon TURKEY15
  • RalphLauren.com/Rugby.com: [Apparel] 25% off entire order with code HOL2009, through 12/7 (Thanks to Its_Miller_Time!)
More »

Meet 'The Imaginary Refund Policy' From Hammacher Schlemmer
By Chris Walters on November 24, 2009 7:59 PM   29 Comments
It turns out Hammacher Schlemmer doesn't want their goofy products any more than you do. Tanya in Canada has been trying for a month to get a refund on a product she felt didn't live up to its promise, but the company won't even acknowledge whether they've received it. Update: Hammacher Schlemmer has responded, and issued the refund. More »

Nokia Breaks Customer's Phone, Wants Money To Fix It
By Chris Walters on November 24, 2009 6:31 PM   26 Comments
A couple of months ago, Nokia ruined the Wifi capabilities on Chris's phone, and now he can't get them to fix it. Well, actually they told him they will fix, but only if he pays for the "repair." Ah, I see—this is a good secondary revenue strategy, Nokia. Sort of a protection racket! Well played! More »

Homeless Charity Revealed As A Fraud
By Chris Walters on November 24, 2009 1:06 PM   61 Comments
If you live anywhere in the NYC area, you've probably seen a "United Homeless Organization" table on the sidewalk, staffed by a volunteer who looks homeless himself. (If you don't live here, imagine a year-round, homeless Salvation Army Santa.) If you thought the set-ups looked a little sketchy, you were right: the UHO is a "sham," according to NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 24, 2009 9:08 AM   18 Comments
    Automobiles
  • Amazon: [Emergency/Repair] AAA 77 Piece Warrior Road Assistance Kit $59.99 + free shipping

    • Clothing
  • Timberland: [Apparel] Timberland Black Friday Deal - 30% Off Coupon Code
  • Hot Topic : [Apparel] 50% Off One Item w/ Coupon - Printable
  • Tilly's : [Apparel] 20% Off One Item w/ Coupon SHARE20

  • New York & Company : [Apparel] $35 Off $75 Purchase + One More Coupon 1938 + Printable
  • JCPenney: [Women's Apparel] Women's Sweaters at JCPenney: east5th Ballet Neck for free + $6 s&h, more
  • REI: [Shoes] 20% to 22% off UGG women's and childrens' boots at REI: Deals from $72 + $6 s&h
More »

Watch Out For Changes To Your Flight Itinerary
By Chris Walters on November 23, 2009 3:38 PM   36 Comments

—>Alexandros received an update from Orbitz about his trip and realized that United had changed the time of his flight. For various reasons he couldn't make the new time, so he was lucky to have caught it—not to mention he could have missed the flight entirely had he not seen the change.  More »

Police Drop Theft Charges Against Pub Non-Tippers
By Chris Walters on November 23, 2009 2:51 PM   120 Comments

—>Police in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, are withdrawing charges against the two college students who refused to tip at a pub last month, says The Morning Call.  More »

Are You Cutting Back On Tips This Season?
By Chris Walters on November 23, 2009 2:49 PM   99 Comments

—>The end of the year is usually when you tip service providers, but if you're on a reduced budget then you're probably going to want to scale back this year. Here are some suggestions from etiquette experts contacted by Reuters.  More »

Senator Wants Investigation Of Frequent Flyer Programs
By Chris Walters on November 23, 2009 2:23 PM   35 Comments

—>Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) is calling for a probe of frequent flyer programs to determine whether they deliver the value that they promise. In particular, he wants the Department of Transportation to look into the issue of evaporating miles, a relatively new phenomenon brought introduced via expiration dates in recent years.  More »

Cheap Package Design Tricks People Into Dropping Motorola Droid On Floor
By Chris Walters on November 23, 2009 1:48 PM   50 Comments

—>The Motorola Droid is a sweet phone, but the box it comes in is a case study in bad package design. Where every other gadget these days comes in boxes with lids, or boxes designed to be opened in a specific manner, the Droid box can easily be opened so that the brand new phone falls to the floor.  More »

Customer Finds Dead Mouse In Toyota
By Chris Walters on November 23, 2009 11:12 AM   109 Comments

—>Greg was replacing the speakers in his 2003 Camry and uncovered a stinky little tomb in the rear of the car. He thinks it must have happened at the plant, but I can't tell. Who wants to weigh in on whether the mouse tried to build a nest, or whether Toyota used mouse-enhanced stuffing on the assembly line? Oh, there are pics after the jump, but I made one of them less disturbing by adding a little sweater.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 23, 2009 9:13 AM   17 Comments

—>

    Clothing
  • Gap: [Clothing] Save Extra 25% off All On-Sale Apparel & Other Items
  • JC Penney : [Apparel] 15% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon PCTHANJC
  • Coldwater Creek : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon NKP1225

  • Bloomingdale's: [Apparel] Bloomingdale's Coupon Code Additional 20% off SALE4U
  • Cabelas: [Outdoor Apparel] Columbia Men's Bugaboo Parka Jacket $79.95
  • JewelryUnder100: [Jewelry] 6mm Men's Tungsten Carbide Ring for $16 + free shipping, more
  More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on November 20, 2009 11:11 PM   10 Comments

BeardHere are six wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

Should Yelp Remove Reviews By Non Customers?
By Chris Walters on November 20, 2009 10:27 PM   79 Comments

—>Lehigh Pub, the restaurant in Pennsylvania that had two patrons arrested for not tipping, was blasted on Yelp in the past 24 hours or so by angry readers. Many of them weren't customers, but heard about the arrests in the news and came to vote down the pub. As of this morning, it had an average of one star out of five.  More »

Black Friday Doorbusters Are A Sleazy Way To Lure Customers
By Chris Walters on November 20, 2009 9:45 PM   55 Comments

—>Pay no attention to those ridiculously cheap TV sets and game systems—also called doorbusters—that retailers use to lure in hordes of holiday shoppers, notes CNN. They're the equivalent of that little dangly thing anglerfish use to catch food.  More »

Does This Potty Seat Need An Extended Warranty?
By Chris Walters on November 20, 2009 8:47 PM   59 Comments

—>Kelly just bought a plastic Baby Bjorn potty seat at Babies R Us. When the cashier rang it up, the system told her to ask Kelly if she'd like to pay another 30% of the purchase price for a service plan.  More »

Sprint Gives Stranger Full Access To Customer's Account, Shrugs
By Chris Walters on November 20, 2009 7:20 PM   48 Comments

—>When Campbell changed his phone number with Sprint earlier this year, the company immediately assigned his old number to a new customer. They also gave that customer full access to Campbell's account.  More »

See Which Retailers Offer Free Shipping
By Chris Walters on November 20, 2009 3:19 PM   20 Comments

—>The website istobe offers a daily free shipping report for over 500 online retailers, where you can quickly see whether there's a minimum purchase requirement or if the retailer offers free shipping at all. It's a good resource to use as you compare prices, and istobe says they update it daily.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 20, 2009 1:58 PM   25 Comments

—>

    Clothing
  • Old Navy: [Apparel] Save an Extra 15% or 25% off All Orders of $75+
  • New York & Company: [Clothing] Take $25 OFF $75, $60 OFF $150 or $90 OFF $200 w/ coupon 2819 and 2820 and 2821 + Printable
  • Overstock: [Indoor Apparel] Unisex Egyptian Cotton Terry Bathrobe $36.99 + $1 Shipping

  • Nike: [Clothing & Accessories] NikeStore clearance sale: Up to 70% off + free shipping
  • Banana Republic: [Clothing & Accessories] Banana Republic Sale: 30% off outerwear
  • H&M: [Clothing] 20% off all outerwear, Nov 19-25th (Thanks to PecanPi!)
  More »

Gibson CEO Takes Leave Of Absence From Rainforest Group While Feds Investigate Imported Wood
By Chris Walters on November 19, 2009 10:22 PM   21 Comments

—>When agents raided Gibson Guitar's manufacturing facility earlier this week, some articles pointed out that the company's CEO Henry Juszkiewicz was on the board of the Rainforest Alliance, a group that certifies businesses to sell their goods under an environmentally sustainable label. Now the group has postponed its annual certification of Gibson Guitars, and Juszkiewicz is temporarily stepping down from the board.  More »

College Students Arrested For Refusing To Pay Tip
By Chris Walters on November 19, 2009 10:00 PM   335 Comments

—>Should you be required by law to pay a gratuity if you don't think the restaurant's service was worth it? The police in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania think so, and they arrested two college students for refusing to pay a $16.35 tip over what they claim was poor service. Update 11/23/09: the charges will be dropped.  More »

North Pole, Alaska, Forced Out Of Santa Letter Program
By Chris Walters on November 19, 2009 7:23 PM   30 Comments

—>New security rules have proven too complex for Alaska's post offices to bear, so they're ending their participation in Operation Santa, the 50-year-old program where letters addressed to "Santa Claus, North Pole" are answered by volunteers. The program will continue elsewhere, reports the Associated Press, but when I called the USPS to find out where letters should be addressed I was told parents should contact their local post offices for information.  More »

The Dumb Health Scare Gadget
By Chris Walters on November 19, 2009 7:02 PM   24 Comments

—>Quick, give Hammacher Schlemmer $70 + shipping so you can bring one of these magic H1N1 wand obliterators with you on Black Friday! The "technology for people who don't get technology" catalogue explains that the wand's UV light will kill "99.98%" of H1N1 viruses after you hold it 3/4" above a surface for at least 5 seconds. That's certainly convenient. Just carry it with you and use it on doors, boxes, shopping carts, and of course the cashier's hands before you accept any change. Be sure to bring an adapter for your car, however, because it only lasts about 90 minutes after an 8-hour charge.  More »

82-Year-Old Receipt Checker Chases Thief
By Chris Walters on November 19, 2009 3:51 PM   15 Comments

—>This security footage from a BJ's Wholesale in Florida shows a man trying to steal two computers, and the store's elderly greeter/receipt-checker giving chase. Almost all the good stuff happens off screen, so you'll have to imagine the awesome karate moves that probably ensued. It's retail crime fighting in action!  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 19, 2009 2:31 PM   2 Comments

—>

    Clothing
  • Gap: [Clothing] Save 25% off All Items Store-Wide Not Already On Sale
  • REI Outlet: [Travel] Gregory Reactor Daypack Backpack $40
  • Sports Authority: [Clothing] $10 Off $50 + $25 Off $100 w/ coupon TSAYXYN and TSAQHKZ + Printable

  • JCPenney: [Clothing] $10 Off a $25 Purchase w/ coupon 104YOU + Printable
  • Dillards.com: [Clothing & Accessories] Dillard's Sale: Up to 70% off select items
  More »

Warning Signs That Your Mechanic Is Scamming You
By Chris Walters on November 18, 2009 8:09 PM   32 Comments

—>Mint has a great article on how to protect yourself from getting ripped off by a mechanic. First and foremost, read your car's manual and learn what to ask for when you take it in. Just saying you need a tune up with a modern car flags you as an easy mark.  More »

Making A Donation? Ask For Details First
By Chris Walters on November 18, 2009 7:28 PM   22 Comments

—>This is the time of year when retailers like to give back to the community by getting you to do it for them when you're buying stuff. It might feel nice to help out a good cause, but make sure you know exactly what you're paying for before you hand over any cash. Dominick, for example, just bought a Jack in the Box antenna ball when he thought he was straight-up donating to a non-Jack charity.  More »

Free Thanksgiving Tips Book Download
By Chris Walters on November 18, 2009 7:09 PM   11 Comments

—>Here's a free Thanksgiving-themed PDF booklet from Money Management International, a non-profit that focuses on financial literacy. The booklet contains some guidelines on how to plan out the big event, how to save money on decor, and tips on shopping and saving money.   More »

Feds Raid Gibson Guitars
By Chris Walters on November 18, 2009 3:37 PM   79 Comments

—>Yesterday, US Fish & Wildlife Services agents issued a search warrant on Gibson Guitars' manufacturing plant in Nashville, TN. The Nashville Post writes that they "seized wood, guitars, computers and boxes of files from Gibson Guitar's Massman Road manufacturing facility."  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 18, 2009 2:07 PM   10 Comments

—>

    Babies
  • Pennywise: [Breast Pumps] First Years Natural Transitions Electric/Battery Breast Pump, Set of 2 for $34.99 + 1 cent shipping (Thanks to John!)

    • Clothing
  • Gap.com: [Clothing]: 20% off online w/ coupon GAP20
  • Foot Locker: [Clothing] $15 off $50, $30 off $100, $60 off $100 w/ coupon EMFL9NE5 and EMFL9NE3 and EMFL9NE6
  • Amazon: [Warmth] Cold Weather Sale: Hats, Gloves, & Scarves up to 50% or more off

  • Nike: [Clothing & Accessories] NikeStore clearance sale: Up to 70% off + free shipping
  • Eastbay: [Clothing & Accessories] Up to 40% off The North Face jackets at Eastbay: Women's track jacket for $40 + $7 s&h, more
  More »

Are You Ready To Go Shopping On Your Next Flight?
By Chris Walters on November 17, 2009 11:51 PM   54 Comments

—>American Airlines is beginning to experiment with turning flights into shopping opportunities, reports the New York Times. We're not just talking about in-flight purchases of Sky Mall schwag, either: the paper reports that limousine services, tickets to theme parks and Broadway shows, and train tickets are some of the offerings being considered or currently being tested.  More »

Vonage Reaches $3 Million Settlement With 32 States
By Chris Walters on November 17, 2009 10:55 PM   23 Comments

—>If you had trouble canceling your Vonage account in recent years and ended up getting charged for services you didn't want, you might be eligible for a refund under an agreement Vonage just made with the attorneys general of 32 states.  More »

Wow, Wendy's Really Does Take It Seriously
By Chris Walters on November 17, 2009 6:46 PM   96 Comments

—>We're always making fun of companies who overuse the phrase "taking it seriously," but it looks like Wendy's isn't playing around. An anonymous tipster found a chicken bone in his Wendy's sandwich, and got taken very seriously when he reported it.  More »

World's Most Scenic Pizza Hut Location?
By Chris Walters on November 17, 2009 5:06 PM   89 Comments
—>Either this is the most awesome place to eat your pizza, or the most depressing, depending on how you view antiquities. I'm going to say awesome. After all, there was probably always a food stall of some sort nearby over the years.  More »

Costco Bans Coca-Cola
By Chris Walters on November 17, 2009 4:04 PM   165 Comments

—>A dispute over pricing has led Costco to stop selling a number of Coca-Cola brands, which means all Coke varieties as well as Sprite, Squirt, Dasani water, and Full Throttle energy drinks, reports the Associated Press.  More »

US Airways Pilot Pulls Plane Over To Kick Off Unruly Passenger
By Chris Walters on November 17, 2009 3:52 PM   156 Comments

—>A 49-year-old Scottish man with an injured arm grew angry at the crew on his US Airways flight to London last night, so he demanded they turn the plane around and take him back to Philadelphia. Instead, the pilot, who has had it up to here with you kids, landed the plane at Logan International Airport in Boston and had him removed.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 17, 2009 2:34 PM   30 Comments

—>

    Clothing
  • Ann Taylor: [Clothing] 30% Off Entire Purchase w/ coupon FRIENDS + Printable
  • Armani Exchange: [Clothing] - 20% Off Sale Items + Free Shipping (no minimum) w/ coupon FRSHP09
  • The Limited: [Clothing] $15 Off Any Purchase or $30 Off $100, $50 Off $150 w/ coupon 193390879 + Printable

  • Lands' End: [Men's Apparel] Lands' End Men's Overstocks: Deals from $4 + free shipping
  • Wet Seal: [Women's Apparel] Wet Seal Sale Event: Extra 40% off clearance
  More »

Barnes & Noble Says They'll Accept Gift Cards For Ebooks Before Christmas
By Chris Walters on November 16, 2009 11:23 PM   18 Comments

—>Apparently Barnes & Noble meant it when they said that they were looking into the gift card issue for ebook purchases. Currently, B&N gift cards can't be used to buy ebooks, but a new post on one of the company's blogs says that should change by mid-December.  More »

Federal Reserve Proposes Rules On Gift Cards
By Chris Walters on November 16, 2009 11:05 PM   49 Comments

—>Here's your chance to sound off on another consumer protection issue. In accordance with the CARD Act, today the Federal Reserve proposed new rules that would protect consumers from fees and expiration dates on gift cards, and they'll soon be accepting comments on the rules.  More »

Reader Says He Was Tackled At Walmart For Not Showing Receipt
By Chris Walters on November 16, 2009 9:01 PM   416 Comments

—>Robby didn't feel like showing his receipt to the Walmart receipt checker, and when the guy came after him, Robby ignored him. That's when other shoppers started closing in on him, and why he started running.  More »

Pet Store Takes Advantage Of Grocery Shrink Ray
By Chris Walters on November 16, 2009 7:53 PM   34 Comments

—>Dan sent in this pic from a local pet store. It reads, "After January 1st, bag sizes will be decreased, and these new prices will stay the same. For the rest of 2009 you will save 12.5% on all big bags of Science Diet dog food!!" I like how they're spinning the reduced packaging in a way that benefits them and the customer, while also making sure nobody is fooled come January 1st.  More »

Ulta District Manager Apologizes For "No Writing Anything Down" Policy
By Chris Walters on November 16, 2009 6:26 PM   69 Comments

—>Last week, Daynah wrote about how she was forced to stop writing anything down during a recent shopping trip to the cosmetics store Ulta. At the time, Daynah grudgingly gave in because she really wanted to make a purchase (she tests products for consumers). But once she left the store, she took the fight back to Ulta.  More »

Ally Bank Debits Account Before Customer Verifies That It's Hers
By Chris Walters on November 16, 2009 3:30 PM   44 Comments

—>Sometimes a company verifies that a bank account by making a couple of small deposits in it, then asking you to report back the deposit amounts. Don't rely on that verification process to block any activity in the meantime, though. That's what Suzette did with Ally bank, and she ended up with a $35 stop payment fee from her own bank.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 16, 2009 2:10 PM   28 Comments

—>

    Clothing
  • Amazon: [Shoes] Save an Extra $20 off Footwear and Handbags
  • Payless Shoes: [Shoes] Extra 15% off w/ coupon 26292 + Printable
  • Amazon: [Jeans] Wrangler Men's Rugged Wear Classic Fit Jeans $6.84 a pair

  • Figleaves: [Clothing & Accessories] Figleaves Designer Outlet: Up to 70% off
  • Walmart: [Men's Apparel] Puritan Men's Short-Sleeve Polo Shirt 2-Pack for $6 + $1 s&h, more
  • REI: [Men's Apparel] SportHill Men's Symmetry II Jacket for $30 + $6 s&h
  More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 11:44 PM   29 Comments

—>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 »

You Can't Use A Barnes & Noble Gift Card For Ebooks
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 11:20 PM   63 Comments

—>Update: Barnes & Noble says they're changing this policy. 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 »

Am I Responsible For My Parents' Debt?
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 11:03 PM   138 Comments

—>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 »

Customer Says OnTrac Is Ruining His Amazon Prime Membership
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 10:32 PM   94 Comments

—>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 »

Chase Raises Interest Rate On Closed Account
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 10:25 PM   38 Comments

—>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 »

What Cheer? Consumers More Glum Than Ever
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 4:47 PM   52 Comments

—>Retailers have been hoping that we'd enter the annual Festival of Shopping with higher spirits than last year, but it looks like that might not happen after all. The Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index was updated today, and it shows a drop to 66.0, "well below October's reading of 70.6 and a sharp reversal of the 71.0 figure economists had expected."  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 1:57 PM   27 Comments

—>

    Kids
  • Disney Store: [Gifts] Save an Extra 20% off Toys, Apparel, & More ($89 minimum purchase)
  • Toys R Us : [Toys] $15 Off $100 Purchase w/ Coupon TOYSHOLIDAY + Multiple In-Store Coupons
  • Trainz (via eBay): [Toys & Hobbies] Lionel Train Sets from $140 + free shipping: Thomas & Friends, Polar Express, more
  More »

Burger King Restaurants Angry Over $1 Burger Promo, File Lawsuit
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 1:27 PM   123 Comments

—>I've been wondering how some fast food chains can sell $1 cheeseburgers and still make a profit. Apparently they can't, which is why a group that represents about 80% of the restaurant's franchisees have sued the company over the promotion.  More »

Store Theft In The US Jumped 8.8% Last Year
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2009 2:05 AM   116 Comments

—>Maybe this is why stores seem to be getting more and more aggressive about shoplifting: CNN says that retail theft in the US jumped 8.8% over the past year, versus only 1.5% in the prior year. But you may be surprised (only if you've never worked retail) to see where most of the theft occurs.  More »

FTC Files Contempt Charge Against BlueHippo For Continuing To Rip Off Customers
By Chris Walters on November 12, 2009 9:38 PM   53 Comments

—>Today the FTC lodged a contempt charge against scammy no-credit-needed electronics seller BlueHippo, saying that the company hasn't honored its prior agreement to stop scamming customers. BlueHippo agreed to pay back $3.5 million nearly two years ago to reimburse customers who never received the computers they pre-paid for, but the FTC says since then the company has sucked another $15 million out of customers.  More »

Newly Frugal Behavior Is Permanent, Say Some Consumers
By Chris Walters on November 12, 2009 9:09 PM   73 Comments

—>A new study says that 26% of US consumers "have no plans to return to their free-spending ways," which probably doesn't sound like good news to retailers. Even worse (for retailers), about a third say they've become less loyal.  More »

Stroller Company Maclaren Knew About Amputation Risk 5 Years Ago
By Chris Walters on November 12, 2009 8:29 PM   37 Comments

—>The British company Maclaren knew that its recently recalled strollers could potentially lop off a tot's fingertips over five years ago, reports the New York Post, but it didn't bother to alert the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 12, 2009 2:07 PM   17 Comments

—>

    Travel
  • Delta: [In Flight WiFi] Free Wifi on your next Delta flight with coupon code DELTATRYGOGO (good through 12/31/09) (Thanks to catastrophegirl!)

    • Clothing
  • Liz Claiborne: [Apparel] Liz Claiborne Coupon Code 30% Off Storewide + Free Shipping $50+
  • Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Shoes] Joe's New Balance Outlet sale: Up to 85% off
  • Reebok : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon FRIEND + Printable

  • Original Penguin : [Apparel] 33% Off All Outerwear and Sweaters + One More Coupon OPG33
  • Motorcycle Superstore: [Men's Apparel] Motorcycle Superstore sale: Up to 80% off
  More »

Don't Let Maintenance Fees Ruin Your Automatic Savings Program
By Chris Walters on November 11, 2009 10:57 PM   25 Comments

—>If you participate in an automatic savings program like Bank of America's Keep the Change service, where debit card purchases are rounded up and the difference is deposited into your savings account, keep an eye on maintenance fees. James says he was hit with a $5 charge last month because he hadn't met the minimum monthly deposit requirement of $25: "It turns out that I wasn't even accruing $5 worth of change per month, so I was losing more money due to the maintenance fee than I was saving via Keep the Change!"  More »

Block Spam Callers From Your Blackberry With Call Control
By Chris Walters on November 11, 2009 10:14 PM   19 Comments

—>You can always just not answer your phone, but if a telemarketer calling you on your Blackberry sends you into a rage, you might want to look at Call Control. The app relies on the telemarketer database at everycall.us to screen out known spammers. The free version screens out the top 100 telemarketers; an $8 version uses the entire database and includes updates.  More »

Sony's Ebook Store Prices Too High? Try Shortcovers
By Chris Walters on November 11, 2009 9:49 PM   51 Comments

—>Michael bought a Sony Pocket Reader last month, but with the exception of $10 bestsellers, he's finding that other books he wants are priced higher than he's willing to pay. For example, Tad Friend's memoir Cheerful Money is $10 on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble, but $17.49 from Sony. Michael wants to know if we have any advice on how to get Sony to lower their prices.  More »

Geek Squad Agent Doesn't Have Time To Look For Multimeter, Let's Just Send Off Laptop For 3 Weeks Instead
By Chris Walters on November 11, 2009 8:58 PM   118 Comments

—>The usefulness of Best Buy's Geek Squad depends entirely on the competence of the employee you get when you go in for help, and unfortunately Scott landed one of the lazier ones. Here's his sales pitch to Scott over a laptop that wouldn't start: "It's going to take at least 10 minutes for me to get the multimeter or another adapter. It's going to be a problem inside the computer, let's just send it in."  More »

Your Credit Report Isn't The Only Report You Should Monitor
By Chris Walters on November 11, 2009 3:53 PM   30 Comments

—>When an insurer decides whether to offer you a new policy, or whether to raise rates on a current one, he most likely pulls a CLUE report that lists any homeowner or automobile insurance loss claims (or sometimes even just inquiries) that you've made over the past 3-7 years. Hopefully you monitor your consumer credit report for errors, but as you can see, that's not the only one you should keep an eye on.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 11, 2009 2:13 PM   29 Comments

—>

    Veterans Day Specials (Thanks to John!)
  • KrispyKreme: [Donut] Free donut! Today only, at participating locations
  • Applebees: [Restaurant] Free meal for Veterans on Veterans Day. See available menu on Applebees promo site.
  • Brides Across America: [Wedding Gowns] Free gowns from participating shops on first come, first serve basis, for brides-to-be with deployed fiancs

  • Golden Corral: [Restaurant]Free meal for veterans from 5 to 9pm on Monday, November 16th
  • MilitaryAvenue.com: [Discounts] List of discounts or freebies offered to veterans
  More »

Target Pays New Jersey $375K To Settle Fraud Charges
By Chris Walters on November 10, 2009 11:27 PM   35 Comments

—>Target has agreed to pay New Jersey $375,000 to settle charges that it sold baby formula and non-prescription drugs that had expired, and that it charged higher prices on some products than what was displayed on the shelves.  More »

Staples Wants To Know If They're Freaking You Out With Their All-Knowing Emails
By Chris Walters on November 10, 2009 11:09 PM   45 Comments

—>Apparently Staples is worried that their emails might be too accurate when it comes to marketing office supplies to people—accurate enough to make potential customers paranoid.  More »

Google Offering Temporary Free WiFi Access At 47 Airports
By Chris Walters on November 10, 2009 10:46 PM   38 Comments

—>From now until January 15th, 2010, Google will offer free WiFi access at 47 airports around the country. As part of the promotion, they'll be collecting donations through Google Checkout for three non-profit organizations and will provide matching funds up to $250,000. But whether you donate or not, there's a much better chance now that you'll be able to go online while waiting for your flight. Imagine all the airline tips you can send to us!   More »

10 Strategies To Lower Your Auto Insurance
By Chris Walters on November 10, 2009 10:32 PM   81 Comments

—>Over at the Mint blog they've posted a list of 10 ways to reduce your car insurance premium. You'll want to contact your current insurer and ask some questions, like whether they offer a discount for paying up front, or if they'll cut you a deal for being a long-term customer.  More »

Keep Track Of Which Diploma Mills Will Work Out Best For Your Pet
By Chris Walters on November 10, 2009 5:50 PM   101 Comments

—>In this job market, anything you can do to give your cat or dog an edge is worth pursuing. That's why you shouldn't enroll your pet in just any diploma mill—you want one that's a proven scam. Boingboing points out that there's a Wikipedia page to keep track of animals with fraudulent diplomas to make it easier to comparison shop for that next fake certificate.  More »

Is Bank Of America Of Trying To Skirt The CARD Act With New Annual Fees?
By Chris Walters on November 10, 2009 4:35 PM   67 Comments

—>In a series of recent posts, WalletBlog has accused Bank of America of breaking the spirit of its "no new fees" promise and of potentially breaking the law next year, after it announced it will introduce annual fees on some existing credit card accounts in 2010.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 10, 2009 2:02 PM   16 Comments

—>

    Clothing
  • Bloomingdale's: [Apparel] New Bloomingdale's Coupon Code 20% off + $100 Gift Credit w/ $500 Purchase
  • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 6PM Unlisted by Kenneth Cole Men's Shoes $14.95
  • Coldwater Creek : [Apparel] $30 Off $100 Purchase w/ Coupon NKA9439

  • Lands' End: [Men's Apparel] Lands' End Men's Overstocks: Deals from $4 + free shipping
  • eBags: [Bags] 25% off 1 Item Tuesday Only
  More »

Citibank To Charge Fees On Checking Accounts
By Chris Walters on November 9, 2009 11:49 PM   118 Comments

—>If you're a Citibank customer who has one of the bank's two smaller checking account plans—the ones where the monthly fee is waived as long as you use direct deposit or their online bill payment—then maybe it's time to consider taking your business elsewhere. Starting in February, anyone with an average balance of less than $1500 will be assessed a monthly $7.50 service fee, reports the New York Post.  More »

Never Follow A Security Guard Into The Back Of The Store
By Chris Walters on November 9, 2009 11:28 PM   306 Comments

—>Here's some advice for you, the regular customer who doesn't shoplift: never go into the back of a store with a security guard, store manager, rent-a-cop, etc. Never. Someone posted the following story in the Janesville, Wisconsin CraigsList over the weekend. Because the poster cooperated in good faith with the security personnel at her local Menards home store, she had to pay $150 to avoid having the police called on her.  More »

Ulta Manager: "Take Your Pen To Your Car, You're Not Allowed To Write Anything Down"
By Chris Walters on November 9, 2009 11:03 PM   184 Comments

—>In a world where smartphones can shoot video, snap photos, record audio, scan barcodes, and let you make price comparisons via text message, it's almost funny to run into a paranoid manager like the one at an Ulta makeup store in Seattle. Well, funny except for that petty tyrant part where she tells you that you'll have to take your old-school pen and papers out to the car and come back empty handed before she'll sell you any makeup.  More »

What To Consider Before Buying An Extended Warranty
By Chris Walters on November 9, 2009 9:43 PM   57 Comments

—>The New York Times has an article about why consumers buy extended warranties for electronic products and other appliances, especially since we rarely have enough information at the moment of sale to make an informed decision. Here are three things to watch out for the next time you're buying some fun electronic device.  More »

MPAA Asks FCC For Control Of Your TV's Analog Outputs
By Chris Walters on November 9, 2009 8:02 PM   87 Comments

—>The Motion Picture Association of American wants to rent movies to TV viewers earlier in the release window, but they don't want anyone potentially streaming that video out to other appliances. That's why last week they went back to the FCC to once again ask for the power to disable analog ports on consumer television sets.  More »

Layaway Making A Comeback
By Chris Walters on November 9, 2009 1:48 PM   71 Comments

—>Sears and Toys R Us are among retailers who have brought back layaway programs to help boost sales, reports Eve Mitchell at the San Jose Mercury News. Not all stores think it's worth the effort, so you won't find it at JCPenney, Target, or Walmart. However, if you want to use layaway at retailers that don't offer it, there are now websites that can help.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 9, 2009 1:22 PM   14 Comments

—>

    Clothing
  • Cole Haan : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon OURGUEST + Printable
  • Woman Within : [Apparel] $25 Off $50 Purchase w/ Coupon WW2550

    • Computers and Electronics
  • MacHeist: [OS X Software] Twitterrific, Writeroom, and 4 other applications for free.
  • Buy.com : [Remote Control] Philips 15-Device Universal Remote Control for $39.99 w/ Free shipping
  • PC Connection: [Monitor] LG 22-inch Energy-saving LCD Monitor $119 + free shipping
  More »

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Chris Walters on November 7, 2009 12:55 AM   12 Comments

—>Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

Capital One Activates Payment Protection Plan Thanks To EECB
By Chris Walters on November 7, 2009 12:25 AM   7 Comments

—>Earlier this week, I posted about a college student who couldn't get Capital One's Emergency Payment Protection Plan activated on his account because of missed deadlines. Andon wrote back today to say that after he sent an EECB to the credit card company's executives, they apologized and activated the service.  More »

Here Are Your Shipping Deadlines For Christmas 2009
By Chris Walters on November 6, 2009 10:50 PM   26 Comments

—>If you're planning on spending the next 6-8 weeks pouring cash into Mammon's gaping maw—and really, who isn't? it's how we love each other—then here are the shipping deadlines for over 100 online retailers, courtesy of CouponSherpa. In today's UPS/FedEx world you can frequently wait right up until Christmas week, but you might want to double-check the list if there's a retailer you absolutely have to shop from.  More »

Walmart Goes Crazy On Couple Suspected Of Shoplifting
By Chris Walters on November 6, 2009 10:16 PM   231 Comments

—>Walmart can try to spin itself as being on the side of good all it wants, but if it ever suspects you of shoplifting, you may find that you're powerless to fight back. In the case of a couple accused of shoplifting some Bic lighters in Niles, Michigan this past August, Walmart detained them, the police came and cuffed one of them, their two kids were taken to a security room, and—after a review of security footage proved the couple's innocence—they were banned for life from all Walmarts. To top it off, Walmart's legal team has sent the couple a letter asking to be reimbursed for 10 times the value of the lighters, even though the police determined no shoplifting had taken place.  More »

Bally Reps Drove Developmentally Disabled Man To Gym, Signed Him Up
By Chris Walters on November 6, 2009 9:38 PM   95 Comments

—>Family members of a developmentally disabled 49-year-old man told 6 News in Indianapolis that two men from Bally Total Fitness showed up at the man's apartment, drove him to a Bally location at Pike Plaza, and signed him up to a monthly membership. When the man's family asked Bally to invalidate the agreement, the gym refused.  More »

What You Need To Know About Today's Unemployment Benefits Extension
By Chris Walters on November 6, 2009 4:10 PM   67 Comments

—>If you're still struggling to find a job in the current economy, you'll be happy to know that this morning President Obama is expected to sign legislation to extend benefits for few more months. The New York Times has more info on how the extension will work, and who qualifies for it.  More »

PerfectPitch Owner Apologizes For DMCA Notice, Explains What Happened
By Chris Walters on November 6, 2009 2:28 PM   37 Comments

—>Gary Boucherle, the owner of the website and product PerfectPitch, sent us an explanation of why he got Google to remove links to mentions of his product on another person's blog.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 6, 2009 2:06 PM   30 Comments

—>

    Automobiles
  • Buy.com: [Tire Gauge] Accutire Mechanical Tire Gauge w/ Backlight & Set-point $11 + free shipping

    • Clothing
  • American Eagle Outfitters: [Apparel] American Eagle Outfitters Coupon Code 15% off Sitewide w/ PayPal
  • Banana Republic: [Apparel] New Banana Republic Coupon Code 25% off $100+
  • Puma : [First Class Running Suits] 30% Off Entire Online Purchase or 20% Off In-Store Purchase w/ Coupon FANDF0911 + Printable
  More »

Company Sued For Selling Beatles MP3s Says They're Original Works, So It's Okay
By Chris Walters on November 5, 2009 10:33 PM   57 Comments

—>Since the Beatles are notorious for refusing to release their music online, the mere fact that BlueBeat.com was selling them was kind of strange, which probably explains why EMI just sued them for copyright infringement. But BlueBeat has come up with a perfectly reasonable explanation. The songs aren't really Beatles songs, you see, but "psycho-acoustic simulations" and therefore original works.  More »

Toyota Says It's Not Hiding Anything In Runaway Cars Investigation
By Chris Walters on November 5, 2009 9:54 PM   36 Comments

—>One of Toyota's execs said today that the company isn't covering up information about its suddenly accelerating cars, but the Department of Transportation doesn't seem to agree.  More »

PerfectPitch Uses DMCA To Get Product Mentions Removed From Google
By Chris Walters on November 5, 2009 8:55 PM   62 Comments

—>Update: The owner of the website PerfectPitch.com has apologized for the takedown notice, and says it was an accident on his end. Here's his email.  More »

Michigan Utility Company Must Refund $39 Million To Overcharged Customers
By Chris Walters on November 5, 2009 8:31 PM   21 Comments

—>In Michigan, utilities can increase rates without first getting approval, but that means the Michigan Public Service Commission can later reduce them. That's what happened on Monday, when the Commission ordered Consumers Energy to refund about $39.6 million to customers it overcharged since last May.  More »

Expedia Drops Fee For Booking By Phone
By Chris Walters on November 5, 2009 3:43 PM   6 Comments

—>This morning, travel service Expedia announced it will abandon its book by phone fee, which it first implemented last May. This makes it the only major online travel agency to not ding customers with a fee for booking flights over the phone, notes consumer travel advocate Christopher Elliott.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 5, 2009 2:02 PM   26 Comments

—>

    Bags and Luggage
  • Sears: [Travel] American Tourister 7PC Luggage Set $64.99 Free Shipping
  • REI Outlet: [Messenger] Save $80 off Timbuk2 Classic Covert Messenger

    • Clothing
  • Nordstrom: [Apparel] Nordstrom Half-Yearly Sale + Free Shipping on Orders $100+
  • Under Armour: [Apparel] Under Armour Coupon Code up to 50% off Outlet + Free Shipping $75+
  • Chadwicks : [Apparel] 40% Off Any One Item w/ Coupon CHDEAL40
  More »

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Payless Shoesource For Text Message Spamming
By Chris Walters on November 4, 2009 9:48 PM   33 Comments

—>Peter, who wrote in last month to complain about being text-spammed by Payless Shoesource on his phone, wasn't the only customer they annoyed. A man in California has filed a class action lawsuit against the shoe company and Voice & Mobile Broadcast Corporation, which is the marketing company it hired to run the campaign.  More »

United Says No Track Suits In First Class
By Chris Walters on November 4, 2009 9:13 PM   197 Comments

—>How casual is too casual for an airplane's first class section? If you paid for first class, and a bald guy in a Puma running outfit sat down across the aisle from you, would you honestly feel short-changed? United seems to think it's inappropriate.  More »

Quicken Online To Be Shut Down Next Year, Accounts Merged With Mint
By Chris Walters on November 4, 2009 8:00 PM   37 Comments

—>When news broke back in September that Intuit, the company behind Quicken, was buying personal finance website Mint, everyone wondered how the two services would co-exist. The worst case scenario was that Mint would be absorbed somehow into Intuit's in-house competitor, Quicken Online. Thankfully, it looks like the opposite will happen.  More »

Walmart Wants You To Buy All Your Turkey And TV From Them This Year
By Chris Walters on November 4, 2009 4:42 PM   104 Comments

—>Walmart is ramping up the price war on another front. Instead of hardcovers, this time the retailer is cutting prices on turkey and flat-panel TVs, reports Bloomberg.  More »

Morning Deals
By Chris Walters on November 4, 2009 2:29 PM   15 Comments
  • Target : [Toys] $450 Worth of Coupons for Toys - Printable

    • Clothing
  • Eddie Bauer: [Apparel] New Eddie Bauer Coupon Code Free Shipping (no minimum) - Clearance up to 65% Off
  • macys: [Men's Apparel] Macy's Men's Apparel Clearance: Up to 75% off select items
  • Nike: [Clothing & Accessories] NikeStore clearance sale: Up to 65% off + free shipping

  • Esprit: [Women's Apparel] Esprit Sale: Up to 70% off clearance
  • Lands' End: [Men's Apparel] Lands' End Men's Dress Shirts: Deals from $13 + free shipping
    •   More »

    Walmart Prepares For New Push Into Major Urban Areas
    By Chris Walters on November 4, 2009 1:25 AM   140 Comments

    —>If you live in Chicago, New York City, or Philadelphia, expect to start hearing some noise about Walmart in the coming months. The retailer has announced that it's going to "step up efforts to mobilize local political support" so that it can finally open stores in those cities, reports the Financial Times.  More »

    Radio Shack Opening Mobile Phone Kiosks In Target Stores
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 10:10 PM   40 Comments

    —>One problem I've always had when shopping for jacked-up prices is I can't find enough crazy to go along with it. Same thing for the crazy: I know where to go to get cart-loads of that, but I can't find the 2400% markup! What I need, clearly, is for Radio Shack to open up specialty kiosks inside Target stores, so then— oh hey! It's the Bullseye Mobile Solution!  More »

    Capital One Tricks Customer Into Not Activating Emergency Payment Protection Plan
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 7:58 PM   27 Comments

    —>Cory wrote in earlier to complain about Capital One's nasty habit of having their collection department call you to upsell you on other products. At almost the same time, Andon wrote to us to let us know that the company's protection plan—the sort of thing they're trying to sell to people like Cory—is useless unless you can manipulate time (Andon can't).  More »

    Capital One Calls To Dun For Payment Before It's Even Due
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 7:58 PM   45 Comments

    —>Cory says Capital One's Collection Department called his mother-in-law the other day in an attempt to reach him, which was weird because his account is in good standing. Their reason? They just wanted to remind him that his credit card payment was due soon. Oh, and to try to upsell him.  More »

    Baby Too Boring? Watch The Neighbor's Baby With This Monitor
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 7:22 PM   90 Comments

    —>If you buy the Summer Infant Day and Night Video Monitor, you might want to make sure your neighbors haven't also got one, or else they'll have a secret window into your newborn's room.  More »

    Tavern On The Green Plays Halloween Trick On Thousands Of Partiers
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 2:31 PM   76 Comments

    —>Melissa is one of thousands of people who showed up at the bankrupt Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park on Saturday night for a ticket-holders-only Halloween party. She was forced to wait outside at the front of an increasingly agitated mob because the restaurant had sold too many tickets, or because someone had sold fake ones, it's still unclear. The Daily News says one reveler waited 5 hours before he was finally let in, just before 1:30 am—which was when the party was shut down by police. Now they all want their money back, but Tavern on the Green and the party promoters are blaming each other.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 2:07 PM   35 Comments

    —>  More »

    Government Helped CIT Limp Along Long Enough To Keep From Ruining Christmas
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 12:57 AM   28 Comments

    —>According to SpendMatters, one big reason the government burned through $2.3 billion in TARP funds for CIT even though it was buckling under debt was to try to avoid ruining everybody's Christmas this year.  More »

    Hyundai Replaces Car Destroyed In BMW Parking Lot Attack
    By Chris Walters on November 3, 2009 12:05 AM   145 Comments

    —>About a week ago, a woman tried to park her BMW X5 in a gym parking lot in Thornhill, Ontario. For some mysterious reason, she instead drove over two other cars and sat on top of them for a few seconds, like a big game cat savoring her kill. Then she drove off.  More »

    HP Refuses To Make Good On $100 Cash Back Promise, Won't Explain Why
    By Chris Walters on November 2, 2009 11:27 PM   60 Comments

    —>David is trying to reach HP executive customer service. He wants to find out why they reversed the $100 cash back offer they'd originally extended through a promotion with Microsoft's new search engine Bing, and why the only reasons they're giving him are either inapplicable or demonstrably false.  More »

    Hilton Complimentary Internet Access In Lobby Costs $10 A Day
    By Chris Walters on November 2, 2009 11:09 PM   64 Comments

    —>At Hilton Washington Dulles Airport hotel, everything is complimentary! That's because to them "complimentary" actually means "for a price." Last week, a linguistics professor tried to take advantage of their "Complimentary High-speed Internet access on the lobby level," which is how they describe the service on their website. He quickly discovered that he'd have to agree to a $9.99 charge in order to get the free service.  More »

    Take More Notes, Save Money
    By Chris Walters on November 2, 2009 7:07 PM   65 Comments

    —>Yesterday I grabbed a notebook app for my smartphone and spent a couple of hours organizing the various content folders—ideas for Consumerist, gift lists for Christmas, things to look up later on a computer—so that I could capture information more efficiently. Wait, why s ths n Cnsmrst? Because The Simple Dollar argues that by keeping a notebook and using it all the time (Lifehacker calls it "ubiquitous capture"), you can end up saving money.  More »

    When To Buy A Home And How To Avoid Screwing It Up
    By Chris Walters on November 2, 2009 4:52 PM   72 Comments

    —>Are you hitting that stage in life where you're thinking of becoming a homeowner? Morningstar has published two home buying articles that together offer some good, concise advice to the prospective buyer, especially if you're a first-timer.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on November 2, 2009 2:05 PM   9 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Brooks Brothers: [Apparel] Save at least 15% and up to 25% off All Orders
    • Dickies : [Apparel] 50% Off Everything + Free Shipping w/ Coupon NOV50
    • JC Penney : [Apparel] 20% Off $100 Purchase + One More Coupon CATHKSPC

    • Lands' End: [Clothing & Accessories] Lands' End coupon: $10 off $10 or more
    • 6pm: [Shoes] 45% to 76% off Privo women's shoes at 6pm.com: Deals for $22 + $7 s&h
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on October 30, 2009 11:01 PM   9 Comments

    —>Here are nine holiday-appropriate photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    Rent Someone's Home On Your Next Vacation
    By Chris Walters on October 30, 2009 10:32 PM   45 Comments

    —>The next time you travel to another city, it might be cheaper, or at least more interesting, to rent directly from a local homeowner. Cool Tools says Vacation Rentals By Owner (VRBO.com) is a great way to find rental opportunities when you travel.  More »

    Chart Compares Total Cost Of Ownership For Popular Smartphones
    By Chris Walters on October 30, 2009 7:24 PM   119 Comments

    —>You may think that buying an iPhone with AT&T service is an expensive commitment, and you'd be right. But as this chart from BillShrink shows, your total cost of ownership (TCO) for any of the latest smartphones is going to exceed 2 grand over a 24-month period. In fact, the highly-praised new Motorola Droid on Verizon works out to exactly the same TCO as the latest iPhone.  More »

    First Results Of Gov Study Of Chinese Drywall Inconclusive, But More Tests To Come
    By Chris Walters on October 30, 2009 7:01 PM   42 Comments

    —>Yesterday the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced some findings from its study of the problematic Chinese drywall, which 1,900 Florida homeowners have complained stinks and makes people sick. The commission told the Associated Press that "no connections have been made yet," but that they're doing more tests—which means there's still no definitive answer on who should be held financially responsible if the homes have to be gutted and repaired, which the Wall Street Journal says could cost as much as $25 billion dollars.  More »

    Microsoft Stores To Sell Bloatware-Free PCs
    By Chris Walters on October 30, 2009 6:02 PM   83 Comments

    —>If you hate buying a new PC that's riddled with bloatware, you may want to pay a Microsoft Store a visit on your next computer shopping trip. They plan on selling PCs free of any third-party trial applications, reports OhGizmo.  More »

    Citibank Doesn't Want Your Business, Linux Users
    By Chris Walters on October 30, 2009 4:30 PM   123 Comments

    —>For some reason, Citibank won't let customers using Linux computers log in to their online accounts. Adam argues that in 2009 this doesn't make sense, especially when no other major corporate website blocks him like this.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 30, 2009 1:20 PM   8 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Karmaloop: [Apparel] Karmaloop 80% Off Sale + 20% Coupon or $10 off $10+ or Free Shipping
    • Payless ShoeSource: [Shoes] 50% off entire purchase in store with coupon (Thanks to Marisa!)
    • Adidas : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon SAVE30

    • The Children's Place: [Children's Apparel] The Children's Place sale: Extra 50% off + 15% off coupon
    • Aeropostale: [Men's Apparel] Aeropostale Men's Wool Peacoat for $50 + $7 s&h
      More »

    Creator Of Baby Einstein Vids Admitted In 2005 She Didn't Know What She Was Doing
    By Chris Walters on October 29, 2009 3:10 PM   58 Comments

    —>A website that focuses on female entrepreneurs interviewed the creator of the Baby Einstein video line back in 2005. As Boing Boing pointed out yesterday, her explanation of how she developed the videos is pretty funny. Well, Boing Boing calls it "damning," but it's funny that everyone—Disney included—took the product line so seriously.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 29, 2009 12:25 PM   9 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • ChampionUSA: [Apparel] New ChampionUSA Coupon Code 20% off Storewide (Free Shipping on $75+ Orders)
    • REI Outlet: [Cold Weather Wear] Snow Sports Sale: Up to 50% or more off
    • The North Face: [Men's Apparel] The North Face Men's WindWall 1 Jacket (limited sizes) for $60 + $9 s&h

    • Catherines : [Apparel] $15 Off $25 Purchase w/ Coupon 777001264
    • Lee : [Jeans] 50% Off Entire Order Sale
      More »

    Google's New Music Search Launches, But Your Buying Options Remain The Same
    By Chris Walters on October 29, 2009 12:07 AM   21 Comments

    —>The new music search capabilities that Google introduced today will make it easier to quickly find a song you can't remember the name of, or sample some tracks from an artist you're interested in. But it's not so much a new service as a more efficient combination of a bunch of services already scattered around the web.  More »

    Need Affordable Housing? What About A Mobile Home?
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 10:24 PM   144 Comments

    —>Mobile homes have a less-than-stellar reputation, deservedly or not. I know my own mom always warned me against them by saying they were just tornado bait, which was enough to make me leery of even stepping foot inside a friend's mobile home growing up. But if you're not irrationally afraid of tornadoes, a mobile home might be a great housing option if you're on a tight budget or looking to save money, writes Michigan Telephone.  More »

    US Airways Shrinks
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 8:37 PM   39 Comments

    —>US Airways has announced it plans to lay off a thousand employees, about 3% of its workforce, and will cut flights and focus mostly on four hubs: Charlotte, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, DC.  More »

    Madoff Victims Receive First Repayment Of $534 Million
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 7:52 PM   12 Comments

    —>The trustee who's liquidating Bernie Madoff's firm has released $534.2 million in repayments to some of his victims, reports Bloomberg. The half-billion is a drop in the bucket of total verified losses, which are now more than $21 billion. But hey, those 1,558 victims whose claims were approved for this partial payout are probaby pretty happy—which is more than you can say for the 2,500+ Madoff customers who may be sued to return fake profits.  More »

    Copycat Company Sues Original Artist To Void Copyright Claims
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 6:00 PM   209 Comments

    —>It's a natural impulse to want to support the little guy, the David who faces down a powerful Goliath. That's why it's easy to get behind this guy's claims that a copycat business is suing him to force him to abandon his own copyrights. Wtf!, you might say when you read something like that. Is that even possible? It is, and the story is more nuanced when you look at both sides, which makes it a good example of why it's sometimes hard to be a "good consumer" when deciding where to spend your money.  More »

    Costco Will Expand Food Stamp Program Nationwide
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 2:51 PM   69 Comments

    —>It turns out more Costco customers use food stamps than CEO James D. Sinegal originally thought, because after a test run earlier this year the company has decided to roll out the program nationwide.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 1:27 PM   9 Comments

    —>

      Automobiles
    • Hand Held Items: [Automotive] Performance Auto Parts - up to 30% OFF, plus STACKABLE 12% off Coupon

      • Clothing
    • ShopEcko: [Apparel] New ShopEcko Coupon: $25 off $75 or $50 off $125
    • Aeropostale : [Apparel] Buy 1 Get 1 Free on Hoodies
    • Buy.com : [Backpack] Wilson Youth Backpack - Pink for $6.99 w/ Free shipping

    • Nike: [Clothing & Accessories] NikeStore clearance sale: Up to 65% off + free shipping
    • Pennywise : [Men's Apparel] Isotoner Men's Wool Knit Gloves for $7 + free shipping
      More »

    40 States Ask FTC To Crack Down On Debt Relief Companies
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 1:45 AM   51 Comments

    —>Attorneys general in 40 states just asked the FTC to step up the fight against debt relief companies that mislead and overcharge consumers, like Credit Solutions of America (CSA), reports Consumer Affairs.  More »

    Kindle Fees Trigger Fraud Alert On Visa Card
    By Chris Walters on October 28, 2009 12:36 AM   24 Comments

    —>Considering the growing amount of credit card fraud, it's not surprising that banks are becoming more and more vigilant about identifying suspicious transactions. It's too bad they haven't been as successful at filtering out false positives or promptly notifying customers, as James Fallows at The Atlantic recently discovered when he got his account frozen for sending files to his Kindle.  More »

    Brooke Shields Has Hypotrichosis
    By Chris Walters on October 27, 2009 8:04 PM   74 Comments

    —>Oh no! Brooke Shields used to have stringy, stick-figure eyelashes! I figured this out after watching Consumer Reports' video dissection of a new commercial for Latisse, the glaucoma medication that has been rebranded as an expensive, temporary eyelash enhancer with side effects.  More »

    Wachovia's "Way2Save" Account Triggers Over $5,000 In Penalty Fees
    By Chris Walters on October 27, 2009 6:02 PM   204 Comments

    —>Wachovia has a new financial product called Way2Save that automatically moves $1 from your checking account into a high interest personal savings account every time you make an electronic bill payment. Susan tried to maximize her contributions by making a lot of little bill payments, but Wachovia cut off access to her funds without notice and triggered an avalanche of penalty fees. Now she owes over $5,000 to her credit card companies, far more than she would likely have ever earned through Wachovia's complicated savings program, and of course Wachovia is denying any responsibility.  More »

    Is AT&T Behind Grassroots Groups That Are Opposed To Net Neutrality?
    By Chris Walters on October 27, 2009 3:34 PM   77 Comments

    —>In the net neutrality debate, there are a surprising number of grassroots organizations (well, surprising to me at any rate) that have filed statements against the FCC's recent draft of rules. Matthew Lasar at Ars Technica just published an interesting article where he looks at some of these groups and tries to figure out whether AT&T is secretly influencing them, or whether they really do think net neutrality will hurt those they represent—frequently minority groups—in the long run.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 27, 2009 1:19 PM   12 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • American Eagle : [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon 23876456
    • Landsend : [Apparel] $10 Off $10 on Regular Priced Items w/ Coupon LandsEnd
    • JC Penney : [Apparel] $10 Off $10.00 Purchase w/ Coupon SWEETS4U

    • 6pm.com: [Shoes] 80%-90% off RSVP Women's Shoes $9.95 each + $6.95 unlimited shipping
    • macys: [Men's Apparel] Up to 50% off men's coats at Macy's: Deals from $25 + $6 s&h
      More »

    This Chuck E. Cheese Restaurant Really Knows How To Party
    By Chris Walters on October 27, 2009 1:11 AM   99 Comments

    —>Police had to respond to three separate incidents in one day this past Saturday at the Chuck E. Cheese in Susquehanna Township, Pennsylvania, according The Patriot-News. We hope the police got some free slices or skee-ball tickets on that last call. Well maybe just free skee-ball tickets.  More »

    How A Disputed Item On Your Credit Report Can Screw Up Your Home Loan
    By Chris Walters on October 26, 2009 11:17 PM   47 Comments

    —>Thanks to federal regulations, when you dispute an account on your credit report and the dispute is resolved in your favor, the credit reporting agency is required to remove or correct the account. Credit reporting agencies often don't do this, though, and the Washington Post notes that it can come back and interfere with your next home loan application.  More »

    Nobody Wants To Buy (Four Fifths Of) Detroit
    By Chris Walters on October 26, 2009 10:54 PM   107 Comments

    —>Detroit tried to auction off almost 9,000 homes and lots last week—enough property to fill Central Park—but Reuters says less than 1/5th of what went on the block actually sold. Unfortunately, it sounds like speculators snatched up few decent properties, leaving actual Detroit residents looking for new homes out in the cold.  More »

    No Visa Or MasterCard Gift Cards This Year, Please
    By Chris Walters on October 26, 2009 10:25 PM   65 Comments

    —>If you want to spread some fiscally sound good cheer this year, consider asking your friends, relatives, and coworkers not to give gift cards backed by the major credit card companies. Why am I making such a sour suggestion? Because a new study from two consumer advocacy groups indicates that most of the population still doesn't recognize what a money trap those little plastic cards can be.  More »

    Bank Of America Uses Temporary Hold To Trigger Overdraft Fee?
    By Chris Walters on October 26, 2009 8:03 PM   122 Comments

    —>Bank of America got so fee crazy last week that it applied a $10 overdraft fee to Christopher's account even though it wasn't overdrafted. I went back and forth with Christopher to try to figure out what BoA could have done to trigger this, but as you can see from the screen cap below, he only had two debits on the day of the event.  More »

    PayPal Links Account To Mysterious Email Address, Won't Unlink Or Explain Why
    By Chris Walters on October 26, 2009 3:30 PM   62 Comments

    —>PayPal has locked Jessica's account and won't release her funds until she pays off the negative balance in her other account. That's fine, except that she doesn't have another account. Whatever they linked her to, it's not hers. Of course, this being PayPal, they won't give her any information about the other account. She can't even access it to see what the balance is or who it belongs to.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 26, 2009 12:45 PM   39 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Timberland: [Men's Apparel] Timberland Men's Long Sleeve Oxford Shirt for $13 + free shipping
    • Amazon: [Jeans] Men's Sale: Levi's Jeans & Pants from $30 & Free Shipping
    • Lands' End: [Men's Apparel] Lands' End Men's Overstocks: Deals from $4 + free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 10:48 PM   27 Comments

    —>Here are eight cool photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness or usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    100 Bank Failures And Counting!
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 10:28 PM   29 Comments

    —>"More banks have failed in 2009 than the rest of the decade combined," writes Ariel Nelson at CNBC. Today, Partners Bank in Naples, Florida closed its doors, making it the 100th bank to fail this year. Click the link to see a map of where bank failures have happened the most over the past 10 months.  More »

    24 Hour Fitness Sued For Charging Ex-Customers Fees
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 9:37 PM   23 Comments

    —>The gym chain made famous on NBC's "Biggest Loser" is being sued for continuing to debit the bank accounts of customers who have canceled their memberships. The US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, has given the green light to a class action lawsuit that says the chain is violating both the RICO Act and the Electronic Funds Transfer Act by keeping these zombie memberships active.  More »

    Chase Sets Early Payment Trap, Customer Falls Into It
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 9:13 PM   128 Comments

    —>Daniel's Providian/WaMu credit card was recently absorbed into Chase's swollen belly, and they welcomed him to their family by catching him in a technicality that cost him $39. Here's a good example of why you need to pay attention to statement cycles, even if your bank won't tell you to.  More »

    Here's What The New FCC Net Neutrality Rules Mean
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 2:57 PM   132 Comments

    —>Yesterday the FCC announced new, expanded rules enforcing net neutrality, and they've set aside the next 60 days for public debate. Get ready to hear all sorts of creative end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it arguments from opponents like AT&T. We've checked out the official document (pdf) and below we summarize the changes that are open to public discussion for the next two months.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 12:51 PM   22 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • REI Outlet: [Travel & Hike] Top-rated Gregory Reactor Pack $45
    • Jones New York : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon FRIEND6Z
    • Aeropostale : [Apparel] Extra 30% Off All Clearance w/ Coupon FALL30

    • REI: [Clothing & Accessories] Up to 50% off on The North Face: Deals from $10 + free shipping
    • SteveMadden: [Shoes] Steve Madden Fall Favorites Sale: Up to 40% off + free shipping
      More »

    B&N Ebook Reader Lets You Loan A Book Just Once
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 2:52 AM   93 Comments

    —>One of the big selling points about the Nook, the new ebook reader introduced this week by Barnes & Noble, is that unlike Amazon they'll let you virtually "loan" your ebook to a friend for up to 14 days (if the publisher allows it). What they don't tell you—some smart readers over at MobileRead sussed it out—is that you can only do this one time per book. You'd better lend wisely—and your friend had better finish that book within 14 days.  More »

    Customer Gets Payless To Compensate Him For Text Message Spam
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 1:53 AM   56 Comments

    —>Peter was pretty frustrated when Payless Shoesource ignored his two opt-out texts and continued to pester him with SMS spam. His complained via email and got taken off their list, but then he decided to see if he could get back the money those texts cost him.  More »

    Google To Launch Music Search Service Next Week
    By Chris Walters on October 23, 2009 1:51 AM   8 Comments

    —>You've probably seen Google Finance, where each company has its own page made up of content scraped from all over the web. Google is about to launch a similar service for musicians, says the Hollywood Reporter: "The music pages will package images of musicians and bands, album artwork, links to news, lyrics and song previews, along with a way to buy songs."  More »

    KFC Handing Out More Free Chicken Next Monday
    By Chris Walters on October 22, 2009 6:26 PM   51 Comments

    —>Looks like KFC found some more piles of grilled chicken in a closet somewhere, because next week they'll hold their third grilled chicken giveaway this year. Their CEO promises that this time the event will be glitch free: all who desire a sample of grilled chicken will receive a sample of grilled chicken.  More »

    Skinny Toddlers Also Can't Get Insurance?
    By Chris Walters on October 22, 2009 4:28 PM   234 Comments

    —>We guess we should have seen this one coming. After news broke of the uninsurable fat baby last week, MSNBC found a similar case on the other end of the spectrum. A Colorado family with a 22-pound two-year-old says that United HealthCare told them their daughter Aislin is too small to qualify for insurance under their guidelines.  More »

    Developer Finds Security Hole In SMC Router Provided By Time Warner Cable
    By Chris Walters on October 22, 2009 2:37 PM   52 Comments

    —>If you didn't provide your own wireless router when you signed up for Internet access from Time Warner, you may have been given an SMC-branded modem/router combo that turns out is ridiculously easy to break into.  More »

    How To Choose The Best Tires
    By Chris Walters on October 22, 2009 2:19 PM   99 Comments

    —>The Consumer Reports Cars blog has posted a video on how to choose the best tires for your car. Here's one interesting trick we learned from the clip: how to measure tire tread depth using coins.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 22, 2009 12:29 PM   2 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Eastbay: [Sporting Goods] 20% off orders $99+ and 30% off orders $199+ w/ coupons, ends 10/22
    • Nike: [Clothing & Accessories] NikeStore clearance sale: Up to 65% off
    • Bluefly: [Clothing & Accessories] Bluefly Clearance Sale: Up to 75% off select items

    • Levi's : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon (Starts October 22nd)
    • Deezteez.com : [T-Shirt] Ask Me About My Zombie Costume T-Shirt for $12.74 w/ Coupon SHOVEL + $4.50 Shipping
    • Calvin Klein: [Clothing] 30% Off Everything from 10/22 to 10/25 with coupon code FF1009, free shipping for orders over $150
      More »

    Walmart Fires Security Guard For Chasing After Shoplifter Like He's In A Cop Movie
    By Chris Walters on October 21, 2009 11:17 PM   118 Comments

    —>A Florida Walmart has fired one of their security officers for giving chase to a knife-wielding shoplifter who took off running across the store's parking lot. Josh Rutner told the Star-Banner, "I couldn't let him get away. That's wrong." That second sentence may be true, but security guard != officer of the law.  More »

    Sparkling Wine Is Just As Good As Champagne (When It's Well Made)
    By Chris Walters on October 21, 2009 10:46 PM   93 Comments

    —>The Champagne Bureau, a trade organization representing "the grape growers and houses of Champagne, France," just sent us a nonsensical press release warning consumers to be on the lookout for imposter champagne. WATCH OUT! You're pouring sparkling wine into your mouth, you jerk! The thing is, the only real reason "champagne" is unique is because wine houses in that region of France managed to get laws passed to prevent anyone else from using the word on their own sparkling wines. They're all sparkling wines; how they're made is what determines quality.  More »

    American Medical Alarms Sends Elderly Neighbor To Investigate Next Door
    By Chris Walters on October 21, 2009 10:00 PM   107 Comments

    —>Is it okay for an alarm company to ask a neighbor to check on its customer? By sending a 70-year-old woman over to check on their 80-something-year-old customer, American Medical Alarms may have helped prematurely end a robbery/beating in progress. On the other hand, they asked a 70-year-old woman to go investigate an emergency next door—basically turning her into a potential Red Shirt. As the heroic neighbor's daughter points out, "They should have already considered the possibility that something like this could happen, and have policies in place to prevent it."  More »

    Vonage Sends 14 New Modems To Replace Customer's Broken One
    By Chris Walters on October 21, 2009 6:31 PM   42 Comments

    —>My Linh's Vonage modem stopped working, so she called to request a replacement under the terms of her service agreement. Vonage was happy to oblige. So happy, in fact, that they sent her 14 modems instead of one via UPS—but then couldn't figure out how to get UPS to come pick them up again. Hey, they do VOIP, not logistics.  More »

    Citibank Invents "Pretend Rate" For Credit Card
    By Chris Walters on October 21, 2009 6:02 PM   62 Comments

    —>Citibank has changed the terms of Victor's credit card agreement, and in the process they've created a bizarre rolling refund arrangement that will make his interest rate jump to 29.99 percent, except that actually it won't, eventually. Maybe. Update: Another reader sent us a copy of the letter, and the arrangement is even less favorable than we first thought (see below).  More »

    Home Depot Drives Away Another Customer Forever
    By Chris Walters on October 21, 2009 3:00 PM   107 Comments

    —>Two months ago, Mike and his wife decided to re-do their floors. They're expecting a child in November, so they made sure that they ordered the materials in plenty of time to get everything taken care of before the end of August. Mike even scheduled time off work and had family members come in from out of town to help out.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 21, 2009 12:39 PM   33 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Lord and Taylor : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon FRIENDS + Printable
    • PacSun: [Clothing & Accessories] PacSun Fall Sale: Up to 45% off
    • Footlocker: [Sports Gear] Extra 20% off Store-Wide Orders of $79+

    • The Limited : [Apparel] $20 Off $60 or $30 Off $100 Purchase w/ Coupon 292 + Printable
    • BustedTees: [Clothing & Accessories] Busted Tees 24 Hour Sale: 40% off sitewide + extra 10% off
      More »

    MoneyGram Agrees To Pay $18 Million Back To Fraud Victims
    By Chris Walters on October 20, 2009 10:47 PM   38 Comments

    —>MoneyGram International announced today that it would pay $18 million to the FTC to settle charges it allowed wire fraud to happen between 2004 and 2008. MoneyGram's press release notes that they disagree with the FTC's view of the matter, but $18 million is a hell of a lot of money to pay if you don't think you were in the wrong. The press release from the FTC, on the other hand, provides plenty of detail illustrating MoneyGram's negligence, as well as the criminal behavior of some of its employees who were in on the frauds.  More »

    Best Buy Can Now Overcharge New Yorkers 'Round The Clock
    By Chris Walters on October 20, 2009 8:49 PM   65 Comments

    —>If you like Best Buy, come to New York City! In November the company will open its first 24-hour store, in the remodeled carcass of the Circuit City that formerly anchored Union Square. In fact, it's probably best we call it the Circuit City Best Buy to avoid confusion. According to Best Buy's PR department, the store will also feature "the largest Best Buy Musical Instruments Department in the United States."  More »

    T-Mobile Posts Instructions On How To Restore Sidekick Data
    By Chris Walters on October 20, 2009 8:21 PM   10 Comments

    —>If you've been waiting impatiently to get your data back on your Sidekick, here's your opportunity. IntoMobile reports that T-Mobile has posted data retrieval instructions on its website. They note that most but not necessarily all contacts should be there, but if you're one of the unlucky few who lost all of your data, T-Mobile has a shiny $100 gift card for you.  More »

    Dell Lies About Repairs, Ruins Vacation
    By Chris Walters on October 20, 2009 7:52 PM   106 Comments

    —>Michael emailed us, and Dell, from a loaner computer while he's on a trip. His own laptop isn't working, and thanks to a steady stream of broken promises and incorrect information, now he's stuck without access to the software and development files he needs for his work.  More »

    Bank Of America Will Introduce Annual Fees Next Year On Some Cards
    By Chris Walters on October 20, 2009 6:00 PM   58 Comments

    —>Bank of America has announced that it plans on "testing" annual fees on some of its reward cards starting next year. The odds are good you won't see this—a BoA spokeswoman says it will only be tested on 1 percent of accounts globally—but who knows? Maybe the BoA Fairy will smack you down.  More »

    Capital One Invents Its Own Christmas Creep, Raises Interest Rate On December 26th
    By Chris Walters on October 20, 2009 2:25 PM   44 Comments

    —>When Wally first got his Capital One credit card, the interest rate was 12 percent. Then they raised it to 22.9 percent. Now they're going to raise it again—the day after Christmas—to 25.9 percent.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 20, 2009 1:13 PM   18 Comments

    —>

      Babies
    • Amazon: [Baby] Buy a Britax Blink Stroller & Get $50 off a Britax Convertible Car Seat + free shipping

      • Clothing
    • Armani Exchange: [Apparel] New Armani Exchange Coupon Codes 20% Off $100 + Extra 10% Off + Free Shipping
    • Perry Ellis : [Apparel] 44% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon LUCKY44OFF
    • JewelryUnder100: [Jewelry] Stainless Steel Wedding Band for $3 + $5 s&h, more

    • ShoeSteal: [Shoes] ShoeSteal.com Sale: Up to 90% off + extra 15% off women's shoes (men's too)
    • REI: [Sunglasses] Tifosi Forza GT 2008 Edition Sunglasses $16.93 + free shipping to store
      More »

    Woman Sues Toyota For Convincing Her She Was Being Stalked
    By Chris Walters on October 19, 2009 11:29 PM   134 Comments

    —>It's probably a bad idea to market to consumers by tricking them with practical jokes. It's definitely a bad idea to make a consumer fear for her safety over a five day period because she thinks a stalker is coming after her. That's why a woman in Los Angeles is suing Toyota for $10 million after being on the receiving end of a Punk'd-style stunt to promote the Toyota Matrix.  More »

    FAA Continues To Investigate American Airlines, May Charge Individual Mechanics
    By Chris Walters on October 19, 2009 10:22 PM   48 Comments

    —>The FAA has been investigating American Airlines for a while now over allegations that it wasn't repairing its planes properly, and yesterday the Wall Street Journal reported that the agency may widen its investigation, and even bring charges against individual employees who signed off on substandard repairs.  More »

    What Are Some Cheap Halloween Costume Ideas?
    By Chris Walters on October 19, 2009 7:10 PM   179 Comments

    —>The personal finance blog Moolanomy posted a list of 25 cheap Halloween costumes, including ones that make no sense (see "Soup and crackers") and ones that sound borderline dirty (see "Facebook wall"). The list made us realize that our readers probably have a lot of equally cheap, and equally-or-more creative, costume ideas of their own.  More »

    Energy Star Program Relies On Honor System For Some Products
    By Chris Walters on October 19, 2009 6:54 PM   29 Comments

    —>Your new washer, dryer, fridge, monitor, or TV set may have an Energy Star label on it, but it turns out that nobody is making sure that means anything, reports the New York Times. Our parent organization Consumer Reports pointed out that this was a problem a year ago.  More »

    Tiny Turtles Spread Joy, Salmonella
    By Chris Walters on October 19, 2009 6:03 PM   86 Comments

    —>Turtles remain a popular pet with kids. In 1975 the U.S. banned the sale of ones smaller than 4 inches, but the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) estimates almost 2 million were being kept as pets as of 2006. They're also responsible for one of the slowest outbreaks of salmonella we've seen in recent years.  More »

    HSN Breaks TV, Showing Need To Firmly Attach Your Wii Accessories
    By Chris Walters on October 19, 2009 1:45 PM   58 Comments

    —>This HSN presenter remembered to use his wrist strap when playing with a Wiimote, so good for him! Unfortunately, it turns out you also have to make sure any attachments are firmly attached.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 19, 2009 1:06 PM   13 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Vans: [Shoes+] 10% off & Free Shipping on All Shoes and Apparel
    • Landsend : [Apparel] Women's Faux Shearling Pull Thru Scarf for $3.99 w/ Coupon OCT20 w/ Free shipping
    • Gap, Old Navy, & Banana Republic: [Apparel] Save 15% to 25% off Store-Wide Orders

    • 6pm.com: [Clothes] 55% Off All Nike Apparel at 6pm.com
    • Lands' End: [Men's Apparel] Lands' End Men's Overstocks: Deals from $4 + free shipping
    • metrostyle: [Women's Apparel] metrostyle women's coats clearance: Up to 72% off + extra $15 off, more

      • Computers and Electronics
    • Nebraska Furniture Mart : [Blu-Ray Player] JVC Blu-Ray Disc Player for $129.99 + Shipping
    • OfficeMax : [Laptop] HP Mini 10.1" Netbook w/ 1GB Memory + 160GB Drive for $279.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Geeks: [Skype Phone] Skype VoIP USB Phone with LCD Display $14

    • NewEgg: [Keyboard/Mouse] Microsoft Laser Desktop 6000 V2 Wireless Keyboard & Mouse $29.99 + free shipping
    • Best Buy: [Laptop] 15.5" Sony VAIO VGN-NW240F/T Intel Core 2 Duo T6600 2.2GHz Laptop w/ Windows 7 for $649.99

      • Entertainment
    • Best Buy: [Movies] Best Buy Popular Blu-Ray Movies under $20 (Watchmen $17.99, Dark Knight $16,99, MORE)

      • Food
    • Jack in the Box : [Restaurant] Free Turkey Bacon Chedder or Deli Sandwich w/ Soda Purchase Event on October 20

      • Halloween
    • Walmart: [Seasonal] Halloween Decorations under $10 + $1 s&h at Walmart
    • ShindigZ : [Costumes] $10 Off $20 Purchase w/ Coupon SZ10H20
    • Sears: [Seasonal] Sears Halloween sale: 40% off costumes + $5 off $50

      • Miscellaneous
    • Amazon: [Tools] Swiss Army Champion Plus Pocket Knife $28 Shipped
    • dog.com: [Pets] Eat-N-Store Wood Cabinet Dog Bowl Holder for $10 + $6 s&h, more

      • Travel
    • Southwest Airlines Vacations: [Vacations] Southwest Vacations Deals: Halloween Horror Nights for $169, more
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 11:21 PM   21 Comments

    —>Aqu are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out, and while you're at it, why not have some Piiiie...  More »

    Expect Airlines To Keep Hiking Ticket Prices As Holidays Approach
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 10:51 PM   31 Comments

    —>This year it's a seller's market when it comes to buying airline tickets, reports the New York Times, so if you must travel via plane, buy early and try to be as flexible as possible.   More »

    Monster Energy Threatens Actual Movie Monster (We're Not Kidding)
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 5:15 PM   118 Comments

    —>We're back to thinking Hansen Beverage Company is being taken for a ride by its legal counsel, Continental Enterprises, with this latest chapter in their trademark bullying saga. An actor named Trygve Lode has been contacted by Continental Enterprises on behalf of Hansen and told to remove all advertising and sales of Monster Energy from his site. The only reference to Monster Energy is the photo above.  More »

    Bank Of America Posts $1 Billion Loss In Third Quarter
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 3:29 PM   45 Comments

    —>Do you hate Bank of America? Well take today's earnings report and wallow around in it like Ann-Margret in beans, becuse the bank has posted a loss of $1 billion before dividends to preferred shareholders—"When those dividend payments are included, the loss was $2.24 billion," reports the New York Times.  More »

    How To Ruin Your Jeans On The Cheap
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 3:06 PM   83 Comments

    —>If there's one thing my grandmother and I agree on, aside from the fact that Marlena being possessed was a dumb storyline on Days of Our Lives, it's that it makes no sense to pay top dollar for deliberately weakened/damaged denim. The ConsumerReports blog ShopSmart has found a website that offers tips on how to distress your jeans at home, like using a pumice stone to cut holes, or a cheese grater to create patterns.   More »

    Walmart Now Offering New Hardcovers For $9
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 1:35 PM   85 Comments

    —>Walmart just tried to undercut Amazon on, of all things, books. They've announced that they're now selling the "top 10 pre-selling books" for $9 each, with free home delivery. Amazon has responded by dropping its price to $9 on the same titles, but their free shipping doesn't kick in until you buy $25 worth of merchandise (or pay the annual fee for Amazon Prime). Price war!  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 12:53 PM   11 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Brooks Brothers: [Apparel] Brooks Brothers Clearance up to 60% Off + $10 Off $50 + Free Shipping $200+
    • Fashion Bug : [Apparel] 50% Off One Item w/ Coupon 776214207
    • Eastern Mountain Sports: [Apparel] October Sale: Save Up to 30% off Gear & Outerwear

    • SteveMadden: [Clothing & Accessories] Steve Madden Boot Sale: Up to 71% off + free shipping
    • Cabela's: [Men's Apparel] Cabela's Men's Early-Season Nylon Parka for $15 + $6 s&h

      • Computers and Electronics
    • CompUSA: [iPod] Sony S-AIRPLAY AIR-SA20PK Wireless iPod Dock and 2 Speakers / Receivers $189.99 + free shipping
    • Best Buy: [Blu-ray Player] Samsung BDP-P1600 Blu-Ray Player w/ $50 Best Buy Gift Card $179.99 Free Shipping
    • TigerDirect: [HDTV monitor] Samsung Touch of Color T240HD 24-inch LCD Monitor / 1080p HDTV $269.99 + free shipping

    • 6ave.com: [Home Theater] Onkyo TX-SR607 7.2ch Home Theater Receiver (6 HDMI, HDMI Upconversion) $369 Free Shipping
    • Buy.com : [KVM Switch] D-Link 2-Port PS/2 KVM Switch with Audio Support for $14.99 after $10 rebate w/ Free shipping
    • Amazon: [Headphones] JBuds J2 Premium Hi-Fi Noise Isolating Earphones $14

      • Entertainment
    • iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] App Store Freebies: Panelfly, Pixo, Logstr, Bad News Robot, Super Communicator, more

      • Stuff
    • Sky Mall : [Gifts] $10 Off $10 Purchase w/ Coupon RESTEASY
    • Meritline: [Optics] Compact 10x25 Sport Binoculars $7 Shipped
    • ThinkGeek: [Gadgets] ThinkGeek.com coupons: $10 off $30 or more + 2-for-1 EvilTrons

      • Children
    • Happybabyfood.com: [Food] Free Package of Nurture Happy Baby Organic Baby & Kids Meals w/ Coupon - Printable
      More »

    Monster Energy Trains Legal Guns On Beverage Review Website
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 1:32 AM   102 Comments

    —>When you're working on developing a reputation as a trademark bully, it's good to go after multiple targets. We guess that's why the website BevReview.com has received notice that it should remove any advertisement and sale of Monster Energy drinks from its site. The only problem is, it doesn't advertise or sell drinks—it reviews them. And it didn't give Monster Energy a good review.  More »

    Judge Tells ASCAP No Royalties For Ringtones
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2009 12:45 AM   53 Comments

    —>One of the weirder strategies by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) recently has been to claim that every time a ringtone played, a royalty should be paid. ASCAP sued AT&T earlier this year over the claim, but a federal judge has ruled that your phone ringing does not constitute a public performance.  More »

    Fake Engine Sounds Being Added To Hybrids
    By Chris Walters on October 15, 2009 5:40 PM   170 Comments

    —>By the time you get around to purchasing an electric car, the New York Times writes, you may be able choose a fake engine sound for it the way you customize your phone with ringtones. Safety experts worry that the nearly silent operation of upcoming cars mean pedestrians won't hear them sneaking up, so they're adding artificial engine noises—and some manufacturers are considering letting owners customize the sounds.  More »

    T-Mobile: We Won't Swap Out Your Sidekick For A Different Phone
    By Chris Walters on October 15, 2009 2:00 PM   74 Comments

    —>Amber is a pre-paid Sidekick owner who has been a T-Mobile customer for 7 years. After the recent T-Mobile data disaster, she doesn't intend to get burned again. She wants to switch to a different phone, and she wants T-Mobile to buy back her Sidekick since they can't deliver the data security they promised. Initially T-Mobile agreed, but then they pulled a Sidekick Data Outage on their promise and it disappeared forever.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 15, 2009 12:52 PM   33 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Oakley Vault: [Apparel] Oakley Vault up to 90% Off + Free Shipping $100+
    • ShoeMall: [Dry Feet] Save 20% off Crocs Shoes, Clogs, & Sandals
    • Sierra Trading Post: [Apparel & Sports Gear] Save an Extra 15% to 20% off Store-Wide Orders

    • Victoria's Secret : [Apparel] Free Pink Panty + $10 Off Bra w/ Coupon - Printable
    • Dickies: [Men's Apparel] Dickies Men's Thermal Lined Hooded Fleece Jacket for $12 + free shipping

      • Computers and Electronics
    • Newegg: [Networking] ASUS WL-520GU 802.11b/g Wireless G Router (DD-WRT Support, Print Server USB) $34.99AR Free Shipping
    • Amazon: [TV] Roku Digital Video Player for Netflix, MLB.TV, and Amazon Video on Demand $99.99 + free shipping
    • Buy.com: [Networks] D-Link 5 Port High Speed Gigabit Switch $20 & Free Shipping

      • Entertainment
    • Best Buy: [iTunes] Apple iTunes $50 Gift Card $40 Free Shipping
    • Musician's Friend : [Music] On-Stage Guitar Stand for $4.99 w/ Coupon FREE w/ Free shipping

      • Food
    • 7-Eleven : [Coffee] Free Hot 12oz. Beverage w/ Coupon - Printable

      • Halloween
    • Amazon: [Halloween] 25% off Disney Store Costumes & Accessories on orders $50+ plus free shipping
    • Walgreens : [Home Dcor] 20% Off Halloween Costumes, Accessories, and Decor w/ Coupon PUMPKIN
    • Walmart: [Seasonal] Star Trek men's deluxe costumes for $12 + $1 s&h, women's from $15

      • Home
    • Amazon: [Cookware] Save an Extra $30 off 10- and 12-Piece KitchenAid Cookware Sets
    • Home Depot: [Bed & Bath] Up to 50% off bath items at Home Depot: Deals from $10 + free shipping

      • Travel
    • JetBlue: [Airfare] JetBlue Sample Sale: 1-way fares from $24
    • Travelocity: [Vacations] Norwegian Cruise Lines 7-Night Mexican Rivera Cruise from $199 / person
      More »

    Company Will Program Your Universal Remote For $250
    By Chris Walters on October 15, 2009 1:15 AM   69 Comments

    —>When I was in college, an older woman I worked with paid me $25 to come over and program her VCR, and that is not a euphemism. Clearly I missed a valid business opportunity when I didn't think to package that skill and resell it as an in-home service for idiots everywhere. You know, sort of like what InstallerNet offers with universal remotes for the low low actually-sort-of-high price of $250.  More »

    Guy Who Invented Spider Currency Wrote Fake McDonalds Memo
    By Chris Walters on October 15, 2009 12:57 AM   74 Comments

    —>This will probably come as a surprise to no one, but the fake McDonalds memo that went viral last month was written by David Thorne, the same guy who tried to pay for a bill with a drawing of a spider. He is a very silly man.  More »

    California May Pass Nation's First Energy Consumption Regulation On Big Screen TVs
    By Chris Walters on October 14, 2009 11:31 PM   60 Comments

    —>As soon as next month, California may become the first state to implement energy consumption rule for big screen TV sets similar to the ones for refrigerators and air conditioners. A trade group has been adamantly opposing it, reports the Los Angeles Times, but hasn't found much sympathy from the California Energy Commission, which may be able to avoid building a $600 million natural gas power plant if they can cut back on energy guzzling sets.  More »

    Founder Of FlyersRights Says Delta Hacked Her Email Account
    By Chris Walters on October 14, 2009 11:05 PM   66 Comments

    —>Kate Hanni, the founder of the passenger advocacy group FlyersRights.org, has filed a lawsuit against Delta Airlines in which she claims they hacked her email account and acquired personal email messages sent between her, some journalists, and a guy who was at the time working for Metron, a company hired by the FAA to investigate Delta.  More »

    Walmart Gets Into Cellular Business, Offers Unlimited Plan For $45
    By Chris Walters on October 14, 2009 10:31 PM   83 Comments

    —>Today Walmart announced that it's launching its own wireless service, Straight Talk, on October 18th. The network will piggyback on use TracFone's wireless network. At launch, two pre-paid plans will be offered: a $30 package that includes 1000 minutes, 1000 text messages, and 30MB of data; or a $45 plan that includes unlimited voice, text, and data. 411 calls are free.  More »

    Walt Disney Planning On Turning Stores Into Shopping Theme Parks
    By Chris Walters on October 14, 2009 1:25 PM   66 Comments

    —>Starting the middle of next year, Walt Disney will be rolling out a new version of its mall store format that is intended to suck in your child like a fairy princess crack pipe. "The goal is to make children clamor to visit the stores and stay longer," writes Brooks Barnes in the New York Times, by using things like embedded chips in the packaging to trigger responses from the store's furnishings, a rotating library of scents that fill the store, and karaoke.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 14, 2009 12:56 PM   23 Comments

    —>

      Children
    • Toys R Us : [Toys] 15% Off Any One Lego City Construction Set - Printable
    • Learning Curve : [Toys] Thomas The Tank Train Engine for $1.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Leapfrog: [Toys & Hobbies] LeapFrog Friends & Family Sale: Extra 25% off sitewide

      • Clothing
    • Saks Fifth Avenue : [Apparel] 25% Off Any Order w/ Coupon FRIENDS2
    • MLB: [Apparel Accessories] MLB New Era Batting Practice 39THIRTY Caps for $8 + $5 s&h (updated)

      • Computers and Electronics
    • Newegg: [Wireless Card] Belkin F5D8013 N 802.11n Wireless Notebook PC Card $11.99 Free Shipping
    • Circuit City: [Hard Drive] Hitachi Deskstar 2TB Internal Hard Drive $159.99 Free Shipping
    • SonyStyle: [eBook] Sony Reader PRS-600 Touch Edition $269.99 + free shipping

    • Apple Store: [Music + Apps] Refurb iPod Touch Models from $149 Shipped
    • Geeks: [Video] Kodak Zx1 HD Pocket High Definition Camcorder $85
    • Newegg: [Morning Wake-up] iLuv Alarm Clock with Bed Shaker for iPod $40 Shipped

      • Entertainment
    • 2D Boy: [Games] World of Goo PC version (Windows/Mac/Linux) on sale, pay what you want, normally $20 (via Joystiq and Phil)

      • Food
    • Denny's : [Restaurant] Free Burger + Fries With Purchase of a Burger + Fries and 2 Beverages - Printable

      • Home
    • Walmart: [Home Security] Walmart Honeywell Anti-Theft Safe Roundup (Starting at $52)

      • Other
    • CVS / Pharmacy : [Health] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon oct20
    • Amazon: [Potable Portables] 20% off: Botl Stainless Steel Water Bottles from $12
    • LuggageGuy.com: [Luggage] LuggageGuy.com clearance: Up to 80% off + extra 30% off
      More »

    Now Report Spammers On Twitter With A Single Click
    By Chris Walters on October 13, 2009 10:55 PM   29 Comments

    —>It used to be that when you were followed by a spammer on Twitter, you had to go report them by sending a direct message to Twitter's official spam account. Now they've updated their reporting system, so all it takes is a single click. Have fun turning in the bots!  More »

    Fortune Teller Arrested For Selling Thousand Dollar Body Wash At The Mall
    By Chris Walters on October 13, 2009 8:07 PM   127 Comments

    —>Fortune tellers are sort of like the con-artist version of the website Significant Objects—the more interesting the story, the higher the price you can fetch for an otherwise cheap piece of crap. Unless, of course, the police arrest you for "fraudulent accosting" at the mall and ruin your con.  More »

    Am I Responsible For My Fiance's Prior Debt?
    By Chris Walters on October 13, 2009 4:04 PM   189 Comments

    —>A reader wants to know whether or not he's going to be held responsible for his fiance's old, bad debt now that they're getting married. Because we went to Google Lawyer University just now, we're happy to try to help.  More »

    Need A New Car? Consider A Saturn
    By Chris Walters on October 13, 2009 3:37 PM   84 Comments

    —>The Washington Post notes that although Saturn dealerships have until this time next year to close, many will be saying goodbye sooner due to low inventory, and that's partly why now is a good time to buy a Saturn. That is, if you don't plan on reselling it in a couple of years.  More »

    Linens 'N Things Resurrected (In Canada)
    By Chris Walters on October 13, 2009 3:02 PM   28 Comments

    —>In today's marketplace, going out of business doesn't mean you go away forever. Your storefronts may disappear, but you'll just pop up again online—like CompUSA and Circuit City—or you'll come back on someone else's shelves as a brand, like Linens 'N Things.  More »

    Fat Little Babies Can't Get Insurance?
    By Chris Walters on October 13, 2009 12:25 PM   273 Comments

    —>Up until yesterday, 4-month-old Alex Lange was considered uninsurable by Rocky Mountain Health Plans because he was above the 95th percentile for height and weight for his age—that gave him a pre-existing condition of obesity, and earned him a stamp of rejection.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 13, 2009 11:40 AM   8 Comments

    —>

      Clothing
    • Old Navy : [Apparel] $10 Off $50 Purchase w/ Coupon BG7R1CKRXHGL
    • metrostyle: [Women's Apparel] metrostyle women's coats clearance: Up to 71% off + extra 40% off
    • Sears: [Men's Apparel] Up to 90% off men's apparel at Sears: Deals from $2 + $6 s&h

      •   More »

    Why Retailers Like It When You Subscribe
    By Chris Walters on October 12, 2009 8:47 PM   82 Comments

    —>You know what's great about subscriptions? You forget to cancel them. You also pay more over time than you would if you were forced to buy items individually. Yeah, that's awesome—for companies. The New York Times looks at current research on how consumers think about subscriptions, and why companies want to push them more than ever.  More »

    FTC Wants Your Input On How To Improve AnnualCreditReport.com
    By Chris Walters on October 12, 2009 6:39 PM   87 Comments

    —>The problem with annualcreditreport.com—other than its name—is that getting your reports from the site is a little like dealing with GoDaddy: you have to deal with upsells and side-sells at every step. You can indeed get your free credit reports from the site, but you'll also have to keep turning down other offers from the three participating bureaus. Hell, there are even ads (sorry, "sponsor" links) on the home page, the one place where you'd hope for the least consumer confusion.  More »

    Maine's Supreme Court To Decide If Consumers Should Be Compensated For Hannaford Security Breach
    By Chris Walters on October 12, 2009 4:09 PM   47 Comments

    —>If a retailer doesn't protect your credit card data and it gets stolen, should you be compensated? Not for any unauthorized charges, which are already covered under banks' zero-liability protection, but for the time lost dealing with the problem, for the anxiety it causes, and for any future credit history/score issues it might cause?  More »

    Unemployment Visualized As A Zombie Outbreak
    By Chris Walters on October 12, 2009 3:42 PM   76 Comments

    —>At some point, we're going to have to stop referring to every red-hued outbreak map as being zombie-like, but this is not that point. It's nearly Halloween, the #2 movie in the nation is Zombieland, and yesterday the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis warned that unemployment may exceed 10% before the end of the year. This is the appropriate way to view unemployment today.  More »

    Prove You're Financially Literate And Win At Online Soccer!
    By Chris Walters on October 12, 2009 1:41 PM   13 Comments

    —>We're not sure what "soccer" is—it looks like it might be some sort of real-world Quidditch without the brooms—but Visa and a bunch of soccer players have released a fancy-schmancy (for a website, at least) online version that tests your financial literacy. You can try it out at financialsoccer.com instead of working this morning.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 12, 2009 12:50 PM   38 Comments

    —>

      Computers and Electronics
    • SonyStyle: [PS3] Sony Playstation 3 80GB Console + 2 DualShock Controllers $249.99 + free shipping
    • eCost: [Wireless] Sony Behind the Neck Bluetooth Stereo Headphones $36
    • Amazon : [Monitor] Samsung 24" LCD 1080p HDTV Monitor for $269.99 + $17.55 Shipping
      •   More »

    Why You Shouldn't Let Telemarketers Help You Donate
    By Chris Walters on October 10, 2009 3:11 AM   67 Comments

    —>Earlier this week we posted a warning to watch out for calls from people asking for donations on behalf of local police or fire departments. Today an alleged former employee—who says he quit after two days of training and one day of seeing what it was really like on the call center floor—wrote in to tell us a little more about how a company on the other side of that phone call works.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on October 9, 2009 11:25 PM   20 Comments

    —>Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    Man Sues Coors Over Invalid Contest Codes
    By Chris Walters on October 9, 2009 7:56 PM   53 Comments

    —>An Illinois man has filed a class-action lawsuit against MillerCoors because the "Silver Ticket Sweepstakes" code on the case of beer he recently bought turned out to be invalid. The man says he tried entering the code online and over the phone, but it was rejected each time—not because it wasn't a winning code, but because it wasn't a legitimate sweepstakes entry code to begin with.  More »

    Air Compressor Company Re-Recalls 700,000 Products After Continuing To Receive Injury Complaints
    By Chris Walters on October 9, 2009 7:32 PM   8 Comments

    —>In 2006, DeVilbiss recalled nearly 700,000 pressure washers and air compressors to replace the pneumatic tires, which were sometimes bursting on models that used plastic rims. Apparently not enough consumers responded then, because the complaints keep rolling in, so they've announced a do-over.  More »

    Swine Flu Self-Assessment Saves You Worrying
    By Chris Walters on October 9, 2009 7:08 PM   43 Comments

    —>Do you have H1N1 flu? Probably! Aaaugghh! But before you haul your feverish butt to a clinic or a doctor, consider taking this free online flu self-assessment test from Emory University. It probably could have been combined into a one-page flowchart, but that's not as much fun as pressing YES/NO buttons.  More »

    Chipotle Says Their Food Does Not Cause Underwear Blood
    By Chris Walters on October 9, 2009 2:07 PM   108 Comments

    —>South Park managed to combine the late Billy Mays, the unfortunately still around Ghost Hunters, and the beloved Chipotle chain in their latest episode, with surprising results.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 9, 2009 12:58 PM   67 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon : [Candy] $15 Off $39 Purchase of Hershey's Nestle, Mars, and Wonka Candy (Select Varieties)
    • Newegg: [Bluetooth Car Kit] LG MSB-100 Bluetooth Car Kit Speaker $20 Shipped
    • JR.com: [HDTV] Coby TF-TV3217 32-inch 720p LCD HDTV $339.99 + free shipping
    • Amazon: [GPS] Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor $139.99 + free shipping
      More »

    The Best States For Health Care
    By Chris Walters on October 8, 2009 9:34 PM   110 Comments

    —>A new report has been published that ranks the quality of health care for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It's not looking too swell for people who live in the South.  More »

    Is The Federal Housing Administration Going To Need A Bailout?
    By Chris Walters on October 8, 2009 9:13 PM   10 Comments

    —>Earlier today a former Fannie Mae exec and the current head of the FHA gave conflicting testimonies to Congress about the health of the mortgage insurer—particularly about whether or not it's going to require a taxpayer bailout in the next couple of years.  More »

    Shop At A Dollar Store, Gamble On Quality
    By Chris Walters on October 8, 2009 7:03 PM   118 Comments

    —>Marlene Alexander will buy pretty much anything, at least once, from her local dollar store. Then depending on how well it holds up, she might write about it to warn others. She's put together a list of some of the biggest dollar store failures she's encountered over the past year.  More »

    Prepaid Debit Cards Are Money Sucking Black Holes In Your Pocket
    By Chris Walters on October 8, 2009 6:30 PM   27 Comments

    —>Be very careful about activating any sort of over-the-counter prepaid debit card, reports the New York Times. They looked at a handful of prepaids currently on the market and discovered ridiculously high hidden fees—the first two months of use can cost you up to $80.  More »

    The 10 Riskiest Foods That Aren't Meat Or Poultry
    By Chris Walters on October 8, 2009 6:12 PM   119 Comments

    —>This list of the 10 riskiest foods might surprise you at first, because there's no mention of any sort of meat or poultry. But that's because it's from the FDA, which doesn't regulate those two food categories. When it comes to produce, dairy, eggs and seafood, here's what to watch out for, listed in order from most outbreaks to least.  More »

    Consumers Pay Down Credit Card Debt For 11th Straight Month
    By Chris Walters on October 8, 2009 1:39 PM   96 Comments

    —>The Federal Reserve has released data on consumer debt for August, and for the 11th month in a row we've paid down credit card debt and increased savings. Take that, rate-hiking credit card companies!  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 8, 2009 12:50 PM   4 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • Graveyard Mall : [Gifts] Slot Machine Drink Dispenser for $4.99 w/ Coupon MovingSale09 + $5.98 Shipping
    • JC Penney : [Apparel] $10 Off $50 or $15 Off $75 w/ Coupon MONEY36 + Printable Coupon
    • The Limited : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase + One more Coupon 300 + Printable Coupon
      More »

    Christmas This Year Will Be Less Tacky
    By Chris Walters on October 7, 2009 11:14 PM   62 Comments

    —>Because retailers plan their Christmas offerings so far in advance, most were too far along with trendy or ostentatious Christmas merchandise to change course last year, reports the Associated Press. This year they're prepared to pursue the fiscally conservative consumer, which means everyone is selling the holiday decor equivalent of comfort food.  More »

    University Launches Free Financial Education Website
    By Chris Walters on October 7, 2009 10:18 PM   5 Comments

    —>We love free, and we love attempts to make people savvier about personal finance, so we really like this new personal finance website from the University of Idaho. It's got all the basics covered, and there are things like checklists and downloadable worksheets so you can practice what they're preaching. Some of the information is geared specifically to Idaho residents, but for the most part this is useful content that anyone can take advantage of.  More »

    FBI Charges 100 People In Phishing Investigation
    By Chris Walters on October 7, 2009 9:59 PM   17 Comments

    —>Since 2007, the FBI and authorities in Egypt have been running an investigation they've called "Operation Phish Phry," sigh, and this week it paid off with 53 charges against U.S. defendants and 47 against people in Egypt. Three of the 53 in the U.S. have been arrested, and the FBI are looking for the other 50. To prove you're not one of the remaining 50, please send the FBI your login credentials to your bank. Ha ha, we kid.  More »

    Ask.com Launches New Service To Find The Best Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 7, 2009 6:50 PM   20 Comments

    —>Ask.com has launched a new service—ask.com/deals—dedicated to finding the best deals online. We don't know how well it works, but we like the tabs that let you quickly jump to free shipping offers and printable coupons. It might be a decent starting place if you're in the market for something and need to comparison shop first. Update: Our readers say it's not worth your time, at least in its current state—results are paltry and frequently old or expired.  More »

    Ralph Lauren Is As Weirded Out By This Ad As We Are
    By Chris Walters on October 7, 2009 6:03 PM   122 Comments

    —>Fashion advertising has a long tradition of lying, but this comically stupid Ralph Lauren ad seems to have confused the human anatomy with a box of Pocky. Unfortunately, Ralph Lauren doesn't want to be mocked for its own advertising, so it started sending out DMCA takedown notices to blogs who have posted the ad—both Boingboing and Photoshop Disasters have been ratted out to their ISPs. Blogspot took down the pic from Photoshop Disasters while it investigates, but Boingboing has posted it a second time.  More »

    How The Banking Industry Wants You To Think About Overdraft Fees
    By Chris Walters on October 7, 2009 3:30 PM   172 Comments

    —>Earlier today, a public relations person sent in the following suggested "follow up" story about the explosion in overdraft fees. She was quite friendly and complimentary and made it clear she just wants to help educate consumers about banking fees. The only problem is, the entire story is a jumble of propaganda designed to spread FUD about any attempt to change current overdraft policies. We figured it might be fun to see how the banking industry wants you to think.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 7, 2009 12:55 PM   21 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Automated Cleaning] iRobot Roomba 550 w/ on-board scheduling $179 + free shipping
    • Deep Discount: [Halloween DVDs] Deep Discount Halloween Horror DVD Sale
    • Amazon: [Photo Printer] Canon Selphy CP760 Photo Printer $49 Shipped
    • IKEA: [Food] Get a free small breakfast (value 99) and one cup of coffee (value 99) when you visit a participating IKEA store on Saturday, October 10 - Monday, October 12, 2009. Offer not valid at IKEA Hicksville, IKEA Houston and IKEA Direct. (Thanks to John!)
    • Firehouse Subs: [Food] Coupon for free chips and drink with purchase of medium sandwich (Thanks to Jason!)
      More »

    Frontier Communications Has To Pay Back Early Termination Fees
    By Chris Walters on October 6, 2009 7:03 PM   7 Comments

    —>If you signed up for Frontier Communications' Price Protection Plan—a combo phone and broadband package—between January 2007 and September 2008, and you canceled the agreement and were charged an early termination fee (ETF), you may be getting some cash back.  More »

    Does Posting Calorie Counts On Menus Sway Consumers?
    By Chris Walters on October 6, 2009 6:26 PM   103 Comments

    —>Starting last year, fast food restaurants in New York City were required to list the total calories of every item on the menu. The idea was to provide greater transparency for consumers so that they can make smarter choices. Has it worked? Professors at New York University and Yale have completed a study that shows that the labeling makes consumers think they're being healthier, but in fact they're ordering more total calories than before the law went into effect.  More »

    Overdraft Fees Up 35% In Past Two Years
    By Chris Walters on October 6, 2009 4:34 PM   131 Comments

    —>As a nation, we pay more each year in overdraft fees than we do for books, cereal, or fresh vegetables, says the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL)—and considering how outrageously expensive cereal is, they must be talking about a huge sum. They are: "Banks and credit unions collected nearly $24 billion in overdraft fees last year, an increase of 35 percent from just two years earlier."  More »

    Las Vegas Builders Say No More New Casinos For The Next Decade
    By Chris Walters on October 6, 2009 3:44 PM   82 Comments

    —>We hope you like the current casinos in Las Vegas, because that's what you can look forward to for the next 10 years or so. No newly built Mount Rushmore facade, no Mini Grand Canyon indoor shopping avenue, no Godzilla-shaped hotel—nothing new to delight the vulgar parts of your optic nerve. The Wall Street Journal says after a decade in which casinos spent more than $30 billion on expansions, they're now going to pay off debt and focus on "branding, marketing and customer loyalty."  More »

    Microsoft Turns A Blind Eye To Phishing Scams On Xbox LIVE
    By Chris Walters on October 6, 2009 3:10 PM   71 Comments

    —>William wrote to us this weekend to point out how little Microsoft does to fight phishing attacks on their hugely popular Xbox LIVE network. It's unfortunate they don't take this sort of crime more seriously, since so many kids—who by all rights should have less experience with phishing—are on Xbox LIVE. Below is what two different Xbox CSRs told William when he contacted them to complain about phishing attacks.  More »

    United Lets You Pre-Pay Your Baggage Fees
    By Chris Walters on October 6, 2009 12:31 PM   42 Comments

    —>United has just announced a program where you can pay $250 to have their normal checked baggage fees waived for a year. The plan covers 2 bags per passenger, up to 8 passengers "traveling under the same confirmation number." Current fees are $20 for the first bag and $30 for the second, so if you travel solo a lot and always carry two bags you'll have to make six trips before you enjoy any savings. On the other hand, if you've got a big family trip planned in the next year, this may be a way to shave a little off the fee gouging. But only if you're stuck with United; BestFares.com notes that "SouthWest offers 2 free bags for free and JetBlue offers the 1st bag free."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 6, 2009 12:06 PM   14 Comments

    —>

    • Overstock : [Tent] Knights Tower Children's Tent for $35.09 w/ Coupon 142933 w/ Free shipping
    • Amazon: [DVD] Friends - The Complete Series (Seasons 1-10) $114.99 + free shipping
    • Buy.com: [WiFi] ZyXEL WiFi Wireless-N Access Point/Bridge only $31 & Free Shipping
    • ULTA : [Cosmetics] $5 Off $10 Purchase + 3 Free Samples w/ Coupon 23126
      More »

    Don't Donate Money To Public Safety Organizations Over The Phone
    By Chris Walters on October 5, 2009 9:06 PM   63 Comments

    —>The website Consumer Affairs (which is not related to us or our owners in any way) is warning people in Oregon to watch out for calls from people asking for donations on behalf of local police or fire departments. It's a good reminder to everyone that telephone solicitations should be ignored: "At best, the solicitor will probably take the lion's share of your donation. At worst, the caller is an outright fraud," the site reports.  More »

    Woman Arrested For Keeping Rented Movies 10 Years Past Due Date
    By Chris Walters on October 5, 2009 9:03 PM   149 Comments

    —>A woman in Iowa was arrested last week for the theft of three video tapes from a local video store. She rented them in May of 1998, and a charge was filed against her in September of that same year after she repeatedly neglected to return them.  More »

    AT&T Refuses To Give $3 Credit For Lack Of Service
    By Chris Walters on October 5, 2009 6:21 PM   62 Comments

    —>AT&T loves your money and will not give up that money no matter what, even if it means making you waste nearly an hour of an AT&T employee's time, which surely must be worth more than three dollars. We guess it's the principal; as long as AT&T refuses to admit they've got problems, the problems don't exist.  More »

    FTC Says Bloggers Can't Hide Endorsement Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 5, 2009 6:10 PM   58 Comments

    —>For the first time since 1980, the FTC has updated its rules about endorsements and testimonials, and they've added blogging to the books. Now bloggers who don't disclose that they've been somehow compensated—either with cash or with free services or products—can be fined up to $11,000.  More »

    Pizza Hut Manager Attacks Old Man
    By Chris Walters on October 5, 2009 5:15 PM   118 Comments

    —>A 27-year-old Pizza Hut manager in Winnipeg, Manitoba, went bonkers last Friday and dragged a 76-year-old customer to the ground over a payment dispute. The manager was arrested, and the customer returned the next afternoon to dine, because he is afraid of nothing.  More »

    Why E. Coli Still Makes Its Way Into Your Meat Supply
    By Chris Walters on October 5, 2009 2:30 PM   134 Comments

    —>Before you bite into that juicy hamburger, you might want to better understand how the meat industry creates, tests (or doesn't test), then distributes ground beef. A detailed investigation by Michael Moss at the New York Times proves eating it is "still a gamble. Neither the system meant to make the meat safe, nor the meat itself, is what consumers have been led to believe."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 5, 2009 1:13 PM   10 Comments

    —>

    • Coldwater Creek : [Apparel] 40% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon WKH6745
    • Amazon: [Blu-ray] LG BD370 Network Blu-ray Player (Netflix/Youtube streaming) $160.60 + free shipping
    • west elm: [Home & Garden] West Elm Sale: Up to 70% off select items
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on October 3, 2009 12:22 AM   23 Comments

    —>Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    World's Worst Logos
    By Chris Walters on October 2, 2009 9:02 PM   44 Comments

    —>As part of our stand against Christmas Creep, we want to celebrate the actual upcoming holiday by lobbing some pretty frightening images at you from the website Your Logo Makes Me Barf. Take this alarm sign, for instance. The obvious chills come from recognizing what they're walking into, but then you notice the kid figure and the term "young alarm" and, wait, wtf?  More »

    Consumer And Banking Scholars Speak Out In Favor Of Consumer Financial Protection Agency
    By Chris Walters on October 2, 2009 7:22 PM   14 Comments

    —>Earlier this week, a group of 70 law professors from universities across the country released a 16-page Statement of Support (pdf) detailing why they're in favor of the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Act. You can read the statement yourself via the link above, but we've summarized them below.  More »

    Men's Retailer Begs For Customers
    By Chris Walters on October 2, 2009 6:52 PM   36 Comments

    —>Here's a new take on direct mail that we'll call the "painfully honest but kind of sad" approach. George Anderson at RetailWire writes that a local men's retailer sent him the following plea via snail mail.  More »

    Amazon Clarifies When It Will Remove Kindle Books
    By Chris Walters on October 2, 2009 6:05 PM   49 Comments

    —>As part of a settlement with the customer who sued Amazon over the 1984 fiasco this past summer, Amazon has clarified under what circumstances it can delete your books. Notably, Amazon is not saying that it will never again delete books, which keeps the Kindle in the "do not buy" list for consumers who want unequivocal ownership of the items they purchase. In fact, despite the muted praise Amazon is receiving for doing this, the best we can say about the clarification is that it's about time, but that it still doesn't address the fundamental ownership issues raised by the Kindle licensing system.  More »

    Comcast May Buy Controlling Stake Of NBC Universal
    By Chris Walters on October 2, 2009 1:33 PM   58 Comments

    —>Hey, are you ready for Comcast to take more control over your entertainment? Then great news for you! Yesterday a rumor leaked that the cable giant is negotiating to buy 51% of NBC Universal, which includes the movie studio Universal, Universal theme parks, the NBC network, and shows like 30 Rock and SNL.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 2, 2009 12:51 PM   20 Comments

    —>

    • REI Outlet: [Outdoors] Diamondback Sorrento Mountain Bike $250
    • Buy.com: [Automated Cleaning] iRobot Roomba 415 with 2 Virtual Walls $119.99 + free shipping
    • NewEgg: [HDTV] LG 42LH30 42-inch 1080p LCD HDTV $699.99 + free shipping
      More »

    Schwarzenegger Asked To Close Prostitution Ratings Website
    By Chris Walters on October 1, 2009 11:28 PM   131 Comments

    —>At Punternet.com you can rate UK prostitutes, find out about British massage parlors, and participate in a bulletin board about all things prostitutey. ("Punter" = "john" in British slang.) Yesterday a British government minister asked Arnold Schwarzenegger to shut it down, because although it concerns the British sex industry—where prostitution isn't illegal—it's based in California.  More »

    Target Must Pay $600,000 To Settle Lead Paint Charges
    By Chris Walters on October 1, 2009 9:37 PM   28 Comments

    —>Looks like the CPSC can afford donuts tomorrow for their office: Target has agreed to pay $600,000 for selling toys with too much lead on them from May 2006 to August 2007, reports Reuters. The fine "resolves allegations" over the issue, so now Target can focus on what it does best, which is act crazy.  More »

    Microsoft's Launch Party Video Is Surprisingly Offensive!
    By Chris Walters on October 1, 2009 7:40 PM   22 Comments

    —>Okay, now we get the appeal of hosting a Windows 7 launch party. There's lots of f[bleep]g involved. Lots and lots of it at the skeevy white guy's party, it sounds like. Watch the clip below to see how much better you can make a corporate video by adding a few well-timed bleeps.  More »

    "So Sue Me, Jackass!" Provides Random Legal Advice In Humor Book Format
    By Chris Walters on October 1, 2009 6:51 PM   47 Comments

    —>Here's a new book that focuses on those random questions people always have about how the law pertains to everyday activities. You know, things like starting your own online porn site, burying a pet, or selling your ex-boyfriend's things on eBay.  More »

    Do Something Nice, Go To Disneyland
    By Chris Walters on October 1, 2009 6:01 PM   54 Comments

    —>Disney's gone and done something admirable again. We get it, Disney: you don't want our golden poop. Fine.   More »

    Borders To Offer Free Wifi
    By Chris Walters on October 1, 2009 1:24 PM   32 Comments

    —>Later this month, Borders and Verizon will roll out free Wifi access in "virtually all" Borders stores, with no password or access fee required. Borders' CEO Ron Marshall says their goal is to extend "the open atmosphere of exploration that is at the core of every great bookstore experience," and then he said something about building a community, yakkity yak. You know how press releases are. Whatever, Marshall, we're just happy you're offering free Wifi access!  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on October 1, 2009 12:51 PM   9 Comments

    —>

    • Armani Exchange: [Apparel] New Armani Exchange STACKABLE Coupon Codes $25 Off $100, Free Shipping
    • Guaranteach: [Online Tutoring] First month free for first 20 subscribers using code FREEOCT
    • Quiznos : [Restaurant] $1 Off Each Sub Purchased w/ Coupon (Up to 3) w/ Printable Coupon
    • NewEgg: [MP3] Recertified Microsoft Zune 4GB MP3 Player + Free Leather Case & Car Pack $49.99
    • Amazon: [Water Bottle] 20% off Botl BPA-free Stainless Steel Water Bottles through 10/31
    • Amazon: [Xbox] Xbox 360 Elite 120GB + Lego Batman & PURE games (2009 Holiday Bundle) $250 + free shipping
      More »

    Here's Your Virtual UPS Advertising Junk Box, Enjoy
    By Chris Walters on September 30, 2009 11:51 PM   86 Comments

    —>Rhett writes, "I noticed your article UPS Now Delivers Bonus Junk Mail Packages and today, it started. I received a package from UPS Monday of this week with no bonus advertising. Today (Wednesday), this is what was on my front step."  More »

    Call Drop Rate For iPhones In NYC Is 30%, Says Apple Genius
    By Chris Walters on September 30, 2009 10:37 PM   66 Comments

    —>Hey AT&T, maybe you should offer some sort of congestion pricing on your iPhone plans in places like New York City. We've heard/read all sorts of anecdotal reports on dropped calls before, but today Engadget reported that an Apple Genius said a 30% drop call rate is average for the area. If that's true, it seems like false advertising to charge for a full-time calling plan that you can only use about two-thirds of the time.  More »

    Florida State Universities Launch Free Digital Textbook Program
    By Chris Walters on September 30, 2009 8:53 PM   48 Comments

    —>If you're going to school at a Florida state university, your fee burden just grew a little bit lighter:   More »

    Can't Find Work In Your Field? Move To NYC And Open A Food Cart
    By Chris Walters on September 30, 2009 8:25 PM   56 Comments

    —>If you were laid off from your job, or can't find one in the industry you trained for, you can always sell food to people on sidewalks. That's what at least two people are doing in New York, while a third has opened a cart to supplement his regular income. Update: But don't expect to actually make any money, according to this article tipped to us by Zach.  More »

    Internet Speeds Are Lower Than Advertised 50-80% Of The Time
    By Chris Walters on September 30, 2009 7:16 PM   98 Comments

    —>Anyone who reads the fine print when signing up for Internet access knows that the speeds advertised are "best case" scenarios, or more cynically that they're total fabrications meant to lure in customers. Now the FCC, as part of its larger study of how to expand broadband access, has reported that "actual broadband speeds lag advertised speeds by as much as 50% to 80%."  More »

    LG Looking To Buy Back 5 Phones For $10k Each
    By Chris Walters on September 30, 2009 2:24 PM   66 Comments

    —>If you bought an LG Chocolate phone, compare its serial number to the ones on this site—if it matches then you can sell it back to LG for $10,000. We're not sure if this is just a fancy way to hold a contest, or if those 5 phones accidentally shipped with alien technology inside. Either way, it's a bit more than you'd get through Craigslist. Hurry though; the offer/contest/coverup ends today.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 30, 2009 12:56 PM   9 Comments

    —>

    • Shop4Tech : [Computer] 17% Off Entire Order w/ Coupon TM17
    • iTunes Music Store: [iPhone / iPod Apps] Ping! for iPhone (free text messaging using iPhone's push service)
    • NewEgg: [Monitor/HDTV] Auria EQ2488F 24-inch 1080p LCD HDTV $260 + free shipping
      More »

    50 Cool Billboards
    By Chris Walters on September 29, 2009 8:09 PM   56 Comments

    —>Most billboards are either ugly jumbles of giant text, or unfortunately memorable things like this. Here's a list of 50 mostly cool ones (we think the Texas one is 'shopped, and the anti-American one can suck it). Hey, if you're gonna advertise on a billboard, you may as well make it entertaining.  More »

    Find Flu Shot, Cheap Generics With Medtipster
    By Chris Walters on September 29, 2009 7:19 PM   54 Comments

    —>Medtipster is a website that locates nearby sources of discount generic versions of prescription drugs, as well as flu and other immunization shots. You enter the drug (or shot) you're looking for and your zip code and it spits out a list of nearby pharmacies. Currently they don't list H1N1 vaccination sources, but they say they're going to add that info as soon as it becomes available.  More »

    Grandmother Arrested For Buying Cold Medicine Twice In One Week
    By Chris Walters on September 29, 2009 4:43 PM   315 Comments

    —>Last March, Sally Harpold bought a box of Zyrtec-D cold medicine for her husband, then a few days later bought a box of Mucinex-D cold medicine for her grown daughter. That put her over the limit for how much pseudoephedrine-laced cold meds you can buy in a week in her small Indiana town, so she was arrested along with 16 other potential meth makers earlier this month.  More »

    JCPenney Tries Out Mobile Coupons In Houston Stores
    By Chris Walters on September 29, 2009 3:56 PM   10 Comments

    —>If you live in the Houston area, you can now use your mobile phone to redeem coupons for JCPenney through a trial-partnership with Cellfire. You have to register with Cellfire in order to receive the promos via SMS or email, and if you register today you'll receive a mysterious "$10 in$tant gift" [sic].  More »

    Microsoft Wants You To Host Your Own Windows 7 Launch Party, Really
    By Chris Walters on September 29, 2009 3:04 PM   128 Comments

    —>Everyone likes hosting launch parties, right?! What? No one likes them? They're not real parties—just promotional events dreamed up to move units? But Microsoft told me that it's okay to host my own launch party! It'll be cool! Just look at these two married couples hanging out and gabbing like a box of birds about how much they love Windows 7.  More »

    Rumor: Game Crazy To Close 200 Locations
    By Chris Walters on September 29, 2009 1:38 PM   19 Comments

    —>Joystiq reported last night that Game Crazy "plans to close 200 of its approximately 680 locations at the end of October." There's no official list of which stores are closing yet, so feel free to ask your local Game Crazy employees and see if you can scare them.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 29, 2009 12:49 PM   14 Comments

    —>

    • Shindigz: [Halloween Costumes] New Shindigz Coupon Code 50% Off Halloween Costumes
    • NewEgg: [Camera] FujiFilm Finepix A220 12.2MP Digital Camera - Silver $79.99 + free shipping
    • HandHeldItems: [Men's Apparel] Men's LED Sound Activated Pumpkin T-Shirt for $10 + $6 s&h (see video demo here)
      More »

    Doctors Across Tennessee Keep Faxing Patient Records To A Solar Panel Company
    By Chris Walters on September 28, 2009 9:18 PM   63 Comments

    —>For three years now, reports The Tennessean, the owner of a solar panel company in Indiana says "confidential medical faxes" have been sent to him by doctors throughout Tennessee. His fax number is apparently very similar to the one for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, but although he's contacted the errant doctors' offices, as well as reported it to the DHS and to the state's governor's office, they keep coming.  More »

    Infamous Domino's Where Gross-Out Video Was Recorded Closes Doors
    By Chris Walters on September 28, 2009 9:07 PM   53 Comments

    —>Remember that Domino's Pizza, the one in North Carolina where Kristy and Michael recorded themselves doing gross things to the food? The Charlotte Observer has reported that the location has gone out of business, at least for now—"closed signs have been placed in the windows and the phone has been disconnected."  More »

    Baristas Flash Their Hoohas At The Grab-n-Go, Get Charged With Prostitution
    By Chris Walters on September 28, 2009 6:42 PM   150 Comments

    —>We're not at the "full body latte" stage just yet, but Grab-n-Go Espresso in Everett, Washington has apparently taken us right up to that edge with their espresso stands where baristas show skin while serving coffee. Now five Grab-n-Go baristas have been charged "with multiple counts of prostitution and violating the city's adult entertainment ordinance."  More »

    Freescore.com Sues Yahoo To Reveal Blogger's Identity
    By Chris Walters on September 28, 2009 6:13 PM   57 Comments

    —>Freescore.com is one of those online companies that offers a free trial, and then attempts to enroll its customers in a $30/month subscription service. Now they're suing Yahoo in an attempt to reveal an anonymous blogger who quoted a Reuters article when criticizing the service, and who pointed out that Freescore is owned by a company with a reputation for billing customers without permission.  More »

    Airline Employees Call Police On Angry CEO Who Chewed Them Out
    By Chris Walters on September 28, 2009 5:34 PM   62 Comments

    —>This story combines two immutable laws of nature in a surprising twist: that executives don't always know what their front-line employees are doing, and that airline employees don't give a f*ck who you are and will call the police if you annoy them.  More »

    How To Reduce Your Insurance Premiums
    By Chris Walters on September 28, 2009 2:40 PM   50 Comments

    —>Kiplinger has put together a list of ways to reduce costs for auto, home, and life insurance. For auto and homeowners insurance, boosting your deductible from $250 to $1000 can lower your premiums between 15-25%. If you haven't looked at your life insurance policy in a while, don't wait any longer to shop around—rates have "dropped significantly" over the past 15 years but are now on the rise. And when calculating homeowners insurance, don't fall into the market value trap: make sure you're covering the true cost of replacing only the home and what's inside, not the value of the land.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 28, 2009 12:44 PM   6 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Wii] Nintendo Wii console w/ Wii Sports game + free $25 Amazon Gift Card for $199.99 free shipping
    • Frys.com : [TV] LG 42" LCD 1080p HDTV for $649 w/ Free shipping
    • REI : [Health] Hart Soft Pack First Aid Kit for $16.93 + $5.99 Shipping
    • Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Men's Apparel] New Balance Men's 8103 Convertible Jacket for $27 + free shipping
    • Amazon: [Magazine] Inc. magazine 1-year subscription or auto-renewal $5 + free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on September 25, 2009 9:03 PM   26 Comments

    —>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 »

    GM's Money Back Guarantee Comes With Lots Of Fine Print
    By Chris Walters on September 25, 2009 8:21 PM   63 Comments

    —>GM's new 60-day money back guarantee (good through November 30th, 2009) on new car purchases sounds pretty straightforward—if you don't want the car for any reason (it doesn't have to be a good reason), you can bring it back. But it has a few rules that you should be aware of before your purchase, notes the Associated Press.  More »

    Homeowners With Good Credit Are More Likely To Strategically Default
    By Chris Walters on September 25, 2009 3:44 PM   65 Comments

    —>Here's an interesting discovery about mortgage defaults from the LA Times:  More »

    Man Sues Bank Of America For $1.78 Trillion Billion Dollars
    By Chris Walters on September 25, 2009 3:18 PM   109 Comments

    —>Dalton Chiscolm has sued Bank of America and its board, and wants "1,784 billion, trillion dollars" in return for being subjected to what the judge describes as "inconsistent information from a 'Spanish womn' [sic]" as well as allegedly misrouted checks. In addition, Chiscolm wants another $200,164,000 in damages. We're not sure why that amount is separate, but who knows how a mind like Chiscolm's works?  More »

    No Palm Pre For Verizon Wireless?
    By Chris Walters on September 25, 2009 2:17 PM   59 Comments

    —>If you've been holding out on a phone upgrade or carrier switch until the Palm Pre comes to Verizon, you may need to give up the dream. The carrier has "reportedly ditched plans to offer the Palm Pre early next year," says PC World. Apparently poor sales of the device at Sprint, combined with Verizon's interest in upcoming Blackberry devices, killed any enthusiasm the carrier once had. Update: The no-Pre rumor may be false, according to these two analysts.  More »

    Why Can't Microsoft Help Get This Guy's Stolen Xbox Live Account Back?
    By Chris Walters on September 25, 2009 1:20 PM   40 Comments

    —>Erik has been patiently trying to get his stolen Xbox Live account back for a month and a half now, but all Microsoft has done to help is lie and fail to follow up on phone calls or emails. Oh, and there was that one point where they sent "how to get your account back" instructions to the person who had stolen the account, which sort of defeated the point.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 25, 2009 12:53 PM   12 Comments

    —>

    • Toys R Us: [Seasonal] Jabba the Hutt Adult Inflatable Halloween Costume for $56 + free shipping, more
    • Hanes.com: [Apparel] Save 50% off: Outer Banks Solid Color Men's Polos $9 Each
    • Denny's : [Restaurant] 20% Off Entire Check w/ Printable Coupon
    • Babies R Us : [Apparel] 30% Off Entire Clothing & Shoe Purchase w/ Printable Coupon
      More »

    Consumer Financial Protection Agency Gets Watered Down
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 7:30 PM   33 Comments

    —>There's been so much resistance to the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency that Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has proposed a less powerful version of the agency in an attempt to get it passed. Here's what's changed:  More »

    Get Your Data Out Of Google
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 6:36 PM   38 Comments

    —>If you're like the average Google user, you've now got a lot of personal data—emails, addresses, calendars, documents, photos and videos, maybe even health records—in their system. This is fine with them, because the Google Hive Mind needs all of this data to eventually become self aware and enslave us. However, if you ever want to get that information out of Google, the company has created something they call the Data Liberation Front to make it easier for you.  More »

    Do We Really Need To Market Beds Specifically To Guys?
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 5:46 PM   95 Comments

    —>The Wall Street Journal has some ridiculous looking photos of beds designed for the male shopper. Apparently guys want built-in coolers, safes, TVs, and iPod docks in their beds. Sorry, we mean "man caves."  More »

    American Express Wants You To Use Lame Passwords
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 5:32 PM   75 Comments

    —>We're no longer indignant about Amex's weirdly lax security policies anymore, we're just confused. Why would a major credit card company cold call new customers and insist they give up bank and address info over the phone, or email sensitive data to strangers? Or, we just learned, demand that you use a lame password that isn't case sensitive, is only 6 to 8 characters long, and can't contain special characters?  More »

    Congress Seeks To Move Up Credit Card Act Implementation To December 1st
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 3:09 PM   39 Comments

    —>Today, Reps. Barney Frank and Carolyn Maloney are going to request that the implementation date for the rest of the Credit Card Act's rules be moved to December 1st of this year instead of February 2010, after seeing companies "jacking up their rates and doing other things to their customers in advance of the effective date" all summer, reports Mary Pilon at The Wall Street Journal.  More »

    Direct Marketing Association's Opt Out Website Is A Joke
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 2:00 PM   46 Comments

    —>Jonathan wanted to opt out everyone in his family from direct marketing campaigns, something the DMA promises is possible via their website. Surprise! It turns out the DMA doesn't really care so much about whether or not you want to be taken off any mailing lists, and they have a rotten website and poor security protocols to prove it.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 12:59 PM   16 Comments

    —>

    • Keurig: [Coffee] 2 boxes of K-Cups (regularly $13.95 ea.) for free with coupon code SURVEY09, free shipping (Thanks to John!)
    • ThinkGeek : [Gifts] $10 Off $30 Purchase w/ Coupon Code FLOSSUCCESS09 + One More Coupon
    • Wal-Mart: [Camera Kit] Fuji FinePix A100 10MP Digital Camera & SD Card Kit $89
      More »

    Anus Burgers Run Wild Across America's Restaurant Signs
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 1:31 AM   76 Comments

    —>We got a tip from someone today with a funny pic of a misspelled McDonald's sign at the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, MO. We thought we'd do a Google search to see if this was old news or not. What we found out was that "Angus" is too ripe a target for word vandals, or even just opportunistic photographers, to pass up.  More »

    A Visual Primer On Airplane Etiquette
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 12:57 AM   71 Comments

    —>Here are 14 photo illustrations from Australia of jerk-like behavior on airplanes, for those of you who aren't creeped out by the weird "lets use clones" art direction of the piece. The weirdest tip is that it's apparently okay to kick your fellow passenger in the crotch if you're certain you can do it without waking him up, but hey, that's Australia for you.  More »

    Wells Fargo Also Pledges To Reduce Overdraft Fees
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 12:47 AM   20 Comments

    —>Chase and Bank of America aren't the only ones suddenly growing pseudo-human faces and reducing their money-sucking overdraft policies. Today Wells Fargo squirted out a press release that says they "will eliminate overdraft fees for customers when they overdraw their accounts by $5 or less and will charge no more than four overdraft fees per day."  More »

    Citizens Bank Now Charging An Overdraft Protection Fee
    By Chris Walters on September 24, 2009 12:32 AM   28 Comments

    —>Lynne writes, "Citizens Bank is now charging customers an annual overdraft protection fee. This is a charge for linking your savings account to your checking account. Customers can be removed from the program and can get the fee back." We don't know when this started—they just say there might be fees involved and call for details on their website—but if you're a customer of the bank you might want to make sure you haven't been enrolled without knowing it.  More »

    FDA Banned Flavored Cigs, But Not Menthols. Why?
    By Chris Walters on September 23, 2009 11:32 PM   198 Comments

    —>Back in June we noted that the FDA was about to get a lot more say over the tobacco industry if the Senate approved a new bill. Well they did, and so yesterday the FDA flexed its new muscles by banning fruit, herb, spice, and candy flavorings from cigarettes. That's right: clove cigarettes were just banned by the FDA, which is bad news for gothy teens and great news for everyone else.  More »

    HD Sunglasses Use The Power Of Stupidity To Increase Real World Resolution
    By Chris Walters on September 23, 2009 5:07 PM   137 Comments

    —>Did you know your eyes have probably been viewing things in only 480 vertical lines of resolution? Thankfully someone out there isn't as stupid as the rest of us, and realized that if our television sets can be upgraded to HD, so can our eyeballs. At least they can with the help of these special sunglasses.  More »

    SoCalGas' Password Policy Makes Passwords Pointless
    By Chris Walters on September 23, 2009 1:34 PM   28 Comments

    —>We're not sure why a company would bother with offering a password feature on their customer accounts if they disable them without warning 3 months later as a matter of policy, but that's how Southern California Gas Company rolls. Does it really matter, you ask? It might if you're a victim of domestic violence.  More »

    Are You A Hotel Trasher? Don't Stay In Australia
    By Chris Walters on September 23, 2009 12:34 PM   38 Comments

    —>Guests Behaving Badly (GBB) is an Australia-only customer blacklist that hotels there can use to weed out potentially bad guests. From their FAQ:  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 23, 2009 11:56 AM   22 Comments

    —>

    • Woot: [Who Can Say] Woot Off! going on today. (Thanks to Eric!)
    • Costume Discounters: [Halloween] Costume Discounters Star Trek Adult Costumes
    • Xbox Marketplace : [Console] $50 Rebate for Xbox 360 Elite Purchase
    • Barnes & Noble: [Subscriptions] Extra $5 off over 100 Magazine Subscriptions
    • Buy.com: [HDTV] Philips 47-inch 1080p LCD HDTV $900 + free shipping
      More »

    Ban On Long Tarmac Delays Close To Being Passed
    By Chris Walters on September 23, 2009 10:45 AM   84 Comments

    —>If Senator Barbara Boxer has her way, the Senate's Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act will soon require airlines to "deplane passengers after three hours and would require [the airlines] to provide basic services such as food and water while they are waiting on planes." The requirement is in the current version of the bill, and Boxer and another Democrat, Senator Amy Klobuchar, have threatened to filibuster it if the language is removed.  More »

    Homes With Cats 8 Times More Likely To Contain MRSA
    By Chris Walters on September 23, 2009 12:14 AM   77 Comments

    —>You may have thought you could only get MRSA at hospitals and the beach, but apparently researchers have discovered that it can be transmitted via pets and lead to repeat infections, reports the New York Times. One recent case involved a baby elephant and 20 human caretakers at the San Diego Zoo last year, but at the domestic level it looks like cats (and dogs, but not to the same degree) somehow contribute to cycle of infection at home.  More »

    Congressman Introduces Bill To Oversee Cemeteries
    By Chris Walters on September 22, 2009 11:36 PM   58 Comments

    —>Remember Burr Oak this past summer? That was the Chicago cemetery that dug up bodies and resold the graves to new customers. Well, yesterday a U.S. Representative from Illinois introduced the Bereaved Consumers Protection Act, a bill that would standardize record-keeping, make cemeteries accountable to federal officials as well as state, and protect consumers from shady business practices.  More »

    Tires Prices Increasing Soon, At Least For Cooper
    By Chris Walters on September 22, 2009 2:14 PM   96 Comments

    —>Are you planning on buying tires soon? According to this report from TireBusiness.com, Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. is planning on raising its prices for passenger and light truck tires by "up to 12 percent," in response to an increase on tarrifs from China. They wouldn't provide a hard date for the price increase, but said "soon."   More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 22, 2009 12:52 PM   33 Comments

    —>

    • Abt Electronics: [Service Plan] Abt Coupon Code 20% off AppleCare Protection Plans
    • Boston Market : [Restaurant] Two Free Kid's Meals with $6 Adult Purchase
    • Amazon: [Phones] All AT&T Phones for $0.01 with New 2-Year Contracts (Excluding iPhone)
    • Fisher Price : [Toys] $20 Off $100 Purchase (Select Categories) w/ Printable Coupon
      More »

    Where To Find Great Personal Finance Writing Online
    By Chris Walters on September 21, 2009 9:34 PM   7 Comments

    —>If you don't know about the Carnival of Personal Finance, it's a weekly round-up of interesting posts from the glut of personal finance blogs and websites that now litter the web. I discovered two of today's posts—the 23 debt-saving tips and the the alkaline-vs-rechargeables story—through the most recent Carnival.  More »

    When Are Alkalines Better Than Rechargeables?
    By Chris Walters on September 21, 2009 7:07 PM   69 Comments

    —>The big benefit of rechargeable batteries, aside from possibly being more ecological, is they're supposed to save you money in the long run. However, blogger Len Penzo argues that for some devices, you'll spend more money if you go the rechargeable route.  More »

    23 Tips On How To Pay Down Your Debt
    By Chris Walters on September 21, 2009 6:54 PM   38 Comments

    —>If you're still floundering when it comes to paying off debt, here's a great starting place for you. The blog DoughRoller has listed 23 ways to get started on freeing yourself from debt, along with lots of links to tools and other articles or websites that can help.  More »

    New Jersey Dealership Goes Under, Leaves Customers Without Titles To Their Cars
    By Chris Walters on September 21, 2009 2:56 PM   72 Comments

    —>When Patrick Dunn's auto dealership in New Jersey went out of business a few months ago, something weird happened to "40 or 50" customers who had bought cars from him, writes Bob Braun at NJ.com. The company Dunn had taken out business loans with, Automotive Finance Corporation (AFC), went to Arkansas and asked for reposession of the cars in New Jersey. The Arkansas department of motor vehicles assumed AFC meant for unsold cars on the lot, so they granted the request—and now AFC says it owns titles to cars that people are already driving and paying for.  More »

    Ameriprise Bans "Customer Advisor" For Posting Link To Consumerist
    By Chris Walters on September 21, 2009 2:36 PM   54 Comments

    —>Hey, we helped get an Ameriprise customer banned from the financial company's consumer advisory panel! Sorry about that, Brendan.  More »

    Does Living In California Make You A Higher Credit Risk?
    By Chris Walters on September 21, 2009 2:10 PM   31 Comments

    —>Paul Smith, who lives in San Diego and has a credit score of 751, had his HSBC credit card limit lowered from $7,000 to $1,400 recently for mysterious reasons. He called HSBC to find out why.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 21, 2009 1:00 PM   9 Comments

    —>

    • Virgin Atlantic: [Travel] Savings on London Flights from $218 Each Way
    • Amazon : [Tools] Skil 18-Volt Cordless 4-Tool Kit for $182.69 w/ Free shipping
    • Buy.com: [Computer Cases] Antec Mini Skeleton-90 Mini-ITX PC Case for $92 + free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 8:36 PM   15 Comments

    —>Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    "Don't Copy That 2" Might Scare You Straight, If You Have Never Heard Music Or Seen A Video
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 5:39 PM   127 Comments

    —>At first we thought this was a new Black Eyed Peas video, but then we watched from the beginning and realized that it's actually an attempt to convince you that you should not copy that. Our favorite bit starts at the 2:24 mark, when the little girl's criminal activity leads to government agents bashing down the door to her house and attacking her poor mama.  More »

    Microsoft Goes After Malicious Ad Suppliers
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 4:47 PM   44 Comments

    —>If you visited the New York Times website last week, you may have been surprised to have your browsing interrupted by one of those scammy "we're scanning your computer for viruses OH NO YOU HAVE A VIRUS!" ads that overtake your window. Now Microsoft has filed 5 lawsuits in an attempt to fight back against the jerks who may have been responsible for it, and certainly for other ads like it all over the web.  More »

    So You Want To Sue The Company That's Screwing You Over
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 2:32 PM   45 Comments

    —>Jon wants us to recommend a good lawyer to sue HP for screwing him over on laptop repairs. We do not offer legal advice like that. We do, however, believe strongly in the power of small claims court.  More »

    Buying Your First Home? Here Are 7 Good Tips
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 1:59 PM   79 Comments

    —>Ron Lieber at the New York Times has put together seven sensible tips that can help you find a first time home that you can both afford and enjoy living in.  More »

    Bank Of America Board Members Subpoenaed
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 1:36 PM   18 Comments

    —>New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office is gathering information in order to file fraud charges against some BoA executives over what they knew, and what they hid, when they acquired Merrill Lynch & Co. a year ago. Earlier this week, his office subpoenaed 5 board members to find out "what they knew regarding the mounting losses and bonus payments at Merrill before the deal closed on Jan. 1 and what role they played in deciding whether to disclose that information to shareholders," according to the Associated Press.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 12:54 PM   18 Comments

    —>

    • US Appliance : [Blu-Ray Player] Samsung Blu-Ray Disc Player with BD Live + Streaming Netflix for $149 w/ Coupon SAM50 w/ Free shipping
    • Gap: [Clothing & Accessories] Gap Summer Sale: Up to 40% off
    • HP: [Laptop] 2.1GHz T6500 Core 2 Duo 17.3-inch laptop (4GB/350GB) with Blu-Ray, TV-Tuner, Printer for $853 + free shipping (coupon NBWD74213)
      More »

    Why Costco Taunts You With High-End Luxury Items
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 1:38 AM   92 Comments

    —>Heather at The Greenest Dollar read How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer earlier this summer, and it made her see Costco in an entirely new way. The point behind all that crazy luxury stuff for sale at Costco isn't just to sell it, she says; it's to prime your brain with feel-good dopamine so that you're far more likely to splurge on the more affordable items deeper in the store.  More »

    Couple Attempts To Stretch Half A Year's Pay Into A Full Year
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 12:48 AM   95 Comments

    —>CNN profiles a young family living in a Chicago suburb who have decided to carry out an experiment in frugal living—they want to see if they can reduce their expenses enough to get by on about half of what they made before the wife and sole breadwinner was laid off earlier this summer.  More »

    Doctors Remove Plastic Wendy's Fragment From Man's Lung
    By Chris Walters on September 18, 2009 12:28 AM   84 Comments

    —>For nearly two years, a 50-year-old man in North Carolina has suffered mysterious coughing fits, fatigue, and pneumonia. Now he's back to normal after doctors removed a 1-inch piece of plastic from his lungs, which he apparently inhaled while enjoying a soft drink.   More »

    7 Toys You Probably Shouldn't Buy
    By Chris Walters on September 17, 2009 5:32 PM   70 Comments

    —>Look, we're not going to sit here and pretend to know a lot about parenting. But unless Ambras syndrome runs in your family, we can't imagine why you need to teach your 7-year-old how to shave a baby. The toy tattoo gun actually looks like a lot of fun, though.  More »

    Hyatts In Boston Decide To Outsource Housekeeping
    By Chris Walters on September 17, 2009 5:20 PM   220 Comments

    —>Housekeepers at three Hyatt hotels in Boston made over $15 an hour and had benefits like 401(k) retirement plans and health insurance. On August 31st, Hyatt laid them off en masse—after first having them train their replacements under the guise of creating a holiday fill-in staff—and turned the housekeeping duties over to an outside firm.  More »

    Bernie Madoff's Beach House Sells For $8.75 Million
    By Chris Walters on September 17, 2009 4:04 PM   27 Comments

    —>An unidentified person has offered $8.75 million cash—more than the asking price—for Bernie Madoff's beachfront home in Long Island. Bidders made sealed offers for the property, and the realtors say they won't reveal any more details until after the deal closes. The house is supposedly very fancy, but if we lived there we'd just tear it up looking for hidden piles of cash. This is why we can never have anything nice.   More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 17, 2009 12:11 PM   10 Comments

    —>  More »

    Finally, A Personal Finance Podcast For People Who Don't Want To Listen
    By Chris Walters on September 16, 2009 11:18 PM   10 Comments

    —>The blog Personal Finance Hour is the home to a weekly live audio show with personal finance bloggers over whatever topics they like. Sometimes the conversation turns inward and focuses on trying to blog for profit, or blogging as a part time job. Sometimes the conversation is about things like remodeling your home or planning for a vacation.  More »

    Play Doh Ads Make Crying Out For Help Fun
    By Chris Walters on September 16, 2009 11:01 PM   27 Comments

    —>These Play Doh ads from Singapore don't seem to be aimed at kids. Then again, the message "safe no matter what you make" seems to be aimed directly at parents of kids who play with Play Doh, which leads us back to our initial thought, which is wtf kind of kid requiring parental supervision is shaping eerily realistic looking bottles of pills and razor blades for fun? Play Doh, the fun sad toy that tastes like tears!  More »

    Martha Stewart And Home Depot Enter Pact
    By Chris Walters on September 16, 2009 3:35 PM   55 Comments

    —>Starting in January, you'll be able to buy Martha Stewart-branded patio furniture, storage bins, and toilet wine kits at your local Home Depot, thanks to a new multi-zillion dollar business deal the two companies have cooked up. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia's old deal with Kmart—which a company tells the Atlanta Journal-Constitution earned them upwards of $1 billion annually at its peak—expires that same month.  More »

    Comcast Raising Cable Modem Rental Fees This Fall
    By Chris Walters on September 16, 2009 2:43 PM   127 Comments

    —>Comcast is going to start rolling out a $2 fee hike across the country this fall, which means your cable modem rental fee will go from $3 to $5 by the end of the year. Comcast says they absolutely have to do this or they'll never be able to pay for service and equipment upgrades, which makes us wonder how the poor underfunded company manages to stay afloat at all.  More »

    Grab Your Old Statements, We're Going To The Shred-A-Thon!
    By Chris Walters on September 16, 2009 2:05 PM   51 Comments

    —>Tucson, Arizona is hosting a community shred-a-thon in October, where private citizens can show up with boxes of sensitive data and have it shredded for free. Back in July, the Wall Street Journal looked at the growing trend of community shredding events as an example of how regular people are taking action to prevent identity theft.  More »

    Traveling Domestically? Consider A Hostel
    By Chris Walters on September 16, 2009 1:22 PM   36 Comments

    —>Tough times has forced a developer in South Florida to rethink his condo hotel development, so he's reconfigured it as a hotel-hostel that offers not just the standard shared room arrangements familiar to any college student who's traveled, but also slightly more expensive private rooms with kitchenettes and basic hotel amenities for $50 a night, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 16, 2009 12:52 PM   20 Comments

    —>

    • Liz Claiborne: [Apparel] New Liz Claiborne Coupon Codes up to $50 Off + Free Shipping
    • Dairy Queen : [Ice Cream] Buy One Blizzard Get One Free + $1 Off Oreo Cookie Blizzard w/ Printable Coupon
    • BHPhoto: [HDTV] Panasonic Viera TC-P50S1 50-inch 1080p Plasma HDTV $999.95 + free shipping
      More »

    How To Reverse A Debit Card Overcharge Quickly
    By Chris Walters on September 15, 2009 11:13 PM   35 Comments

    —>If someday you have the bad luck to have one of your debit transactions entered incorrectly by a merchant, here's how to get things back to normal quickly. The important part is not to let the merchant "get back to you" at some later day. Instead, try to get your bank and the merchant on the line at the same time in order to get it rectified immediately.  More »

    DeadlyDeal Neither Deadly Nor A Deal, Just Lame
    By Chris Walters on September 15, 2009 5:14 PM   84 Comments

    —>Brandon regrets having done business with DeadlyDeal.com earlier this year. He figured he "couldn't go wrong" with his mystery box purchase—"after all, my dealings with Woot.com had all been more than satisfactory so far." But DeadlyDeal is no Woot, friends. Well, except maybe in the creative writing department, because there's no way those DeadlyDeal customer testimonies ("Thanks for my free iPhone!") are legit.  More »

    Party Crazy Wells Fargo Banker Fired
    By Chris Walters on September 15, 2009 1:58 PM   30 Comments

    —>The Wells Fargo banker who turned a foreclosed Malibu beach house into his her summer party pad has been fired. The couple who originally owned the place were victims of Bernie Madoff, and lost the $12 million house in May. Wells says the banker acted alone, and added, "We deeply regret the activities that have taken place as they do not reflect the conduct we expect of our team members."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 15, 2009 12:04 PM   14 Comments

    —>

    • Northern Tool : [Automotive] 31-Piece Roadside Emergency Kit for $5 w/ Coupon 121380 w/ Free shipping
    • Music123: [Performance & Recording] Microphone Sale: Buy One and Get One Free
    • Western Digital : [Software] Free Acronis Disk Cloning Software (Download)
    • Direct2Drive: [PC Games] $5 Sale on games, titles include Civ 4, Sid Meier's Pirates, and Bioshock
      More »

    5 Ways To Prevent Identity Theft
    By Chris Walters on September 14, 2009 9:53 PM   43 Comments

    —>If you're still not shredding, locking, and canceling, maybe a giant graphic will get the point across. Follow these five tips and you'll be well on your way to securing your side of things when it comes to ID theft.   More »

    Financial Advice For College Students
    By Chris Walters on September 14, 2009 9:40 PM   40 Comments

    —>The San Jose Mercury News has compiled a list of financial tips for people just entering college. These are the sorts of things that will help you avoid racking up huge debts or wasting money you don't have on fees and penalties—and of course they can apply to pretty much anyone, not just college students.  More »

    Americans Love Burgers. A Lot.
    By Chris Walters on September 14, 2009 9:05 PM   76 Comments

    —>Apparently burgers are recession-proof. In fact, according to a recent survey cited by the Boston Globe, "It may be one area of food service where [consumers] are less willing to cut back, despite the current economic environment." We didn't know there was a shortage of burger options in the U.S., to be honest, but about half of us think restuarants should offer more burger variety.  More »

    Will Anyone Buy My 1300 Chinese Pope Hats?
    By Chris Walters on September 14, 2009 4:17 PM   24 Comments

    —>One of the fun side-effects of Craigslist is that the lack of an editorial gatekeeper means it lets the crazy blossom. The newspaper Telegraph has assembled 20 of what they consider the wackiest Craigslist ads, including over 1300 Pope hats (sorry, they're just replicas), diapers for incontinent dogs, and 300 stuffed penguins. Naturally we assume every one of them is really about sex, but maybe we're being too jaded about Craigslisters.  More »

    Video: Guy Installing Skimmer On ATM
    By Chris Walters on September 14, 2009 1:50 PM   41 Comments

    —>LiveLeak has posted surveillance video footage from earlier this month of a guy in Brazil installing a skimming device onto a bank ATM. The second half of the tape shows him being arrested and officials revealing the device, which just reminds us that the next time we use an ATM, we're first going to take off a shoe and hit everything on it like it's covered in giant ants. See the video below.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 14, 2009 12:52 PM   5 Comments

    —>

    • TheECA.com: Free 1-Year Membership to the Entertainment Consumers Association w/ coupon GIMAG (regularly $19.99)
    • Amazon: [GPS] Magellan RoadMate 1412 4.3-Inch Widescreen Portable GPS Navigator $99.99 + free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 8:42 PM   31 Comments

    —>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 »

    Banquet Finds Grocery Shrink Ray Isn't Enough, Hikes Price As Well
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 8:14 PM   65 Comments

    —>Banquet Foods wasn't satisfied with reducing the size of their mac & cheese meals by a third, from 12 ounces to 8 ounces. They also increased the price, notes our reader Richard, who confirmed the price hike at both his local Seattle supermarket and at Walmart (although Walmart's prices were lower in both versions). Funny, we thought the whole argument for the shrink ray was that it protected consumers from paying more.  More »

    Beware Fake Theme Park Passes
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 6:52 PM   47 Comments

    —>Everyone knows that you should never purchase gift cards on eBay or Craigslist, but it turns out that theme park passes in the form of gift cards are just as likely to be fake.  More »

    ID Theft Ringleader Pleads Guilty
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 6:36 PM   10 Comments

    —>Albert Gonzalez, a 28-year-old from Miami who was arrested last year and charged with leading "a worldwide ring that stole more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers from major retail chains," plead guilty today as part of a plea bargain. He faces up to 25 years in prison.  More »

    Couple Remodels Wrong Condo (Theirs Was Next Door)
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 4:09 PM   76 Comments

    —>LadySiren writes,   More »

    Get On A Plane, Go To Your Surgery
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 3:15 PM   88 Comments

    —>We're not sure if this is the start of a trend or just some very creative cost-cutting by a few companies, but Business Insurance notes that some self-insured firms are now sending their employees to other states to save money on medical procedures.  More »

    NYC Restaurant Stops Accepting Cash
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 2:46 PM   273 Comments

    —>If you decide to eat at Commerce, an unpleasantly named upscale restaurant in New York City that charges nearly $25 for spaghetti, your cash is no longer welcome.   More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 11, 2009 1:34 PM   2 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • Newegg : [Printer] HP Officejet Pro InkJet Color Printer for $59.99 w/ Coupon EMCLXML22 w/ Free shipping
    • Borders : [Books] 30% Off List Price of One Item w/ Coupon BHB9149B + Printable Coupon
    • Buy.com : [Mouse] HP Wireless Optical Mouse for $15.99 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    Bank Piles On Overdraft Fees Due To Merchant Error, Doesn't Seem Too Keen On Refunding Them
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 8:43 PM   86 Comments

    —>Here's a story from a reader about a bad bank practice that we hear about too frequently—a bank cascades hundreds of dollars worth of overdraft fees on an error that's beyond the customer's control, but then is unresponsive or uncooperative on refunding those fees.  More »

    Walmart's "Junk Food In The Toy Aisle" Mystery Officially Solved
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 8:08 PM   80 Comments

    —>Yesterday we posted a photo a reader sent in of a toy aisle in his local Walmart that was packed with junk food. We all got commenty on what exactly Walmart was doing—was it a one-off paid promo by Pepsi? A marketing experiment? A power-mad store manager driven crazy by shelving issues? Nah, it's actually an intentional choice mandated by corporate.  More »

    Banks Cling To Overdraft Fees Because They Need Them To Survive
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 7:36 PM   92 Comments

    —>Banks now make more on debit card overdraft fees than credit card penalties—they'll rake in about $27 billion in 2009 alone, according to the New York Times. They obviously have zero incentive to curb the practice. In fact, one economist told the paper that "45 percent of the nation's banks and credit unions collect more from overdraft services than they make in profits."  More »

    16-Year-Old Unwittingly Stars In Homemade Abercrombie & Fitch Dressing Room Video
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 7:10 PM   120 Comments

    —>A teenager is suing Abercrombie & Fitch and one of its former employees after she caught someone filming her in one of the store's dressing rooms.  More »

    iPhone 3G Owners, Beware The New 3.1 OS Upgrade
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 3:46 PM   65 Comments

    —>If you're a gadgetophile like me, you love firmware updates because it's like giving your smartphone, camera, or other mp3 player a mini-makeover. If you're normal, however, don't rush into it—the best thing to do is wait a bit and see what problems are reported from the front line. Take for instance this issue between 3G iPhones and Exchange servers, which no longer play well with each other after yesterday's 3.1 iPhone OS upgrade.  More »

    Keep Track Of Your Prescriptions With This Free App
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 3:27 PM   26 Comments

    —>If you have to take meds, you know that one of the big issues is watching out for potential drug interactions—the last thing you want is to pass out at the supermarket from uncontrollable flatulence and a sudden onset of glaucoma. Consumer Reports has developed My Medication Tracker, a free desktop app that lets you privately keep a record of your medication history (and related costs), as well as watch out for potential interactions.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 11:49 AM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Skull Candy : [Headphones] 50% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon Sku124LL9021
    • Newegg: [LCD] LG W2242T-BF 22-inch LCD Monitor $150 Shipped
      More »

    Poll Results: Our Significant Others Aren't Very Thrifty
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 1:37 AM   58 Comments

    —>Two weeks ago we mentioned that Cognitive Daily was running an informal poll about thriftiness. Here at Consumerist, we like to take polls. We bumped up their response rate to over 5,000, far higher than what they usually get, and now they've posted the results. Apparently we all think we're thriftier than everyone around us, especially our significant others, and the world wants to shop at the GAP. We bet the GAP is happy to hear that—too bad (for them) the poll was informal.  More »

    Chamber Of Commerce Attacks Proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 1:19 AM   35 Comments

    —>Maybe you forgot about the proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency in all the health care sound and fury, but it's still out there, and financial companies are still very much against it. Now the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching an ad campaign that shifts the focus from credit card companies to smaller businesses that they insist will be affected, although the scope of the proposed agency is still kind of unclear.  More »

    New FoodSafety Website Helps You Stop Accidentally Poisoning Your Family
    By Chris Walters on September 10, 2009 12:54 AM   11 Comments

    —>The USDA and Health and Human Services (HHS) today unveiled a new website focused on food safety at foodsafety.gov. It's got lots of info on how to keep food from spoiling, but better still it's a good launching pad for filing complaints, or keeping track of what's going on in your state (check the "state agency" widget in the bottom right column).  More »

    There's A New Ponzi Schemer Under Arrest, And He Has A Mail Order Porn Business
    By Chris Walters on September 9, 2009 1:16 PM   26 Comments

    —>The smaller versions of Madoff are still out there, convincing people to hand over their savings for foolproof investments that don't actually exist, but every once in a while the authorities nab another one. This week it's Philip G. Barry, a Brooklyn-based guy who operated out of my own neighborhood and happened to run a pornography business.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 9, 2009 12:42 PM   15 Comments

    —>

    • Jet Blue: [Travel] Jet Blue R&R Sale - Fares from $29 each way
    • FTD.com: [Flowers] FTD Good Neighbor Day 2009: Free floral bouquets
    • Apple Store: [iPod Touch] Price drops - 8GB Touch $189, 16GB $249, 32GB $279 shipped
      More »

    Sprint Yanks $100 Credit Offer On Palm Pre, Says Oops
    By Chris Walters on September 9, 2009 2:19 AM   24 Comments

    —>Earlier today, Sprint made news by effectively cutting the price of a Palm Pre to $99 for new Sprint customers, after a $100 credit. Now Sprint is saying it was a publishing error and not a valid offer.  More »

    You're Ugly! You're Hired!
    By Chris Walters on September 9, 2009 12:20 AM   79 Comments

    —>We love this column from Marty Nemko over at Kiplinger because it's sort of a go-get-'em morale booster to the ugly—only instead of boosting morale, it just gets more depressing as it goes on. But funny depressing. And after all the weird advice on watching your weight and avoiding hairpieces and wearing moderate makeup, Nemko makes an interesting case for why "ugly" people are better hires.  More »

    Plaid Pantry Says Bathroom Off Limits, Lets Customer Poop Pants
    By Chris Walters on September 8, 2009 4:09 PM   310 Comments

    —>One of the unfortunate things about Crohn's disease is it can make you need to use the bathroom pretty much immediately, without warning or fanfare. Of course, there's plenty of fanfare afterward if you can't find a bathroom, as one longtime customer of Plaid Pantry found out yesterday when she shat her pants in the parking lot after being denied emergency access to their employee toilet.  More »

    Was Your Cash For Clunkers Deal Rejected After Being Approved?
    By Chris Walters on September 8, 2009 12:44 PM   52 Comments

    —>Edmunds.com, the car info website, is asking people who participated in the short-lived Cash for Clunkers program to contact them if something went wrong. Although they can't fix any problems, they're trying to collect data on consumers who are being asked to pay back the government rebate after already being approved, which was forbidden under the rules of the program, so they can present the data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 8, 2009 12:15 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • OfficeDepot: [MP3 Player] Memorex 2GB Clip MP3 Player $20 or 2GB Image + FM Radio + MP3 Player $30
    • Sephora: [Beauty] Sephora Big Beauty Sale: Up to 75% off + three samples for free
      More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 7, 2009 12:44 PM   16 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon [DVD] Seinfeld - The Complete Series on DVD $99.99 + free shipping
    • Amazon: [Gaming] Free Game or Accessory with Nintendo DSi or DS Lite
    • Dell : [Printer] Wasabi Wireless Mobile Photo Printer w/ Bluetooth for $29 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    What Bills Are In Circulation The Most?
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 11:24 PM   103 Comments

    —>Visual Economics has a fun chart that shows how many of each denomination of U.S. currency is in circulation, as well as their average lifespans. For some reason, the $5 bill has the shortest lifespan. Also, seriously, we need to stop producing pennies NOW.  More »

    Retail Expert Describes What Men Want Out Of A Shopping Experience
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 11:12 PM   157 Comments

    —>Brand specialist Bertrand Pellegrin has published a new book for retailers that says if they want to capture the typical guy's dollar, they need to create more inviting spaces to shop in. The author "points to electronics stores, strip clubs, sports bars and gyms as spots where men feel comfortable socializing and spending money." That may all be (kind of) true, but that's gonna make one hell of a noisy, sleazy, sweaty, drunken place to shop for clothes.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 10:51 PM   18 Comments

    —>Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out, and enjoy the holiday!  More »

    Data Recovery Corp Invents Terms To Convince You Your Hard Drive Is Broken
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 10:16 PM   77 Comments

    —>Fox 11 News in LA went undercover with an intentionally damaged hard drive to find out whether online complaints about Data Recovery Corp, Inc. were true. Can you guess what the result was?  More »

    "What Do I Do When My Lender Isn't Playing Fair With Loan Modification?"
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 4:24 PM   93 Comments

    —>Yesterday, the New York Times wrote about a judge in Arizona who forced Wells Fargo to explain why it keeps stalling and being uncooperative with a customer who has been trying to get a loan modification request approved. Sadly, in the past week we've gotten two separate emails from homeowners who are also having trouble with getting banks to approve their requests for the government-sponsored loan modifications. "Who can we contact to complain?" asks one frustrated customer.  More »

    Amazon Offers $30 Credits To Orwell Kindle Swindle Victims
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 2:48 PM   38 Comments

    —>A post on Amazon's Kindle support forum yesterday says the company is sending out emails with offers of $30 to customers who had their George Orwell purchases erased from their devices earlier this summer.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 12:48 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • ShopEcko: [Apparel] Marc Ecko Star Wars Bring In The Storm Troopers Hoodie $19.99
    • Denny's : [Restaurant] Buy One Get One Grand Slam w/ Printable Coupons
    • Amazon: [Free MP3] Receive $1.29 credit applicable to Amazon MP3 store with code FIRSTMIL. (Thanks to Geoffrey!)
      More »

    Samsonite Files For Bankruptcy
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 1:19 AM   68 Comments

    —>Yesterday, a gorilla* stormed through the offices of Samsonite Corp, the "world's top luggage maker," and jumped up and down on their financial status. Their retail unit filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will close approximately half of their 173 stores.  More »

    LG Electronics Offers Customer Amazing Service On Broken Plasma TV
    By Chris Walters on September 4, 2009 12:25 AM   59 Comments

    —>If you owned an expensive TV that stopped working, and you were years out of warranty, you'd assume the manufacturer would have nothing to do with you, correct? LG doesn't play that game—Tim's experience with them when his LG set went kaput is a mind-blowing example of a company practically coddling its past—and almost certainly future—customers.  More »

    Who Uses Coupons The Most? Affluent Suburbanites
    By Chris Walters on September 3, 2009 7:58 PM   144 Comments

    —>The Nielsen Company—the people responsible for getting good TV shows canceled—just released a survey of coupon users. It turns out affluent consumers (those who make $70k or more annually) use coupons more frequently than the average U.S. household. Those who use coupons the least are from either low-income, one-member, male-only, African-American, or Hispanic households.  More »

    U-Haul Traps Another Customer, This Time In Stairwell
    By Chris Walters on September 3, 2009 5:49 PM   100 Comments

    —>Remember the U-Haul customer who was locked in at a self-storage unit in Wisconsin? Something similar, but possibly more dangerous, happened over the weekend at an indoor U-Haul facility in Philadelphia.  More »

    Carry Liquids On A Plane In 2-Liter Bottles
    By Chris Walters on September 3, 2009 2:14 PM   77 Comments

    —>"Baby Soda Bottles" are 2-liter bottles before they've been heated and formed into their soda bottle shape. In this pre-bottle stage, they make waterproof, hard-to-crush containers for small objects, and they hold approximately 2 ounces of liquid which makes them useful for air travel. Oh also, you can use regular 2-liter bottle caps on them.   More »

    Lexapro's Marketing Plan Shows How Drug Maker Pushes New Drugs
    By Chris Walters on September 3, 2009 2:00 PM   70 Comments

    —>The Senate just released 88 pages of a confidential 270+ page marketing plan by Forest Laboratories, created in 2004 and focused on how to get doctors to prescribe the antidepressant Lexapro over similar but cheaper alternatives such as Celexa. The New York Times notes that the line between marketing and education seems to be heavily blurred, which may not surprise you. There are, however, two interesting notes for consumers who may be taking Lexapro.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 3, 2009 1:00 PM   2 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • ZipZoomFly : [Keyboard] OCZ Wired Keyboard w/ Programmable Keys for $7.99 after $20 rebate w/ Free shipping
    • Boston Market : [Restaurant] 50% Off Family Meal or Market Feast (Starts Sept 5th)
    • Peterbilt : [Automotive] Free Peterbilt Keychain
      More »

    AT&T To Offer Free Wi-Fi Hotspot Access To Windows Mobile Users
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 10:33 PM   27 Comments

    —>If you have a WinMo smartphone, you're in luck. (Wow, I never thought I'd be typing that.) Starting September 14th, AT&T will open up its approximately 20,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to Windows Mobile customers with "qualifying plans." According to AT&T, that should mean most WinMo customers as "most [already] have a qualifying data plan."  More »

    Here's an affordable, non-piratey way to round out your music collection for half (or less) of what you'd pay to Amazon or iTunes. Pitchfok has published their selection of the top 500 tracks of the 2000s. Online music service Lala is offering most of them for 50 cents each for a limited time.  More »

    Scammer Picks Wrong Sympathy Handicap
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 9:49 PM   62 Comments

    —>Any good grifter knows that a classic shortcut to sympathy is to fake a handicap. This guy, however, should have thought about the distancing effect of using a telephone relay service, which is designed for people who are hearing impaired.  More »

    Secret Film Of Hy-Line Hatchery Shows "Inappropriate Action" Of Workers
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 9:26 PM   193 Comments

    —>If you get easily upset at animal welfare stories, skip this post or come back to it later when you've mentally prepared yourself. It's sort of messed up. On the other hand, haven't you always wondered how hatcheries can produce only female chickens?  More »

    Walmart Responds, Fixes Ruined Transmission
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 7:46 PM   46 Comments

    —>We're not entirely sure Consumerist is responsible for Walmart finally getting back to Jeff on his ruined transmission—and frankly, because of the length of time between the incident and his complaint, as well as Walmart's reputation for silence on consumer complaints like this, we didn't expect much to happen at all. We were wrong, and we tip our hats to Walmart for making good on a very expensive mistake. Read Jeff's update below.  More »

    Another Sears.com Security Hole Discovered
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 2:15 PM   12 Comments

    —>That Sears website exploit we posted about a couple of weeks ago was funny, mainly because it seemed more embarrassing for Sears than a true security risk. However, an independent security researcher had also discovered a more significant issue with the site—it allowed for an unlimited number of gift card verification attempts via an external script, so a criminal could use the site as a brute force method to identify valid gift cards for Sears and Kmart.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 1:00 PM   6 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Coupon Codes] Amazon coupon codes for September
    • Newegg: [Bluetooth Headset] Samsung WEP700 Bluetooth Headset w/ Noise Cancelling $14.99 Free Shipping
    • Amazon: [HDTV, Blu-ray] Samsung LN32B460 32" 720p LCD HDTV + Blu-ray player $500 w/ coupon ($210 off sale prices) + free shipping
    • Dell Home: [Print/Copy/Scan] Dell V105 All-in-one printer $30 + free shipping
      More »

    5-Pound Gummi Bear Yet Another Example Of Misleading Bulk Pricing
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 2:16 AM   96 Comments

    —>You might think that by purchasing your gummi candy in the most bulk form possible—as a single 5 pound bear-shaped block—you'll be saving money. After all, the catalog page says this little fella is equivalent to approximately 1400 regular-sized gummi bears. But actually, it turns out a 5 pound bag of Haribo gummis on Amazon is less than half the price (if you get super saver shipping).  More »

    Mysterious Oil Change Ruins Transmission, But Walmart Won't Respond
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 1:21 AM   123 Comments

    —>Update: Walmart has responded!   More »

    Atheists Sell Pet Care Service To Christians Anticipating The Rapture
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 12:28 AM   102 Comments

    —>An atheist in New Hampshire is hiring out pet care services to Christians who believe that there will be a rapture and they will leave behind their pets. He won't tell Mainstreet whether the business is very successful—he says his clients number "more than one and less than 175," but it's certainly an interesting way to bring two traditionally opposing groups together under a common (profit-making) cause.  More »

    Wachovia Teller Refuses To Deposit Check Written In Two Ink Colors
    By Chris Walters on September 2, 2009 12:05 AM   112 Comments

    —>"The best advice I can offer to those who wish to commit check fraud against Wachovia Bank," writes Jim, "is to purchase a typewriter." Although he's been a customer of the bank for years and had a hefty balance that more than covered the deposit amount of his handwritten check, because the dollar amount was in black ink and the signature was in blue ink the teller said it might be fraudulent and refused to take it.  More »

    Comcast Guarantees You Will Have Your Entire Day Wasted
    By Chris Walters on September 1, 2009 4:54 PM   82 Comments

    —>We're happy for Comcast that it's a giant company and all, but is it really that impossible to have someone in Connecticut talk on the phone with a Connecticut-based customer about a no-show installation tech who we presume should also be in Connecticut? Maybe that's the problem—maybe the technician was accidentally outsourced and is presently driving around Mexico or the Antarctic looking for Karah's address.  More »

    How To Identify Astroturfers And Front Groups
    By Chris Walters on September 1, 2009 3:05 PM   245 Comments

    —>Everyone likes to hate on spammers, but they're basically the houseflies of the Internet. Far more insidious and damaging are astroturfers and front groups—those corporate-funded, agenda-pushing people who don't disclose who they're really working for while they participate in online culture and the media. The Center for Media and Democracy has put together a list of tips to help you identify them from real grassroots movements, while Free Press has created a widget that reveals front groups for five large companies you frequently see on Consumerist.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on September 1, 2009 12:45 PM   5 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [HDTV combo] Buy select Samsung 46" or 52" HDTV, get Free Nintendo Wii or Asus 1000HA 10" Netbook, up to $566 savings w/ coupon + free shipping
    • Victoria's Secret : [Apparel] 2 Free VS Undies w/ Any Purchase (In-Store - Printable)
    • SmileBooks: [Photo Book] use coupon code SALE50 for 50% off all photobooks ordered from 9/4/09 to 11:59pm 9/6/09 (Thanks to Jaron!)
      More »

    Scammers String Along 82-Year-Old For Four Years, Leave Him Penniless
    By Chris Walters on September 1, 2009 12:27 AM   132 Comments

    —>Here's another reason to have a sit-down with your elderly relatives and make them promise that if they ever, ever find out they've won some money in a lottery they didn't enter, they should tell family members immediately.  More »

    Just How Thrifty Are You?
    By Chris Walters on August 31, 2009 11:10 PM   60 Comments

    —>The cognitive psychology blog Cognitive Daily has put up a quiz asking you to rate your thriftiness compared to that of your parents, your best friend, and your significant other. What will we learn from this quiz when it ends on September 3rd? That people like quizzes, obviously, as well as how many respondents insist on mashing up all the old soap into a "new" bar in the bath. (I do this, but because I think it's fun, not thrifty.) Take the quiz here.  More »

    Brooklyn Judge Rejects Improperly Documented Foreclosure Motions, Shocks Banking Industry
    By Chris Walters on August 31, 2009 8:28 PM   91 Comments

    —>There's a judge in Brooklyn, NY, who has tossed out nearly half of the foreclosure cases brought before him over the past year, because the lenders have such messy paper trails that they can't prove ownership anymore.  More »

    Four Stimulus Benefits That Will Expire Soon
    By Chris Walters on August 31, 2009 7:24 PM   25 Comments

    —>Kiplinger lists four ways you can still get some cash back from the government, although you'd better get a move on if you want to qualify. Included are a first-time home buyer's credit that goes away November 30th, a new car tax credit, a COBRA premium subsidy for people laid off, and a slight unemployment payment benefit.  More »

    Shut Out The Worst Ad Offenders With These Firefox Tricks
    By Chris Walters on August 31, 2009 6:43 PM   70 Comments

    —>If advertisers and websites would play fair with their readers, we wouldn't need to apply various filters and blocks to them. But when you're trying to read an article and every sixth word is hotlinked with a pop-up ad, while the FavIcon in the browser window blinks at you like a traffic light, while loud video clips start auto-playing when the page loads—well, it's time to shut it all down. Lifehacker has put together a great list of all the ways to reclaim your sanity when you're online.  More »

    Skimmers Rig Door Instead Of ATM
    By Chris Walters on August 31, 2009 3:03 PM   87 Comments

    —>Last week, a customer in Long Beach, New York, discovered a skimmer attached to the outside of a local ATM branch instead of on specific machines. We've talked a lot about being wary of any suspicious add-ons at the ATM, but in this case the criminals were collecting card info as people swiped to enter the building—although they still had pinhole cameras set up to record PINs next to each keypad.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 31, 2009 1:05 PM   10 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Smartphone] T-Mobile Blackberry Curve 8900 Phone 1 Cent Shipped
    • Barnes & Noble: [Books] Free Backpack with Book & Media Orders of $100+
    • Dell Home: [Camera] Canon EOS Rebel XSi SLR Digital Camera w/ 18-55mm Lens for $569.00 plus free shipping
    • VisionDirect: [Medical] 8 Boxes of Acuvue Oasys Contact Lenses for $61 after rebate + free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 8:38 PM   10 Comments

    —>Here are eleven wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    FCC Launches Large Scale Investigation Of Cellular Industry
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 6:54 PM   83 Comments

    —>Uh-oh, the FCC is getting serious about doing its job, which probably means more memos like the one Apple posted last week from companies like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Yesterday the FCC announced three "Notices of Inquiry"—all unanimously voted for by a full, bi-partisan commission—that will look at different aspects of the cellular industry.  More »

    Use ID Guard Stamp To (Sort Of) Block Personal Info
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 6:11 PM   42 Comments

    —>We're not sure how effective a stamp would be to truly block out personal info on your mail—cross-cut shredding is always better—but at the very least this would be a fun thing to do while sorting your mail. Maybe it would be good if you're one of those people who hates throwing out old magazines with your address info printed on the covers.  More »

    Make It Yourself
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 4:38 PM   37 Comments

    —>If you really want to claim the title of the most do-it-yourself Consumerist reader, you will grab this book (free PDF) and learn from it. Just don't come back here and post about it in the comments.  More »

    Apple's Color Coded Employees Confuse Shopper
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 4:16 PM   160 Comments

    —>An Apple store in Ohio doesn't want to clutter up its elegant store layout with signage, so you have to rely on a color coded system to find the appropriate employee to ring up your purchase. It's like the Homeland Security Advisory System, retooled to measure how inconvenienced you'll be.  More »

    Mattel, Primary Reason For Toy Safety Law, Gets Exempted From It
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 3:14 PM   85 Comments

    —>When the CPSIA—the toy safety law that requires independent lab tests on toys—was passed, a lot of smaller toy manufacturers complained that it was really a dirty trick by the big toy companies to increase overhead for the small ones. Now comes word that the government has secretly exempted Mattel from the law's testing requirements—even though Mattel was responsible for 6 lead-tainted toy recalls in 2007.  More »

    How To File A Complaint Against Your Insurer
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 1:35 PM   19 Comments

    —>After our post yesterday ended up crashing the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' consumer information website, we received an email from them. They said they wanted to explain how the site works to address some reader questions, as well as point out that you too can contribute to the rankings by filing complaints when your insurer does something objectionable.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 12:43 PM   14 Comments

    —>

    • Lenovo: [Desktop PC] Lenovo C300 All-in-one Desktop 20" LCD 1.6GHz Atom (1GB/160GB) $349 w/ free shipping
    • JR.com: [Headphones] Sennheiser CX300 Stereo Headphones $16.99 Free Shipping
    • Amazon: [Xbox] $100 off Xbox 360 Elite now $299.99 w/ free 12 + 1 month Xbox LIVE subscription ($50 value); $50 off Xbox 360 Pro now $249.99 w/ free game (Halo 3, Fable 2, or Halo Wars)
      More »

    Robocalls Banned!
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 3:42 AM   90 Comments

    —>Today the FTC banned pretty much all telemarketing-based robocalls starting Tuesday, September 1st, 2009. At that point, "violators will face penalties up to $16,000 per call," notes the Los Angeles Times.  More »

    Which Cellphone Company Has The Worst Call Quality In Your Region?
    By Chris Walters on August 28, 2009 3:28 AM   73 Comments

    —>If you want to decide which cellular provider to do business with based on performance, you might be interested in checking out the new "2009 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study" from J.D. Power and Associates. If you don't have time, just remember that Verizon Wireless offers the most reliable call quality around the country, coming out on top in 4 of the 6 regions.   More »

    Amazon Answers My Questions, Sort Of, About Kindle Licenses
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 4:46 PM   43 Comments

    —>Let's get straight to the bad news: although Amazon did answer my questions, their answers included "we're working on that," "I don't know," and "I don't know (but it's the publishers' fault)." To be fair to the "Kindle Specialist" I spoke with this morning, he has promised to talk to the Kindle marketing department—why marketing? these are DRM issues!—and get back to me with better answers. Until then, this is what the average consumer can expect from a Kindle ebook license.  More »

    Find Out How Much Your Insurer Sucks
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 2:27 PM   78 Comments

    —>So you suspect your health/auto/home insurer is run by the devil, but you're not sure whether the alternative you're considering is any better. Kiplinger Finance has posted a helpful article on how to find the complaint ratio of an insurer via the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' website. Update: here's how to file your own complaint.  More »

    How To Make The Most Of Your Fancy Restaurant Experience
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 1:30 PM   177 Comments

    —>Frank Bruni, the outgoing restaurant critic at the New York Times, has used his last column to provide tips on how to get the best value out of your next fine dining experience.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 12:26 PM   14 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • Sony Style : [Game Console] Sony PlayStation Portable (Refurbished) for $99.99 w/ Coupon SONYPSPAMC99 w/ Free shipping
    • JR.com : [Digital Camera] Fuji Film FinePix 10MP Digital Camera for $79.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Shop PBS : [Entertainment] 25% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon THANKS25
      More »

    IKEA In Beijing Is More Like A Giant Public Living Room
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 3:34 AM   59 Comments

    —>On our last visit to IKEA earlier this summer, we noted with sadness how there was a certain GAP-like feeling about a lot of the merchandise, by which we mean it seemed dull and forgettable. But maybe we've been approaching shopping at IKEA the wrong way.  More »

    Over 5 Million Window Treatments Recalled Today, While Nation's Peeping Toms Celebrate*
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 3:15 AM   41 Comments

    —>Three children have died after being strangled in the cords of window blinds, so today six companies announced a massive recall of several brands of window treatments.  More »

    $10 XSport Fitness Upgrade Really Costs $20
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 2:40 AM   8 Comments

    —>Cache asked about the $10 "Super Power Pass" add-on at his local XSport Fitness club today—the sign in the window says "work out where you want, when you want with a Super Power Pass for just $10 more*," and lists "Chicago - New York - Washington" across the top. We don't know what's linked via that asterisk, because the fine print on the ad is so small that it's unreadable in the photo Cache took, but as you might expect there's no such thing as a $10 add-on that lets you use any XSport Fitness.  More »

    Don't Bother Visiting The Grand Canyon Skywalk
    By Chris Walters on August 27, 2009 12:11 AM   190 Comments

    —>Update: We asked the Skywalk to confirm that they have a "no-refunds" policy. Their answer is at the bottom of this post.  More »

    California Is Having A Garage Sale!
    By Chris Walters on August 26, 2009 5:04 PM   61 Comments

    —>This Friday and Saturday, the state of California is going to hold a massive garage sale (they're actually calling it that) to try to get rid of surplus state property while also raising enough money to pay the bills for another month. If you're in Sacramento you can attend the event in person. If not, you can still take a look at the things they've posted on eBay. Who knows, maybe you'll find a cool car!  More »

    Never Curb Your Dog Again, But Embarrass Him Forever
    By Chris Walters on August 26, 2009 4:30 PM   85 Comments

    —>Your dog thinks he's so fancy, walking around and ejecting poop wherever he wants like a furry softserve machine. You know what would put him in his place? A harness that lets you attach a poop bag to his butt. For the curious, there's a video below that includes action shots.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 26, 2009 12:53 PM   15 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • Meritline : [Puzzle] 3D Puzzle Leaning Tower of Pisa for $3.50 w/ coupon MLC400093082550A w/ Free shipping
    • Restaurant.com : [Restaurant] 80% off Gift Certificates w/ Coupon TASTE
      More »

    Check Your Financial Health In Two Minutes
    By Chris Walters on August 26, 2009 1:26 AM   53 Comments

    —>Is there anything more entertaining than having a website assign a letter grade to your financial status? Yes, but whatever it is, it would likely involve spending money you don't need to spend, at least not if you want to get a good grade. Unlike in-depth financial evaluation tools, Money's "Your Financial Health" widget just asks for big picture numbers that you can probably enter without needing to open up your budget or spreadsheet app—so it only takes a couple of minutes for you to find out how worried or proud you should be.  More »

    Coupon Master Spends $4 Weekly To Feed Family Of Six
    By Chris Walters on August 26, 2009 12:05 AM   179 Comments

    —>If you want to learn how to be insanely efficient with coupon clipping and watching for sales, follow Kathy Spencer and learn from the master. WCVB TV in Boston notes that Spencer manages to spend only $4 on average each week to feed her husband, four kids, and four pets. We carefully re-read the pets line to make sure there was no past tense involved, as this would suggest cheating on where the food comes from. But nope, they're still around, so it looks like she really is good with coupons and sales.  More »

    Beware Scammers Installing City-Mandated "Whole House Water Systems"
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 11:00 PM   15 Comments

    —>A city in Florida has just warned its residents of a weird scam: someone's been hanging pink notices on doors around town that say, "Due to the water quality in this area, we will be installing whole-house water treatment systems." You're supposed to fill out the back of the notice and leave it out for further contact. Remember, don't let anyone remodel your home on behalf of the city. It probably goes without saying, but still.  More »

    New Subway Gamepieces Exist Outside Of Normal Time
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 10:48 PM   31 Comments

    —>Justin sent us this gamepiece he scraped like a wet scab off the side of his moist Subway beverage cup. (I do not like gamepieces affixed to fast food drinks.) We're in awe at its nearly k?an-like phrasing. How is an instant win not an instant winner? How do you peel the gamepiece that has already been peeled? Feel free to use these in your meditations.  More »

    Ryder Refunds Customer $120 For Forcing Him Into U-Haul's Arms
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 4:57 PM   70 Comments

    —>Jesse, who wrote to us last week to complain about Ryder's broken guarantee, has contacted us again with a follow up. We also spoke with Ryder directly to ask how their "Guaranteed Availability" promise actually works, so that future customers know what to expect.  More »

    Cut Back On Sugar, Says American Heart Association
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 4:18 PM   270 Comments

    —>The American Heart Association says we're eating way too much extra sugar, meaning sugar that doesn't naturally occur in our foods. The average American consumes 22 teaspoons a day. By contrast, the average woman should eat no more than 6 teaspoons daily, while the average man, owing most likely to his increased awesomeness, should eat no more than 9 teaspoons a day. [Eats another teaspoon of sugar before resuming typing.]  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 12:54 PM   14 Comments

    —>

    • Newegg: [Software] Nuance Dragon NaturallySpeaking V10 Standard Speed Speech Recognition Software $31.99 Free Shipping
    • 6th Ave Electronics: [HDTV] Toshiba 40-inch 1080p LCD HDTV $637 Shipped
    • Amazon : [Music] Download Video Game and receive $5 MP3 Amazon Credit (Kitten Sanctuary, shown here, is $6.99 to download) *note: you must purchase the game via Amazon's "1-Click ordering" to receive the credit
      More »

    EPA And Academics Fight Over Notifying Public Of Weed-Killer In Drinking Water
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 3:58 AM   77 Comments

    —>Atrazine—a widely-used herbicide—is one of those chemicals for which there is no evidence it will kill you or give you cancer or make your eyes fall out. It's true that it's been linked to egg production in male frogs, but I think we can all agree that frogs pretty much want to mutate and will apparently do so at the slightest chemical nudge. The question for Americans is, should the EPA have notified affected citizens in the four states where atrazine has exceeded federal safety limits? Because it didn't.  More »

    You Can Extend Your Windows 7 Trial Period Up To 120 Days
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 12:49 AM   27 Comments

    —>The OS coverage this week will mostly be about Apple's upgrade coming out this Friday, but here's a good tip for Windows users who are planning on trying out Windows 7: you can reset the 30 day trial period 3 times, for a total of 120 days. Although it's not an official "feature," Microsoft has announced that they don't care if customers take advantage of it.  More »

    Slate Dyes Its Hair To Find The Best At Home Kit
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 12:24 AM   87 Comments

    —>Slate's column for ladyfolk, doubleX, recently tested 5 home hair dye kits to see which of them work the best. It seems Slate's fancy writers are too good for Kool-Aid or RIT, which is what my friends always used when they needed a good ugly green tint; apparently Slate also wanted to test brown dyes and not ugly green ones. Of the five, the worst was the $6 "Rainbow Henna Persian Dark Brown," while the best was a $14 Clairol product, which handily beat out a $30 kit from Frederic Fekkai.  More »

    Dell Support Tech Accidentally Gives Away Free Advice
    By Chris Walters on August 25, 2009 12:01 AM   56 Comments

    —>Our reader humphrmi recently managed to avoid shelling out unnecessary bucks for paid technical support from Dell. His secret? Listening very carefully to the support rep, who inadvertently gave away the info he was trying to get humphrmi to pay for. Which is good, since that information was only one sentence long.  More »

    Verizon And Nokia Announce "Constant Reboot" Feature
    By Chris Walters on August 24, 2009 8:06 PM   40 Comments

    —>Ryan's new Nokia Intrigue 7205, which Verizon gave him, doesn't work with the Verizon network: "48 hours ago, the phone began cycling on and off continuously." He's not the only Intrigue owner experiencing this problem on Verizon, although Verizon is following that tired old "it couldn't possibly be our fault so let's make you jump through a dozen useless hoops" protocol. Sadly, a single Google search would give them the quick fix for Ryan and other Intrigue owners.  More »

    How To Cook A Meal In Your Hotel Room
    By Chris Walters on August 24, 2009 2:37 PM   130 Comments

    —>We've never looked at a hotel's bathroom counter and thought, "I could probably roll out some dough right there." We've also never tried to use an iron for a hot plate, or shoved uncooked spinach into the coffee maker. But now that we've watched this proof of concept video from George Egg, we may consider going grocery shopping the next time we're stuck in a hotel with an overpriced room service menu.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 24, 2009 12:54 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • Wendy's : [Food] $1 Off Twisted Frosty w/ printable coupon (contest registration required)
    • Newegg: [Networking & Camcorder] Cisco SmallBiz 10/100 wired Router (was $420, now $200) & Flip UltraHD camcorder (now $175) together for $199.99 w/ FREE shipping
      More »

    Class Action Suit Against Apple And AT&T For Lack Of MMS On iPhones
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 10:18 PM   111 Comments

    —>No matter how awesome the iPhone is at multimedia, gaming, or taking money out of your wallet and mailing it to AT&T and Apple, it still doesn't let you use multimedia messaging service (MMS)—you know, that thing where you send a photo to a friend over text message. Earlier this year AT&T finally said it would happen by the end of summer, but now a group of customers in Louisiana are tired of waiting.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 9:54 PM   16 Comments

    —>Here are six wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, one incredibly creepy one (I apologize in advance to any coulrophobics, especially if you're also a chronomentrophobic), and one that has no asthetic value but you just have to see. Check 'em out!  More »

    Sears Caught Selling "Grills to Cook Babies" Thanks To Poorly Built Website
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 6:45 PM   72 Comments

    —>Yesterday a reader sent us a pretty funny screen capture of a Sears product page with a suspicious category description (see above). By the time we got around to checking it out, Sears had corrected the error. It turns out, however, that the real problem was the Sears website was built in a way that lets anyone mess with the category descriptions.  More »

    The Pain (And Hilarity) Of Old Press Releases
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 4:10 PM   13 Comments

    —>Harry McCracken at Technologizer gathered a bunch of old press releases from technology companies and retailers and annotated them based on what we now know.  More »

    Revolutionize Your Butt With Winkers Jeans
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 2:23 PM   125 Comments

    —>Move over Snuggie, there's a new clothing-based innovation in town—and instead of hiding your curves under a human fumigation tent, this one turns your butt into fashion fuel and then sets it on fire! Best of all, if you want to be the president of the Winkers club and not just a member, licensing is available. Oh yes, of course there's a video clip.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 1:01 PM   13 Comments

    —>

    • Music123: [Making Music] Florea Recital II Violin with Bow and Case $90 Shipped
    • Tiger Direct: [LCD] I-inc 24.6-inch 1080p LCD Flat Panel Monitor $190
    • Dell Home: [Plasma HDTV] Panasonic VIERA TC-P42X1 42 inch Plasma HDTV (720p) $529.99 Free Shipping
      More »

    Ameriprise Website Riddled With Security Vulnerabilities For At Least Five Months
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 3:08 AM   33 Comments

    —>[Note: The original headline for this post mistakenly identified Ameritrade as the subject of the post. It is actually Ameriprise Financial. I deeply regret the error.] Since March of this year, security expert Russ McRee of HolisticInfoSec.org has sent 6 messages to Ameriprise Financial warning them of easily exploitable security holes on their website. They ignored every request, while at the same time reassuring customers that "No one without the proper web browser configuration can view or modify information contained on our systems."  More »

    Despite Refinance, Homeowner Evicted And House Sold [Updated]
    By Chris Walters on August 21, 2009 2:47 AM   84 Comments

    —>Imagine coming home to find the sheriff on your doorstep with an eviction notice, and then being given 3 hours to get the hell off your property, which is no longer yours because your bank mistakenly sold it out from under you for about a third of its value. Oops! Although we initially assumed WaMu/Chase was behind all of it, NCB Miami reports that actually "a mistake in the Miami-Dade Clerk's Office appears to be behind the mishap, which landed Ramirez homeless for more than 24 hours."   More »

    Beware Fake Gift Card Balance Websites
    By Chris Walters on August 20, 2009 5:36 PM   53 Comments

    —>A reader just ran into a gift card scam while trying to unload an Apple gift card via CraigsList. If you're directed to a website that asks you to put in your gift card information in order to show the balance as "proof" that you're legit, you're being conned.  More »

    How The Average Consumer Spends His Paycheck
    By Chris Walters on August 20, 2009 5:10 PM   142 Comments

    —>You already have a budget, you just probably haven't seen it turned into a colorful graphic before. Here's one that illustrates where all the money goes. Sadly, we spend about three times as much on tobacco as on reading, and yet almost nothing on strippers! (Unless that falls under "entertainment.")  More »

    Circuit City Sure Had A Lot Of Optimism Near The End
    By Chris Walters on August 20, 2009 3:51 PM   67 Comments

    —>Check out these ridiculous corporate propaganda films from poor, sweet Circuit City, back when it was still struggling to differentiate itself from Best Buy in some way other than "worse."  More »

    Gird Yourself, Video Advertising Is Coming To Print Magazines
    By Chris Walters on August 20, 2009 2:08 PM   93 Comments

    —>Here's one horrible thought about the steady advance in display technology: there could be a future where a noisy, hyperkinetic commercial plays as you turn the page of your magazine, and your Tivo remote will not be able to save you.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 20, 2009 12:52 PM   5 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • Hewlett-Packard : [Monitor] Compaq 21.5" HD Widescreen Monitor for $149.99 w/ Coupon SV2132 w/ Free shipping
    • Buy.com : [Luggage] Samsonite 5-Piece Luggage Set for $99.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Walmart : [Furniture] Mainstays Entertainment Center for $19 + $7.47 Shipping
      More »

    Scammers Get Over-Ambitious With Fake FBI Letter
    By Chris Walters on August 20, 2009 4:15 AM   92 Comments

    —>We guess if you're gonna create a failure pile, make it a big one. This email that pretends to be from FBI director Robert S. Mueller has the typical scammy touches: strange grammatical issues, unexpected shifts between formal and casual voices, a complete lack of understanding of how US government offices actually work, and an "official" gmail address. We were ready to send our information to them until we got to the end, where the letter threatens you with arrest if you don't play along. Now they're just getting silly.  More »

    Windows 7 May Be Worth The Upgrade
    By Chris Walters on August 20, 2009 3:53 AM   130 Comments

    —>If, like every other frustrated Windows customer in the past couple of years, you've been clinging desperately to your works-just-fine copy of XP while Vista scratches at the window like a 'Salem's Lot kid, you may be able to finally unclench this fall. That's when Windows 7 comes out, and Wired offers 7 reasons why it might actually be worth moving over to.  More »

    Zipcar Apologizes For Terrible Experience
    By Chris Walters on August 19, 2009 9:48 PM   33 Comments

    —>Jen, who was left stranded in another city recently when her Zipcar lost its zip, managed to get through to the New York area general manager for Zipcar this morning:   More »

    Reader Wants To Convert Retailer's Billing Mistake Into Charitable Act
    By Chris Walters on August 19, 2009 6:43 PM   64 Comments

    —>Here's a good rule of thumb for determining whether something is a charitable act: if you have to steal money to do it, and you're not Robin Hood, it's probably not gonna count as a good deed.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 19, 2009 12:05 PM   20 Comments

    —>

    • US Airways [Air Travel] Free 90 day trial of their Silver Preferred program: free upgrades, baggage fees waived, etc. Promotion ends August 31st, takes up to 14 days to kick in.
    • Various Airlines: [Air Travel] 5 2 New Fall Airfare Sales $39 to $99 Coast To Coast Travel Any Day Of The Week
    • Alamo: [Car Rental] Compact Car For Only $10 A Day Between Aug 25-Sep 21
      More »

    It Depends On What The Meaning Of "All" Is
    By Chris Walters on August 19, 2009 1:40 AM   36 Comments

    —>This looks like a great place to find good deals—except when it's not. Derek, who snapped the photo in his mall over the weekend, notes that "At least they made sure the disclaimer was large enough for all to see."  More »

    Zipcar Ceases To Zip For Temporarily Stranded Customer
    By Chris Walters on August 19, 2009 1:20 AM   121 Comments

    —>We've always heard good things about Zipcar—the biggest complaint from friends here in NYC is that reserving one in the summer requires a lot of patience. Jen and her friend, however, just had an experience that was so bad that Jen finally had to dispute the charges on her card, and now she says she'll never do business with them again. Based on her encounter with them, we think she has a good reason to feel that way.  More »

    AloofDoof Sends Alerts When Ads You Like Appear On Craigslist
    By Chris Walters on August 19, 2009 12:26 AM   13 Comments

    —>Reader Sedo just sent us a link to aloofdoof.com, a website that lets you set up keyword searches on Craiglist. We haven't tested it, but it appears to be similar to WishRadar for Amazon. Sedo writes,  More »

    Don't Bother Visiting These Tourist Attractions
    By Chris Walters on August 19, 2009 12:02 AM   249 Comments

    —>Andrew Harper at Yahoo!'s travel site has published a list of U.S. tourist destinations that aren't worth the time it would take to tromple* through them on your way to the gift shop. We're disappointed he left Seattle's Pike Place off the list, but the rest are pretty spot on.  More »

    Missouri Bridal Shop Of Doom Might Actually Hate Brides, Bridesmaids
    By Chris Walters on August 18, 2009 11:07 PM   27 Comments

    —>A funny story from KSDK in St. Louis looks at the bridal store "I Do I Do"—now under new management—and some of the more colorful complaints received by the Better Business Bureau over the past few years. (The store has an F rating with the BBB.) It's quite likely, based on these complaints, that "I Do I Do" was employing a chimpanzee to make alterations.  More »

    Dave Carroll Launches Second "United Breaks Guitars" Song And Video
    By Chris Walters on August 18, 2009 10:41 PM   65 Comments

    —>Musician Dave Carroll hit the jackpot with his first song, "United Breaks Guitars," last month. The song, the video, and the subsequent media coverage formed a perfect anti-ad for United's poor handling of customer property. Now he's released the second of his planned three-song cycle and this one has more of a "we could have had something together" feel to it. Like any sequel, it's about 600 times more elaborate. We'll always love "United Breaks Guitars" most of all, but it's great to see Carroll continue his one-man shaming of an airline for not doing the right thing when it had the chance.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 18, 2009 1:04 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Sony Style: [Video Games] Sony PLAYSTATION 3 Factory Refurbished 40GB Model $269.99 Free Ship
    • Target : [Printer] Epson Inkjet All-In-One Printer for $28 + Shipping
    • OfficeMax: [Office Furniture] Cheap furniture; check out the Casey Student Collection desk, hutch, and chair for $56 total + s&h
    • Walmart: [Laptop] Toshiba Satellite 17-inch 2.2GHz Laptop - $348 (add $7.97 for shipping)
    • App Store [iPhone App] SwedeShop shopping helper/budget tool for IKEA, free through end of day today
      More »

    EECB To Generator Company Results In Out-Of-Warranty Replacement
    By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 10:35 PM   23 Comments

    —>Here's an example of a great EECB that worked: even though Joe's generator was out of warranty and the first two levels of customer service refused to help him, he was able to convince the company's execs to make good on a defective starter.  More »

    Sleepy's Exec Says Bedbugs Come From People
    By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 9:32 PM   51 Comments

    —>Buried in the controversy surrounding the exit of consumer reporter George Gombossy from the Hartford Courant was his article that looks at complaints against mattress company Sleepy's. We though this bit of wisdom from Sleepy's COO was worth repeating:  More »

    Marriott Drops "It's Your Fault" Claim In Rape Case
    By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 8:33 PM   171 Comments

    —>After it broke last week that Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa was claiming it was the fault of the victim and her two toddlers that she was raped in their parking garage, the hotel has decided to withdraw the claim. They also apologized for the rape in a general sort of way—but not for subpoenaing her friends and professional acquaintances who otherwise would not have known about the crime.  More »

    U-Haul's New "U-Prison" Proves Unpopular With Customers
    By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 7:49 PM   209 Comments

    —>U-Haul apparently knows about Ryder's initiative to outdo it on suckage, so they've introduced a whole new class of customer abuse: false imprisonment. Best of all, the employee who was sent to let Jessica and her friend out of U-Haul Prison told them that if they hadn't wanted to get locked in after 5pm, they should have paid for 24 hour access. (They were taking advantage of a complimentary offer from the company.)  More »

    Congratulations, You May Have Your Own SSN Pen Pal In Micronesia
    By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 5:38 PM   67 Comments

    —>If you get a call from a debt collector for a loan you never took out, and your Social Security number starts with a zero, try this excuse: "[My SSN] ended up linked to a Micronesian man who defaulted on a disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration."  More »

    Ryder's "Guaranteed Availability" Does Not Guarantee Availability
    By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 5:14 PM   85 Comments

    —>If you saw this image on the Ryder website, you might think that it means two things: that they guarantee some sort of vehicle availability to customers, and that they will make sure you are satisfied with your experience. You would be wrong. Update: Ryder has responded to Jesse's complaint.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 12:51 PM   4 Comments

    —>

    • eToys: [School Stuff] Save 25% off Kids Lunch Kits & Backpacks
    • Best Buy: [Laptop] Acer 15.6-inch 1.6GHz AMD Athlon 64 Laptop $279.99 + 15 shipping OR FREE in-store pick-up
      More »

    How Useless Are Diploma Mills? This Cat Got One
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 10:11 PM   120 Comments

    —>If you're looking for a cheap and fast way to get a diploma, try Jefferson High School Online, where for $200 you can be taken as seriously as Oreo the cat. Oreo the cat with a GED, we mean.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 9:26 PM   12 Comments

    —>Here are twelve wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    Delta Doesn't Care About Your Honeymoon
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 6:23 PM   161 Comments

    —>[Note: Sandals has already responded to the post, expressed sympathy, and reached out to Autumn. We've removed their name from the headline to more accurately focus the blame on Delta, which is the company really behind the problems.] We get that Delta employees just flat out hate their jobs at this point—that would explain the surly flight attendants on my last Delta flight, at any rate—but why would you take that out on newlyweds, who have their whole lives to be disappointed and deserve that one week of happiness at the start? The least you could do, angry Delta employees, is try to help out after your employer utterly fails to deliver the passengers anywhere near their destination. No, a dingy one-night stay in a hotel room in NYC is not the same as a week in Antigua.  More »

    Crazy CSR Loves Spam, You, Hanging Up Abruptly
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 5:54 PM   93 Comments

    —>Megan sent us this transcript of a recent phone conversation she had with someone from a mysteriously generic "cardholder services" that called her.   More »

    How Radio Shack's Rebranding Makes It Even More Uncool
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 5:13 PM   94 Comments

    —>"Names, like fashion trends, often don't age well," notes Chadwick Matlin over at Slate's The Big Money. In this week's "Broadband" video segment, he looks at Radio Shack's weird rebranding effort to get people to call it "The Shack," even though it's not changing its name, and even though "The Shack" isn't any better. "Radio Shack has hedged its bets," Matlin writes, "Splitting its identity in two and not choosing either. What's worse, neither is especially impressive, or especially modern."  More »

    "I Make My Own Bathroom Gag Gifts"
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 3:49 PM   67 Comments

    —>Twice this week, our Morning Deals post has featured a link to Tinkles the Toilet Cat, which surprisingly has still not sold out. ("It's the lowest price we've seen for a toilet cat by $4," writes dealnews.) We underestimated the ingenuity of shoppers, it looks like: Todd sent us this picture from his girlfriend's incredibly frugal brother, who makes his own Tinkles. Or, uh, something like that.  More »

    Marriott Says Woman Is Responsible For Her Rape
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 3:22 PM   328 Comments

    —>[Update: Marriott has dropped the appeal.] If you want to live dangerously, why not try an unrelaxing visit to the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa? It features a game room, a BBQ/picnic area, $10 a day Internet access, and the occasional mentally unhealthy transient wandering for days around the parking garage waiting to attack you. Best of all, if you are attacked Marriott will let you take all the credit for it, and then subpoena your friends and professional contacts, thereby permanently ruining any anonymity you hoped to maintain. Because at Stamford Marriott, if you're raped in our parking garage by a guy our security should have noticed and kicked out, don't come crying to us!  More »

    Consumers Finally Growing Some Damned Sense, Not Buying Bottled Water
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 2:47 PM   97 Comments

    —>We're not always pessimists on Consumerist. Why, sometimes we actually like silver linings, if only because it gives us a chance to complain about argyria. (Don't take colloidal silver, people!) Today's silver lining is that sales of bottled water "have fallen for the first time in at least five years," says the Los Angeles Times. We're apparently showing common sense and opting for tap water over branded and labeled water, proving that in a tough economy it's hard to compete with (nearly) free.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 14, 2009 12:26 PM   2 Comments

    —>

    • Newegg : [Kitchen Appliance] DeLonghi Coffee Maker for $14.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Walgreens : [Photo] 25 Free Photo Prints w/ New Account Sign-Up
    • Babies R Us : [Kids] $5 Off $25 Purchase w/ Coupon 930364 + Printable Coupon
    • Amazon: [Recycled Gaming] Get an Extra $30 Credit on $60+ Video Game Trade-Ins
    • AvatarMovie: [Movies] Chance to win 2 free tickets to 16-minute IMAX preview of James Camerons' movie Avatar. Giveaway happens Monday, August 17th, for screening on August 21st.
      More »

    Kenmore Fridge Doubles As Easy-Bake Oven, Saves Valuable Space In Kitchen
    By Chris Walters on August 13, 2009 5:03 PM   77 Comments

    —>It's good to have an Easy-Bake Oven around for those times when you want to serve a tiny, partially baked cake-like product to your parents or little sister. The last thing you want, though, is another appliance cluttering the counter. Kenmore has solved that problem with a built-in fridge model with light bulbs that stay on even when the door is shut—and explode when you try to unscrew them! Okay, the exploding glass part is maybe not so convenient.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 13, 2009 11:06 AM   4 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Blu-ray] Samsung BD-P1600 Blu-ray Player + 2 Blu-ray movies + HDMI cable for $250
    • Lands' End: [Men's Apparel] Lands' End Men's Regular Woven Track Jacket for $15 + free shipping, more
    • Newegg: [GPS Directions] TomTom One 130 GPS Navigation System $50
    • Dell : [Blu-Ray Player] Sharp Blu-Ray Disc Player for $129.99 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    Facebook Says No To Advertiser Sponsored Accounts
    By Chris Walters on August 12, 2009 7:30 PM   29 Comments

    —>Thanks to an update to Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, there will be one less place for advertisers to encroach onto your private life: your friends' news feeds.  More »

    Judge Tells Microsoft It Can't Sell Word In U.S.
    By Chris Walters on August 12, 2009 7:16 PM   118 Comments

    —>Thanks to a Texas judge's ruling earlier this week, Microsoft has been prohibited from selling or supporting any more copies of Word that can edit XML-based documents. A Toronto-based company, i4i, sued Microsoft in 2007 over its XML editing patent, and the judge ruled in i4i's favor. The ruling kicks in 60 days from now, unless Microsoft decides to appeal. We have a feeling it will.  More »

    Bring Out Your Pig, The Mobile Slaughterhouse Is Here!
    By Chris Walters on August 12, 2009 5:43 PM   55 Comments

    —>A group of farmers in the Seattle area are testing out a new $300,000 "Mobile Meat Processing Unit"—a 45-foot stainless steel trailer that comes with its own USDA inspector and a butcher—in an attempt to see whether they can make a profit selling their meat locally instead of shipping livestock off to a feedlot "hundreds of miles away."  More »

    Quick, Grab This $10 HDTV Before It's— Oh Never Mind
    By Chris Walters on August 12, 2009 4:38 PM   106 Comments

    —>It looks like Best Buy's servers decided to call in sick this morning—Casey writes, "This was on their site this morning for about 45 minutes before they corrected the ad." We have a feeling Best Buy isn't going to pull a neat "just keep it, our bad" maneuver like ThinkGeek, however.  More »

    Congratulations Americans, We Pay The Most For Cellphone Service
    By Chris Walters on August 12, 2009 4:18 PM   154 Comments

    —>A new survey from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) compared annual costs around the world for consumers who have cellphones, and the U.S. is in the top three for most expensive. How expensive? DSLReports notes that "on average, the OECD found that Americans pay $635.85 on cell phone service, compared to $131.44 per year in the Netherlands or $137.94 per year in Sweden."  More »

    Three Ways To Use Google Voice On Your iPhone
    By Chris Walters on August 12, 2009 2:33 PM   28 Comments

    —>Apple may not feel like you're ready to take advantage of Google Voice, but luckily Jobs and his legion can't lock you out of every potential way to access the service. (Yet.) Here are three paths to GV you can use today, no permission needed from the Applelord.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 12, 2009 1:23 PM   11 Comments

    —>

    • "Circuit City": [Projectors] 3M MPro110 LED Pico Projector for $200 + free shipping
    • Kmart: [Console Accessory] Xbox 360 Wireless Controller Play & Charge Kit for $9.99 + $4.95 Shipping
    • Amazon: [Blu-ray Movies] Buy 2, Get 1 Free on Blu-ray, over 300 titles, through August 21st
    • Victoria's Secret : [Apparel] 40% Off One Clearance Item w/ Coupon CLEAR40
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on August 7, 2009 9:15 PM   41 Comments

    —>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 »

    Three Reasons Why Customer Service Stinks
    By Chris Walters on August 7, 2009 5:05 PM   99 Comments

    —>Jay Goltz, a small business owner in Chicago, thinks there are three reasons why customer service is so terrible at so many companies.  More »

    Oh Look, Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 7, 2009 3:09 PM   12 Comments

    —>

    • DeepDiscount: [Toys & Hobbies] DeepDiscount.com coupon: 50% off toys, puzzles, and games + free shipping
    • Ties.com: [Apparel Accessories] Ties.com Clearance Sale: Up to 97% off
      More »

    How Toothpaste Got Its Stripes
    By Chris Walters on August 7, 2009 2:58 PM   22 Comments

    —>If you always assumed striped toothpaste was the work of a magic devil, assume again. It turns out it's the work of a little extended pipe inside the tube that merges the different colored substances onto the toothpaste highway and straight onto your brush. That mechanical trick is half a century old, however; modern varieties sometimes just come that way, as this frozen toothpaste photo that's been around for a while demonstrates.  More »

    Save Money On Groceries By Buying The Ugly Ones
    By Chris Walters on August 7, 2009 2:09 PM   95 Comments

    —>Salvage grocers are stores that stock all the dented, crushed, slightly past their "best by" date products that consumers have been trained to avoid. Because of this, they're the Dollar General or Big Lots of supermarkets, with prices up to half off regular store prices, says the Associated Press.  More »

    Is It Time For Travel Agents To Make A Comeback?
    By Chris Walters on August 6, 2009 6:16 PM   76 Comments

    —>Now that booking your own flight, car, and hotel reservations online is such a giant pain in the neck, travel agents don't seem so bad. In a new report, Forrester Research says that "Consumers see other Web sites becoming easier to use - retail Web sites, banking Web sites, media Web sites. [...] There are very few travel companies that are really looking to improve the planning and booking process."  More »

    Is The FCC's iPhone Investigation Really About Number Portability?
    By Chris Walters on August 6, 2009 3:33 PM   13 Comments

    —>There's been a lot of talk online the past week about extending the principal of network neutrality to wireless networks, which may be partly why the FCC has asked Apple, Google, and AT&T to answer some questions about the rejected Google Voice iPhone app. Todd Barr at Bandwidth.com thinks that the reason may actually have to do with the concept of number portability.  More »

    Want To Raise A Kid? You'll Need $300k
    By Chris Walters on August 6, 2009 2:44 PM   114 Comments

    —>The new government estimates are out on child rearing, and now "a middle-income family can expect to spend $291,570 including inflation to raise a child born in 2008 to adulthood" (not including childbirth or college), reports Reuters. In today's dollars, it works out to between $11,000 and $13,000 annually. If you're planning on having a family in the future, here's another incentive to get your financial house in order first—take control of your debts and spending, learn how to budget, and start saving. You're going to need it, unless you can score a reality show on basic cable.   More »

    Don't Say These Things In A Job Interview
    By Chris Walters on August 6, 2009 2:31 PM   67 Comments

    —>Don't hit on the interviewer. Don't ask whether they might be able to discover your past arrests. Don't ask what the company does, or see if they can pick you up when it rains. In fact, here are 43 things you shouldn't say during an interview if you actually want the job.  More »

    Should You Keep Your Own Chickens?
    By Chris Walters on August 6, 2009 2:16 PM   51 Comments

    —>We're gonna say "nope." But since we're all here, let's look at the recent New York Times article over the subject and consider whether the current "chicken boomlet" is right for you.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 6, 2009 11:44 AM   6 Comments

    —>

    • JC Penney : [Apparel] $10 Off $10 Purchase w/ Coupon GET4BTS
    • Amazon: [Entertainment] Save Up to 60% off Pixar Movies on DVD or Blu-ray
    • Cross: [Office Supplies] Cross Summer Sale: Up to 75% off + free shipping
      More »

    Later this month, Sony will start selling a $199 ebook reader through Walmart and other retailers ($100 less than the Kindle). They're also dropping the price of new releases to $9.99, which is what Amazon sells ebook licenses for. [Consumer Reports]  More »

    Apple censored a dictionary app, forcing the developers to remove listings to "cock," "ass," and other words that make fifth graders giggle, before it allowed it to go up on the App Store. Ninjawords is now available (with those entries excised) but has a 17+ rating. [Engadget]  More »

    Find Out What You Can Expect Before You Call Customer Service
    By Chris Walters on August 5, 2009 4:46 PM   36 Comments

    —>The website Customer Service Scorecard ranks the CSR experience for all sorts of companies, from hotels to appliances to telecoms. They've rated 128 so far, and here's their top five. Do you agree?  More »

    See The US Postal Service's List Of Proposed Closings
    By Chris Walters on August 5, 2009 3:56 PM   73 Comments

    —>Is your post office on the list of locations (PDF) the USPS is considering closing to save money? We checked and our last one in Brooklyn isn't, which proves that they didn't base the list on degree or intensity of suck, or it would have been closed, burned down, and the earth salted.  More »

    The Future Of Shopping, Thanks To Weird Branding Advice
    By Chris Walters on August 5, 2009 3:01 PM   64 Comments

    —>Okay, we're not 100% sure "Pottery Barn" is going to become "Barn" or "The Container Store" will become "Store," but we're halfway there. Keep up the good work, brand advisors!  More »

    If Your Dog Is Lonely, Buy Him A Sex Doll
    By Chris Walters on August 5, 2009 2:30 PM   33 Comments

    —>It's not enough to drape your best friend in his own custom-made Snuggie. After all, a robe alone doesn't keep away the haven't-had-sex-in-years blues—you need ice cream for that, and dogs shouldn't eat ice cream. Instead, you can pamper him with his very own fake dog sex toy.  More »

    Note To Seniors: Proposed Medicare Reform Does Not Include Plans To Kill You
    By Chris Walters on August 5, 2009 2:14 PM   139 Comments

    —>Yesterday, Consumer Reports noted that an anti-health reform politician is trying to convince senior citizens that they'll be required to take lessons in euthanasia if any reform is passed. Regardless of what side you come down on with health care reform, this is flat out wrong. We care about this lie, which is still bouncing around the media, because it might interfere with the very real and useful tasks of setting up living wills and determining health care proxies—things that matter to both the elderly and the terminally ill.  More »

    Apparently, if you put in a "tragedy" word for every 167 words in your email message, Gmail's servers won't display ads out of some robotic simulacrum of empathy. You'll also freak out or depress your friends, but hey, no ads! [BoingBoing] (Photo: solidariat)  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 5, 2009 12:30 PM   2 Comments

    —>

    • ShopEcko: [Apparel] ShopEcko Limited Edition Star Wars Hoodies on Clearance! Starting at $24.99
    • Think Geek : [Gifts] $10 Off $30 Purchase w/ Coupon HACKSURVEY09
    • Tanga: [Magazines] 1-Year Subscription to Motor Trend Magazine for $3
      More »

    What To Do When The AT&T Rep Won't Help You
    By Chris Walters on August 4, 2009 4:49 PM   16 Comments

    —>Last week we wrote that AT&T charged Spoco's Amex card twice for the same payment, but their CSRs refused to investigate the issue for him. After we posted his story, AT&T took notice and reversed the charge. That raises the question these stories always raise, which is, "How do I get the same result if my problem isn't published on Consumerist?"  More »

    Wave Of Fake Debt Collectors Hints At Possible Data Breach
    By Chris Walters on August 4, 2009 4:09 PM   20 Comments

    —>The Better Business Bureau has released a warning to be aware of scammers calling to threaten people with arrest "within the hour" for defaulting on payday loans. What makes them stand out from normal debt collecting scammers is these callers have huge amounts of personal info on their victims, including Social Security and drivers license numbers; old bank account numbers; names of employers, relatives, and friends; and home addresses.  More »

    Hackers Discover Data-Stealing ATM At Convention
    By Chris Walters on August 4, 2009 3:48 PM   14 Comments

    —>Nobody knows yet whether it was planted by an attendee, or if the ATM had been there for some period of time before the event, but hackers at last week's DefCon conference in Las Vegas discovered a rogue unit that was designed to capture customers' credit card data with each use.  More »

    Skullcandy Finally Sends Out Replacement Buds
    By Chris Walters on August 4, 2009 12:30 PM   7 Comments

    —>Wentao, who had been waiting over half a year for a replacement set of earbuds from Skullcandy, wrote in with an update:   More »

    Try To Get DSL From AT&T, They Dare You
    By Chris Walters on August 4, 2009 12:15 PM   22 Comments

    —>The person who blogs at MichiganTelephone just tried to help his friend sign up for DSL from AT&T last week. Their experience was so full of fail that now his friend doesn't even want to bother trying anymore. Yes, a customer came to AT&T ready to sign up, and AT&T drove him away. Michigan telephone wonders, "Does AT&T have a death wish, or are they really just that incompetent?"  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 4, 2009 12:00 PM   1 Comment

    —>

      More »

    U.S. Marshals Seize All Of Clarcon's Products At Utah Facility
    By Chris Walters on August 4, 2009 10:59 AM   4 Comments

    —>Back in June, the FDA sounded an alarm about potentially bacteria-laden Clarcon products, including some anti-bacterial lotions meant to be applied to open wounds. They urged the public not to use Clarcon products while Clarcon addressed the matter. Apparently Clarcon didn't do enough, though, because this past weekend U.S. Marshals "seized all skin sanitizers and skin protectants, including ingredients and components, at Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory's facility in Roy, Utah."  More »

    Verizon Offering $20 Naked DSL
    By Chris Walters on August 3, 2009 10:18 PM   7 Comments

    —>Verizon is sad that so many of you are jumping ship, so they're hauling out the bargain naked DSL offer again. ("Naked" means no home phone line is required to take advantage of it.) The deal is $20/mo with a 1 year commitment, and they're throwing in a free router—although DSLReports says a Verizon rep told them the router freebie will go away at some point. Also, it's available online only.  More »

    When Billboards Collide
    By Chris Walters on August 3, 2009 9:10 PM   1 Comment

    —>It's funny when something accidental happens in advertising, like when billboards that shouldn't be next to each other are put up. We always suspected the placement of religious billboards are intentional, but we're really not sure about Cat Jesus. Yes, Cat Jesus.  More »

    Mom Drags Kid Through Verizon Store On Leash
    By Chris Walters on August 3, 2009 2:12 PM   89 Comments

    —>Dear kid of abusive mom: yes, this is what it feels like for us when we deal with cell phone retailers, too. At least your mom was arrested. Video below.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on August 3, 2009 12:31 PM   1 Comment

    —>

    • Office Max : [Office] 1 Sharpie Markers w/ Printable Coupon
    • Dell Home: Cell Phone] Nokia E63 Cell Phone (Unlocked, Quad-Band GSM, 3G) $149.99 Free Shipping
    • Dell Home: [HDTV] Vizio VO320E 32 inch LCD HDTV (720p) $359.00 Free Shipping
      More »

    FCC Asks Apple, AT&T To Explain Why They Rejected Google Voice App
    By Chris Walters on August 1, 2009 1:51 AM   155 Comments

    —>Apple (and AT&T) may have finally pushed too far with this week's rejection of the Google Voice App from the iPhone App Store, for no reason other than it "duplicated functionality" already offered—for a price—by AT&T. According to mocoNews, the FCC has asked Apple and AT&T to provide answers about how apps are approved, why they're denied, and particularly how much say AT&T has over things iPhone-related.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 10:55 PM   6 Comments

    —>Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    Minister For Hire Walks Out On Wedding
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 5:25 PM   131 Comments

    —>If you're in Ohio and hire Gillian Kresila to officiate your wedding, you'd better not disobey her no-alcohol rule or you'll be sorry. Kresila discovered that the 23-year-old bride, Erin Kuhns, had toasted her magic day with a glass of wine, and she walked out on the wedding a few minutes before it was scheduled to start.  More »

    How Do You Tell Your Kid That The Sales Clerk Is A Big Phoney?
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 4:38 PM   135 Comments

    —>There's a great post over on WiseBread by someone called the Frugal Duchess, about how her 10-year-old kid was schmoozed a little too successfully by a sales clerk at a tween clothing store in the mall.   More »

    Ms. Booty Will Be Your Waitress
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 4:10 PM   53 Comments

    —>Andrew just looked over the credit card receipt from a night out earlier this month, and he noticed that his server has an unusually descriptive name. Maybe Gwyneth Paltrow named her.  More »

    Post Cereal, Please Stop Spamming Anthony
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 3:56 PM   36 Comments

    —>Anthony has tried every means possible to get Post to stop spamming him, but Post laughs in the face of reason. And at customer requests. The only thing Anthony feels he has left to try is contacting the FTC, but he adds "I get the feeling that won't help."  More »

    Skullcandy Lifetime Warranty Means You'll Wait Your Lifetime For A Replacement
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 3:39 PM   68 Comments

    —>There is a guy at Skullcandy named Joe, and he is in charge of their warranty fulfillment program. He is overworked. Why, just on this one warranty replacement story, he's had to deal with the same customer over and over and over, and the customer still hasn't gotten a replacement earbud set for the one that broke last November. Wentao writes, "I am also moving out of the country in 10 days, so I will probably never see the headphones I paid for ever again."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 12:49 PM   6 Comments

    —>

    • Jack in the Box: [Food] Two Free Tacos Tuesday, August 4th, with coupon (Thanks to Daniel & John!)
    • Gogo Inflight: [Airplane Wi-Fi] Free Wi-Fi access on flights using Gogo Inflight Internet with code 159flt3161 (Thanks to Sydneybound2000!)
    • Forplay: [Sexy Ladyclothes] 40% Off through Saturday with coupon code VLB48 (excludes costumes, sadly)
    • Amazon: [Robot Servant] $200 Off Roomba 550 Vacuum-Cleaning Robot via today's Gold Box Deal
      More »

    Apple Blames Jailbreaking For Recent AT&T Visual Voicemail Outages
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 3:45 AM   77 Comments

    —>Apple's not through with their blitz against jailbreaking, with this newly updated support doc that says, among other things, that the recent Visual Voicemail outages from AT&T were caused by—and happened to—hacked iPhones.  More »

    Sunbeam Shows How To Do Customer Service Right
    By Chris Walters on July 31, 2009 3:34 AM   52 Comments

    —>Too often, it seems that long-running companies shave away at customer service in an attempt to remain profitable. Sunbeam, however, proves that there are still companies out there who take pride in their products, and who make considerable effort to keep the customers they have.  More »

    Apple Sells Old Laptop, Wants Customer To Pay To Fix Problem
    By Chris Walters on July 30, 2009 4:35 PM   198 Comments

    —>Will thought he was buying the newest MacBook Pro model—that's what it said on the box and on the receipt. After he'd set it up, he discovered it was a previous model, so he took it back to the glass box Apple Store on Fifth Ave in NYC to get the version he paid for. Now Apple wants him to pay $100 to transfer his data over to the new laptop. But hey, he shouldn't complain, because they're "waiving" the restocking fee!  More »

    Anna Wintour Doesn't Understand Why Price Fixing Has To Be Illegal
    By Chris Walters on July 30, 2009 4:10 PM   106 Comments

    —>The editor-in-chief of American Vogue, Anna Wintour, proposed a novel solution to the problems that plague clothing retailers at a recent industry meeting. And by "novel" we mean "she's completely clueless."  More »

    Watch Out For Best Buy's Extended Warranties
    By Chris Walters on July 30, 2009 1:30 PM   100 Comments

    —>HD Guru took a deeper look at the extended warranties and service plans Best Buy pushes on customers who buy expensive electronics like hi-def TVs. You probably won't be surprised to find out that the fine print negates a lot of what the person or pamphlet on the sales floor will try to promise you—but you might be surprised at just how useless these plans can be when you get right down to it.  More »

    Save On Cooling Costs By Installing A White Roof
    By Chris Walters on July 30, 2009 12:36 PM   91 Comments

    —>The New York Times says a white roof on your house "can cost as little as 15 percent more than its dark counterpart" yet "reduce air-conditioning costs by 20 percent or more in hot, sunny weather." This is because, scientifically speaking, the color white hates the stupid sun and won't have anything to do with it.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 30, 2009 11:54 AM   6 Comments

    —>

    • Geeks.com: [Automotive] Built-In 7" LCD Headrest 2-Pack for $130 + free shipping
    • Newegg: [Memory] A-Data 8GB microSDHC Card with SDHC Adapter $15 Shipped
    • Lands' End: [Clothing & Accessories] Lands' End The Best of Summer Sale: Up to 55% off select items + free shipping
      More »

    Forget about that $2600 urn that's shaped like your face. Thanks to commenter microcars, here's the original manufacturer's website, where the same stuff sells for a lot less. Plus, here's a creepy video of the end products! [That's My Face]  More »

    Use Google Trends To Find The Best Time To Go Car Shopping
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 11:29 PM   12 Comments

    —>Engine Industries used Google Trends to map the frequency of search terms like "used car," "new car," and "buy car" through Google. They found that "people search car-related keyterms most in the summer and least in the winter, with a small spike right before Christmas."  More »

    B&N Wraps Public Domain Books In DRM To Protect Authors' Copyrights. What?
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 11:17 PM   45 Comments

    —>The ebook "war" is a race to the bottom, apparently, with Barnes & Noble trying to out-do Amazon on DRM stupidity. A reader emailed B&N customer service to point out that their "free books" offer consists of 5 public domain titles that are no longer protected under copyright, yet are still locked down with digital rights management (DRM). Their response? "For copyright protection purposes, these files are encrypted and cannot be converted or printed."  More »

    AT&T Charges Customer Twice, Refuses To Investigate It
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 10:51 PM   67 Comments

    —>We think AT&T just stole about $157 from commenter Spoco. They applied the payment as always via his Amex card, but then said that it was declined and auto-debited it a second time a month later (+ late fees, of course). The only problem is, it wasn't declined, and Spoco has proof. He just can't get anyone at AT&T to care.  More »

    Studio Turns High School Graduation Into Marketing Stunt, Nobody Cares
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 10:07 PM   56 Comments

    —>The Wall Street Journal looks at how an unfortunately named marketing agency called the Intelligence Group tried to promote recent bomb "I Love You, Beth Cooper" with a viral video on YouTube. (Can we just once and for all ban anyone who works in advertising from accessing YouTube?) They paid the valedictorian of a Los Angeles high school $1,800 to "spontaneously" blurt out a secret crush during her speech, and they hired someone to film the speech in a faux-homemade style to post online.  More »

    Apple Argues Jailbreaking iPhones Can Lead To Terrorism
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 3:54 PM   98 Comments

    —>Apple is doing everything it can to sway the Copyright Office, which is in charge of periodically handing out DMCA exemptions, to keep iPhone jailbreaking illegal. We always thought Apple was against any exemption because of their exclusivity deal with AT&T. But no, it turns out they've been trying to protect us all from a Die Hard attack on the nation's communications infrastructure.  More »

    If you've got $2600 and a desire to really be remembered after you die, consider buying a personalized, three-dimensional urn modeled after a photograph of your own head. (Or buy the smaller version for $600 and keep candy in it.) [OhGizmo!]  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 1:08 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • GuitarHeroStore.com: [Video Game] Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit $79.99 for PS2, $89.99 for Xbox 360
    • Schwan's: [Food] $10 in free food to the first 500,000 new customers who register on August 1st. (Thanks to John!)
    • Home Depot: [Decor] 20 Square-Feet of Shaw Berber Do-It-Yourself Carpet Tiles for $28 + free shipping
      More »

    Twitter Lawsuit Company Tells Its Side Of Story
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 1:38 AM   91 Comments
    (Photo: mikebaird)  More »

    Company Apologizes, Hilariously, For Mail Merge Screwup
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 1:26 AM   84 Comments

    —>Everyone knows that the "personal touch" of using your name in an email, printed letter, or CSR call is powered by a database and a computer, and not really personal at all. Still, when a company gets it wrong it can be annoying. When a company gets it wrong, then apologizes by sending a follow-up message that makes you smile, all can be forgiven.  More »

    GoDaddy Doesn't Outsource Customer Service
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 12:52 AM   34 Comments

    —>Last week, we posted that a popular web hosting company—GoDaddy, although we didn't name it at the time—provided a strange customer service experience to a commenter. Cyberguy was contacted via phone by someone from their "Office of the President" after emailing them, but then Cyberguy couldn't get their rep to state clearly which company he was representing. Cyberguy was rightly suspicious. Was GoDaddy outsourcing its own executive customer service?  More »

    It's Official: Sunbeds Cause Cancer (But Moles Are Far Worse)
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 12:37 AM   38 Comments

    —>The BBC reports that there is now conclusive evidence that tanning beds can cause cancer—and not just Tacky Cancer, which makes you look orange, but real live go-see-a-doctor cancer. However, sun exposure and tanning bed radiation both pale in comparison to your mole count, according to an earlier report.  More »

    Snuggie Addresses Fake "Rebate" Check Story
    By Chris Walters on July 29, 2009 12:08 AM   29 Comments

    —>Allstar Products, the company that makes Snuggies, sent out a clarification today regarding that weird $8.25 check that some customers were receiving in the mail. As far as they're concerned, it was a small promo and they were upfront about everything—the check "is not a rebate, nor was it ever represented as a rebate."  More »

    We don't recommend keeping your savings in your pantry, but in case you were wondering, here's how much money you can fit into an Apple Jacks box. [Slate]  More »

    Free Wifi For All At Barnes & Noble Stores
    By Chris Walters on July 28, 2009 10:44 PM   35 Comments

    —>The new ebook offering from Barnes & Noble may not be that compelling—it's all the DRM badness of Amazon, but not always the lower prices—and yet something awesome has come out of it. Starting immediately, all customers can access free Wi-Fi in any B&N store.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 28, 2009 12:13 PM   24 Comments

    —>

    • Big Fish Games : [Game] Free Prism Game Download
    • Lacoste : [Perfume] Lacoste Perfume Samples (Choice of 3 Perfumes)
    • DailySteals.com: [Gadgets] 007 James Bond Lock Picking Credit Card Kit for $10 + $5 s&h
      More »

    Help, There Are Bugs In My Kitty Litter!
    By Chris Walters on July 27, 2009 11:43 PM   135 Comments

    —>Dawn is freaked out because when she got up this morning, she found bugs in her cat's litter box. She called the company that makes the litter to ask them what to do, and they offered coupons but no real explanation. "Maybe some of your readers have had the same experience and could help me figure out what to do," she writes. "Thanks!"  More »

    Watch Out For Panasonic's Proprietary Battery Cameras
    By Chris Walters on July 27, 2009 11:19 PM   89 Comments

    —>Many of Panasonic's cameras will only work with official Panasonic batteries—the newest models require "an embedded security ID chip," while older models have been issued a firmware upgrade that locks out third-party vendors. This is already pretty obnoxious, but what makes it even worse is Panasonic can't keep up with demand, so the batteries they insist you buy for your camera aren't available.  More »

    Etsy Fraudster Goes After Beadmakers Who Got Her Banned
    By Chris Walters on July 27, 2009 4:44 PM   91 Comments

    —>A woman named Ullja Kuntze was booted from Etsy after word got around that she was buying handmade beads and reselling them as her own. Her original Etsy pages read, "All my beads are made by me in my private glass studio in Milan Italy." Kuntze was actually doing business from Waco, Texas, and now that legitimate beadmakers have gotten her kicked off of Etsy and Artfire, she's trying to get their own websites shut down under false spam accusations, and/or get them investigated by the IRS for tax fraud.  More »

    Victim Of Mystery Shopper Scam Arrested, Spends Night In Jail
    By Chris Walters on July 27, 2009 3:58 PM   92 Comments

    —>Here's one more reason to avoid mystery shopping scams: you could be the one who ends up in jail. A woman in Minnesota answered a "mystery shopper" email (that she found in her spam folder, sigh) and signed up. It turned out to be the old check fraud scam—they sent her a $2700 check and told her to deposit it and keep $300 a payment, then use the rest to make mystery shopper purchases. She took the check to her bank, and her bank called the police.  More »

    Alabama Bans Wine Bottle For Giving It The Vapors
    By Chris Walters on July 27, 2009 2:03 PM   100 Comments

    —>I swan! [Fans face.] Sweet magnolia breeze! I do declare! [Clutches petticoat in pre-swoon anticipation.] Alabama is in a dither over a drawing of a nude nymph on a wine bottle label, so they've banned the product from being sold. Their liquor regulations forbid the display of "a person posed in an immoral or sensuous manner" on any alcohol packaging. We have to side with Alabama on this one—after all, we're not sure you can ride a bike naked without eventually doing something immoral, whether you mean to or not.  More »

    Super Genius Bear Thwarts BearVault 500 Canister
    By Chris Walters on July 27, 2009 12:41 PM   70 Comments

    —>If you plan on going camping in the bear-infested badlands known as the Adirondacks (note: any place with a bear is infested with bears as far as I'm concerned), don't bother packing your food in the supposedly bear-proof BearVault 500. Although it's been rigorously tested by grizzlies at a California zoo and at Yellowstone National Park, there's apparently an unnaturally smart—perhaps even octopus-smart—125-pound black bear in upstate New York who has figured out how to open it.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 27, 2009 12:11 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Graveyard Mall: [Garden] Set of Four Solar Powered Color Changing Shoji LED Lanterns for $14 + $6 s&h
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on July 24, 2009 9:09 PM   20 Comments
    Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    Two Men Charged With Placing Skimmer On Maryland ATM
    By Chris Walters on July 24, 2009 8:35 PM   13 Comments

    —>Two men "of no fixed address" were charged in Maryland earlier this month with tampering with an ATM and skimming funds. The men, currently in custody in Oklahoma for similar crimes, allegedly added a skimmer and camera to an ATM at a Maryland PNC bank in April, but police weren't notified of the tampering until May 20th.  More »

    Web Host Outsources Their "Office Of The President"?
    By Chris Walters on July 24, 2009 8:11 PM   38 Comments

    —>Cyberguy had a weird experience with a web hosting company earlier this week. He tried to contact their office of the president, but the person from the "office" who called him back turned out to be an outsourced CSR with no power to do anything other than apologize. Update: The web host company was GoDaddy, and they've responded. (The short answer is no they don't outsource it.)  More »

    Here are 9 ways to save money on groceries. Did you know you can frequently find your milk or juice for less at convenience stores? [MintLife]  More »

    Should PetSmart Provide In-Home Services?
    By Chris Walters on July 24, 2009 4:43 PM   59 Comments

    —>Would you hire your next dog-walker from PetSmart? RetailWire says the pet store chain is considering offering in-home services such as "dog walking, backyard clean-up and aquarium set-up," to help differentiate it from retailers like Walmart (who offer steeply discounted fish).  More »

    Teen Finds Cocaine In CVS Candy Aisle
    By Chris Walters on July 24, 2009 3:36 PM   52 Comments

    —>A 14-year-old in Middleburg, Florida, went to buy some Skittles at a CVS and found a small bag of cocaine next to the candy. Police have reviewed the security tapes, but say the store's cameras don't cover the candy aisle. As if sugar doesn't make them hyper enough already.  More »

    Bezos Apologizes For Kindle's Orwellian Moment
    By Chris Walters on July 24, 2009 3:08 PM   93 Comments

    —>Nearly a week after Amazon remotely deleted 1984 and Animal Farm from customers' Kindles because they weren't licensed, head Kindle-cheerleader Jeff Bezos posted this statement on the Kindle Community discussion board on Amazon.com.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 24, 2009 1:04 PM   7 Comments

    —>

      More »

    New Jack In The Box Order Kiosk Removes Final Human Obstacle In Food Supply Chore
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 7:01 PM   142 Comments

    —>No matter how much you try to close yourself off from humanity—by not giving out your phone number, by staying in your home on weekends, or by getting a job as a blogger—you still have to speak to horrible, filthy humans when you order from fast food restaurants. A Jack in the Box in Bellevue, Washington has solved that problem.  More »

    Man Claims To Have Found Condom In Soup
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 5:12 PM   107 Comments

    —>A man in Mission Viejo, California, says when he began eating his french onion soup over Easter brunch at the restaurant Claim Jumper, he bit into something rubbery. He "spit out the piece of cheese only to discover he had been chewing on what his wife claimed was a condom."  More »

    Hardee's Biggest Franchisee Refuses To Show Anus Spot On TV
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 4:51 PM   80 Comments

    —>Remember Hardee's anal-centric "a-hole" ads? Even if they never aired in your area, they've been floating around online for a few weeks at least. Ben Mayo Boddie, who operates 350 Hardee's restaurants from his home in North Carolina, has had enough of a-hole this, ball muncher that, and he's refusing to air the spots.  More »

    Vote On Consumer Financial Protection Agency Delayed Until September
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 4:31 PM   24 Comments

    —>This week, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) postponed a vote on a bill creating a Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA) until September when lawmakers return from recess. The delay is partly due to other more pressing issues, but mainly due to unexpected (really?) pushback from the financial industry.  More »

    Download The 2009 Consumer Action Handbook
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 3:39 PM   8 Comments

    —>Here's a free handbook that's full of the sort of stuff we spend all of our time discussing on Consumerist. Sections include how to be a savvy consumer, how to file complaints, and a directory of organizations and agencies to contact when you have a problem. You can view the contents online or download a PDF copy, and you can also request a print version for your doesn't-go-online relative (although you'll have to wait for a reprinting).  More »

    LendingTree Launches Financial Advice Website
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 2:58 PM   17 Comments

    —>MoneyRight, a new website from LendingTree, seems at first aimed to take on Mint.com in the easy-to-read/use financial snapshot category of web services. However, it also offers financial advice based on your current situation and future goals.  More »

    Slate compares and ranks 5 sippy cups for toddlers. The best, they say, is the Nalgene Grip-n-Gulp Bottle—at about $8 it's also the second cheapest of the lot. [Slate]  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 12:35 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • ConsumerAction: [Booklets] 2009 Consumer Action Handbook (PDF download)
    • Buy.com: [Power] Mobility iGo Universal AC/DC Power Adapter $35 Shipped
    • Newegg: [Camcorder] Flip video UltraHD 2.0" 230K 8GB (120 minutes) Internal Memory Camcorder for $164 w/ coupon FLIP7115
      More »

    Network World Uncovers More Dirt On Zer01
    By Chris Walters on July 23, 2009 12:30 AM   18 Comments

    —>NetworkWorld published its findings on the suspicious histories of the men behind new cellphone company Zer01 just two days ago, but they clearly sent someone behind the scenes scrambling. This afternoon they reported that Zer01's parent company "has stripped its Web site down to only basic information," and that "new details have also come to light suggesting a past connection between two of the involved companies, despite claims to the contrary."  More »

    Babies R Us Accused Of Price Fixing
    By Chris Walters on July 22, 2009 11:28 PM   29 Comments

    —>If you feel like had to pay too much for baby supplies this past decade, look to Babies R Us. Time reports that last week, "the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia granted class-action status to a complaint that Babies 'R' Us coerced manufacturers of high-end strollers, car seats, high chairs, strap carriers and breast pumps into preventing Internet retailers from discounting their products."  More »

    Customer Visits Verizon CEO's Home, Gives Him A Taste Of No Privacy
    By Chris Walters on July 22, 2009 4:45 PM   78 Comments

    —>John Hargrave of comedy site Zug.com tracked down the personal info of Verizon's CEO, then showed up with a bullhorn to illustrate what a lack of privacy feels like. "Ivan Seidenberg! I'm here on behalf of Verizon customers. PLEASE DO A BETTER JOB PROTECTING YOUR CUSTOMERS' CELL PHONE RECORDS! Everyone has the right to privacy, including you Ivan! When we don't have privacy, then freaks with bullhorns start showing up on our front lawn."  More »

    Is ZER01 Mobile A Legit Cellphone Service?
    By Chris Walters on July 22, 2009 4:18 PM   40 Comments

    —>ZER01 is a new cellular service launching soon that promises unlimited calling and unlimited, fast data connectivity for $70 a month. There's another unique twist: you can sell the service to your friends for $10 monthly credits. That's right, it's a multi-level marketing mobile virtual network operator—an MLM MVNO. NetworkWorld smelled something fishy, so they researched the companies behind the offering and found that there's a lot of sketchy looking stuff. We put the highlights of their investigation into a chart.  More »

    Want Free Housing? Become A Traveling Caretaker
    By Chris Walters on July 22, 2009 2:48 PM   30 Comments

    —>Cool Tools describes the Caretaker Gazette as "house-sitting classifieds." The tipster writes, "I've used [it] to live rent-free for the past three years [...] living as a caretaker in California and Idaho. In exchange for my accommodations, my duties have included keeping trespassers off the property, taking messages, mowing the lawn, cleaning the pool and generally watching over the home when the owners are away." An online subscription costs $30 a year, and includes a PDF issue every two months, plus listings online and a weekly email update.   More »

    Here are 10 kids' food items that are not very healthy, including Goldfish Crackers, Fruit By The Foot, and Sunny Delight. [Time]  More »

    Get Ready For More AT&T Data Slowdowns
    By Chris Walters on July 22, 2009 12:46 PM   50 Comments

    —>Oh jeez, AT&T, don't you have enough on your plate? You can't handle your iPhone customers as it is. TechCrunch says some customers' voicemails go missing for days or even weeks, you can't enable MMS because there's no room for it on your system, and the "faster" 3GS isn't any faster at all on your network. Now comes word that you'll be the one providing so-called "connectitivty" for Barnes & Noble's new ebook reader coming out next year. The result: more congestion for every AT&T customer.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 22, 2009 11:54 AM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Home Depot: [Home Goods] Home Depot 25-50% off Patio Furniture + Free Shipping
    • Gretsch Store: [Music] Free Gretsch 125th Anniversary Guitar Poster + 10% Off Coupon
    • Various: [Storage] Five 1TB External Hard Drives Under $100
    • Woot: [???] Woot-off currently in progress
      More »

    Don't Threaten To Kill Telemarketers
    By Chris Walters on July 21, 2009 10:19 PM   139 Comments

    —>We know how you feel; telemarketers suck. But no matter how much they're in the wrong, please don't threaten to burn down their place of business and then kill them and their families—even if they call you a jackass—because they may report you to the police. Then, if your police are anything like the ones in St. Louis, Missouri, you'll likely be arrested and charged for making terrorist threats, like poor Charles Papenfus.  More »

    Dodge Dealership Refunds Money On Truck It Couldn't Fix
    By Chris Walters on July 21, 2009 5:07 PM   40 Comments

    —>Last Friday, we posted about how a Dodge dealership in New York spent nearly a week working on a truck, and charged over $700 for the labor, only to say they couldn't fix it in the end. It looks like the story has a happy ending: after the truck's owner sent in a formal complaint and pointed the dealership to our post, the dealership's owner refunded both the repair fees and the towing fees.  More »

    Buying A 2010 Chevy Camaro? Take This 68-Point Checklist With You
    By Chris Walters on July 21, 2009 4:29 PM   113 Comments

    —>Some Camaro fans at Camaro5 have put together a list of owner-submitted things to watch out for with the new Camaro. Although they point out that not every other Camaro that rolls off the line is a bucket of fail—this isn't the Xbox 360, after all—there do seem to be enough first year production issues that you should inspect the vehicle very carefully before leaving the dealership.  More »

    Today until 10 am 10:30 am, Starbucks is giving away free pastries with the purchase of any beverage. You have to present this "invitation" to receive the food. Sorry Moneycat, oatmeal isn't included. (Thanks to o-line!)  More »

    Read Chris Anderson's Book 'Free' For Free
    By Chris Walters on July 21, 2009 1:08 PM   34 Comments

    —>Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired and author of The Long Tail, has published a new book that looks at something of interest to Consumerist: the trend of content and services to slide toward free, especially in the digital world. It's pretty light reading and an interesting look at economics in the digital marketplace in particular—and for now, at least, it's available in multiple formats for free.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 21, 2009 11:55 AM   8 Comments

    —>

    • Toys R Us: [Toys] Fisher-Price Power Wheels Kawasaki Boy's Sport Quad for $59.99 + Shipping
    • Amazon: [Grocery] Up To 40% Off Groceries w/ Coupon BCKSCLO9
    • American Eagle Outfitters: [Clothing & Accessories] American Eagle Outfitters Clearance Sale: Jeans from $15 + $7 s&h
      More »

    Walmart Doesn't Want 7-Year-Old's Birthday Money
    By Chris Walters on July 20, 2009 5:47 PM   118 Comments

    —>The parents of a seven-year-old took him to Walmart this weekend to spend his saved birthday and allowance money on a pretty awesome looking swimming pool & slide combo. They'd checked online first to make sure the item was in stock—and Walmart said it was, at three different locations in fact.   More »

    Want To Experience Retail Crack? Try Swoopo
    By Chris Walters on July 20, 2009 4:04 PM   65 Comments

    —>Just in case that headline doesn't make it clear: we do not recommend you try Swoopo, because you do not want to experience retail crack. Stay far, far away from Swoopo. Swoopo will feed into every gambling and spending impulse buried in the irrational parts of your brain, and suck up your money. There's a reason the site describes itself as "entertainment shopping."  More »

    How To Load Up Your Kindle With Non-Amazon Ebooks
    By Chris Walters on July 20, 2009 2:02 PM   59 Comments

    —>So you've got a Kindle, and you have books on it, and you want to keep those books—no matter what Amazon or a publisher decides you deserve in the future. Your legal options are limited, but you do have some.  More »

    National Arbitration Forum Exits Credit Card Dispute Business
    By Chris Walters on July 20, 2009 12:44 PM   41 Comments

    —>Score one for the consumer over unfair arbitration. Just last week, Minnesota's Attorney General sued the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) for fraud, false advertising, and deceptive trade practices—and now the company has agreed to pull out of the credit card business entirely. According to the settlement reached on July 17th, "The only business NAF can now be involved with is in arbitrating Internet domain disputes, a business it has long been in."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 20, 2009 12:34 PM   0 Comments

    —>

    • Buy.com: [Micro Exploration] Carson Optical MM-640 USB Digital Microscope $35 Shipped
    • Buy.com: [Flashlight] Smith & Wesson LED Aluminum Flashlight Blue for $7.24 w/ Free shipping
    • BustedTees: [Clothing & Accessories] Busted Tees Mega Sale: Shirts for $7 + $6 s&h
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 9:05 PM   14 Comments
    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 »

    Buy A Car, Get A Free AK-47
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 6:55 PM   97 Comments

    The logo at Mark Muller's dealership is... an old west caricature pointing two pistols at those who pass by. He said it's a nod to what he calls "big city" ways. "We really are different than the big city dealers."  More »

    Dodge Dealership Can't Repair Truck After 6 Days, Local Mechanic Does It In 10 Minutes
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 6:35 PM   98 Comments

    —>A Dodge dealership in Alexandria Bay, NY, wasted over $700 of Joe's dad's money and a week of their time not repairing a 20-year-old truck. Joe says he heard that the dealership recently replaced all of its mechanics—maybe they took a page from Circuit City's playbook?  More »

    What To Do When You Discover You've Been Overcharged At A Restaurant
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 4:52 PM   242 Comments

    —>James discovered that the waiter at a steakhouse he and his wife ate at padded his bill by 4 extra dollars, but also ran through the charge a second time with no tip at all. Now he's wondering what to do next.  More »

    Urban Expressions Craft Store Calls Customer A Whore
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 3:53 PM   150 Comments

    —>The only thing crazier than people involved with wedding planning are people in the scrapbooking supply industry, it seems. Weddingbee reports that an online craft supply store called Urban Expressions (not to be confused with the handbag company) completely lost it when an angry customer wrote in asking why they had neither shipped the item she'd bought nor specified otherwise as promised. Their response makes us understand why they chose the name "Urban Expressions" for their store.  More »

    Why Is Spam Around? Because 12% Of Readers Actually Try To Buy The Stuff
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 2:41 PM   46 Comments

    —>Why, in a rational world, does spam continue to exist? Because someone you know—or maybe it's you—has actually tried to buy something from it, a new study finds. Find that person and beat him (or yourself) with a stapler.  More »

    Be Sure To Wear Your Wetsuit, Blindfold, Pepper Spray Necklace To Florida's Water Parks
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 2:17 PM   153 Comments

    —>Various water parks in Florida have taken on a weird Westworld vibe this summer, only instead of robots gone mad it's fellow parkgoers, and instead of trying to kill you they're trying get at your genitals. And by "you" we mean teenaged girls and boys.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 11:55 AM   9 Comments

    —>

    • Froobi: [Tools And Hardware] 7-LED Adjustable Head Lamp for free + $4 s&h
    • BackCountryOutlet.com: [Outdoor Apparel] The North Face Fleece Jackets Under $50
    • Buy.com: [Gear Hauling] Wenger SwissGear Julien Laptop Backpack $30 Shipped
    • The Body Shop: [Beauty] The Body Shop Final Sale: Up to 90% off select items
      More »

    Trek Bikes Demonstrates How To Handle The Occasional Bad Product
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 2:00 AM   65 Comments

    —>Tony had a lot of problems with the build quality of his new bicycle, so he finally wrote to Trek Bikes and told them all the things going wrong with it. Unlike Comfort Select, which denies manufacturing problems even as it replaces broken units with a less defective version (that you pay for), Trek contacted Tony and treated him like they actually wanted his repeat business.  More »

    AT&T Reserves Its Best Neglect For Elite DSL
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 1:32 AM   105 Comments

    —>A Consumerist reader has pretty much reached the limit of poor AT&T customer and technical service over his shoddy Elite DSL account, which for two years now drops to speeds of around 10k every four months. Check out this letter and included chat log for some stunning examples of all the ways AT&T fails at providing a service it charges lots of money for.  More »

    Florida, the nation's fourth-largest honey producing state, has banned "fake honey"—the honey has to be 100% pure with no additives, sweeteners, or chemicals. [Examiner.com]  More »

    DISH Network Will Pay $5.9 Million Back To Customers
    By Chris Walters on July 17, 2009 12:01 AM   19 Comments

    —>In 2006, five states launched an investigation into DISH Network's crummy sales practices after hundreds of complaints from consumers. Now the company has agreed to pay $5.9 million to 46 states in a settlement announced today—and at least some of that money is earmarked for DISH customers.  More »

    Mow-It-Right Mows Down Vegetable Garden, Won't Replace It
    By Chris Walters on July 16, 2009 8:42 PM   230 Comments

    —>Jason hired a lawn company in Memphis, Tennessee, and then recommended them to a friend. He regrets that now, because they mowed down the friend's vegetable garden, and seven weeks later they still haven't replaced it and have stopped communicating with the garden's owner.  More »

    FTC Launches First Wave Of Smackdown On Scammy Loan Consultants
    By Chris Walters on July 16, 2009 2:17 PM   17 Comments

    —>Yesterday, as part of "Operation Loan Lies," the FTC and 19 states filed 189 lawsuits, cease-and-desist orders, and other legal actions to shut down loan modification consultants who prey on desperate homeowners. The scammers offer to help solve foreclosure problems for a hefty fee; instead, they fail to modify the loan at all while collecting payments for their services, sometimes even encouraging homeowners to stop communicating with their lenders completely or to send payments to the consultants instead of the bank.  More »

    Judge Greenlights Class Action Against DirecTV
    By Chris Walters on July 16, 2009 12:58 PM   27 Comments

    —>A California Superior Court judge has just been given the go ahead to a class action lawsuit against DirecTV over their practice of charging early termination fees.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 16, 2009 12:04 PM   16 Comments

    —>

    • Eddie Bauer: [Travel] Gear Up Sale: Up to $40 off Duffel Bags & Luggage
    • Months of Pregnancy: [Tools] Free Measuring Tape
    • Cruisin USA: [Retro Shirts] 50% Everything until August 15th with code GUTTER (Thanks to Chris!)
      More »

    Best Buy Has PC Game Sale, Forgets To Tell Stores About It
    By Chris Walters on July 16, 2009 2:36 AM   60 Comments

    —>Victor got an email from Best Buy telling him "up to 100" PC games were on sale for members of the company's Gamers Club, so he took his son down to their local store to see what was available. Nothing, that's what, because the store hadn't been told about the sale, even though it's been going on for nearly a week.  More »

    KFC's screwed-up grilled chicken promo doesn't seem to have hurt the company after all; Yum CEO David Novak told investors and reporters this morning that it's "the best product launch in our history" and has "changed the brand so much for the good." People out there apparently really love the idea of KFC grilled chicken. [AdAge] (Thanks to R!)  More »

    Don't Let Dad Saw The Legs Off Corpses Or Your Funeral Home Might Get Shut Down
    By Chris Walters on July 15, 2009 11:33 PM   54 Comments

    —>It's all well and good to let your father help out around the family funeral home, but if he doesn't have an embalming license—and is maybe too handy with an electric saw—keep him away from the important duties. A South Carolina funeral home just had its license revoked because four years ago the owner's father sawed the legs off a 6' 7" body to make it fit in the casket. The owner didn't tell the family at the time, and they only found out about it recently when an ex-employee told them. (See below for links to cool funk music—yes, it's related to this post!)  More »

    Delta Screws Man Out Of Family Trip, Business Conference, WSJ Interview, And Two Flights
    By Chris Walters on July 15, 2009 4:02 PM   112 Comments

    —>Wow, the folks at Delta really must hate the creative director behind and star of those UPS whiteboard commercials, Andy Azula. On the open letter he published today, he notes that he's a frequent-flyer with Platinum status on Delta, and until this past June one of their "biggest fans." Then Delta forced him, his wife, and his twin seven-year-olds to wait 13 hours in the Richmond, VA airport, while their luggage remained trapped on a plane that was forever "almost fixed."  More »

    Game Crazy Customer Gets Response From District Manager
    By Chris Walters on July 15, 2009 3:20 PM   61 Comments

    —>Lu, who caught a Game Crazy cashier adding bogus fees to a purchase, has sent in a couple of updates.  More »

    Plastic Surgery Company Agrees To Pay $300,000 For Fake Customer Reviews
    By Chris Walters on July 15, 2009 12:25 PM   20 Comments

    —>Over a year ago, we wrote about Lifestyle Lift and its attempts to astroturf a customer review website (while simultaneously suing that website for trademark infringement, naturally). But then they caught the attention of New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office, and now they've agreed to pay $300,000 and will stop publishing fake reviews online.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 15, 2009 11:49 AM   18 Comments

    —>

    • NewEgg: [Game] Dark Sector Xbox 360 Game for $7.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Best Buy: [TV] Panasonic 42" HDTV 1080p + Xbox 360 60GB System for $899.98 + Shipping
    • Budget Rent A Car: [Car Rentals] Budget Rent A Car: Up to 50% off rentals
    • Southwest Airlines Vacations: [Vacations] Southwest Airlines Vacation Offers: 2-for-1 vacations to Las Vegas, Disneyworld, more
      More »

    Are Dollar Stores Really That Cheap?
    By Chris Walters on July 14, 2009 5:37 PM   98 Comments

    —>Kim McGrigg at Blogging for Change took a look at the dollar stores in her neighborhood and found that it can take some work to make sure you're actually saving money. In fact, on a couple of items she actually paid a fraction more than what she would have at a superstore like Walmart. This matches what Consumer Reports' shopping mag, ShopSmart, discovered in their recent "Dollar Mania" report (free PDF download).  More »

    Emailfinder.com Sells Wrong Info, Now Woman Has To Show Up In Small Claims Court
    By Chris Walters on July 14, 2009 4:10 PM   271 Comments

    —>Some guy in London fell for an online iPhone scam in January, so he paid $150 to emailfinder.com to track down the identity behind the Hotmail account of the person who scammed him. Now he's suing Kim, who is completely unrelated to this story (or was, at least), for $4,368 to cover the $1200 he lost on the iPhone scam plus travel expenses for him to show up in small claims court here in the U.S.  More »

    Best tweet of the day: "my bank was just held up- with me in it. HSBC 34 and 8. also my whole trackball is GONE!!! im locked in the bank still." [Gothamist] (Thanks to John!)  More »

    Bank Manager Helps Thwart $25K Con Of 80-Year-Old
    By Chris Walters on July 14, 2009 3:04 PM   69 Comments

    —>A manager at Chemical Bank in Midland, Michigan, grew suspicious when he saw Marion Case, an 80-year-old customer, withdraw $25k from her account last December. Case told him she was going to mail it to someone who would then pass it along to her son. The manager, Carl Ahearn, "remained suspicious. He followed her as she walked to the nearby post office, where Case bought an Express Mail envelope addressed to a man in New Jersey. Ahearn shared his concerns with postal officials, who opened an investigation and arrested a man Monday for fraud."  More »

    Unruly Teen Charges $23 Quadrillion At Drugstore
    By Chris Walters on July 14, 2009 2:37 PM   144 Comments

    —>Kids these days! Hawkins writes, "My lectures about financial responsibility appear to have failed: yesterday [my teenaged daughter] charged $23,148,855,308,184,500.00 at the drug store." You would think Visa would have caught the error and addressed it, if you were high. What Visa actually did was slap a $20 "negative balance" fee on it, of course. Update: Here's what happened!  More »

    Recent Kindle Purchaser? Ask About The Rebate
    By Chris Walters on July 14, 2009 1:34 PM   16 Comments

    Received my new Kindle today, same day I heard about their price drop to $299. Obviously I wanted to see if I could get some cash back. Did their customer callback and got a call as soon as I hit OK. CSR said the shipping cutoff for a partial refund was July 8th and that they'd be crediting me $60 in 2-3 days.  More »

    Southwest Jet Makes Emergency Landing After Gremlin Rips Hole In Fuselage
    By Chris Walters on July 14, 2009 1:13 PM   45 Comments

    —>Southwest Airlines flight 2298 made an emergency landing in West Virginia yesterday after a hole appeared on the top of the plane while in flight. "Passengers reported that they could see the sky through the rupture," writes the Washington Post. It left Nashville around 4:05pm, but landed only 50 minutes later. According to this WPRI video clip, Southwest spent the night inspecting 181 of its Boeing 737-300 jets, and they say there should be no delays today.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 14, 2009 11:35 AM   27 Comments

    —>

    • Weinerschnitzel: [Hot Dogs] Free Original Chili Dog or Small Cone today only from 5-8pm at participating Weinerschnitzels (Thanks to Tanya!)
    • Chefs Catalog: [Kitchen & Home] Chefs Catalog up to 90% Off Sale + Free Shipping $49+
    • Reebok: [Sports] Clearance Shoes & Apparel Up to 50% or More off
    • Buy.com: [LCD] Asus 23.6-inch Triple Input LCD $170 & Free Shipping
      More »

    Bas Rutten Does Not Like Cell Phone Contracts
    By Chris Walters on July 13, 2009 7:18 PM   21 Comments

    —>Here's a funny commercial starring Bas Rutten for some prepaid cellphone company. You probably shouldn't try this with your own cellphone company, but that doesn't mean you can't be thinking like Bas while disputing that ETF.  More »

    Banks Consider Running TV Spots Against Proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency
    By Chris Walters on July 13, 2009 6:56 PM   36 Comments

    —>Remember Harry and Louise? I don't, but apparently they were a fictional couple in an early-90s TV commercial, produced by the insurance industry to help sway opinion against the Clinton health plan. Now banks and other financial companies may be pooling resources to create a new "Harry and Louise" style ad to convince Americans that Obama's proposed agency to monitor abusive financial practices will limit choice and ruin lives.  More »

    Sears Customer Service Runaround Results In New Sander
    By Chris Walters on July 13, 2009 5:20 PM   31 Comments

    —>Can we tag a story "above and beyond" if the customer service cycle is so screwed up that it eventually works out in the customer's favor? When jpodbuild tried to get his Craftsman sander repaired or replaced, he couldn't get anyone on the phone who could actually help him—eventually he would end up back at the first number he'd called. He decided to show up in person and let the store manager handle the phone calls. New sander!  More »

    Game Crazy Cashier Caught Sneaking Gameguard Fees Onto Sale
    By Chris Walters on July 13, 2009 4:51 PM   201 Comments

    —>Lu tried to buy "Dead Space" yesterday at a local Game Crazy because it was on sale. The cashier, however, added two fees for $1 and $2 for "Gameguard" insurance without Lu's permission—then tried to explain it away by saying the price was higher than marked and he'd actually had to give discounts to bring it down to the sale price.  More »

    Don't Put Too Much Faith In Select Comfort's 20-Year Warranty
    By Chris Walters on July 13, 2009 3:42 PM   70 Comments

    —>If you're thinking of buying a Select Comfort mattress, you might want to budget in an extra $200+ every couple of years to replace the controllers that let you adjust the bed. That's the commitment Henry seems to be stuck with. Although Select Mattress keeps telling him it's a rare occurrence, it's happened twice now with him with both controllers, and he's not the only one.  More »

    Beware The Costco And American Express Membership Fee Double Dip
    By Chris Walters on July 13, 2009 2:55 PM   30 Comments

    —>Last week we mentioned that Costco has a habit of backdating the starting date for lapsed membership renewals, which prompted Monica to write in and let us know of another issue they seem to have with billing. If you renew your executive membership with Costco but then apply for the Costco American Express card, Amex will charge you the membership fee a second time. Monica says the Amex CSR who fixed the problem told her it happens all the time.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 13, 2009 11:36 AM   13 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Entertainment] Sci-Fi DVD & Blu-ray Sale: Up to 56% off Movie & TV Series
    • Walmart: [Clothing & Accessories] Walmart Clearance Sale: Apparel items from $1 + $1 s&h
    • New Egg: [Headphones] Sennheiser Clip-On Sport Earphones for $19.99 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 9:01 PM   33 Comments
    Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    Here's A Simple Tutorial On Expiration Dates
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 7:25 PM   26 Comments

    —>Howcast has produced a quick video tutorial covering the basics of expiration and sell by dates. If you have questions about eggs, meat, canned goods, or storing things in the freezer, check it out.  More »

    Dave Carroll Says No To Guitar Hush Money From United
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 5:07 PM   160 Comments

    —>We officially love Dave Carroll now. Not only is he cute and a good singer, but he's classy (check out how he defends the United employee in this video response) and has principles. The best part is at the end he encourages us to stay tuned for song #2. United hoped it could pay for the guitar and put an end to the bad publicity—but it looks like you're not getting off that easily, United. Check out the full video response below.  More »

    Warning: Read The Fine Print Before Cashing An Unexpected Rebate Check
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 4:26 PM   51 Comments

    At first, it looks like a rebate check, but read the fine print. It says if you endorse and cash the check, you are signing up for a marketing service called "Great Fun." Then, your credit card will be charged $149.99. That subscription will renew annually unless you cancel it with Great Fun.  More »

    Tomorrow, 6,000 participating 7-Eleven stores will be giving away free tiny Slurpees. [7-Eleven] (Thanks to Henry!)  More »

    LA Fitness Will Say Anything To Avoid Honoring Free 3 Day Pass
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 3:37 PM   109 Comments

    —>The sales team at the LA Fitness in Floral Park New Hyde Park, Long Island, were so pushy to a prospective customer that they basically forced her to take her business elsewhere. Apparently if they actually let a customer redeem one of their free passes, the gym will be sucked into a vortex of non-commission, so they have to deny you access.  More »

    Shop Owner Caught Driving Customer's Jaguar Home
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 3:06 PM   119 Comments

    —>Darryl Taylor received a traffic ticket in the mail for running a toll booth in his 2000 Jaguar S-series. The only problem was, the Jaguar was at a repair shop on the day of the violation.  More »

    Everyone keeps reporting it, so we feel like we should also mention it here: Amazon has dropped the price on its normal-sized Kindle to $299. [Consumer Reports]  More »

    The 7 Types Of Employees You Meet At Best Buy
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 1:20 PM   59 Comments

    —>Gizmodo paired up a former Best Buy employee with a professional illustrator and created a taxonomy of seven Best Buy employees you're likely to meet whenever you shop there. The two who probably get the most coverage on our site (and who are probably the most annoying in general): Pervy Geek Squad Guy and Slick Careerist Manager.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 10, 2009 12:51 PM   28 Comments

    —>

    • Smith Micro: [Software] Free Anime Studio 5 for Mac or PC (Download) Update: we've confirmed with Smith Micro, this is truly free and not a trial, and it doesn't require a credit card.
    • Midtown Comics: [Books] 30% Off Back Issues of Marvel and Action Comics w/ Coupon bizarro
    • Diadora: [Sports] 50% Off Entire Sports Equipment Purchase w/ Coupon SUMMER2009
    • Amazon: [HD] Save up to 60% off DVD & Blu-ray Disc Boxed Sets
      More »

    Which Airlines Are The Most Pet Friendly?
    By Chris Walters on July 9, 2009 7:56 PM   77 Comments

    —>Petfinder.com compared airlines to see which ones are the best choices if you're traveling with pets. You may remember our post a while back on Pet Airways, about which Petfinder says, "While Pet Airways didn't make the rankings because they haven't 'hit the air' yet, [we are] excited to see the promising airline take off."  More »

    Comcast Installer Robs Check Cashing Store
    By Chris Walters on July 9, 2009 7:47 PM   65 Comments

    —>Hey dumb crooks, if you're going to rob a place be sure not to wear a uniform with your company's name on it and drive a van plastered with a nationally recognized logo. It makes it really easy for the police to catch you. On second thought, do just that, please.  More »

    Better Business Bureau Kicks Out Four Businesses
    By Chris Walters on July 9, 2009 6:53 PM   35 Comments

    —>What can you do if you're too small to have a shot in our Worst Company In America contest, but too awful to not earn some sort of notoriety? Well, you can get your BBB membership revoked and earn a big fat F ranking. It's no golden poo, but it's a start.  More »

    Warning, iDrive Lite Spams All Your Gmail Contacts Without Your Permission
    By Chris Walters on July 9, 2009 5:46 PM   56 Comments

    —>Don't install the iPhone app iDrive Lite if you value the privacy of your contact list. Avi Muchnick, one of the developers behind the free, consumer-friendly online graphics suite Aviary, used iDrive to backup his Gmail contact list when switching to a new phone. The next day, he awoke to discover that iDrive's parent company, Pro Softnet Corp, had spammed every single entry in his contact list without his permission.  More »

    Grocery Shrink Ray Is Reversed, Called A Bonus
    By Chris Walters on July 9, 2009 5:33 PM   67 Comments

    —>CCM just sent us a photo she snapped of these Mission Soft Flour Tortillas. It's kind of cool to see that in this age of the shrink ray, a company is actually giving you more bang for your buck. Except that in this case, the two added tortillas used to be there until a year or so ago.  More »

    Glamour Shots Now Does Boudoir Photography?
    By Chris Walters on July 9, 2009 3:18 PM   104 Comments

    —>Dallas writes, "Hey, I just saw this ad in on a local newspaper website. Glamour shots has apparently 'changed.' I guess they think there might be a market for people who will pay for nudie pics of themselves."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 9, 2009 1:22 PM   16 Comments

    —>

    • Lane Bryant: [Apparel] $25 Off $75 Purchase w/ Coupon 025009972
    • Walmart: [Health] Free Nivea Body Wash for Men (Sample)
    • Dell: [Blu-Ray Player] Sharp Aquos Blu-Ray Player for $139.99 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    The FDA has issued a new ruling that says egg producers must "test regularly for salmonella and buy chicks from suppliers who do the same," and that eggs "will have to be refrigerated on the farm and during shipment" as well as by wholesalers and in the store. The rule is meant to cut down on the number of egg-related salmonella cases nationwide, which currently are around 142,000 a year. [Washington Post] (Photo: Andreas Kollegger)  More »

    Dave Carroll's "United Breaks Guitars" song and video EECB appears to be having the desired effect. Check out this tweet from United. [Twitter] (Thanks to Chris!) Update: Dave Carroll responds.  More »

    Lender Makes Borrowers Pledge Their Souls
    By Chris Walters on July 8, 2009 3:34 PM   68 Comments

    Mirosiichenko said his company would not employ debt collectors to get its money back if people refused to repay, and promised no physical violence. Signatories only have to give their first name and do not show any documents. "If they don't give it back, what can you do? They won't have a soul, that's all."  More »

    Gym Member Catches Thief In The Act; Gym Staff Too Lazy To Help
    By Chris Walters on July 8, 2009 3:12 PM   153 Comments

    —>We're pretty impressed that this member of the Washington Sports Clubs at the DC USA Mall helped catch a thief. We're a little stunned, however, that the staff at the gym let the guy enter in the first place without making sure he had a membership, or that they did nothing to stop him as he ran out with someone behind him yelling, "Stop! Thief!" Thankfully an off-duty cop pursued and apprehended the guy, and the member got back his wallet. But what's the point of a gym membership and a staff if you're completely on your own once you get there?  More »

    Google To Launch Free PC Operating System Next Year
    By Chris Walters on July 8, 2009 2:03 PM   128 Comments

    —>Tired of Windows, don't like fine-tuning Ubuntu, can't afford buying into the Apple ecosystem? Google has just announced they're releasing an open source computer operating system called Chrome OS next year.  More »

    Banned Bank Of America Customer Says His Credit Is Clear
    By Chris Walters on July 8, 2009 1:06 PM   50 Comments

    —>Earlier this week we wrote about how BoA told Jesse he could never have an account with them, but they wouldn't give a specific reason. A lot of readers and tipsters suggested ChexSystems was the culprit, so we asked Jesse if there was something in his credit past causing the problem.  More »

    Bank Of America: "That's Why You Don't Open New Accounts Online"
    By Chris Walters on July 8, 2009 1:06 PM   63 Comments

    —>After reading about how Jesse was banned for life from Bank of America for no clear reason, other readers wrote in with similarly bizarre BoA stories. Wayne was locked out of his new account after he opened it and charged a $75 overdraft fee. Chris was sent checks linked to a duplicate account and then charged penalties when the checks bounced. Edward's new account was closed but the CSR refused to tell him why, and he was charged a $60 "research fee" for the closing. When Edward went to a BoA branch to clear things up, he says the employee there told him, "That's why you don't open up accounts online."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 8, 2009 11:25 AM   29 Comments

    —>

    • OvernightPrints: [Printing] Free 5x5 Photo Book or $10 off any other product through July 19th with coupon code ONPFREEFIVE
    • Dairy Queen: [Ice Cream] $1 Off DQ Blizzard Printable
    • Shutterfly: [Photo Prints] Save 10% to 30% off 4x6 Digital Photo Prints
    • Buy.com: [Light] Energizer Hard Case Rugged LED Flash Light $8 Shipped
      More »

    Is The NRA Trying To Trick Its Members Into Paying For This DVD?
    By Chris Walters on July 7, 2009 6:22 PM   174 Comments

    —>Arthur, a member of the NRA, received a promotional DVD out of the blue about six months ago. As we've discussed before and as Arthur points out, if you're sent something that you never ordered, you don't have to pay for it, return it, or acknowledge it. The NRA said as much in their letter to Arthur.   More »

    10 Things You Should Know About Gas Stations
    By Chris Walters on July 7, 2009 5:06 PM   91 Comments

    —>MSN Money has a list of 10 secrets about gas stations that could cost you money if you don't know about them. The best ones are about why you shouldn't use a debit card. For example, some stations will ask banks to place a hold on some of the cash in your account to cover your purchase, and won't report the real purchase amount for a few days, leaving your cash in limbo.  More »

    Barnes & Noble's new iPhone app comes with a virtual coupon--there's a one-time-only code you show the in-store barista to receive a free cup of coffee. [MocoNews.net]  More »

    Macbook Pro Owner Caught In Warranty Catch-22 Thanks To Apple's Mistake
    By Chris Walters on July 7, 2009 4:23 PM   156 Comments

    —>Because of an Apple technician's mistake, Gennadiy had two options for repairing his 2009 Macbook Pro: either pay $1240+tax to replace the logic board because Apple said water damage voided the warranty, or push the unseated cable back into place and prove that there was no water damage—which would void the warranty. Gennadiy took the second option and saved himself over $1300, but now has no warranty should something actually happen to the logic board that should be covered.  More »

    Pez Candy is suing the Pez musuem in Burlingame, CA for copyright infringement. The museum has a 7-foot-tall Pez dispenser that they want destroyed. Maybe Pez should make a new candy flavor called "Copyright Overkill" that tastes like all the joy has been removed. [Laughing Squid] (Thanks to sizer!) (Photo: Hryck.)  More »

    Some SSNs Can Be Guessed Using Birthdate And Location, Say Researchers
    By Chris Walters on July 7, 2009 2:13 PM   87 Comments

    —>It turns out our Social Security numbering system, which launched in 1936, isn't very foolproof against some types of hacking. The New York Times reports that researchers at Carnegie Mellon University "used statistical techniques to predict Social Security numbers solely from an individual's date and location of birth."  More »

    United Breaks Guitars
    By Chris Walters on July 7, 2009 1:49 PM   146 Comments

    —>When United Airlines broke Dave Carroll's $3500 Taylor guitar in the the spring of 2008, he contacted them to ask for compensation. After all, he and other passengers watched from the plane as United baggage handlers actually threw his guitar around on the tarmac. United said they wouldn't pay for the damages, so Carroll wrote this catchy song about how much United sucks. We think it should go in United's next ad campaign.  More »

    Be Careful, Costco Backdates Renewals
    By Chris Walters on July 7, 2009 1:15 PM   52 Comments

    —>If you let your Costco membership lapse, then 2 months later renew it, Costco will backdate it to day it lapsed instead of the day you renew. The result: your 12 month membership suddenly shrinks to 10 months for the same price. Consumer Reports notes that Costco used to backdate renewals by as much as 5 months before a recent class-action settlement.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 7, 2009 12:44 PM   10 Comments

    —>

    • National Geographic: [Education & Entertainment] Summer Sale: Save up to 70% off Books, DVDs, & More
    • Meritline: [Toys] Double Tank Water Gun for $1.99 w/ Coupon MLC40037050P w/ Free shipping
    • Toys R Us: [Game] 15% Off One Video Game w/ Coupon (In-Store) Printable
      More »

    Are Blu-ray Netflix Customers Paying Extra Because The Discs Keep Cracking?
    By Chris Walters on July 6, 2009 6:43 PM   141 Comments

    —>Do you rent Blu-ray discs from Netflix? Have you had any show up with a crack on the outer edge that makes the disc unplayable? Victor just wrote to us that he's received several Blu-ray discs lately that are damaged, and he's wondering if it's just him or part of a wider problem.  More »

    WSJ: Jackson Collectibles Are A Poor Investment
    By Chris Walters on July 6, 2009 5:05 PM   56 Comments

    —>First, let me say that I am furious that I ate my Cheetos from my collectible Cheeto experiment a while back, because Chuck Jaffe at the Wall Street Journal says one with an MJ likeness just sold for $35 on eBay. What that really underscores, though, is the only surefire way to make any money on Jackson memorabilia is to be the one selling the crap to unwise shoppers.  More »

    Hershey is closing its online store (www.hersheygifts.com) at the end of the month, saying they can't keep it running in this economy. If you like their "chocolate" products, everything on the site is on sale for 25% off. [LA Times] (Thanks to Robert!)  More »

    Dear Kroger, Please Make Self Check-Out Suck Less
    By Chris Walters on July 6, 2009 4:21 PM   340 Comments

    —>Self check-out is great if, say, you've got one of those supermarkets where the teenaged clerks hate you for choosing their lane and spend more time talking to each other than scanning your items. It's not so great if you force all of your customers to use the system because you've decided to close down every other human-powered lane but one.  More »

    Bank Of America Bans Customer For Life
    By Chris Walters on July 6, 2009 3:38 PM   203 Comments

    —>Jesse tried to scam Bank of America. No, wait. He tried to open two accounts at once! No, that's not right either. He did something wrong, that's obvious. Isn't it? Hello? Please tell us what Jesse did wrong, Bank of America. Your lifetime banning confuses us.  More »

    Wells Fargo Teller Explains The Ways Of The Desert To Customer
    By Chris Walters on July 6, 2009 2:45 PM   88 Comments

    —>A misinformed bank teller at a Wells Fargo in Arizona was determined to explain how desert life worked to a woman who just wanted to buy some GPB (pounds sterling, aka British money).  More »

    Best Buy Shrinks Reward Zone Program
    By Chris Walters on July 6, 2009 2:19 PM   104 Comments

    —>Reader IfThenElvis forwarded us the following email he received alerting him to changes in the Reward Zone program from Best Buy. He adds, "I can't tell if this is good new or not. I suspect not." It's not the end of the world or anything, but it definitely marks a slight constriction in the program.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 6, 2009 12:08 PM   14 Comments

    —>

    • Super Media Store: [Electricity Monitor] Kill A Watt P4400 $18.99, free shipping on orders over $25.
    • Babies R Us: [Baby Care] Graco Glider Stroller for $50.99 w/ Coupon 928555 w/ Free shipping
    • Buy.com: [Toys] Walter the Farting Dog 8" Plush Doll for $8.02 + $2.85 Shipping
    • Amazon: [Hard Drive] 1 TB Seagate External Hard Drive $99 + free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on July 3, 2009 10:06 PM   6 Comments

    This week we've selected ten wonderful photos submitted by readers to The Consumerist Flickr Pool. There's one beautiful summer one for foot fetishists, a final shout out to Billy Mays, and then we're going with a general Americana vibe for the rest in honor of the Fourth of July.  More »

    Everyone Knows How To Handle A Stolen Checkbook Except For Verizon
    By Chris Walters on July 3, 2009 8:26 PM   39 Comments

    —>Yesterday I was musing that Time Warner Cable was passing the cost of customer care off to other businesses, by requiring customers to take half-days or full days off of work just to wait for a cable repairman. Today I think I stumbled upon another hidden economic impact of bad customer service: it's responsible for generating a lot of the "free" content online. The next time you're reading an IMDB entry about "Damages" or "Big Love" for example, you can thank Verizon's collection of angry, confused, and possibly insane employees, and all the idle time they create for a customer who has to deal with them.  More »

    Marketers Announce They Will Bring More Transparency To Personal Data Collection By 2010
    By Chris Walters on July 3, 2009 6:32 PM   11 Comments

    —>Several major advertising trade groups announced yesterday that starting in 2010, they will implement a new set of self-imposed guidelines on how they collect and use your personal info, in an attempt to prevent the government from handing down federal regulations.  More »

    That end-of-the-school-year DVD may have been homemade by the teacher, but that doesn't mean it can't pack an accidental porno cherrybomb. An elementary school teacher in Sacramento mistakenly included 6 seconds of a "home movie" in a compilation she sent home to students. Click through to the article for an awesome photo illustration of how adults think kids react to gross-out grownup stuff. [SFGate] (Thanks to Paul!) (Photo: Adactio)  More »

    Never Pack Your Jewelry In Checked Baggage
    By Chris Walters on July 3, 2009 4:25 PM   84 Comments

    My suitcase had been opened, my jewelry bag unzipped, and my fine jewelry (gold, diamonds, sapphires) had been hand picked out of the jewelry bag and the inexpensive jewelry (plastic, glass, metal) left strewn across my belongings inside my suitcase.  More »

    Live In Ohio? Your Library May Soon Close
    By Chris Walters on July 3, 2009 3:29 PM   113 Comments

    —>Here at Consumerist, we love libraries. They're like some weird, old-school version of Netflix, but with books! And free! That makes them one of the most cost-effective sources of entertainment and reference material around. Unfortunately, Ohio may gut the funding on this public resource if the proposed state budget goes through.  More »

    Here's another free game for iPhone/iPod Touch owners to pass the time this weekend: Wild West Pinball. If you're a Blackberry owner, Bplay has a 30% off sale going on right now—enter JULY in the code box at checkout. [IntoMobile]  More »

    ASCAP Wants Royalties On Ringtones
    By Chris Walters on July 3, 2009 1:37 PM   41 Comments

    —>Not content to let the RIAA get all the recent publicity for stupid lawsuits, ASCAP has sued AT&T over sales of ringtones, saying each time a ringtone plays it's a public performance and royalties should be paid. Luckily (?) for consumers, ASCAP wants AT&T, not individuals, to pay—although we wonder what they'll say when you take a track from your own library and make a ringtone out of it.   More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on July 3, 2009 1:03 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • Banana Republic: [Apparel] New Banana Republic Coupon Code Extra 15% Off Sale + Free Shipping $100+
    • Nabisco World: [Grocery] $55 in Kraft Coupons and Free Calendar with sign-up
      More »

    Doctor J. Marcus Solves Your Expensive Health Care Problem
    By Chris Walters on June 27, 2009 12:36 AM   8 Comments

    My mom would like his advice.  More »

    Be Your Own Financial Regulator
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 11:52 PM   9 Comments

    —>Any sort of federal agency to protect consumers from abuse from the financial industry is months, or possibly years, away, notes Linda Stern of Reuters. That's why you shouldn't depend on such an agency to protect you in the meantime. In fact, you can take her advice and use it no matter what happens at the federal level.  More »

    New Survey Says Less Than 20% Of Consumers Trust Food Supply
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 11:07 PM   25 Comments

    —>Is it any surprise that after the past few years of outbreaks and recalls, almost no one trusts products from food manufacturers anymore? IBM recently completed a survey of shoppers in the 10 largest cities, and found that a lot of consumers want more information than they currently can get about their food choices.  More »

    Want To Learn How To Make It Yourself? Visit Homegrown Evolution
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 10:26 PM   5 Comments

    —>HomegrownEvolution.com is sort of a simplified Instructables for people interested in "mead making, beer brewing, bread baking, urban poultry raising, container planting, pirate gardening, foraging, pickling," and more, according to Cool Tools. We have a feeling "pirate gardening" isn't as fun as it sounds.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 9:55 PM   8 Comments

    SwingingHere are ten wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    Is This Rogue Installer Running A Scam On Comcast Customers?
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 9:25 PM   50 Comments

    —>If you live near Burke, Virginia, you might want to pay close attention when the contractor hired by Comcast comes to install your service. Rick runs a computer repair company and has twice run into the same problem with Comcast customers, where they can no longer access the Internet after an upgrade and are offered an off-the-books repair service.  More »

    Two-Thirds Of Insurers Share Faulty Database That Lets Them Overcharge Patients
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 5:44 PM   51 Comments

    —>Earlier this week, a Congressional investigation revealed that several insurance companies rely on a database from Ingenix that deliberately underestimates the cost of medical services, reports the Associated Press. The result is that "American consumers have paid billions of dollars for health care services that their insurance companies should have paid."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 2:38 PM   16 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Music] Free Patriotic Music Sampler
    • Jamba Juice: [Restaurant] Buy One Get One Smoothie Free w/ Printable Coupon
    • Sears: [Bed & Bath] Sears Mattress Sale: 50% off + extra 10% off select mattresses
      More »

    Scammers Also Use Dating Services To Look For Easy Marks
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 3:01 AM   58 Comments

    —>A reader received a weird message from a fellow Match.com member last night—it was a fairly transparent attempt by someone to establish contact with her via a false identity.  More »

    How We Can Learn From The Financial Problems Of Others
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 1:03 AM   131 Comments

    —>Our post earlier today about Chase's sudden 150% increase in a couple's minimum payment on their credit card debt brought out a lot of passionate comments from readers—and it also turned into a cesspool of blame. We see a lot of a particular type of sentiment on posts about credit card debt and money management, and it's not helpful.  More »

    Acai Berry Drink Company Agrees To Give $350k Back To Bilked Customers
    By Chris Walters on June 26, 2009 12:29 AM   35 Comments

    —>One of the acai berry's most miraculous powers is its ability to filch hundreds of dollars from consumers who are seeking new ways to lose weight and live forever. Now one company known for marketing an acai elixir has settled a lawsuit from the Arizona Attorney General over charges of deceptive practices.  More »

    "Chase Hiked My Minimum Payment To 5 Percent!"
    By Chris Walters on June 25, 2009 6:36 PM   214 Comments

    —>Chase just notified Greg that they're more than doubling his minimum payment requirement. Because he and his wife are carrying such a large balance due to a promotional balance transfer offer a few years ago, this pushes their monthly payment to nearly $1,000.  More »

    It's Time To Start Shopping For Christmas Decorations! Oh, Wait...
    By Chris Walters on June 25, 2009 6:03 PM   43 Comments

    —>There's no better way to show your support for the war on Christmas Creep than to strap a bottle rocket to a reindeer ornament, or maybe point a Roman candle at a Santa lawn figure. Now you can do just that, by combining all the explosive fury of July 4th with the heartwarming frivolity of Christmas, thanks to Tuesday Morning.  More »

    Sam's Club Apologizes For Candy-In-Prescription-Bottles Promo
    By Chris Walters on June 25, 2009 3:50 PM   39 Comments

    We have also shared with all of our pharmacy departments that this is an unacceptable practice and should not be repeated. At Sam's Club we always have the health and welfare of our customers and members in mind with everything we do and we deeply regret that this incident occurred.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 25, 2009 1:53 PM   10 Comments

    —>

    • Glidden: [Paint] Free quart of paint in color of your choice.
    • Dell: [Cell Phone] Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Unlocked Smartphone for $219.99 w/ coupon ?LF$X89SNT9T4X after $50 rebate w/ Free shipping
    • Boscovs: [Luggage] Trifecta 8-Piece Luggage Set for $30 + $19 $40 s&h
      More »

    Study Of Credit Unions Indicates CARD Act Will Benefit Consumers
    By Chris Walters on June 25, 2009 2:07 AM   69 Comments

    —>Two Harvard doctoral students in economics compared how credit unions and banks operated their credit card divisions, and concluded that the recent CARD act "is likely to bring about moderate, and even positive, changes," as banks begin to emulate parts of the fairer business model of credit unions. Specifically, they say, all the doom and gloom from the banking industry about how consumers will get shafted by the new rules is mostly fearmongering.  More »

    DealTree Sends Phone Trade In Money To Imaginary PayPal Account
    By Chris Walters on June 25, 2009 1:00 AM   18 Comments

    —>What's going on with DealTree? They handle Nokia's "Trade-up" program, which reimburses you cash for your old phones. It says clearly on the "how it works" page as well as in their terms and conditions that they'll mail a paper check to you after confirming your phone's value. In Paul's case, they say dumped his money into a PayPal account—and Paul says there's nothing in his account and PayPal has no record of a transaction.  More »

    Facebook Encourages Open Marriages—Just Ask Dan's Wife
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 11:42 PM   68 Comments

    —>One thing I personally hate about Facebook is how the ads co-opt my friends' pictures and use them to try to sell me stupid stuff. Dan received one of those types of ads yesterday, only the combination of text and photo selection was a little... um, let's say "open minded."  More »

    Door To Door Alarm Salesmen In Kansas Caught Scamming Homeowners
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 11:17 PM   46 Comments

    —>Salesmen for Pinnacle Security have reportedly been going through Wichita neighborhoods and telling customers of CastleRock Security that the company has gone out of business. "These imposters then attempt to remove the CastleRock security equipment and attempt to obtain a blank, voided check so that they can start billing withdrawals from the customers' checking accounts."  More »

    In The Market For A New Vehicle? Here Are The Details Of The New CARS Credit Program
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 10:43 PM   100 Comments

    —>Next month, the government will start handing out credits of $3,500 or $4,500 to owners who trade in low-mpg cars for higher efficiency models under the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), popularly called the "Cash for Clunkers" program. Here are the basic things you need to know to determine whether it's worth it to you—and how to protect yourself from scammers.  More »

    Alan Thicke Can't Save Tahiti Village Timeshare Company From Going Under
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 7:58 PM   49 Comments

    —>Even the hearty television presence of Alan Thicke couldn't help Consolidated Resorts, Inc., a company owned by Goldman Sachs that sold timeshares, from going belly up. An anonymous tipster emailed us yesterday to say that they "just laid off most of their staff, including all collections, customers service, marketing, information technology departments." And according to this insider, this is good news for consumers.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 2:59 PM   4 Comments

    —>

    • Glidden: [Paint] Starting tomorrow, free quart of paint in color of your choice.
      More »

    Man Uses New Tracking Feature To Hunt For Stolen iPhone
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 1:10 AM   135 Comments

    —>On Saturday, Kevin lost his iPhone in a bar in Chicago, and by lost we mean someone grabbed it within seconds of him leaving the bar, but no one had seen a thing when he ran back in to ask about it. Since he had the Find My iPhone service activated on it, and his friend had a Sprint 3G dongle on his laptop, they decided to see whether they could track it down. AT&T and Sprint: working together to fight crime!  More »

    NY Attorney General Shuts Down Abusive Debt Collection Operation, Puts Owner's Rap Career On Hold
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 12:53 AM   49 Comments

    —>The New York Attorney General shut down a network of debt collection agencies today that were run by convicted felon Tobias Boyland, who along with his colleagues impersonated police officers, threatened debtors with arrest, and told them they were being sued in civil court. Boyland is also an author and a musician, and he has an awesome website, bagsofmoney.us, which—warning—launches into a street-friendly rap song as soon as it loads.  More »

    How Being Lazy Costs You Money
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 12:31 AM   35 Comments

    —>Forbes is tired of you sitting around all the time staring at the TV. They've put together a list of all the ways you're losing money by not trying just a little bit harder. For example, by not taking the time to choose the best rate on your savings account (which usually means looking at online banks instead of the local one where you do your checking), you're missing out on extra interest. Another area: not paying close attention to deadlines on 0% finance offers, where one slip can cost you dearly.  More »

    Former FDA Head Says Food Manufacturers Use Sugar, Salt, And Fat To Short Circuit The Brain's Reward System
    By Chris Walters on June 24, 2009 12:17 AM   57 Comments

    —>Do you have trouble resisting the urge to scarf down that cookie/candy bar/entree? Maybe it's because somewhere upstream, experts spent lots of time and money manipulating the ingredients to deliver the consumer to a "bliss point," suggests former FDA head Dr. David A. Kessler. His book "The End of Overeating" looks at how modern food has been designed to be as irresistible and satisfying as possible.  More »

    Madoff Asks Judge For 12-Year Sentence
    By Chris Walters on June 23, 2009 3:14 PM   124 Comments

    "Mr. Madoff is currently 71 years old and has an approximate life expectancy of 13 years," wrote Sorkin, whose letter was released on Tuesday. "A prison term of 12 years - just short of an effective life sentence - will sufficiently address the goals of deterrence, protecting the public and promoting respect for the law."  More »

    Amazon Tries To Clarify Download Limits For Kindle Books, Doesn't Quite Succeed
    By Chris Walters on June 23, 2009 2:54 PM   90 Comments

    —>Dan, the Kindle owner who last week found that some of the books he'd purchased were no longer available to download due to unspecified limitations set by the publisher, spoke to more Amazon reps on Sunday. They clarified the DRM policy. Well, sort of.  More »

    If you've been a prompt-paying T-Mobile customer for 22 months or more, you can still sign up for their "Loyalty Unlimited" offering—$50/mo for unlimited calling—through the end of this month. [IntoMobile]  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 23, 2009 1:31 PM   20 Comments

    —>

    • Woot!: Woot off now in progress.
    • Amazon: [DVD Player] Toshiba HD 1080p Upscaling DVD Player $63 Shipped
    • Newegg: [Blu-Ray Drive] LITE-ON Internal 4X Blu-ray DVD Drive for $69.99 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    The New York Times takes a look at "contact scraping," which is when a website tricks you into providing access to your address book and then spams all of your friends by saying you asked them to join. Some of the offenders include Tagged.com, MyLife.com (formerly Reunion.com), and desktopdating.net. [New York Times]  More »

    It turns out X-ray glasses don't work, at least not the ones this guy in Korea was selling. [Korea Times] (Thanks to Andrew!)  More »

    HP Ruins Yet Another Laptop Repair—Three Times And Counting
    By Chris Walters on June 23, 2009 1:34 AM   78 Comments

    —>Tyler needs his laptop repaired, but he's got the bad luck to own an HP product. If you read Consumerist regularly you know that Hewlett-Packard has one of the worst track records for taking care of its customers. The last time we posted a complaint, the person who reached out to us from the corporate side was a third party at a PR firm hired by HP, if that tells you anything about how little they care about doing a good job. Read Tyler's recap below and remember it the next time you're in the market for a computer.  More »

    Traveler Detained For Carrying "Too Much" Cash Sues TSA
    By Chris Walters on June 22, 2009 10:17 PM   298 Comments

    —>Back in March, Steve Bierfeldt was pulled aside while going through the security line at Lambert-St. Louis (Missouri) International Airport, taken to a room, and questioned for half an hour about the box of cash he was trying to check through. Bierfeldt, who works for a Ron Paul organization, recorded the conversation. Now with the help of the ACLU he's suing the TSA.  More »

    Amazon Kindle Books Can Only Be Downloaded A Limited Number Of Times, And No You Cannot Find Out That Limit Before You Hit It
    By Chris Walters on June 22, 2009 9:34 PM   104 Comments
    [The CSR said] that there is always a limit to the number of times you can download a given book. Sometimes, he said, it's five or six times but at other times it may only be once or twice. And, here's the kicker folks, once you reach the cap you need to repurchase the book if you want to download it again.  More »

    Man Uses Geek Squad Badge To Impersonate Cop, Coerce Sex Out Of Prostitute
    By Chris Walters on June 22, 2009 9:00 PM   86 Comments

    —>If a man says he's a police officer and flashes a badge at you, then tells you to have sex with him or he'll arrest you, make sure the badge doesn't say Geek Squad on it first. That's what a woman says happened to her in Parsippany, New Jersey last week.  More »

    A cancer unit at the V.A Medical Center in Philadelphia "operated with virtually no outside scrutiny and botched 92 of 116 cancer treatments over a span of more than six years." The team even continued to perform surgeries for a year after a key piece of equipment broke. [New York Times] (Photo: OakleyOriginals)  More »

    EECB Finally Gets Someone At Bank Of America To Listen, Admit Responsibility
    By Chris Walters on June 22, 2009 8:03 PM   19 Comments

    —>Bank of America messed up Andy's credit score by failing to send him credit card statements or giving him online access to an old account he only recently started using again. They also refused to work with him over the phone, telling him each time he called that they had no record of his previous conversations with customer service and therefore no reason to believe him.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 22, 2009 11:55 AM   5 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • Borders: [Coffee] Free 12 oz Cup of Coffee w/ Coupon
    • Buy.com: [MP3 Player] Dane-Elec Meizu 2GB Multimedia Device for $23.50 after $15 rebate w/ Free shipping
    • ZipZoomFly: [Mouse] Kingwin Laser Mouse for $9.99 after $10 rebate w/ Free shipping
      More »

    Don't know how to take your new baby's temperature? Babyglow will take care of it for you! These new $35 outfits, which seem to be coming out in the U.K. only, change color when your infant has a fever. This makes a lot more sense than wrapping the baby in a blanket made out of color-changing coffee mugs.(Also: doesn't babyglow+fever sound radioactive?) [OhGizmo!]  More »

    Here are 5 personal finance podcasts to subscribe to, download, and argue with during your commute or workout. [Automatic Finances] (Photo: uhuru1701)  More »

    Is Nutro Ignoring Owners Of Cats Made Sick By Recalled Food?
    By Chris Walters on June 20, 2009 1:26 AM   35 Comments

    —>ConsumerAffairs.com reports that independent tests of the cat food recently recalled by Nutro does indeed contain more zinc than recommended, which was why Nutro recalled the product in the first place. However, Nutro says it's received no complaints from pet owners, while pet owners have told ConsumerAffairs.com otherwise. They say that Nutro either won't respond to them or says it's not responsible for their pets' illnesses or deaths.  More »

    Best Buy Accepts 12 Year Old Gift Certificate Without Complaint
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 9:37 PM   47 Comments

    —>Jon wrote back with the results of his attempt to redeem a gift certificate that's over a decade old.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 9:20 PM   11 Comments

    Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. This is animal week!  More »

    Pizza Hut Tries To Avoid Blame For Its Pizza, Shortens Name To "The Hut"
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 8:42 PM   119 Comments

    —>Update: To clarify, Pizza Hut isn't changing its name. It's co-adopting "The Hut" is a secondary branding mark, or something like that. (Thanks to William!)  More »

    Use this calculator to figure out just how much paint you need for your room. [MyHomeIdeas.com via Lifehacker]  More »

    New Sirius XM App For iPhone Missing All The Good Stuff
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 7:52 PM   54 Comments

    —>The new "premium" (their word) iPhone app from Sirius XM will cost $2.99 a month for customers who aren't already subscribers. It also doesn't include Howard Stern, MLB Play-by-Play, NFL Play-by-Play and Sirius Nascar Radio. Sirius blames licensing issues for most of the missing content, but not for the absence of Howard Stern, about which it won't comment.  More »

    Mindy Is Not A Beanbag
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 3:44 PM   23 Comments

    —>The founder of Sumolounge.com, an online beanbag company known for high quality products and good prices but not necessarily great follow-through on the shipping/delivery side of things, responded personally to our post yesterday on Eric's troubles with them. Among other things, he says our theory about Mindy is incorrect: "She is not a bean bag."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 3:14 PM   10 Comments

    —>

    • Eastern Mountain Sports: [Camping] Save Up to 30% off Summer Sports & Outdoor Gear
    • Amazon: [iPod] Get a Free $25 Gift Card with Purchase of Current Generation iPod Touch Models
    • WilsonsLeather: [Clothing & Accessories] Wilsons Leather Clearance Sale: Up to 75% off + extra 25% off one item
      More »

    Frederick's Of Hollywood Ripped Off Your Grandma, Back When She Dressed Sexy
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 2:55 AM   59 Comments

    —>Take a gander at page 24 of this vintage FOH catalog from 1964, scanned and uploaded by Flickr user "What Makes The Pie Shops Tick?". Their 2-for-$17.99 deal is actually more expensive than buying the items individually. It's good to know retailers are consistent, we guess.  More »

    Pixar Arranges Home Screening Of "Up" For Dying 10-Year-Old
    By Chris Walters on June 19, 2009 12:24 AM   127 Comments

    —>We know, that headline just oozes treacle. But it's for real! The family friend of a dying child cold-called Pixar's offices and guessed her way through the phone tree to a live person, then pleaded her case: the child desperately wanted to see Up, but was possibly days away from death and too sick to travel or sit in a movie theater. The next day, a Pixar employee arrived with a DVD of the movie and sat with the family while they watched it. Sometimes people can be really decent to each other.  More »

    Beanbag Chair Website May Actually Be Run By Beanbag Chairs
    By Chris Walters on June 18, 2009 11:59 PM   79 Comments

    —>Eric and his girlfriend are trying to acquire a beanbag chair from sumolounge.com, but there have been some hiccups. Eric is a former retail manager, so he's actually pretty understanding about how things can go wrong with fulfillment. Now that Mindy is just flat out ignoring him, however, he may have lost his patience. Update: The founder of sumolounge.com has responded in the comments below.  More »

    Jake Hunts For A Good Laptop
    By Chris Walters on June 18, 2009 5:05 PM   40 Comments

    —>Funny or Die has a pretty funny, nsfw parody of the current Microsoft "You find it, you keep it" commercials. Jake's in the market for a decent laptop that can meet his needs, which include a big screen, the ability to go online, and enough cash left over for some subscriptions to certain adult websites. It's basically what the real commercial would look like in a world without TV censors.  More »

    How To Protect Susceptible Relatives From Scams
    By Chris Walters on June 18, 2009 3:21 PM   57 Comments

    —>The Wall Street Journal ran an article yesterday about how to identify and protect loved ones from con artists. One of the problems with being an easy mark—say, because of reduced mental capacity or increasing isolation—is that you get put on a list and passed around to other scammers, says Karen Blumenthal, the author of the piece and a relative of one of these perpetually easy marks.  More »

    Will Best Buy Accept A Gift Certificate That's 12 Years Old?
    By Chris Walters on June 18, 2009 2:02 PM   155 Comments

    —>Jon writes:
      More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 18, 2009 12:03 PM   12 Comments

    —>

    • Skechers: [Apparel] 50% Off Apparel Purchase w/ Coupon APPAREL50
    • Dell: [Console] Nintendo DS Lite Console (3 Colors) for $110.49 w/ Coupon 65G7RQ11J?M2LH w/ Free shipping
    • Walmart: [Babies & Kids] Walmart Infant and Toddler Apparel: Deals from $1! + $1 s&h
      More »

    Edmund Scientific Jacks Up Price After Shopper Authorizes Payment
    By Chris Walters on June 18, 2009 12:56 AM   68 Comments

    Edmund Scientific has contacted me and offered to refund the $13 difference. Although they did lay some of the blame on me for clicking the link they have also said this has been a recurring problem that they will look into further.   More »

    Eddie Bauer Jumps In The Bankruptcy Pool
    By Chris Walters on June 17, 2009 9:45 PM   72 Comments

    —>Eddie Bauer is the latest retailer to file for bankruptcy, and it says it hopes to be sold outright rather than try to reorganize, refinance, or liquidate. The AP says the clothing company had "$476.1 million in assets and $426.7 million in debt at the time of the filing Wednesday with the United States Bankruptcy Court of the District of Delaware," and that by declaring Chapter 11 now it hopes to reassure suppliers and stave off impending cash flow problems.  More »

    AT&T Will Expand iPhone Upgrade Window For Early Adopters
    By Chris Walters on June 17, 2009 9:22 PM   48 Comments

    In preparation for the phone's launch on Friday, AT&T wrote today: "We've been listening to our customers. And since many of our iPhone 3G customers are early adopters and literally weeks shy of being upgrade eligible due to iPhone 3G S launching 11 months after iPhone 3G, we're extending the window of upgrade eligibility for a limited time."  More »

    More Insider Tips When Buying From Radioshack
    By Chris Walters on June 17, 2009 5:46 PM   124 Comments

    —>There's clearly no love lost between D. and D's former employer, RadioShack. A little over a year ago, D. sent us some insider tips on what to watch out for when you shop at RS. Now here comes a follow-up, with more information on cell phone sales tricks, warranty pitches, and used merchandise.  More »

    This Subway Shop In Virginia Promotes Timeshares
    By Chris Walters on June 17, 2009 4:17 PM   103 Comments

    —>Tim thought he was entering an innocent giveaway at his local Subway in Warrenton, Virginia earlier this month. Nope. It was just timeshare bait. We wish the Subway would have known better than to allow the dropbox in their store to begin with, but after reading Tim's story you'll know what to watch out for should you run into a similar contest.  More »

    Credit Card Companies Are Warming Up To Reduced Payoff Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 17, 2009 4:10 PM   45 Comments

    —>If you've fallen into a debt pit and can't make your credit card payments, and now you're watching them steadily mount with penalties, fees, and steep interest rates, consider negotiating a lower payment. The New York Times reports that while most card companies won't admit it officially, they know when they've got a customer who can't pay, and they're much more willing to settle for a lower amount than they were a year ago.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 17, 2009 11:55 AM   7 Comments

    —>

      Highlights From Buxr
    • Buy.com: [Hair] Wahl Comb 'n Cut Grooming Kit $10 + free shipping, requires PayPal (otherwise $15)
    • Jo-Ann: [Crafts] 50% off 1 regular priced item, online only, with coupon code EFD171
    • Borders: [Books] 6-in-1 printable "super coupon"
      More »

    RadioShack Sells Defective Pre As New, Gets Caught
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 11:51 PM   85 Comments

    —>Eric bought a Palm Pre from RadioShack this past weekend, but maybe he shouldn't have. Or maybe RadioShack should make sure that when a phone is returned as defective, it's not sent back out to the first unsuspecting customer as a brand new device.  More »

    Are You A Pro-Sumer? Let Bill Quain, PhD, Show You How!
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 5:32 PM   45 Comments

    —>Amway! There, we just saved you the trouble of reading Pro-Sumer Power!, Bill Quain's riveting get-rich-quick book from 2000, which Alan Scherstuhl found in a thrift store recently and recaps for your amusement over at the Village Voice. You see, producers make money. Consumers spend money. And Pro-sumers make money while they spend. Still not clear? You're a banana when you should be some sort of banana-gorilla hybrid.  More »

    Don't Give Money To Strangers Online
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 4:48 PM   86 Comments

    —>Becca Beushausen, a 26-year-old woman who went by "April's Mom" online, scammed gullible readers out of money to help pay for a fake pregnancy. Then she accidentally screwed up her scam by posting a photo of the supposed baby last week. "'It wasn't a photo of a baby at all,' said Elizabeth Russell, a mother and maker of lifelike Reborn Dolls, 'It was a doll. I have that same doll.'"  More »

    AT&T Forcing iPhone Pre-Paid Customers Into Two-Year Contracts
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 3:08 PM   66 Comments

    "This is a recommendation," the technical support person told me. "If you decide not to go, it's okay but we're informing customers that service will not be up to par."  More »

    Obama To Call For Financial Watchdog Agency
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 2:55 PM   26 Comments

    —>Tomorrow, President Obama is expected to call for the creation of a new watchdog agency that would help protect consumers from abusive credit card, mortgage, banking practices. The banking industry is not happy about the idea, reports CNN. But hey, they're just looking out for us: "It's bad for consumers," a banking industry lobbyist told the network. Oh, well, never mind then, and pass me some more delicious subprime!  More »

    Are Cellphone Exclusivity Deals Bad For Consumers?
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 12:44 PM   70 Comments

    —>Yesterday, four U.S. Senators sent a letter to FCC acting chairman Michael Copps requesting an investigation into whether exclusivity deals between handset makers and national carriers are ultimately good for consumers, and they plan to hold a hearing on the issue on Wednesday, June 16th. They join a growing number of people and organizations, including the Rural Cellular Association (RCA), who say exclusivity deals benefit no one but the carriers and manufacturers.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 12:08 PM   1 Comment

    —>

    • Best Buy: [DVDs] DVD Movie 2-Packs for $5 + $2 s&h
    • Walmart: [Grocery] Free Sample of Great Value Cereal Bars
    • AT&T Internet: [Computer Services] AT&T Wayport Wi-Fi Access for free for AT&T DSL subscribers
      More »

    These Light Blocking Curtains Are Surprisingly Easy To Locate In The Daytime
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 1:24 AM   128 Comments

    —>Dustin bought a set of Eclipse light blocking curtains at Kmart, but woke up the next day to a well-lit room and some gently glowing windows. The picture Dustin took of the curtains looks an awful lot like the "normal" ones in the official product shot.  More »

    When Can You Ignore The "Dry Clean Only" Label?
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 12:55 AM   38 Comments

    —>Karl Huie's family has been in the garment cleaning business since 1969, and since 2007 Huie has been offering "wet cleaning"—an eco-friendly alternative that uses water, soaps, and CO2. At the blog ecosalon, Huie provides some professional advice on which clothes are safest to wash at home, and when you should stick with dry cleaning, or at least professional cleaning.  More »

    Robocallers Cannot Magically Lower Your Credit Card Interest Rate
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 12:38 AM   22 Comments

    —>The Better Business Bureau and Senator Charles Schumer are warning the public to be skeptical of any calls promising to lower your credit card interest rate. While nowhere near at the public annoyance level of the recent car warranty robocaller scourge, they're still out there, automatically dialing people and promising to lower your rate for a hefty up-front fee. The only problem is, they can't do anything you can't do on your own, and unless you're crazy you're probably not going to charge yourself a thousand bucks for the service.  More »

    Man On Scooter Denied Drive-Through Coffee Service
    By Chris Walters on June 16, 2009 12:08 AM   143 Comments

    —>Here's pretty much the same story about a customer on a motorized scooter not being allowed to use the drive through, this time at a Tim Hortons coffee establishment in Nova Scotia. He's not going to sue, but plans to appeal to Nova Scotia's Human Rights Commission.  More »

    Don't Put Too Much Faith In Fortified Foods
    By Chris Walters on June 15, 2009 11:47 PM   27 Comments

    "Processing destroys nutrients, and the more processing there is, the more destruction you get," says Marion Nestle, author and professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. "Fortification adds back some nutrients, so overall you're better off with a processed fortified food than a processed unfortified one. But a whole food is always going to be superior."  More »

    White Castle Refuses To Serve Electric Scooter Rider Via Drive-Through
    By Chris Walters on June 15, 2009 8:54 PM   283 Comments

    —>A White Castle in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a 24-hour establishment, but it locks its dining room doors at 11 pm. Unfortunately, its drive-through service is restricted to customers in cars, so the employees refused to serve a 37-year-old woman who pulled up on an electric mobility scooter. Now she says she's madder than fish grease, which is pretty mad, and she wants to sue them for discriminating against customers who can't drive.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 15, 2009 3:18 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • BuyCostumes: [Seasonal] BuyCostumes.com coupon: Extra 50% off clearance items
    • AMC Theatres: [Food] Free Large Popcorn w/ Drink Purchase Coupon
    • Eddie Bauer: [Gifts] Save Up to 40% off Men's Gifts for Father's Day
    • Target: [Men's Grooming] Norelco Men's 7310 Cordless Razor for $28 + free shipping
      More »

    Shell Introduces Ice Cream That You Can Grill With
    By Chris Walters on June 12, 2009 11:44 PM   64 Comments

    —>It looks like Shell has finally figured out a way to combine the awesomeness of ice cream with the grilling power of propane. It probably doesn't taste very good, though. (Thanks to swarrior216!)  More »

    AT&T Isn't Going To Reduce iPhone Data Plans
    By Chris Walters on June 12, 2009 9:12 PM   99 Comments

    —>For a while now, there have been rumors and speculation that AT&T was considering reducing its data plan by $10 per month in an attempt to be more competitive with other carriers. Today AT&T officially put the kibosh on that scuttlebutt, which is how I write once the cocktail hour kicks in on Friday. Says an AT&T spokesman, "We've been very happy with our pricing."  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on June 12, 2009 8:52 PM   19 Comments
    Here are eight wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week and one handy weight-loss tip, all picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    If This Juice Is Made From Strawberries, Where's The Naturally Occurring Vitamin C?
    By Chris Walters on June 12, 2009 8:19 PM   54 Comments

    —>John read our post yesterday about Naked Juice's decision to remove vitamins and herbal stuff from some of their product line, and forwarded us a response he got from the company a month ago. His question: if Strawberry Kiwi Kick contains 14 strawberries, why does the nutritional label say it contains 0% vitamin C? The answer is a good reminder of the difference between fresh food and food that's been processed, conveniently packaged, and wrapped up in some healthy-looking branding.  More »

    Should I Reduce My 401k And Put The Money Toward Credit Card Debt?
    By Chris Walters on June 12, 2009 7:58 PM   51 Comments
    Given the state of the economy today, is it better for me to reduce my 401k to a minimum and use the extra funds to pay off my credit card debt? This is a good time to put money into the markets, based on my admittedly limited understanding, but with interest rates going through the roof (my personal Chase card went from 12.99 to 23.99), I would like to kick down my cc debt (now at around $6,000) faster. I'm currently only putting 6% in my 401k, and I'm fairly young (35). Have you advice for me?  More »

    What Do You Do When Family Friends Don't Provide The Furniture You Already Paid For?
    By Chris Walters on June 12, 2009 6:32 PM   86 Comments

    —>Ryan is stuck in a bad situation. His father is friends with a the guy who owns a local furniture store, and the store has failed to deliver some custom-made furniture that was fully paid for up front as a goodwill gesture. Now Ryan wants the order canceled, but the owner and his wife are refusing to cooperate.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 12, 2009 3:27 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Game] Call of Duty 4 Xbox Game for $29.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Boston Market: [Restaurant] $3 Off $6 Purchase Coupon
    • SteveMadden: [Shoes] Steve Madden Sale: Up to 67% off + free shipping
      More »

    Consumer Reports Evaluates Cool Surge Portable Air Cooler, Made By Same Folks Who Brought You The Amish Heater
    By Chris Walters on June 11, 2009 8:08 PM   83 Comments


    The company behind the "Amish man's new miracle idea"—a heater—is back! Here's Consumer Reports' evaluation of the Cool Surge.  More »

    FTC Wants Bloggers To Reveal When They're Being Compensated To Promote A Product
    By Chris Walters on June 11, 2009 6:29 PM   111 Comments

    —>You know what's worse than not having a big bag of M&Ms on your desk to enjoy while you work? Having to read a blogvertisement disguised as editorial content! Hold on, I have to eat some more M&Ms. Good gravy these are delicious. Did you know M&M's cure malaria? It's true! Anyway, the FTC says bloggers should reveal when they're being compensated in some way to promote a product, and I agree.  More »

    The malware search terms reminded me of a highly useful (and now free) iPhone app for sudoku fans. It lets you take photos of printed sudoku puzzles and converts them into digital versions you can take with you and play on your phone. [SudokuGrab]  More »

    Try These Search Terms If You Want Some Malware
    By Chris Walters on June 11, 2009 5:00 PM   66 Comments

    —>Computer virus company McAfee has assembled a list of the top search keywords that are most commonly linked to malware exposure. The winning phrases are: word unscrambler, lyrics, myspace, free music downloads, phelps, game cheats, printable fill-in puzzles, free ringtones and solitaire. In addition, the general categories that are considered riskiest are: screen savers, free games, work from home, Olympics, videos, celebrities, music and news.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 11, 2009 3:24 PM   17 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Blu-Ray] Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Skynet Edition) Blu-Ray for $14.99 + Shipping
    • Staples: [Monitor] eMachines 19-inch Dual Input LCD Flat Panel Monitor $100 Shipped
    • Sandals & Beaches Resorts: [Hotels] Sandals Resorts: Up to 65% off 3-night stays, more
      More »

    Naked Juice Removes Supplements, Now Just Boring Juice
    By Chris Walters on June 11, 2009 1:32 PM   48 Comments

    —>Bryan, a longtime Naked Juice customer, noticed that that Strawberry Kiwi Kick brand he always bought had a different colored cap. He writes, "Alas, the 'Kick' is no more. Gone are the supplements, including plain ol' Vitamin C. Strawberry Kiwi Kick is just fruit juice." When he contacted them to complain, they responded that their "devotees" preferred it that way, and they sent him a coupon and a temporary tattoo. Because if there's anything that says "we take your input seriously," it's a temporary tattoo. (Or maybe they're trying to tell him what they expect of real devotees.)  More »

    Woman Hides Life Savings In Mattress, Mattress Taken To Dump By Helpful Daughter
    By Chris Walters on June 11, 2009 12:30 PM   81 Comments

    —>A woman in Israel hid her life savings—she says nearly $1 million dollars—in her mattress. Her daughter bought her a new mattress as a surprise upgrade and threw it out. Dump employees are now searching on behalf of the family while security has been hired to keep out treasure hunters, but they don't know which of the two city dumps it was taken to. We imagine it's the one where the rats are all wearing tiny gold rings and toasting each other with little glasses of champagne.  More »

    Store Goes Out Of Business Before Delivering Crib
    By Chris Walters on June 11, 2009 12:29 AM   88 Comments

    —>Christopher and his wife bought a crib through a local store, and two and half months later they still haven't received it. Now the store is going out of business, and Christopher isn't sure what he can do to get his money back.  More »

    Hmm, This Hand Sanitizer Is Full Of Bacteria
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 11:41 PM   21 Comments

    Clarcon manufactures skin protectants and sanitizers marketed under several different brand names, including CitruShield, Dermassentials, Magic Touch, and Pure Effect. ...One such product, Magic Touch, is marketed as a lotion, an antibacterial, an antibiotic, and a germicide that is "great to apply open wounds because it helps heal the skin without scars."  More »

    More Info On Replacing An HP Laptop Motherboard
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 11:25 PM   47 Comments

    —>We asked John, who wrote to us earlier this week about replacing the motherboard in his HP laptop, to send us a link to the listing he found for $150. Below is his response.  More »

    Need Your Apple Product Fixed? Try TechRestore Or iFixIt
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 9:08 PM   25 Comments

    —>I've always relied on TechRestore for cheap upgrades or repairs on any Apple products I've owned, but if you prefer DIY repairs, try the new iFixit website, which will sell you the parts and then provide detailed guides on what to do with them.  More »

    LA Cracks Down On Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 8:35 PM   81 Comments

    —>Los Angeles seems to have a lot of trouble policing commerce-related things. Advertisers put up $100,000 illegal billboards overnight and never have to take them down, and now apparently medical marijuana stores are running rampant. The Los Angeles times says that since the city enacted a moratorium on new dispensaries in 2007, the number has grown from 186 to more than 600.  More »

    Sprint Employee Changes Customer's Name To "Pain In The A$$"?
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 8:12 PM   56 Comments

    —>Update: Some of our readers who are Sprint customers say they don't think the screenshots are legit. We asked Sprint for an opinion, and they responded, "We had noticed the post on sprintusers.com earlier today and are tracking down the answer. I'll get back to you asap." We'll post further updates when they arrive.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 12:50 PM   12 Comments
      More »

    DC Area Mall Pulls Ads That Turn Vietnam Memorial Into Store Directory
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 3:19 AM   81 Comments

    —>Tysons Corner, an upscale mall in the Washington, D.C. area, just pulled down over 400 ads that were recently posted in the city's metro system because they looked an awful lot like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, except instead of names of soldiers they had names of famous retail stores. We're sure they would have gone with soldier names if any of the soldiers offered great deals on today's hottest fashions. This is really on you, America's Finest.  More »

    When Doing Laundry, Be Careful Not To Overdose
    By Chris Walters on June 10, 2009 1:30 AM   77 Comments

    —>Our less-prone-to-hysterics sister publication Consumer Reports says some laundry detergent caps lead to overdosing when it comes to adding detergent to the wash. Why is this a problem? Aside from wasting money, leaving soap film on clothes, and increasing lint levels, it can actually damage high-efficiency washing machines.  More »

    9/11 Ruins Another Customer Experience
    By Chris Walters on June 9, 2009 5:47 PM   120 Comments

    —>Angela can't get a new American Express card because Amex can't verify her Social Security number. They have to verify it because of 9/11. Since they can't, they've canceled her application. Because of 9/11.  More »

    Think The iPhone 3G S Costs Too Much? Don't Buy It
    By Chris Walters on June 9, 2009 1:48 PM   126 Comments

    —>Apple fans around the country are foaming at the mouths over the jacked-up pricing AT&T has announced for the upgraded iPhone. AT&T apparently can't afford to subsidize the phones for existing customers, because if you currently have an iPhone and more than 6 months left on your contract, you'll have to pay $417-$517 for the newer model (that includes an $18 "upgrade" fee).  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 9, 2009 1:05 PM   16 Comments

    —>

    • Gamestop: [Video Games] HOT!!! Guitar Hero World Tour or Rock Band 2 Special Edition Bundles (PS3, Xbox 360) for $79.79 Free Shipping
    • Amazon: [Magazine] Popular Science (1 Year Subscription) for $5
    • 1-800 Contacts: [Lenses] Save an Extra $10 off Contact Lens Orders
      More »

    Congress Considers Partially Removing Tax Exemption On Employer Provided Health Benefits
    By Chris Walters on June 9, 2009 2:40 AM   243 Comments

    While details of such an approach are still sketchy, it would likely involve employees paying tax on a percentage of their employer-provided health benefits. So if Congress decided that all such premiums in excess of $11,000 for family plans would be taxable income, and your company paid premiums worth $16,000 for your coverage, you'd have to pay taxes on $5,000.  More »

    Can't Sleep? Your Best Bet Is Probably Cognitive Behavorial Therapy
    By Chris Walters on June 9, 2009 12:14 AM   84 Comments

    —>Chronic insomnia is one of those life-altering problems that seems minor at first, but builds up over time until it's negatively affecting everything in your life. The New York Times has a new article up about cost effective ways to treat it, including generic Ambien (so you can have generic sleep-sex, we guess). The treatment that seems to show the most promise is cognitive behavioral therapy, or C.B.T. Sessions cost between $100-150 each, but if your insurance won't help, there's an online self-guided version of C.B.T. for $25.  More »

    How Much Should It Cost To Replace The Motherboard On A Laptop?
    By Chris Walters on June 8, 2009 10:29 PM   236 Comments

    —>John's wife's laptop died, and his local Geek Squad wants $800 total to replace the motherboard. John says he found the motherboard for $150, and he wants to know why Geek Squad thinks it will require $650 in labor. So all you IT and geek readers out there, we ask you: is this a fair price?  More »

    The Rockstar Energy Drink/Michael Savage Connection
    By Chris Walters on June 8, 2009 10:12 PM   181 Comments

    —>Look, another update! I think I misinterpreted the point of the legal threats yesterday when I wrote this post. As Savage listeners point out in the comments below, Michael Savage has never hidden the fact that his son is the CEO of Rockstar Energy Drink. The legal threats seem to be against people who are claiming that Michael Savage is directly involved in the company, which he is not. And no, there's no behind-the-scenes shenanigans at work here making me post this; I just feel I need to clarify it after reading the comments.  More »

    TOSBack Keeps Track Of Changes To Terms Of Service Policies Around The Web
    By Chris Walters on June 8, 2009 5:20 PM   11 Comments

    —>It's difficult enough to parse a lengthy TOS for one web-based service, let alone for dozens, or to keep track of when and how they update them. It would be nice if some public-service website out there would keep track of this stuff for all of us, wouldn't it? Last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) did just that with the launch of TOSBAck.org, "the terms-of-service tracker." It tracks TOS agreements for 44 different services, including Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Twitter, and eBay.  More »

    American Express Keeps Emailing Sensitive Customer Info To A Random Stranger
    By Chris Walters on June 8, 2009 4:35 PM   37 Comments

    —>We're starting to think Amex doesn't take this whole "data security" thing very seriously. First they confused a customer, and us, a few months ago with their random confirmation phone call, where they demanded a customer turn over bank account information over the phone without giving him a way to verify they were really Amex. Now a reader says the company has "for years" been sending him someone else's account info via email, including the customer's name and the last 5 digits of his account number. J.R. writes, "Seriously, I've seen better security on a video game forum."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 8, 2009 12:24 PM   1 Comment

    —>

    • Sears: [Apparel] Spend $50 On Pants or Jeans and Get $50 Sears Reward Cash
    • OldNavy: [Men's Apparel] Old Navy: Up to 50% off men's items
    • OfficeDepot: [PC Laptop] Toshiba Intel Dual Core 2.16GHz 15" Laptop for $395 + free shipping
      More »

    Mattel Will Pay $2.3 Million Penalty For All Those Lead Toys
    By Chris Walters on June 6, 2009 2:25 AM   24 Comments

    —>Remember back when lead toys were all the rage? Oh, those dangerous days, when you couldn't lick a Dora the Explorer doll without fear of memory loss! Well, Mattel and the Consumer Prouct Safety Commission (CPSC) have reached an agreement on how much Mattel should pay for importing toys that exceeded U.S. lead safety guidelines, and the amount is $2.3 million. Maybe now the CPSC can use some of that money to grease the DC wheels and get their new chair nominee confirmed.  More »

    Give Yourself A Financial Stress Test
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 11:50 PM   9 Comments

    —>Why let banks have all the fun? Run the numbers on your own personal finances, suggests a certified financial planner in the Dallas Morning News, and see whether or not you're prepared for disruptions like a layoff or sudden interest rate increase.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 11:12 PM   14 Comments

      More »

    Reach Real Customer Service Faster With GetHuman's iPhone App
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 10:45 PM   13 Comments

    —>Gethuman, the awesome website that lists shortcuts to help find your way past automated menu trees and reach live people, now has a free standalone version for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. [gethuman]  More »

    Hotwire Partially Refunds Cost Of Non-Suite Hotel Room
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 10:25 PM   28 Comments

    —>Yesterday we mentioned that you might not want to take the "S" icon—it stands for "suite"—too seriously on a Hotwire hotel room listing, because Jeff did and ended up in a room that was definitely not a suite. When he called Hotwire, they told him that the icons only show what's offered at the hotel, not what he's actually getting.  More »

    The next time you're looking at hotels online, try www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com. Our readers recommend both sites for helping you figure out which hotels you're being offered on Priceline or Hotwire. (Thanks to bohemian and picantel!)  More »

    Jansen Medical Does Not Appreciate You Having Questions, Goodbye
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 5:26 PM   132 Comments

    —>Courtney had some questions about an order she wanted to place with Jansen Medical Supply of Houston. Their website offers large discounts on medical equipment and chairs that automatically dump grandma on the floor when it's time for her to leave. What they don't offer, however, is answers. Courtney found out the hard way, and we're not sure but we think she's been banned from ordering from them. Well, unless she disguises her voice and calls back.  More »

    Sears Settles With FTC Over Spyware Charge
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 12:35 PM   35 Comments

    —>In 2007 and 2008, Sears invited select customers to join the exclusive "My SHC Community," which involved installing an app that would monitor online browsing in exchange for $10. The app was called spyware by researchers and the FTC, because the data it collected on customers included "details from their online shopping, bank statements, drug-prescription records, video rentals, library-borrowing histories, even the names and addresses of their e-mail correspondents," as well as "data about the users' computers, printers, and other devices."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 11:00 AM   11 Comments

    —>

    • Home Depot: [Decor] Home Depot: Up to 60% off lighting
    • MacMall: [40" - 42" LCD TVs] Vizio 1080p Widescreen HDTV Roundup: 42" for $600 + $18 s&h, more
    • New Egg: [Game] Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Wii Game for $19.99 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    Here's An Example Of A Phishing Attempt On A Steam Account
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 3:55 AM   46 Comments

    —>Back in March we posted a warning about thieves masquerading as Steam in order to get into customers' accounts and download games to resell. One reader, Richard, just received this special "alert" on his Steam IM pane this evening.  More »

    Deli Owner Who Took Pity On Thief Now Faces Fine For Selling Bongs
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 3:49 AM   120 Comments

    —>It's been a busy few weeks for Mohammad Sohail, a Pakistani immigrant who owns and operates a Deli in Long Island, NY. On May 21st a masked man tried to rob him, but Sohail pulled a rifle on the guy. Then he made him promise to never rob anyone again, and handed him $40 and a loaf of bread.  More »

    Using Hotwire To Find A Hotel Room? Take Those Little Icons With A Grain Of Salt
    By Chris Walters on June 5, 2009 2:06 AM   44 Comments

    —>Update: Hotwire has partially refunded the cost of the room and clarified that if it said it was a suite, it should have been a suite. They've removed the "S" icon from the listing.  More »

    Alert: Crunchberries Are Not Real Berries
    By Chris Walters on June 4, 2009 8:54 PM   186 Comments

    —>Late last month, a U.S. District Court judge dismissed a complaint filed by a woman who said she'd been buying Cap'n Crunch's Crunch Berries cereal for four years under the assumption that crunchberries are a real berry. "The plaintiff, Janine Sugawara, alleged that she had only recently learned to her dismay that said 'berries' were in fact simply brightly-colored cereal balls."  More »

    Kellogg Will Start Adding Fiber To Most Of Its Breakfast Cereals
    By Chris Walters on June 4, 2009 8:25 PM   64 Comments

    —>Kellogg has announced that it's going to start adding fiber to about 80% of its cereal product line, beginning with Froot Loops and Apple Jacks in August and continuing into other brands through the end of 2010. The goal is to bump up the fiber per serving to 3 grams, which is the amount the government requires to label a food a good source of fiber for kids.  More »

    Watch Out For Throttling If You're On A Blockbuster Rental Plan
    By Chris Walters on June 4, 2009 4:10 PM   93 Comments

    —>Robert's recent experience with his local Blockbuster just underscores how ill-equipped the rental chain is to compete against Netflix and new-star-on-the-block Redbox. Whether Robert has caught them deliberately throttling his account, or he's just the victim of a poorly implemented system, it's not the kind of customer experience you should have to settle for anymore.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 4, 2009 11:45 AM   10 Comments

    —>

    • Krispy Kreme: [Doughnuts] Free Doughnut (Starts June 5th)
    • Meijer: [Camera] Nikon Coolpix L20 10MP Digital Camera $100
    • Newegg: [Home Theater] Rosewill Three Port HDMI Switch $35 Shipped
      More »

    Walgreens Cancels EasySaver Program, But That Doesn't Mean You Can't Still Play "The Drugstore Game"
    By Chris Walters on June 4, 2009 2:53 AM   14 Comments

    —>Mitchell wrote to us complaining about Walgreen's decision to cancel its EasySaver Rebate program, where customers could submit multiple rebate requests at once and get the money back along with a 10% bonus applied to a gift card. Although the program is no longer with us, it's still very possible to game the reward/discount systems at Walgreens and other chain drugstores to accumulate huge savings. Sometimes you can even make money back.  More »

    "Help, My Comcast Bill This Month Jumped To $457!"
    By Chris Walters on June 4, 2009 1:41 AM   146 Comments

    —>This is a sad evening for Consumerist, because this post is about Comcast sending a gigantic bill to an unsuspecting customer and yet we're going to side with Comcast.  More »

    Citibank Comes Up With Elaborate Cash Back Offer That Reduces Credit Limit And Temporarily Suspends Card
    By Chris Walters on June 4, 2009 1:01 AM   31 Comments

    —>Compared to what some other banks and card companies are doing to reduce their exposure to debt, we guess Citibank's cash back offer isn't that bad—it's sort of a "let us help you help yourself get rid of your debt" scheme. It's funny, however, if only because it's such an elaborate way to get customers to self-select for a reduction in credit.  More »

    AT&T Wireless Customer? Turn Off Phone Purchasing Power To Prevent Unauthorized Charges
    By Chris Walters on June 3, 2009 6:07 PM   39 Comments

    —>If you're managing cellphones for a family or your parents, or let's say hypothetically you have a boyfriend who says he reads Consumerist but really he doesn't or else he would have known better, you'll probably run into stupid subscription and content fees from time to time. You know how people are when it comes to fake "free" offers.  More »

    Check For Unredeemed, Matured Government Bonds
    By Chris Walters on June 3, 2009 5:34 PM   34 Comments

    —>A PR person just contacted us on behalf of the U.S. Treasury Department to point out that there are $16 billion in unredeemed bonds that are no longer earning interest. "Specifically, there are 40 million Series E savings bonds purchased between 1941 and 1978 that are over 30 years old and therefore have fully matured. They can be cashed out today for at least four times their face value."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 3, 2009 11:55 AM   6 Comments

    —>

    • Men's Wearhouse: [Apparel] Buy one Suit and Get One Free
    • Orbitz: [Travel] Save Up to 50% on Summer Sale Vacation Destinations
      More »

    Will Ferrell Introduces Sunscreen For Men
    By Chris Walters on June 3, 2009 3:44 AM   77 Comments

    —>Okay, maybe it's not just for men, but you can't help but feel studly when you look at the labels for these bottles of 30 SPF sunscreen. And yes, it's real; apparently Ferrell is pulling a Paul Newman and selling Completely Random Products for charity. In this case, the proceeds go to a scholarship fund for cancer survivors.  More »

    Self Check-Out At Supermarket Means Fewer Impulse Buys
    By Chris Walters on June 3, 2009 3:10 AM   179 Comments

    —>Consumer Reports says that the supermarket self check-out line is better on your wallet and your gut. "You'll find fewer snacks," they write, "and because of the shorter wait time, you'll have less time to contemplate a snack attack." There's even a study that shows impulse purchases dropped by nearly a third for women and a sixth for men when they chose the self check-out line. You also get to play with the scanner, touchscreen, and bag area, which is a lot more fun than just standing around. (That's right, "bag area.")  More »

    Wendy's Employee Gets Prison Time For Putting Hair In Burger
    By Chris Walters on June 2, 2009 5:26 PM   212 Comments

    —>Remember Thomas Bender? He was the Wendy's employee in West Virginia who garnished a police officer's sandwich with a ball of pubic hair earlier this year. He's just been sentenced to 6 months in prison and 2 years probation.   More »

    Woman Sprayed With Pesticide Can't Get List Of Chemicals Because They're A Trade Secret
    By Chris Walters on June 2, 2009 4:47 PM   160 Comments

    —>A North Carolina woman out walking her dog last month was sprayed in the face with a gypsy moth pesticide, and subsequently developed "a severe rash and other flu-like symptoms, breathing complications, and nausea for several days." Unfortunately, her doctor can't treat her properly because the company that makes the spray won't tell him what's in it.  More »

    This Burger King Must Look Awesome To The Corporate Office
    By Chris Walters on June 2, 2009 3:47 PM   72 Comments

    —>If we worked in fast food, we'd want to work at this Burger King, because you don't have to provide good service to score a perfect survey. You just have to give away food! Now take your free Whopper and get the hell out of here!  More »

    Are You A Deadbeat? Suddenly You're Attractive To Card Companies Again
    By Chris Walters on June 2, 2009 2:55 PM   93 Comments

    —>"Revolvers"—customers who keep a revolving balance on their credit cards—used to be the cash crop for credit card companies. But now more and more of them are turning into expensive charge-offs, and the new CARD act is going to make it harder to acquire those riskier customers anyway. As a result, card companies are beginning to look more closely at the customer who was most hated back in the credit-orgy years: the deadbeat.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 2, 2009 11:29 AM   10 Comments

    —>

    • Dell: [Smartphone] Nokia 5800 Unlocked Smartphone for $228 after $60 instant savings, 10% coupon code discount, and $50 MIR
    • Amazon.com: [TV Antennas & Receivers] Zinwell Digital-to-Analog HDTV Converter Box for $0 after DTV coupon + free shipping
      More »

    Have A Discover Card? Check Your Due Date For June
    By Chris Walters on June 1, 2009 5:31 PM   78 Comments

    —>An anonymous reader says both his and his wife's Discover cards—the accounts are separate—had their due dates moved up by four days in June. He called Discover, "and they stated that they sent out notices in the mail 45 days in advance warning of the change, which I don't remember seeing. Regardless, they were able to revert my due date starting in July. You may want to have your readers closely check their Discover Card statements."  More »

    Buy Your Dead Fish For Less At Walmart
    By Chris Walters on June 1, 2009 5:17 PM   112 Comments

    —>A reader sent us the following pics of the neglected aquariums in her local Walmart in Carmi, Illinois. She complained to a manager, but when she checked back "several hours later," the tanks remained untouched. Well, the dead fish were probably slightly smaller, since the remaining live fish were eating them.  More »

    "Why Is CVS Automatically Refilling My Prescriptions?"
    By Chris Walters on June 1, 2009 4:58 PM   87 Comments

    It took three calls from CVS' automated reminder service for me to realize what was going on: CVS Pharmacy was refilling our prescriptions without our asking for them to be refilled, and then their automated dialer was calling us to notify us that we had a prescription waiting. Nobody in my family requested to have a prescription refilled, yet three times CVS called us to tell us to come and pick up our prescription.  More »

    More cheap online eyeglass sources for the focus-challenged among us: Optical4less and Goggles4U. Yeah, they sound like scam sites, but Kevin Kelly vouches for them. [Cool Tools]  More »

    Sony Adding All Songs Over Two Years Old To EMusic; EMusic Raising Prices
    By Chris Walters on June 1, 2009 12:33 PM   49 Comments

    —>Although eMusic is a great service—for a flat monthly fee, you get a set number of downloads per month of DRM-free music tracks—it's about to get better. Or maybe worse, depending on the breadth of your musical tastes. Today eMusic will announce that Sony is adding its back catalog of songs to eMusic's library. The bad news is that eMusic also plans to slightly raise prices and/or drop the number of downloads per month. Even if it works out to between 50-60 cents per track, though, that's still far less than iTunes Music Store or Amazon, and probably the cheapest way to grab music from Sony artists without resorting to piracy.  More »

    Want to see the top 10 biggest bankruptcies in U.S. history so far? [Fortune]  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on June 1, 2009 11:30 AM   17 Comments

    —>

    • Galileoscope : [Astronomy] Telescope 17x-50x 50mm for $15 + $9 Shipping
    • Riesling: [Tote] Free Reusable Tote Bag (while supplies last)
    • Bargain Outfitters: [Pillows] 4-Pack of Down Feather Pillows for $19.97 w/ Coupon BF282 + $1 Shipping
      More »

    On Sunday, a judge approved the sale of nearly all of Chrysler's assets to a group led by Italy-based Fiat. [BBC]  More »

    GM Files For Bankruptcy Today
    By Chris Walters on June 1, 2009 9:58 AM   57 Comments

    —>After failing to get its debt-for-stock offer approved last week, and missing the June 1st deadline for concessions from creditors and its union, GM will file for bankruptcy later today. Reuters notes that its filing will be the third-largest in U.S. history, after Lehman Bros and Washington Mutual, and the largest ever in manufacturing.  More »

    This Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant Is Really Concerned About Your Sugar Intake
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 9:00 PM   166 Comments

    —>Of all the weird encounters to have on an airplane, we never would have expected to have a flight attendant point out just how bad a full can of soda is for you. That's what happened to Laura, though.  More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 4:53 PM   19 Comments
    Here are seven wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Take a peek!  More »

    County Sells Wachovia Bank For $16,900 For Failure To Pay Taxes
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 3:44 PM   50 Comments

    —>When Wachovia closed its bank branch in Shoemakersville, PA, last month, a spokesperson made it sound like it was part of a normal review of locations. Local newspaper the Reading Eagle, however, found out that the bank lost the branch last September in a tax sale, when a local company bought the building for only $16,900.  More »

    Another Angry McDonald's Customer Calls 911; Angry Employee Also Calls 911
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 3:16 PM   135 Comments

    —>A 20-year-old in Aloha, Oregon, called 911 on Memorial Day to complain that he wasn't given the orange juice he ordered. While he was on the phone describing this emergency, a McDonald's employee also called 911 to complain that the 20-year-old was blocking the drive-thru. And somewhere in the city, a kitten died in a tree fire because the emergency lines were all tied up. UPDATE: We've located the audio of both calls.  More »

    Is That Person At Your Door A Real Census Worker?
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 2:51 PM   172 Comments

    —>The Census is starting up again, and the Better Business Bureau wants to remind people to use reason and caution when answering the door. You're required by law to answer Census questions, but scammers may pose as legit Census workers and take advantage of the situation. "Law enforcement in several states have issued warnings that scammers are already posing as Census Bureau employees and knocking on doors asking for donations and Social Security numbers." Here's how to identify a real U.S. Census worker.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 12:57 PM   6 Comments

    —>

    • Skull Candy: [Headphones] 50% Off Select Headphones and Earbuds
    • Newegg: [PC Video Games] Newegg $10 PC Video Game Sale
    • Borders: [Coffee] Free Small Coffee + Five More Coupons
      More »

    Update: Verizon Changes Mind, Says It Will Give Refunds To Storm Victims If They Ask For Them
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 2:33 AM   34 Comments

    —>Since we first posted this, Verizon has changed its mind and announced that it will provide service credits to storm victims in Southern Illinois who were without service for most of the month. The credits won't be automatic; to qualify for them, affected residents must call 800-837-4966 (1-800-VERIZON) to tell the company that they were without service.  More »

    Here Are 30 Money Saving Twitterers To Follow
    By Chris Walters on May 29, 2009 2:08 AM   10 Comments

    —>Savings.com has put together a list of 30 of the most followed people on Twitter who offer tips on good deals. Of course, savings.com readers have already started adding alternates in the comments below the list. Feel free to make your own suggestions after the jump.  More »

    Best Buy Employees Find $10,000 Hidden In Computer Tower
    By Chris Walters on May 28, 2009 4:43 PM   176 Comments

    —>A man in St. Louis dropped off his computer for repair at the area Best Buy, but apparently forgot that he was also using it as a bank. "Employees at a Best Buy store in South County discovered about $10,000 cash inside," writes the St. Louis Post Dispatch.  More »

    Visa Black Card Comes With A Sense Of Self Importance, $495 Annual Fee
    By Chris Walters on May 28, 2009 3:23 PM   118 Comments

    —>Two different readers recently received an application for the Visa Black Card from Barclays. With its "patent pending carbon" material and "exclusive rewards program," it's not for everyone. With its $495 annual fee (plus another $195 per each authorized user), it's not for anyone, not even the supposed 1% of the population Barclays says they're marketing it to. We take that back—if Gob Bluth could get his own credit card, this would be the one he'd sign up for. C'mon!  More »

    Finally, A Competitor To The ShamWow Has Arrived
    By Chris Walters on May 28, 2009 2:31 PM   41 Comments

    —>There's this new towel technology that Steve here is showing off, and it's got us pretty impressed. We may have finally found something to replace all of our ShamWows.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 28, 2009 1:36 PM   19 Comments

    —>

    • Southwest Airlines Vacations: [Travel] New Southwest Airlines Vacations Coupon Codes (Las Vegas Specials & More)
    • Walmart: [TV] Sanyo 42" LCD HDTV with for $628 + Shipping
    • Burt's Bees: [Freebies] 1000 free lip balm coupons given away each day between 9-12 ET(Thanks to Saberpilot!)
    • Wakeside: [Clothing] 50% off one item with coupon code 09DUDS (Thanks to Tim!)
      More »

    In GM Bankruptcy Plan, Government Will Select New Board Of Directors
    By Chris Walters on May 28, 2009 1:59 AM   63 Comments

    —>Let's say the U.S. has poured billions of dollars into a failing company. How strongly should it try to protect that money once the company files for bankruptcy? The Washington Post is reporting that the plan for GM—which may go belly up as early as Monday—is for federal officials to select 5 or 6 of the company's new board members, and have a say over which 6 of the existing board will remain. The UAW gets to choose another, and Canada might possibly be given one slot to fill. The rest of us will probably just get t-shirts or a souvenir mug.  More »

    Ordered From ProFlowers.com? Check Your Statements For Easy Saver
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 6:14 PM   45 Comments

    —>Mark has been taking a closer look at his finances and discovered a recurring monthly charge from some company called Easy Saver (easysaverrewards.com). He's not sure where he supposedly signed up for the service, but his online search revealed a potential connection that he thinks others might want know about.  More »

    How To Tell If You Have Religious Food
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 5:44 PM   68 Comments
    Last week, a couple in Dallas discovered a Jesus-shaped Cheeto in their bag of Cheetos. They promptly named it Cheesus, which is a masterstroke of marketing (although not that original, it turns out), and are considering auctioning it off on eBay—with the implied threat that if it doesn't sell, they may just eat it. The big question you may be asking yourself now is, "How can I get in on this racket?" More »

    Get Ahead By Working For Yourself One Hour Each Day
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 4:15 PM   107 Comments

    —>For most people, their career is their most valuable financial asset. But for those willing to make the effort, even a small one, there might be something even more valuable—a side business that could potentially turn into a very large source of income.  More »

    Wachovia Sends Out Its Own "Free Credit Report!" Offer To Customers
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 4:02 PM   27 Comments

    —>Tom just received a great offer from his bank. He can receive a free credit report just by peeling off this sticker and affixing it to another part of the same page. That's right, a free motherloving credit report! Who doesn't want one of those? Free, you say? Sign me up!  More »

    Customer Drops Off Car At Dealership For Repairs, Gets Tires And Wheels Stolen Instead
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 3:38 PM   93 Comments

    —>Before you drop off your car at your local dealership for any sort of repairs, make sure you're clear on the chain of liability should anything happen to it—especially right now, when dealerships can barely afford those flappy air things, much less tires. A woman in Charlotte, NC was left with around $1,000 in damages when the tires and wheels were stolen from the 2005 Audi she'd left with the dealership over the weekend.  More »

    CVS Can't Get Its Billing Straight, Tells Patient He Has To Pay For His Own Kidney Transplant Meds
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 2:04 PM   99 Comments

    —>Chris has to take the immunosuppressant drug Prograf because of a kidney transplant, and it costs nearly $300 for a one month supply. Yesterday, he found out that someone at CVS corporate has instructed his local pharmacist to start billing him directly, apparently because his secondary insurer hasn't been paying for nearly two years.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 12:19 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • Musician's Friend: [Musical Instruments] MusiciansFriend.com Warehouse Clearance Blowout: Up to 96% off
    • Buy.com: [Antivirus] Norton AntiVirus 2009 3 User Pack $31 Shipped
      More »

    Kroger Receipt Comes With Mastercard Application Attached
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 12:33 AM   41 Comments

    —>Hey, grocery shopper! You look like a responsible consumer, what with your grocery buying and standing upright. Why not take a moment to fill out an impulse-buy credit card application? If you're approved, we'll give you $25 you can spend on your first charge!  More »

    GM Bondholders Say No To Debt-For-Stock Offer
    By Chris Walters on May 27, 2009 12:16 AM   37 Comments

    —>GM's debt-for-stock offer to its bondholders expires tonight. The company needs 90% of the bondholders to agree but has a fraction of that, notes CNN, which almost assures a bankruptcy filing in the coming days. We say "almost" because it's possible the Treasury Department will extend talks with bondholders until June 1st, when GM's other deadlines hit.  More »

    WSJ Asks, "Is Your Home A Good Investment?"
    By Chris Walters on May 26, 2009 11:36 PM   122 Comments

    —>Brett Arends at The Wall Street Journal has compared Case-Shiller house price data to annual inflation rates, and speculates that owning a home may not be a very good investment. "You can often do better on long-term inflation protected government bonds," he writes.  More »

    There's a new free app for the iPhone called Audiobooks that connects you to 1800 public domain recordings, mostly of classic books. [TUAW]  More »

    Study Shows Mortuaries Vary Widely In Pricing
    By Chris Walters on May 26, 2009 5:40 PM   54 Comments

    —>A non-profit group recently surveyed the prices at 49 different mortuaries and crematoriums in San Diego, and found that "prices vary widely, with some mortuaries charging nearly twice as much as others for similar combinations of services." Although the study focuses on one city, it's a good reminder that you should check around and not assume that pricing is consistent throughout the industry.  More »

    If you own a Kindle, you can now access your notes and highlights via the web at kindle.amazon.com. [TechCrunch]  More »

    Credit Card Processors Launch A New Strategy To Defeat Theft
    By Chris Walters on May 26, 2009 4:41 PM   21 Comments

    —>This fall, credit card processors will being rolling out a new approach to preventing data theft, based on the assumption that it's impossible to thwart every attack. Instead of keeping 100% of criminals out, they'll segment and encrypt the data into such small chunks that it will no longer be a cost-effective crime.  More »

    Here's A Cheap Way To Install Solar Panels On Your House
    By Chris Walters on May 26, 2009 3:21 PM   60 Comments

    —>Cool Tools has an interesting suggestion for home owners who want to incorporate solar technology, but can't afford the steep investment costs: let the solar panel company finance it for you. The trade-off is you won't save as much money as you would if you paid for them outright, but you will save some money, and the company that's paying for the panels has a financial incentive to keep them working properly over the course of the agreement.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 26, 2009 2:07 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Newegg.com: [MP3 Player] SanDisk Sansa View 16GB MP3 Player (Refurb) $69.99 Free Shipping
    • Dell: [Monitor] 20" HD Flat-Panel LCD Monitor for $109 w/ Free shipping
    • Home Depot: [Tools And Hardware] Home Depot Father's Day Sale: 12-in-1 Ratcheting Screwdriver for $5 + $7 s&h, more
      More »

    Which Parts Of The Country Are Carrying The Most Credit Card Debt?
    By Chris Walters on May 25, 2009 4:40 PM   28 Comments

    —>Forbes wanted to know which states had the highest average balances per household in May, so they took the total amount of debt in 50 major metropolitan areas, divided that by the number of households, then divided that by the median household income for that area for May. Here are some of their results.  More »

    Car Ad On Craigslist Has Hidden Paragraph On Hitler
    By Chris Walters on May 25, 2009 4:03 PM   41 Comments

    —>Our commenter Zorantor discovered a weird, uh, can you call this an Easter egg?, buried at the bottom of a Craigslist post last night:
      More »

    Hank Paulson Admits He Never Really Understood How Mortgage-Backed Securities Worked
    By Chris Walters on May 25, 2009 3:04 PM   21 Comments

    —>Here's more proof that the people who probably should have known how they were making all that housing bubble money never did—even those who personally made tens of millions off of it. The Business blog at The Atlantic notes a quote Hank Paulson, former Goldman Sachs CEO and Treasury Secretary, gave Newsweek: "I didn't understand the retail market; I just wasn't close to it."  More »

    Are Walmart's New Shopping Carts Shocking Customers?
    By Chris Walters on May 25, 2009 2:22 PM   129 Comments

    —>We received a strange tip from Steve, who says the new shopping carts in his local Walmart shock him every time he touches them. He says he saw another shopper get shocked as well, and that a cashier confirmed it. Has anyone else experienced this?  More »

    Expensive Purchases Are Like Peacock Feathers, Except They Don't Work
    By Chris Walters on May 25, 2009 1:22 PM   64 Comments

    —>Geoffrey Miller, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of New Mexico, says marketers are trying too hard to find a working model of why people spend money the way they do. It really comes down to the human equivalent of "cost signaling" in the animal world—a sort of "peacock feather" display that's supposed to tell peers and prospective mates how smart or sophisticated we are. The only problem is, other people never fall for it.  More »

    Grocery Shrink Ray Extends To Propane Refills
    By Chris Walters on May 25, 2009 12:11 PM   65 Comments

    —>When the cost of propane shot up to $1.70 or more per gallon last year, propane dealers quietly cut the amount they were putting into refilled tanks without telling customers. Now the cost of propane is under a dollar per gallon, but retailers aren't increasing the amount back to previous levels.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 25, 2009 11:42 AM   1 Comment

    —>

    • Marvel Shop: [Comics] 15% off everything through midnight Monday, May 25th
    • EMS: [Clothing] Up to 30% off Apparel, Shoes & Gear
    • Best Buy: [HD Camcorder] Insignia 5-megapixel 720p HD Camcorder for $99 + free shipping
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on May 22, 2009 7:08 PM   37 Comments
    Here are six wonderful photos and one funny one that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out!  More »

    IKEA's Memorial Day Deals Sound Nice If You Can Find Them
    By Chris Walters on May 22, 2009 6:26 PM   85 Comments

    —>One thing we've always hated about shopping at IKEA is how their inventory varies so much from website to store to store, making it hard to track down something you wanted to purchase. Their big Memorial Day sale is no better. Tracy was checking out the website and flyers for the sale and noticed some fine print at the bottom.  More »

    Man Who Poisoned Children In Campbell's Soup Fraud Sentenced To 100 Years
    By Chris Walters on May 22, 2009 5:58 PM   106 Comments

    —>In January 2006, William Cunningham laced soup with lighter fluid, peppers, and eventually Prozac and Amitriptyline, then fed it to his 18-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son. He then claimed the soup had been tampered with and threatened to sue Campbell Soup if they didn't pay up. Yesterday he was sentenced to 100 years in prison.  More »

    Seth Green Gives Sound Financial Advice In Special Cribs Clip
    By Chris Walters on May 22, 2009 5:28 PM   78 Comments

    —>Seth Green takes you on a tour of his crib in this clip from Un-Broke, a financial program airing next Friday on ABC. "BOOM! That's math all over your face!"  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 22, 2009 2:34 PM   5 Comments

    —>

    • Invisible Shield: [Electronics Protection] Zagg Invisible Shield Coupon Code 50% off Storewide (Protect Your Portable Electronics Discreetly)
    • Lane Bryant: [Apparel] 50% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon L0520A
    • Amazon: [Blackberry] T-Mobile Blackberry Curve 8900 Phone 1 Cent Shipped (w/new activation)
      More »

    Banks Use Life Insurance Policies To Fund Executive Bonuses
    By Chris Walters on May 22, 2009 12:16 AM   66 Comments

    —>Here's a morbid bit of creative accounting, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal: if you work for Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, or Wells Fargo, your employer may have taken out a life insurance policy on you.  More »

    U.S. Airways Gives Away Passenger's Seat, Lies About Her Being Late
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 11:51 PM   165 Comments

    —>It sounds like someone at Ronald Reagan National Airport decided to solve an overbooking problem by cheating Frankie's girlfriend out of her flight, and then someone else there decided to blame her for it. Despite arriving at the airport before 7pm for a 7:35pm flight, they insisted to her that she'd missed the 30-minute cutoff and lost her seat.  More »

    Reader Asks, "Is It Impossible To Unsubscribe From Classmates.com?"
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 6:16 PM   51 Comments

    —>Yes.  More »

    Woman Says T-Mobile Sent Her Kiddie Porn Instead Of Ringtone
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 5:50 PM   60 Comments

    —>A T-Mobile customer in Oregon purchased a Modest Mouse ringtone from T-Mobile, but she says what was sent to her phone instead was a pornographic picture of what appeared to be a child. Everyone can calm down, though—T-Mobile assured her that they wouldn't charge her for it.  More »

    Man Goes Crazy, Gets Tasered After Store Refuses To Let Him Use Bathroom
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 5:08 PM   87 Comments

    —>Village Lighting in Bellingham, Washington refused to let a 29-year-old man use their bathroom, and the man retaliated by going completely batshit insane on them.  More »

    Capital One Changes Everything But The Design On Customer's Card
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 4:56 PM   66 Comments

    —>We're starting to think Capital One isn't just hurting financially, but also throwing a temper tantrum about the new credit card legislation. Eric received notice that they're converting his current fixed rate to a "promotional rate." In January 2011 they'll switch it over to an adjustable rate and hike it to 17.9% (it's currently 9.9%). Erik has until July 28th to agree to the new terms or they'll close the account on August 2nd, 2009.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 2:31 PM   6 Comments

    —>

    • Wendy's: [Restaurant] Buy One Get One Free Frosty Coupon
    • GoGamer: [Video Games] GoGamer 48hr Madness Sale (Prince of Persia $17.99, End Wars $12.90, Sacred 2 $39.90)
    • MacMall: [Digital Camera] Olympus Stylus 1040 10MP Camera + 1GB Card $100
      More »

    Sprint Customer Receives Fake-Looking Phone Bill
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 2:38 AM   79 Comments

    —>Update: Lloyd, a Sprint "Customer Experience" Manager, wrote in to let us know that the bill below is indeed legitimate:
      More »

    Here's How The CARD Act Will Actually Change Credit Cards
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 2:25 AM   122 Comments

    —>Bob Sullivan at MSNBC—who coincidentally was one of the speakers at our event last night—has published a list of myths and facts about the new credit card bill. His article dispels some of the misinformation that's out there right now about just what the act does, and what card companies are going to do in retaliation.  More »

    Bad Luck Facebook Scammer, You Picked A Target Who Reads Consumerist
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 1:55 AM   75 Comments

    —>When some lowlife tried to scam Andy the other day through his friend's hijacked Gmail account, Andy tried to get him to use PayPal, and he came up with a great reason why. "It's the fastest way to send money," Andy told the scammer. "Once I deposit the funds, you can print it out of any color printer and it's real money!" Another reader was so amused by it that she decided to use it on her own Facebook scammer earlier today.  More »

    Man Assaults Chuck E. Cheese During Kiddie Attack
    By Chris Walters on May 21, 2009 12:00 AM   54 Comments

    —>A 34-year-old man in Massachusetts will pay a $500 fine for ripping off the head of Chuck E. Cheese and yelling at the guy inside, says WBZTV. The man was angry that Cheese had allegedly pinned his child against a video game machine while trying to escape a swarm of children who were hopped up on skee-ball and pizza.  More »

    You Had A Cat. Here Are Some Cat Ashes. Problem Solved!
    By Chris Walters on May 20, 2009 4:33 PM   89 Comments

    —>How do you verify the identity of your cat after he's been cremated? Matthew has no idea if the box he received really contains Spike's cremains or the cremains of someone else's pet. His vet offered to print out a new certificate with the correct name on it, but that seems less like a "solution" than a "waste of printer ink" designed to placate without providing answers.  More »

    Gamestop Decides To Charge The Higher Of Two Sticker Prices, Won't Refund Difference
    By Chris Walters on May 20, 2009 3:57 PM   72 Comments

    —>Matt bought a used game from Gamestop, and there were two prices on the case. Instead of being charged the lower $14.99 price, the cashier charged him $19.99. Matt only noticed this after he left the store, so he returned and asked for an adjustment. The cashier refused, then tried to remove the cheaper tag in front of Matt. Update: Matt spoke with a District Manager and got a full refund.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 20, 2009 2:08 PM   8 Comments

    —>

    • Dell Home: [Cell Phone] Nokia E63 Cell Phone (Unlocked, Quad-Band GSM, 3G) $149.99AR Free Shipping
    • Newegg: [LCD] Asus VW161D 15.6-inch LCD Monitor $70 Shipped
    • Walgreens: [Drugstore] $5 off in store purchase of $25 or more. Also $5 off online photo gift orders of $15 or more.
      More »

    Details On U.S. Cellular's Battery Swap Program
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 10:04 PM   45 Comments

    —> We asked U.S. Cellular to provide us more details of how their battery swap program works. Basically, it's not meant to provide a one-off swap of an old battery for a new one; instead, the program is designed so that you can use it repeatedly to refresh your phone's power if you're caught away from an outlet and running low on juice.  More »

    Reader Has Amazing Best Buy Experience
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 9:12 PM   116 Comments

    —>Our reader The_Lone_Gunman just had a great experience with the Best Buy in Irving, Texas. Snark fails us at a time like this, so we'll just humbly print his email.  More »

    Isis Bridal Tells Woman With MS To Get Out
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 8:40 PM   229 Comments

    —>Ooo, you nasty! With your service animal! Get out of here! That's the new informal slogan of Isis Bridal & Formal in Dallas after news broke that they kicked out a 62-year-old grandmother with multiple sclerosis, because they were worried her service dog would get service dog cooties all over the dresses.  More »

    Target Saves You Money In Ways You Can Only Imagine
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 8:09 PM   74 Comments

    —>Target continues its rebranding as the Duchamp of retail stores, with this receipt that indicates savings where no savings ever existed. Or perhaps multi-dimensional savings; we can't pretend to know what Target sees when it stares into the void. Mark notes, "The cookies were on sale, as indicated. The cascade, I had a coupon for it to be free. Total savings should be $4.23. The receipt says $7.37. Maybe it's a conspiracy since it is the Love Field (near the airport) in Dallas where Southwest flies only 737s." That's as good an explanation as any, Mark. Maybe you should work for Target?  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 12:15 PM   4 Comments

    —>

    • Dell: [Video Games] Sony PSP Slim for $145 w/ Coupon 65G7RQ11J?M2LH w/ Free shipping
    • BestBuy: [iTunes MP3s] $30 Apple iTunes Gift Cards (3 x $10) $25 w/ Free Shipping & No Tax
    • Sears: [Tools And Hardware] Weatherbeater Epoxy Garage Floor Coating for $30 + pickup

      More »

    Sears Pays $10 In Coupons For Your Email Address
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 2:48 AM   46 Comments

    —>Max wants to know why he hasn't received the $10 gift certificate that the cashier at Sears promised him for turning over an email address to receive marketing messages. We contacted Sears and found out what's actually going on.  More »

    Watch Out For Fraudulent ITunes Purchases, Whether You Have An ITunes Account Or Not
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 2:22 AM   35 Comments

    I woke up this morning to an email stating I had made two $50 gift card purchases [on iTunes Music Store]. I contacted my bank and apple, then did a google search and found that many others had the same thing happen to them.  More »

    Blockbuster Busted For Overcharging Customers, Must Pay $300k
    By Chris Walters on May 19, 2009 1:54 AM   47 Comments

    —>What do you do when the foundation to your business is crumbling and bankrupcty lurks like the Grim Reaper just outside your drop box? If you're Blockbuster, apparently you charge customers more at the register than what's displayed on the product, at least in California.   More »

    HealthyBack Forces Free Pillows On Customer, Then Charges Him $120
    By Chris Walters on May 18, 2009 8:47 PM   56 Comments

    —>Tony bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress from healthyback.com last December, and they sent him two pillows as a "free gift." Tony didn't want the pillows, but HealthyBack refused to take them back, and assured him they were part of a promotion.  More »

    Landlord And Service Tech Call Tenant A Nerdy Dipshit
    By Chris Walters on May 18, 2009 6:30 PM   123 Comments

    —>The wireless Internet connection at Ari's new apartment isn't very useful. Neither is his landlord, or the support tech who's supposed to troubleshoot this kind of stuff.  More »

    Uh Oh, Someone Has Sued Suze Orman For Fraud
    By Chris Walters on May 18, 2009 2:37 PM   40 Comments

    —>But not for her advice* or her fashion sense, as you might expect. In addition to doling out advice on TV and in books, Orman is a licensed insurance broker in California, and in 1999 her firm the Suze Orman Financial Group sold some long-term care insurance to Ann Garat, who developed ovarian cancer two years later. When Garat filed a claim, CNA Financial—the issuer of the insurance—rejected it, saying their fine print stipulated it wouldn't cover care from family members.  More »

    If you own a G1 phone from T-Mobile, Google has added a special barcode scanning feature to its Product Search page just for you. Yeah, you've already got other barcode scanning apps, but this one integrates with Google's search functionality so you can scan and see product search results in Google immediately. [Phandroid]  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 18, 2009 1:48 PM   9 Comments

    —>

    • Champion USA: [Sportswear] Shorts on Sale from $9 per Pair
    • Eye Buy Direct: [Eye Glasses] Techbargains Exclusive 30% off Coupon Code (Eye Glasses Starting At $5.60)
      More »

    Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
    By Chris Walters on May 16, 2009 12:53 AM   15 Comments

      More »

    US Cellular Offering Free Battery Replacements To Customers
    By Chris Walters on May 15, 2009 7:34 PM   7 Comments

    —>If you bought your cellphone from US Cellular in the past 18 months, as of this week you can get your phone's battery replaced for free. We've contacted US Cellular to ask them to answer a couple of questions, namely whether the replacement battery is brand new and whether a customer can swap more than once. If they get back to us, we'll post an update. In the meantime, if you're a customer of theirs and your phone's battery is dying, just stop by any US Cellular store to make the exchange.  More »

    Your Credit Card Company Is Building A Psychological Profile Of You
    By Chris Walters on May 15, 2009 6:59 PM   85 Comments

    —>The next time you apply for a credit card, your credit report and income will be only a part of the criteria used to determine your creditworthiness. For that matter, as long as you have the card, what you use it for will be noted and added to a growing set of data that makes up your psychological profile, which will then be referred to every time the bank deals with your or reevaluates your risk as a customer.  More »

    REI Says ATM Photographer Is Welcome In Their Store Any Time
    By Chris Walters on May 15, 2009 2:46 PM   98 Comments

    —>REI's Director of Corporate Communications contacted us with an official statement about the recent showdown between two Loomis security guards and a customer with an iPhone at one of their Seattle stores. She says despite the document Shane says he was forced to sign at the police station, he is not banned from their stores. Below is REI's official statement.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 15, 2009 2:30 PM   14 Comments

    —>

    • Meritline: [Flashlight] 3 in 1 Interchangeable Transformative Robot LED Flashlight/Nightlight for $6 + free shipping
    • Levi's: [Clothing] Friends and Family Event - 40% Off your Purchase
    • Arby's: [Food] Free Wednesday Offers all summer. Call ahead, participation varies.
      More »

    Chrysler Will Close One Fourth Of Its Dealerships Next Month
    By Chris Walters on May 15, 2009 12:50 AM   67 Comments

    Mark Calisi, 47, who owns Eagle Auto-Mall in Riverhead, New York, says he was "devastated" to learn that his dealership would be closed. He said Chrysler accounts for a third of his business, which also sells Volvo, Mazda and Kia, and that on Thursday he had to sack 30 of his 100 employees.  More »

    If we owned a Blockbuster franchise, we'd seriously think about just renting out the space to a bunch of Redbox kiosks. Blockbuster reported a 42% drop in revenue for the first quarter of 2009, which CEO Jim Keyes blamed on people going out to watch movies at theaters instead. Regarding the Redbox threat, Keyes said they hope to have 3,000 kiosks functioning by the end of the year. Redbox, on the other hand, has about 12,000. [Reuters]  More »

    Fake Dunkin' Donuts Employee Sneaks Into Stores, Steals Purses
    By Chris Walters on May 14, 2009 11:41 PM   75 Comments

    —>If you live in Fall River, Massachusetts, and work at one of the town's Dunkin' Donuts stores, watch out for fake employees! A woman has been walking into the DD stores dressed in an employee uniform and going into the back, where she promptly steals real employees' purses. When confronted at one of the stores, the thief told the workers that "she was there to pick up beans for another store and a note should have been left on the manager's door." When the employees went to look for the note, she left.  More »

    CARD Act Will Also Prevent Gift Cards From Expiring For Five Years
    By Chris Walters on May 14, 2009 6:54 PM   30 Comments

    —>One unexpected benefit of the CARD Act, if it passes the Senate vote, is that Senator Charles Schumer of New York has included a provision that prevents abusive gift card practices.  More »

    U.S. Fidelis Hires Former Attorney General Ashcroft's Law Firm
    By Chris Walters on May 14, 2009 5:16 PM   52 Comments

    —>U.S. Fidelis, the auto warranty company that's currently being investigated by 40 state attorneys general for questionable business practices, has hired the law firm headed by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. The firm won't represent the company in litigation, but is supposed to provide an internal review of their practices. They'll also provide draping cloths for any immodest statuary, and wiretap kits for employees of interest. Hey, it's hard to do topical humor on someone who's been out of office for 4 years.  More »

    If This SPF Goes Any Higher, My Sunscreen Will Turn Into Aluminum Foil
    By Chris Walters on May 14, 2009 4:21 PM   64 Comments

    The difference in UVB protection between an SPF 100 and SPF 50 is marginal. Far from offering double the blockage, SPF 100 blocks 99 percent of UVB rays, while SPF 50 blocks 98 percent. (SPF 30, that old-timer, holds its own, deflecting 96.7 percent).  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 14, 2009 11:33 AM   25 Comments

    —>

    • Dannon: [Grocery] Up To $12 Refund On Activa Yogurt (Activa Challenge)
    • Newegg: [Cell Phones] Unlocked LG Shine KP220 Bluetooth Camera Phone for $70 + free shipping
    • Graveyard Mall: [Office Supplies] Six Lbs. of Pens (about 318 pens) for $14 + $6 s&h
      More »

    RadioShack Electronics Trade-In Program Not The Fastest Way To Get Cash
    By Chris Walters on May 14, 2009 2:03 AM   27 Comments

    —>A Dallas Morning News blogger decided to test out RadioShack's new trade-in program, where you mail them your unwanted cellphone, for example, and they mail you a gift card, which you can then turn around and use to buy 7,000 house brand AAA batteries. As you might expect, RadioShack didn't offer him as much money for his Blackberry Storm as he saw them going for on eBay, but the real problem came from the missed deadlines and delays in getting his gift card: what they said would take one week ended up taking 5 1/2 weeks, and might have taken longer had he not emailed them.  More »

    "Langostino Lobster" More Closely Related To Hermit Crab Than To Lobster
    By Chris Walters on May 14, 2009 1:13 AM   95 Comments

    —>If you see the word "langostino" in front of "lobster" at your local seafood fast food chain (*cough* Long John Silvers), make sure you understand what it is you're about to eat. In the US, langostino can refer to squat lobster, pelagic crab or Colorado langostino—all types of shellfish, and more closely related to crabs and, yes, hermit crabs than to lobsters. "Sweet Buttery Hermit Handfuls" wouldn't be any more accurate than "Buttered Langostino Lobster Bites," but it wouldn't be any less accurate, either. And no, LJS, it doesn't count if you put the shellfish pieces in a cardboard lobster tail.  More »

    Here's A Phishing Site Disguised To Trick Wells Fargo Customers
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 11:18 PM   46 Comments

    —>Freddie writes that his friend was tricked by a phishing email. All the warning signs were there to tip off his friend—an email saying he needed to click a link, a suspicious url, a page asking for his login info—but he clicked and entered the info anyway. Please do not be like Freddie's friend, who is now probably on the phone with the real Wells Fargo trying to get his account number changed.  More »

    Amazon Begins Selling Kindle Books With Text To Speech Disabled
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 10:51 PM   73 Comments

    —>As promised, Amazon has begun to implement the text to speech (TTS) flag that lets authors and their publishers turn off the "read it to me" feature of books on the Kindle. MobileRead members note that Toni Morrison's A Mercy and Stephen King's The Stand both have TTS disabled, and it seems to be on an author-by-author basis instead of by publisher or imprint.  More »

    New Credit Card Rules Won't Stop You From Making Bad Decisions
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 6:08 PM   40 Comments

    —>Barbara Kiviat in Time takes a look at the one aspect of credit card debt that no amount of government reform is going to fix: the human brain's tendency to fail miserably when it comes to making decisions about spending.  More »

    If You Visit Venezuela, Please Bring Us Back A Penisphone
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 4:20 PM   33 Comments

    —>That rascal Hugo Chavez! First he uses a photo op with President Obama to hawk his new a book, and now he's on Venezuelan TV urging his citizens to buy a new Vergatario cellphone. For those not up on Spanish slang, that's equivalent to buying a Dickarama here in the states.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 1:50 PM   16 Comments

    —>

      More »

    Comcast's Twitter Reps Save The Day (Again) From Ineffectual Customer Support
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 1:29 AM   52 Comments

    —>Comcast might want to slash the budget on its Live Chat service and devote more resources to Frank and Sherri over on the Twitter side of things. The only good stories we hear about Comcast customer service comes from encounters with them, it seems.  More »

    Creative Labs Charges "Maintenance Fee" For Rebate
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 12:55 AM   94 Comments

    —>Creative Labs has found a great new way to minimize the risk that a customer will actually benefit from a rebate offer. In Rick's case, they sent him the rebate in the form of a $10 debit card that was supposed to be good until July 2009, but when he went to a Best Buy to use it last month, it was denied. The reason? He'd been charged a $3 "maintenance fee" every month since January.  More »

    Washington State Says Stores Have To Let You Use The Bathroom
    By Chris Walters on May 13, 2009 12:28 AM   99 Comments

    —>Starting July 26th in Washington state, stores with three or more employees working at the same time must allow customers access to an employee restroom so long as it doesn't pose a security threat. Businesses also have to provide bathroom access to anyone with an inflammatory bowel disease who can present a card or signed statement from a doctor saying they've got a condition.  More »

    Social Security And Medicare Will Be Insolvent Even Sooner Than Predicted
    By Chris Walters on May 12, 2009 7:51 PM   183 Comments

    —>If you plan on retiring after 2037, you'd better get really serious about saving now. It might not hurt to also take a vow of poverty; that way you'll feel like it's your decision to live off of cardboard and dumpster fruit in your sixties.  More »

    HSBC Credit Card's Pay-By-Phone Fee Is Higher Than The Bill
    By Chris Walters on May 12, 2009 4:48 PM   62 Comments

    —>Why does HSBC charge $15 to make a payment over the phone? Other, often smaller, companies charge $3 or less, as MG notes in his email below. In this case, since the alternative is so unwelcome—a possible late payment, and a corresponding hit on MG's credit score—it seems pretty outrageous to hold him hostage to a $15 fee.  More »

    Gamestop Ruins Yet Another Customer Experience
    By Chris Walters on May 12, 2009 3:35 PM   139 Comments

    —>Sometimes we think Gamestop is run by some sort of secret cabal of anti-videogame fanatics, and they use the store as a front to spread hatred of games and game purchasing across America.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 12, 2009 2:39 PM   49 Comments

    —>

    • Schwetty Balls: [Sports] $10 Off $20 Coupon w/ E-Mail Sign Up
    • Geeks: [Digital Camera] Kodak EasyShare MX1063 10.3MP Digital Camera $80
    • Buy.com: [Video Games] Buy 2 Get 1 FREE on $19.99 Xbox 360 Platinum Hits Games
      More »

    (Photo: yinnxp)  More »

    Loomis Rent-A-Cops Have Shopper Cuffed, Hauled Away Over ATM Photo
    By Chris Walters on May 11, 2009 11:53 PM   269 Comments

    —>While Shane was standing in the customer service line at a Seattle REI, he watched two Loomis employees open and change out the cash in an ATM machine. Shane took a photo of them with his iPhone. This apparently freaked out the Loomis guards, the REI security staff, and then the Seattle police, who put handcuffs on Shane, drove him to the police station, and then made him sign a statement that he wouldn't return to a REI store for a year. You might have noticed in that summary that they didn't actually bring any charges against him, which should make it clear to anyone who wants to side with the faux Po-Po that what Shane did wasn't illegal, that the rent-a-cops should be fired, and that REI and Loomis owe Shane a big apology.  More »

    UK retailer Marks & Spencer has decided it was a bad idea to charge more for bigger bras, so as of this past weekend there is no longer a "boob tax" on bras DD-size and larger. [Drapers]  More »

    Bear Grylls Loves Post Trail Mix, When He Can't Grab A Handful Of Goat Balls And Spiders
    By Chris Walters on May 11, 2009 9:07 PM   35 Comments
    -That's why you're a junior account manager, Chuck. You don't think outside the box.  More »

    Fast Food Restaurants: Stop With The "Free" Promotions Already
    By Chris Walters on May 11, 2009 8:33 PM   58 Comments

    —>Dear Quiznos, KFC, Arby's, and any other food chain that wants to offer freebies without first securing full buy-in from your franchisees: please stop it. Either the coupons are honored or they're not; there is no try.  More »

    Did you know that in California, if you ask the Subway sandwich mechanic (or whatever they're called) to toast your sandwich, you'll be charged a sales tax, whereas if you go untoasted you won't? Crazy! Thomas Hawk says you should always order your coffee to go at California restaurants, even if you plan on drinking it there, to avoid a similar crazy tax. [Thomas Hawk] (Thanks to Glenn!)  More »

    Don't Worry, This Kool Aid Doesn't Expire Until 01 Feb 11 02 11:48 CH
    By Chris Walters on May 11, 2009 7:22 PM   114 Comments

    —>Chad, who sent this in, says he tried to decipher this Kool Aid's expiration date using the cheat sheet we posted last December, but nothing on this container matches the code format on the sheet. It can't be that hard to print an unambiguous human readable expiration date on a product. Who else needs to read the date, other than a human? Why should the average consumer have to worry about deciphering a date? We thought we'd all pretty much agreed on some basic rules for how to keep track of the days.  More »

    Host Monster Turns On Customer, Shuts Down Blog Without Warning Or Sensical Explanation
    By Chris Walters on May 11, 2009 7:10 PM   75 Comments

    —>Web hosting company Host Monster only has so many SQLs to hand out to people, and can't go around passing them out willy-nilly. Why, there are probably websites in Africa that don't have any SQLs. We're not really sure what "SQL" is but we think it's used to store blog entries; whatever it is, Joe Posnanski used too much of it. The Kansas City Star/Sports Illustrated reporter upgraded his hosting package a few months ago and was assured by Host Monster that there'd be no problems as his professional blog drew more traffic. "No problems," except that last Friday they permanently closed his account without warning.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 11, 2009 12:20 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Newegg: [Headphones] Save 50% off: Maxell DHP-II Headphones $25 Shipped
    • JC Penney: [Apparel] 40% Off Original Price Plus 10% Extra Off Sale Price Online w/ Coupon 5SAVESU
    • Finish Line: [Shoes] adidas Men's Original Pro Conference Tennis Shoes for $20 + $8 s&h
      More »

    Four Checked Bags On Delta Will Cost You $365 In Fees
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 9:35 PM   69 Comments

    —>Most travelers make do with 2 normal-sized pieces of luggage or less, but if you think you might have to travel with more bags, or unusually large or heavy ones, be prepared to shell out a lot of cash for what's called an "excess baggage fee."  More »

    Red Lobster Finally Makes Nutritional Info Available
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 9:07 PM   26 Comments

    —>Last May, we reviewed which fast food and chain restaurant websites were sharing nutritional information with customers and which ones weren't. Red Lobster has always been stingy about nutritional info, so we're happy to report that they've finally changed their ways and now offer an online and downloadable nutrition guide. The only thing we can't figure out is how their "1 1/4 lb" steamed lobster is only 45 calories—that works out to about 1.5 ounces of actual lobster. (Thanks to zlionsfan!)  More »

    Save Money On ProFlowers Roses, Re-Gift Last Week's Flowers Instead
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 8:37 PM   57 Comments

    —>Why pay for ProFlowers when you can get the same effect by dumpster diving for old arrangements that look just as good? Our reader Hakoken3 paid ProFlowers $92 so they'd deliver 18 roses to his girlfriend this morning on her birthday. He paid extra to ensure that the roses would be delivered by noon, and at 12:01 they showed up. Unfortunately, they were so wilted and near-death that they looked like hand-me-down flowers that some luckier person had thrown out.  More »

    Mars didn't really think through their "free chocolate" offer and the server stampede it would inevitably cause. If you had rotten luck this morning but still insist on getting a free candy bar coupon via snail mail in six weeks, try the site now; I just did and was able to get a coupon without any delay (less than 2 minutes total time on the site). [realchocolate.com]  More »

    Out-Of-Work Adults Try To Nab Summer Lifeguard Positions
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 3:42 PM   48 Comments

    —>Some adults who are out of work are now going after classic teen jobs, says ABC News. In Florida, which has the fourth-highest unemployment rate of the nation, men in their 30s and 40s "have pulled on swim trunks in hopes of beating out the teenagers for a few choice positions as $9.37 an hour lifeguards." The report also says adults are trying out for jobs at places like Six Flags. All of this reminds us a little of this Kids In The Hall Sketch (see below) where a young boy finds a stray businessman and brings him home.  More »

    Feeling Too Rich? Here's A Bag Of Rocks And A Jar For $25
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 1:33 PM   82 Comments

    —>We get that people want to buy objects that either represent or remind them of their faith. We don't get Stonemarkers, though.  More »

    Better Bring Some Wire Clippers With You When You Shop At This Walmart
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 1:30 PM   42 Comments

    —>You'll need them to cut off the right amount of penny at the cash register. Or, we suppose you could add something to your cart that includes 6/10 of a penny to even it all out—but that's how they get you, with those "even penny" purchases. (Thanks to Amanda!)  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 12:10 PM   27 Comments

    —>

    • Mars: [Candy] "Free Chocolate Friday" every Friday through September 25th: coupons for one full-sized Mars candy bar for the first 250,000 visitors each Friday morning
    • Eastern Mountain Sports: [Apparel] Eastern Mountain Sports - Biggest Sale of the Year 20%-40% off Entire Store
    • JC Penney: [Apparel] St. John's Bay Loose-Fit Pleated Pants for $4.99 w/ Coupon MOMSGR8 + Shipping
      More »

    Mystery Solved? Using OpenDNS Results In Glacial YouTube Downloads For Qwest Customers
    By Chris Walters on May 8, 2009 12:28 AM   52 Comments

    —>Earlier this week, we posted an email from a frustrated Qwest customer who said he couldn't download YouTube and other online videos at a speed equivalent to the Qwest service he was paying for. Qwest wrote to us, and spoke to the customer, and swore they were not interfering with any download rates. Instead, it looks like the problem is with OpenDNS, a free service that usually speeds up downloading, but that seems to have an issue when it comes to certain video streams.  More »

    College Student Calls Amex Executive Customer Service, Gets His Limit Reinstated
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 11:58 PM   42 Comments

    —>Jon, like many American Express customers, had his credit limit slashed without warning recently. What he did next makes us feel all warm and fuzzy about our jobs here, because he found the necessary contact info buried in a post from 2007. Here's his story, proof that sometimes persistence pays off.  More »

    Massachusetts CVS Stores Regularly Overcharge Customers
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 11:43 PM   36 Comments

    The number of overcharging violations - defined as charging more at the register than the price in an advertisement, on a shelf sign, or on the item itself - soared to 711, from 425.  More »

    Updated Contact Info For Best Buy Execs
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 10:25 PM   4 Comments

    —>An anonymous tipster sent in an updated list of contact info for some of the people working at the top of the Best Buy food chain. Remember, don't bug them until you've exhausted all other options.  More »

    El Pollo Loco Says It Will Honor Your Broken KFC Coupons On Mother's Day
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 4:44 PM   37 Comments

    —>Bill just emailed us with a link to this tweet from the El Pollo Loco rep on Twitter. Might be worth a shot if you were turned away by your local KFC yesterday and you think a free chicken meal is the perfect way to say "I love you" in motherese.  More »

    JetBlue Offers $1 Military Fare Through Today, Although It Comes With A Surprising Number Of Restrictions
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 4:21 PM   34 Comments

    —>JetBlue is offering an amazing deal to members of our armed forces in honor of National Military Appreciation Month, but once you get past that jaw-dropping $1 fee, it starts to look like they outsourced the fine print to Macy's. Here are the restrictions:  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 2:21 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Red Octane: [Guitar Hero Wii] Three Guitar Hero Games (Metallica, World Tour, Aerosmith) + Drum Kit for Nintendo Wii $119.99 Free Shipping
    • Drugstore.com: [Health] Bayer Diabetes Monitors, Free after $25.99 rebate w/ Free shipping
    • Cosi: [Restaurant] Buy One Get One Free Breakfast w/ Coupon (Starts May 8th)
      More »

    Congratulations! You Just Won A Scam!
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 12:32 AM   106 Comments

    —>Is there anything scammers won't try in their attempts to disguise advance fee fraud? Nope. Chelsea and her husband just found out that OMG THEY JUST WON 350K!!!1! from the Gaming Association of America. They'll be receiving their check shortly, but in the meantime the GAA has sent them a much smaller check for about $5,000 to cover any fees associated with the prize. All they need to do is contact the "non-government service tax agent (GST)" to take care of cashing and handing over that $5k, and they'll be swimming with hookers in champagne-filled pools.  More »

    Orbitz Can't Deliver On Tickets It Sold, But Can't Deliver The Refund Either
    By Chris Walters on May 7, 2009 12:04 AM   49 Comments

    —>Austin bought two tickets to Aruba last December. By the end of February, Orbitz had changed his itinerary so many times that now they were only flying him as far as Atlanta, and 11 days later were flying him back from Aruba—it was apparently up to him to get from Atlanta to Aruba in the first place. At this point, the only option was to request a refund, which Orbitz said would take 60 days. Two months later, Orbitz told Austin that they'll give him his money back in 60 days. We're pretty sure that's 120 days total, and there's still no guarantee Austin will see his money.  More »

    Create Your Own Opt-Out When A Company Ignores Your Requests
    By Chris Walters on May 6, 2009 11:21 PM   82 Comments

    —>Mark started getting promotional emails from Hilton over a year ago, and he's tried all sorts of opt-out strategies:
      More »

    GameFly Accuses US Postal Service Of Breaking, Losing, And Stealing Its Game Discs
    By Chris Walters on May 6, 2009 6:46 PM   91 Comments

    —>Late last year we pointed out that GameFly, a Netflix-style program for video games, was beginning to develop a reputation for rotten service and slow turnaround. It looks like the United States Postal Service may be partly to blame, at least as far as GameFly is concerned. They've filed a complaint against the USPS over lost, stolen, and damaged discs, as well as discriminatory treatment when compared to Netflix and Blockbuster.  More »

    The Truth Behind Healthy Supermarket Foods
    By Chris Walters on May 6, 2009 5:56 PM   67 Comments

    —>The Wall Street Journal takes a good look at items marketed as "healthier for you" on supermarket shelves, and as you can probably imagine, any actual health benefits vary greatly from product to product. Take all natural chicken, for example: if you buy "enhanced" or "plumped" chicken—it will say somewhere on the label that water, salt, and/or carrageenan has been added, but it will still be labeled natural—the sodium per 4 oz serving jumps from 45-60 mgs to 200-400 mgs.  More »

    Former Domino's YouTube Gross Out Girl Can't Get A Job Now
    By Chris Walters on May 6, 2009 2:22 PM   279 Comments

    —>Kristy Hammonds, the woman who filmed her friend Michael doing inappropriate things to the food they were supposed to be preparing, needs a job to feed her two kids. She says she's been trying to get work at other fast food restaurants, though, which might be part of the problem.  More »

    Here's a list of cheap Mother's Day gift ideas, like decorating flip-flops with rhinestones (it's a deliberately cheap let-the-kids-help project), newsprint roses made by some girls club, and some sort of photo book through Facebook that's free for the first 10,000 orders. [ABC News]  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 6, 2009 11:30 AM   17 Comments

    —>

    • Newegg: [Video Games] Nintendo Wii games from $10 + free shipping. Okami (pictured) is $16.99
    • Walmart: [TV] Olevia 37" LCD HDTV for $498 + $39.97 Shipping
    • Amazon: [Granola Bars] Save Extra $15 off Nature Valley Granola Products
      More »

    Should You Detox Your Colon?
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 9:17 PM   97 Comments

    —>Is your colon all gummed up with old food that you can't seem to get rid of? Well, if you think it is—probably because some advertisement told you so—there are plenty of colon detox products on the market. In the June print issue (and online), Consumer Reports looks at the possible health benefits of colon detoxing and determines that it's not necessary, mainly because waste doesn't build up in the intestine in a way that would require some sort of flushing in the first place.  More »

    8 Million Patient Records Stolen From Virginia State Database, Held For Ransom
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 8:48 PM   118 Comments

    —>The Washington Post says that a hacker encrypted 8 million patient prescription records from a Virginia state website last week, deleted the backups, and replaced the home page with a ransom note. If the state doesn't pay $10 million within 7 days, the hacker has threatened to sell the data to the highest bidder.  More »

    Create A Phone Stand For Free With A Business Card
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 7:50 PM   17 Comments

    —>Some PR person just sent us a notice about a new wallet-sized iPhone stand, which reminded us that there's an easy and free alternative, and it most probably works for a lot of other (fairly thin) media devices as well.  More »

    Qwest Has A Twitter Account, Wants To Hear From Customers With Problems
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 5:56 PM   20 Comments

    —>Monica, a Qwest representative, sent us an official declaration regarding yesterday's post; she says that Qwest absolutely does not do any throttling. She also points out that if you have problems you can't get resolved, try the Twitter route. Their official page is http://twitter.com/talktoqwest.  More »

    Woman Dies In Walmart Parking Lot, Discovered Two Days Later
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 5:21 PM   91 Comments

    —>Imagine dying in your vehicle in the parking lot of a 24-hour Walmart. How would anyone know? The couple who discovered Patricia Glasscock's body yesterday thought she was sleeping, which is probably what anyone who passed by thought.  More »

    Don't Buy Your Magazines From Door-To-Door Salesmen This Summer
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 4:41 PM   127 Comments

    —>A couple of years ago, the New York Times did a piece on the poor treatment of teens hired to travel the country and sell magazine subscriptions door-to-door, but they're not the only ones getting the raw end of the deal.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 11:30 AM   7 Comments

    —>

      Mother's Day Ideas Edition
    • Walmart: [Cleanliness] Cottonelle Toilet Paper Sample
    • 1-800-Flowers: [Flowers] Special Mother's Day Flowers for $30
    • Victoria's Secret: [Awkward] Victoria's Secret: $15 off $100, $30 off $150 or $75 off $250 purchase
    • ProFlowers.com: [Flowers] Mom's Reward Bouquet with chocolates, vase for $40 + $10 s&h
    • Shnoop.com: [Watch] Invicta Women's Wild Flower 46 Diamonds Watch for $78 + $7 s&h
    • Sears: [Clothing] Women's Polo Shirt Roundup: Classic Elements Sleeveless Pique for $8 + $6 s&h, more
    • Godiva: [Chocolates] Godiva Chocolate Covered Sale: Up to 50% off select chocolates
      More »

    Now your money can be at work in a different way, helping predict outbreaks as you spend it. Researchers at Northwestern University are testing a new computer modeling program that tracks the flow of dollar bills across the US as a way to predict the spread of swine flu. [New York Times]  More »

    8Coupons.com Lets You Send Local Coupons To Your Phone
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 12:54 AM   9 Comments

    —>Online coupons still haven't caught on, really, but 8coupons.com may be worth checking out if you want to give it a try in your own city. Instead of implementing some high-concept location aware thing, they let you browse the site for coupons that interest you. When you find one, you send it to your phone via text message. Obviously, if you hold your phone number dear to your heart, don't bother; if you're the brave type who doesn't mind risking the personal data exposure, you might want to give it a shot.  More »

    Convert Your Favorite Snack Into Sugar Cubes
    By Chris Walters on May 5, 2009 12:12 AM   29 Comments

    —>This website displays photos of soft drinks, smoothies, candy, and even vegetables next to little piles of sugar cubes that represent the total sugar in them. This is a great service, because if you ever go into space you can simply use this site to pack a baggie full of an equivalent amount of cubes. Then you can enjoy your Space McFlurry without worrying about liquid contamination of the spacecraft.   More »

    If you mourned the closing of Mother's Cookies last October, new owner Kellogg has announced that the cookies are back on store shelves starting today.  More »

    Jiffy Lube Tries To Scam Yet Another Customer
    By Chris Walters on May 4, 2009 10:15 PM   118 Comments

    —>Seriously, Jiffy Lube? You haven't received enough bad coverage about ripping off your customers? Fine, here's another one: Daniel says they tried to add about $170 in extra "needed" repairs and replacements recently when his girlfriend dropped off her car to get the oil changed. Even after she turned them down, they still slapped an extra $6 "Peak Global Life Time 100%" charge on the bill. We don't know what that means, but those are all good words, and anything that's 100 percent has got to be quality. Apparently Jiffy Lube doesn't know what it means either.  More »

    Qwest Says It's Throttling Customer's Online Video Streaming, Then Says It's Not
    By Chris Walters on May 4, 2009 9:39 PM   53 Comments

    —>Update: It turns out the problem is with OpenDNS, not Qwest. The original post is below.  More »

    Why Is It So Hard To Cancel Your EFax Account?
    By Chris Walters on May 4, 2009 9:21 PM   21 Comments

    —>In Slate today, Timothy Noah describes his hour-long ordeal to cancel the eFax account he never uses anymore. If you've ever tried to cancel an online service, you probably already know how this story goes: it was impossible to find a "cancel my account" link anywhere on the site, support numbers were no help, and a scripted service rep tried to shove an extension on him instead of simply providing customer support.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 4, 2009 2:39 PM   13 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon: [Grocery] Amazon coupon codes for May 2009
    • NewEgg: [Kitchen Appliance] Tatung 5.5 Cup Rice Cooker for $19.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Rite Aid: [Pharmacy] $5 off $25 In-Store Coupon
      More »

    We're not sure if this will work for brand new customers, but KodakGallery is offering free Mother's Day photo cards through 5/16 with coupon code FREECARD. To ensure delivery by Mother's Day, you have to order the card by midnight tonight. Note that you'll still have to pay 99 cents shipping and handling. [KodakGallery]  More »

    How Does The Chrysler Bankruptcy Impact Your Mutual Fund?
    By Chris Walters on May 2, 2009 1:19 AM   15 Comments

    —>What impact does the Chrysler bankruptcy have on regular investors who hold bond funds? Most likely little to none, it turns out. Consumer Reports points out that most mutual funds have been avoiding Chrylser, GM, and Ford debt for years now—and if your fund does include Chrysler, it's probably a tiny portion of your overall investment.   More »

    Costco Fixes Customer's Botched Electronic Prescription
    By Chris Walters on May 1, 2009 10:52 PM   23 Comments

    —>If you get your prescriptions filled electronically, always double-check the dosage. Kimberly's prescription was recently screwed up somewhere between the physician filling out the order online and Costco's pharmacist receiving it. Luckily for her, the Costco pharmacist was incredibly helpful and fixed the problem for her, so Kimberly didn't have to waste her copay or deal with the issue on her own. He also explained, however, that the current state of electronic prescriptions is a big mess.  More »

    It looks like greeting cards are another thing we're cutting back on lately; American Greetings has announced that sales fell 14 percent in the last quarter. [Associated Press]  More »

    Art Vigilantes Paint Over 120 Illegal Billboards In NYC
    By Chris Walters on May 1, 2009 9:47 PM   50 Comments

    —>Last Saturday, ads-in-public-spaces activist Jordan Seiler spearheaded NYSAT, or New York Street Advertising Takeover, where teams of artists, videographers and activists replaced 120 unregistered billboard advertisements throughout the city with original art installations.  More »

    Man Receives 16 State Farm Junk Mailings In One Month
    By Chris Walters on May 1, 2009 9:30 PM   49 Comments

    —>State Farm is powerless to stop its representatives from filling up your mailbox with unwanted solicitations! Terry has contacted one of the agents listed in the 16 mailings he's received over the past month and was told, "Sorry, it's from corporate." He then lodged a complaint with the corporate office and received a response from their "Internet Support Representative" who basically told him he's out of luck. We're not sure what State Farm's sales strategy is here; maybe they're just betting on wearing him down through sheer volume?  More »

    Sure, worry about your own health, you selfish prick. Farmers, on the other hand, are worried that you will spread swine flu to their pigs. [Reuters]  More »

    Customer Wants To Know What Happened To CVS Extra Care Coupons
    By Chris Walters on May 1, 2009 7:39 PM   76 Comments

    —>Any readers here who work for CVS? Maya wants to know what's going on with the Extra Care coupons that are printed at the bottom of each receipt. Lately the clerks at her local CVS stores have been tearing something off the bottom of the receipt before giving it to her, and the coupons are no longer there. Coincidence?  More »

    T-Mobile is running a "flip your pearl" promotion right now, where you can trade in your old Blackberry for at least $75 (or another phone for $50) when you buy and activate a new Blackberry from them. Your trade-in phone will have to meet certain conditions for the offer to apply. [FlipYourPearl via IntoMobile]  More »

    Capital One Charges Woman $29 Late Fee For Paying Too Early
    By Chris Walters on May 1, 2009 3:34 PM   49 Comments

    —>Jason writes, "My wife just sent me an email saying that she paid 'too early' (before the new statement was generated) and got charged a 'Late Fee' of $29!" He says she called Capital One and got the fee waived, but it's a good reminder that if you make a payment before the new statement period begins, your card provider will likely apply the payment to the previous statement period, and will still expect a fresh payment from you by the new due date. Just make sure your payments aren't scheduled so early that they're applied to the past and you'll be fine.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on May 1, 2009 1:31 PM   12 Comments

    —>

    • Nashbar: [Bicycling] Nashbar AT LEAST 72% Off Sale
    • Caress: [Cosmetics] Free Skinwear Soap Sample
    • Degree: [Cosmetics] Free Women's Fine Fragrance Sample
      More »

    Man Sends Silly Complaint Letters To Companies, Receives Silly Responses
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 6:36 PM   39 Comments

    —>"Chad Bradley" likes to write letters to companies. Unlike a normal crank, however, his letters are filled with complaints about surreal or nonsensical things, or they offer useless ideas for product improvements. (To the makers of Connect 4, for example, he suggests a new game called Connect 1.) The letters are entertaining enough on their own, but what's even better is sometimes the companies write back.  More »

    Our comment reply feature is acting stupid again. We're aware of the glitch and have contacted our various extended warranty providers to see about getting it fixed. Thanks for your patience.  More »

    Need A Cheap Way To Bring In Business? Try Mannequin Breasts
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 6:01 PM   97 Comments

    —>An Ohio barbeque restaurant owner was having trouble getting drive-by customers to stop, so he decided to prop a mannequin in a bikini top outside (warning: video). He says that over the past three weeks she's been standing in front of his store, he's had over 70 new customers come in and buy food—a 30% increase in business. So far, he says, no complaints; apparently his "mail girl" even donated a different top and some Daisy Dukes that he's going to use on the dummy next week.   More »

    Car Warranty Racket Exposed On Today Show
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 5:01 PM   94 Comments

    —>The Today show recently aired a terrifically entertaining expos of US Fidelis, one of the biggest companies behind the auto warranty racket that you've probably encountered via junk mail, telemarketing, or even on TV. They start by looking at an individual who spent $3,180 on one of their auto warranties only to be left stranded when her car overheated and they refused to pay.  More »

    Beware Of The "Model Home" Ploy From Window Salesmen
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 4:17 PM   56 Comments

    —>Thomas says his wife was approached by a belligerent salesman the other day regarding the windows on their home. He tried to get her to agree to an instant estimate and promised a huge discount for being a "model home" for the window upgrades, but when she refused to make an instant decision, Thomas says he "snatched the card out of her hand" and "yelled at her."  More »

    Walgreens Pharmacist Sends Hand Written Thank You Note To Customer
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 3:34 PM   58 Comments

    —>Whether it's rational or not, there's something very satisfying when your pharmacist acknowledges you personally—it makes you feel like this expert you're placing such trust in takes the job, and you, seriously. In our experience it's a rare thing to see from pharmacists at chain drugstores, but Mike just had a great encounter with his Walgreens pharmacist when he moved to a new town.  More »

    Tips For Buying A Suit Online
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 2:41 PM   21 Comments

    —>You can save a lot of money if you buy your next suit online, but you can also end up with an ill-fitting suit that makes you look like an idiot. Dealnews spoke with a fashion writer for AskMen.com and put together a short list of tips on how to make it worth your while.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 11:30 AM   9 Comments

    —>

    • Hallmark: [Personalized Gifts] Free Card for Mom w/ Coupon CARD4MOM w/ Free shipping
    • MacMall: [Laptop] Apple MacBook Air Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz 13.3in Laptop (Only 3lbs & .76in Thick) $999.99AR
    • Dell: [Desktop Computer] Dell 19" LCD Monitor for $99.99 w/ Free shipping
      More »

    "Box Of Rocks" Scam Caught On Walmart Security Camera
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 1:02 AM   88 Comments

    —>Here's another "I bought a box of rocks!" story, only this time there's proof that the victim wasn't pulling a dirty trick on Walmart. Instead, it was someone before her who bought and then returned a Nintendo DS, only they swapped out the unit with rocks before making the return.  More »

    Watch Out For Scammy Swine Flu Email, Websites
    By Chris Walters on April 30, 2009 12:31 AM   16 Comments

    —>How can you tell you've made it on the Internet? How about if you're turned into spambait? MSN Money reports that scammers are taking advantage of the sudden interest in swine flu by using it in subject lines to get people to open messages and download attachments. Don't do it! Tell your friends and relatives not to do it, either!  More »

    Slap Chop Remix Will Awe You (Although It Doesn't Erase The Memory Of That Hooker)
    By Chris Walters on April 29, 2009 11:23 PM   68 Comments

    —>We'll probably never be able to get those mug shots out of our minds when we see crazy old Vince hawking things on TV, but this amazing remix comes in a close second at searing itself into the brain. "You're gonna love my nuts" is particularly well done.  More »

    Here Are Some Of The Companies Behind The Car Warranty Robocalls
    By Chris Walters on April 29, 2009 11:15 PM   56 Comments

    —>Verizon continues its recent campaign of turning robocallers into charitable contributions, this time by settling a lawsuit against two of the companies behind those awful car warranty calls. Last time it was for $25,000; this time it's for $50,000, all of which is being donated to the Joyful Heart Foundation, which Wireless Week describes as "a nonprofit devoted to empowering survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse."  More »

    TiVo Warranty Charges $49 To Replace Defective Units After 90 Days
    By Chris Walters on April 29, 2009 6:20 PM   53 Comments

    —>Sam emailed us with a complaint about TiVo: he says the customer service rep wants to charge him $50 to repair a defective HDMI port on his 5-month-old TiVo HD DVR. Sam can't understand why he'd have to pay an additional, uncategorized fee when his box is still under warranty. We checked out the warranty details and called TiVo, and it looks like it's a flat fee (the TiVo rep we spoke with said it was $49) that covers the cost of replacing the unit entirely—in other words, TiVo isn't going to repair just the port and send it back to you. Note that this only covers boxes outside the first 90 days. If you're still in the first 90 day window, replacement is free.  More »

    Woohoo cheap ice cream! Tonight from 5 to 10pm at participating Baskin Robbins, small scoops of ice cream are 31 cents each plus tax (limit three scoops per person). Besides the publicity boost, the promo is an opportunity to get people to voluntarily donate money to the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and the National Junior Firefighter Program. [Baskin Robbins] (Thanks to CD!)  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 29, 2009 1:42 PM   4 Comments

    —>

    • Whites Premium: [Pets] Free Sample of Dog Food
    • Gap: [Apparel] 20% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon FRIEND
      More »

    Amex Hikes Rate, Drops Balance, Then Tries To Bribe Customer To Pay Off Debt Early
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 7:09 PM   61 Comments

    —>Courey Gouker's recent experience with American Express encapsulates every trick the company has pulled in the past few months to drive away their customers, including dropping the credit limit, hiking the rate, and even offering him a cash bonus to pay off his balance in full. In addition, the company's CSRs made promises to him that they didn't keep, and notes on his account have gone missing. About the only thing they haven't done is email a photo of the CEO flipping him the bird.  More »

    Here's why you don't rely solely on Twitter for news about health scares. [xkcd] (Thanks to Rebecca!)  More »

    Would Practical Wisdom Improve Customer Service?
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 5:56 PM   65 Comments

    —>Barry Schwartz spoke at TED this past February about "practical wisdom," a classical term that Schwartz redefines in a modern context as knowing when and how to make exceptions to every rule, and when and how to improvise. His point, largely, is that a lot of modern life would run more efficiently, and more justly, if people would stop blindly following and enforcing rules when they become absurd.  More »

    This Blockbuster Has Pretty Much Given Up
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 5:10 PM   75 Comments
    (Thanks to Jess!)  More »

    If you're seeking a price adjustment on your Gap clothes, don't put it off. Heather writes in to warn that the price adjustment period at the Gap and Banana Republic has been reduced from 14 days to 7. Old Navy remains at 14 days.  More »

    Letter To T-Mobile Executives Results In Fees Waived, Charges Reversed
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 4:32 PM   23 Comments

    —>Chris was surprised to find that T-Mobile didn't cancel his account as promised a few months ago. What's worse, the note on his account that mentioned his cancellation request was missing, and nobody at customer service would help him. Chri works for a "very large consumer electronics company" that he won't name (we're pretty sure it's Apple) and thinks customer service is important, so he gave up on the CSR angle and instead came to our site to find contact info for T-Mobile executives. One EECB later, Chris is free from T-Mobile and the ETF they tried to apply.  More »

    Watch Out, Ambien Makes You Slutty
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 2:14 PM   155 Comments

    —>We knew Ambien could cause sleep driving and sleep eating, but this man blames it for causing him to hook up with a woman he barely knows. Now he says the woman has called his home and refers to him as her f*** buddy, and yet he can't even remember the act. Oh also, he's married.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 1:47 PM   21 Comments

    —>

    • Mighty Dog: [Pet Food] Free Customized Dog Tag and Toy w/ Coupon CITIZEN222
    • Jo Ann: [Crafts] 50% Off One Regular Priced Item Online w/ Coupon TTF120
    • Costco: [Office] Office Scissors for $0.88 w/ Free shipping ($0.04 Extra for non-members)
    • Restaurant.com: [Food] 80% Off Restaurant Certificates w/ Coupon lucky

      More »

    Today only, participating El Pollo Loco restaurants are giving away free 2-piece chicken meals, one per customer, dine in or carry out only. [El Pollo Loco]  More »

    Man Downloads Movie While In Mexico, Receives $62,000 Wireless Bill
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 3:48 AM   144 Comments

    —>If you're going out of the country for more than 15 seconds, don't forget to turn off, remove, leave at home, freeze in a block of ice, disable, or otherwise render unusable your wireless card. Above all, do not download Wall-E for your nephew to watch on your computer. Unfortunately, we do not have any more details about what was going on here, because Clark Howard apparently has to get back to his NASCAR pit.  More »

    KFC's Grilled Chicken Giveaway Used Very Small Chickens
    By Chris Walters on April 28, 2009 2:50 AM   94 Comments

    —>We sort of figured today's grilled chicken giveaway at participating KFC's would be approximately meal-sized—if you could stand the crowd and make it to the counter before they ran out, you'd have a free lunch in your belly. Apparently we were wrong. Here, for your freebie-craving pleasure, is a virtual KFC chicken piece just like what reader BlazerUnit received earlier today.  More »

    The CEO Of Delta Reveals His Secrets
    By Chris Walters on April 27, 2009 11:38 PM   43 Comments

    —>Richard Anderson, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, was interviewed by the New York Times and shared his tips on hiring (ask about their family life), running meetings (no Blackberries!), and dealing with customers: "I find myself, more and more, writing hand-written notes to people," he says. "I must write a half a dozen a day." These are apology notes, we're guessing.  More »

    Delta To Blind Woman: Can You Sit Somewhere Else? This Flight Attendant Doesn't Like Dogs
    By Chris Walters on April 27, 2009 9:05 PM   352 Comments

    —>Natalie is pretty angry. Lately whenever her mother, who is blind, has to travel, she seems to run into trouble. As Natalie puts it, as far as airline regulations go a guide dog is equivalent to a wheelchair, and the appropriate accommodations should be made without hassle. It's too bad on her last flight, Natalie's mother had to sit in the bulkhead next to a Delta employee with a fear of dogs.  More »

    Is It Cheaper To Make Or To Buy? Six Foods Tested
    By Chris Walters on April 27, 2009 6:46 PM   223 Comments

    —>Jennifer Reese decided to make six common food items and then determine whether it was better to go the homemade route or to buy from the store. We briefly considered making our own crackers last month in a fit of anger over how expensive generic saltines have become, so we're glad someone did the research for us.   More »

    Track The H1N1 Swine Flu Across The Globe
    By Chris Walters on April 27, 2009 6:02 PM   91 Comments

    —>Everyone's still unsure whether the H1N1 Swine Flu is a mild outbreak or something worse, but in the meantime you can amuse yourself with this grim Google Map of suspected and actual cases around the globe. It will give you something to do until the time comes when you have to decide between joining Randall Flagg or Mother Abagail.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 27, 2009 12:23 PM   10 Comments

    —>

    • Head & Shoulders: [Freebie] Free Shampoo Sample (registration required)
    • JCPenney: [Department Store] $10 off purchase $10 or more w/ coupon MOMSGR8
    • Amazon: [Headphones] JBuds Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Earphones from $10

      More »

    Here's What The Airlines Are Charging For Luggage
    By Chris Walters on April 24, 2009 9:49 PM   56 Comments

    —>Daniel at dansdeals.com has put together a chart of baggage fees for 22 US and Canadian airlines. Spirit takes the prize for most expensive, but there are a dozen contenders for second place. The best: Southwest, Air Canada, Porter and WestJet. If you travel with lots of luggage, you may want to bookmark this page for future reference the next time you're purchasing tickets.  More »

    IDT Employees Stalking The Streets Of Queens Today
    By Chris Walters on April 24, 2009 7:03 PM   53 Comments

    —>Lock your doors, Queens residents! IDT zombies are on the prowl in your borough, and if they catch you they'll try to eat your ConEd account and replace it with their more expensive offer. Jeff says there's one outside his building right now, trying to buzz its way in.  More »

    Facebook Voting Has Ended; New Terms Being Considered Despite Small Turnout
    By Chris Walters on April 24, 2009 5:58 PM   42 Comments

    —>When voting ended yesterday on the Facebook terms of service, around 600,000 people had voted, and about 70% of those votes were cast for the new documents drafted over the past couple of months. Although the voting total was nowhere near the 30% of active Facebook users that Facebook said would be required, the site is still considering validating the vote and implementing the new terms after the audit is complete.  More »

    Make Sure You Secure Your Smartphone
    By Chris Walters on April 24, 2009 3:15 PM   41 Comments

    —>Do you own an iPhone, G1, Blackberry, Windows or Nokia smartphone? Fancy phones are a nice target for thieves, and unfortunately they're often packed with sensitive information that can be too easily accessed and exploited. Why not take the time this weekend to make sure it's secure?  More »

    Fine Art Friday: Burger King Gives Ronald McDonald A Beatdown
    By Chris Walters on April 24, 2009 2:13 PM   62 Comments

    —>Either this Burger King in Miami takes the competition really, really seriously, or the owner is into some pretty freaky s#@t. The store gets bonus absurdity points for framing it so handsomely.  More »

    What Are You Going To Use Your Tax Refund For This Year? 28% Say "To Pay Off Debt"
    By Chris Walters on April 24, 2009 1:08 PM   116 Comments

    —>The comparison shopping website PriceGrabber.com just completed its "what are you going to do with your tax refund?" survey for the second year in a row, and not surprisingly there are some notable differences between last April and now. The biggest change is among those who plan to spend the money: it was 44.0% in 2008, but only 29.2% this year.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 24, 2009 12:11 PM   17 Comments

    —>

    • El Pollo Loco: [Free Food] Free Chicken Meal on April 28th, dine in or carry out only, at participating restaurtants
    • Schick: [Free Razor] Quattro Titanium Trimmer Free Sample
    • Fujitsu PC: [Notebooks] Save Extra $100 off Lifebook Notebook & Tablet PCs
    • TigerDirect: [Cellphone] Unlocked Nokia 9300 Bluetooth Smartphone for $150 + $2 s&h

      More »

    Club Monaco Will Not Let Anyone Discover The Truth Behind Its Eyeglasses
    By Chris Walters on April 23, 2009 11:43 PM   43 Comments

    —>Beaverly saw some eyeglass frames she really liked on some Club Monaco in-store signage. No matter what she does, however, she can't find out if they really exist and whether or not she can purchase the same frames for herself. They've gone so far as to make Russell, the sales guy who was trying to help her, "disappear."  More »

    This Discount Store Enjoys Messing With Its Customers' Minds
    By Chris Walters on April 23, 2009 10:31 PM   77 Comments

    —>Shelley just sent us this photo of a store she saw in New Jersey this afternoon. We particularly like that the neon signs in the window are just as contradictory as the roof signs. It's like a decorating theme.  More »

    Anti-Inflammatory Drugs Don't Cut Risk Of Dementia After All
    By Chris Walters on April 23, 2009 9:59 PM   23 Comments

    —>The latest study of people who take large amounts of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) indicates that, contrary to what earlier studies suggested, they don't seem to cut the risk of developing Alzheimer's. In fact, it's just the opposite: "During the study, 476 people developed dementia, and heavy NSAID users had a 66% higher risk of developing the condition than those with low or no use."  More »

    If you have an iPhone or a G1, Google has just announced a new version of their Product Search specially formatted for those phones. Here's a video demonstrating how the mobile version looks and functions. [Google Mobile Blog via IntoMobile]  More »

    Hey! Walt Disney Reuses Animation Sequences!
    By Chris Walters on April 23, 2009 6:05 PM   181 Comments

    —>We were fascinated to discover today that Walt Disney reused animation cycles across different movies—the characters are unique (sorta) but the motions are cel for cel copies. It looks like the movies that reuse animation are from that infamous era in the 70s and 80s when Disney's animation unit cut too many corners and churned out less "classic" fare. Well, they were copying classics—shouldn't that count for something? Video clip below.  More »

    Customers Sue Clearwire For Rotten Service, Early Termination Fees
    By Chris Walters on April 23, 2009 5:47 PM   30 Comments

    —>Customers from Washington, Hawaii, Minnesota and North Carolina have teamed up to file a lawsuit against Clearwire for misrepresenting the quality of its hit-or-miss wireless network, and then charging ETFs for account cancellations even when there's no service as promised. If they win, Clearwire will be banned "from enforcing the Early Termination Fees and from further false advertising."   More »

    President Obama Meets With Credit Card Executives Today To Tell Them They Are Not Approved
    By Chris Walters on April 23, 2009 5:13 PM   166 Comments

    —>It's a good week for consumer protection against abusive credit card practices. Yesterday, the House Financial Services Committee approved the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights, and this afternoon President Obama is meeting with officials from 14 credit card companies to tell them "that greater consumer protections are coming for their customers, with or without their cooperation."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 23, 2009 1:05 PM   9 Comments

    —>

    • Red 2 Blu: [Upgrade Program] Mail in your Warner Bros. HD-DVD cover art for NEW WB Blu-Ray Discs ($4.95 per DVD title)
    • Buy.com: [Camera] Casio Exilim EX-Z85 9MP Digital Camera for $99.99 w/ Free shipping
    • REI Outlet: [Portable H2O] Laken Hit Lined Aluminum Water Bottle $12
    • Atlassian: [Enterprise Software] $5 Sale on 5-user licenses for bug tracker and enterprise wiki software.

      More »

    "Baby Shaker" IPhone App Keeps Getting Pulled From App Store, We Can't Imagine Why
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 11:29 PM   118 Comments

    —>We know there have been complaints from developers that it takes too long to get iPhone apps approved, or that Apple is behind on payments, or that it's hard to know what they'll reject and what they'll accept. Well, apparently they'll accept an application that "challenges users to see how long they can withstand the cries of a baby before they shake it to death." Oh wait, they won't, they pulled it after complaints yesterday. No, wait, they put it back up for sale today! Oh no now it's gone again. Maybe they're just making room for a Pistol Whip Your Spouse app.  More »

    Meritline Using Misleading "Free HDMI" Cable To Sell Digital TV Converter With No HDMI Output?
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 11:11 PM   46 Comments

    —>Matthew emailed us with an interesting link to a Meritline offer that he says is making the rounds on deal sites. The Airlink digital-to-analog converter box is a fairly generic offer, but Meritline is offering a free HDMI cable with it. The only problem is, there's no place on the box to use the cable. If you just see "free HDMI cable" and don't read the specs closely, you'll be in for a rotten surprise when the box arrives. But hey, free cable.  More »

    At Six Flags, You Have To Pay A Fee To Print Your Own Tickets
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 10:41 PM   72 Comments

    —>We know Six Flags is desperately trying to avoid bankruptcy, but that's no reason to go all Ticketmaster on the people who want to have a good time at Magic Mountain in Los Angeles.  More »

    Disney Mistake Means Super Cheap Annual Passes For Some Lucky Customers
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 10:28 PM   35 Comments

    —>Disneyland mistakenly extended a special annual pass program to ineligible customers last December, but only realized it recently. At the time of the sale, residents of certain Southern California zip codes could buy an annual ticket on a 12-month installment plan, free from any interest rates or other fees. When they discovered that some customers weren't in valid zip codes, they ended the payment agreement with them—but they're letting them keep the annual passes.  More »

    "New" Phone Bought Off EBay Turns Out To Be Used, Porny
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 6:00 PM   93 Comments

    —>Lillian bought what she thought was a new phone from an eBay seller with a lot of great feedback. The longer she has it, though, the more evidence she finds that it's probably not new. Sometimes buying electronics off of eBay is like slowly peeling an onion.  More »

    Settlers Life Insurance Denies Claim For Widow Of Gunshot Victim Due To Pre-Existing Medical Condition
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 4:24 PM   198 Comments

    —>At Settlers Life Insurance, being shot in the back by unknown assailants is trumped by Hepatitis C, and they won't pay your benefits. According to the lawsuit filed last week (pdf), Curtis McCraw held a life insurance policy with Settlers Life Insurance at the time of his murder in April 2008. When his wife Stephanie McCraw attempted to claim the Accidental Death Benefit, Settlers denied her claim because her husband had "a pre-existing liver condition." We knew Hepatitis was bad, but we didn't know it could pull out a gun and shoot you. We wonder if Hepatitis C is what really killed Kennedy.  More »

    Acting CFO Of Freddie Mac Found Dead This Morning
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 1:25 PM   170 Comments

    —>David Kellermann, a former Freddie Mac senior vice president who had been serving as the acting chief financial officer of the mortgage buying company since its takeover by the federal government last September, was found "hanging in the basement of his Reston home, dead from an apparent suicide" early this morning. Police were called to his home by someone inside the house at about 5 am today and found Kellermann's body.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 11:58 AM   48 Comments

    —>Special Earth Day Edition

    • Seventh Generation: [Cleaning Supplies] $1 and $2 off printable coupon for Seventh Generation products (requires registration)
    • Peet's Coffee: [Free Coffee] Free medium drink w/ purchase of a reusable product
    • Reynolds Recycled: [Free Foil] Free Roll Of Recycled Foil Wrap
    • Walgreens: [Shopping Bag] FREE Earth Day Shopping Bag w/ in-store coupon and purchase
    • Solar Rating: [Home] FREE Solar Rating for your House on Earth Day Apr 22nd
    • Earthbound Farm: [Shopping Bag] Take a pledge and receive free reusable shopping tote

      More »

    You're Participating In The Facebook Terms Of Service Vote, Right?
    By Chris Walters on April 22, 2009 12:29 AM   140 Comments

    —>You've got about a day and a half left to cast your vote for which Terms of Service you'd prefer Facebook go with—the one written in September 2008 without user input, or the new one they've drafted over the last month based on suggestions from the Facebook community.  More »

    Kellogg Agrees To Tone Down "Frosted Mini-Wheats Are Brain Food" Nonsense
    By Chris Walters on April 21, 2009 6:06 PM   102 Comments

    —>What? It turns out that giving your kid a bowl of Frosted Mini-Wheats will not guarantee a nearly 20% uptick in classroom attentiveness, despite what Kellogg claims on packaging and TV? I probably should have figured that out on my own, but I rarely eat Frosted Mini-Wheats for breakfast, so I am quite likely retarded. Luckily for all of us, the cereal company just reached an agreement with the FTC to stop misleading consumers with its faux-scientific claims.  More »

    Accept The Rate Increase Or Pay A "Downgrade Fee"; RCN Will Get Money From You Either Way
    By Chris Walters on April 21, 2009 5:27 PM   69 Comments

    —>RCN knows some of you aren't going to be happy with having your fees increased, especially in such a tight economy. They know that some of you will probably decide enough is enough and call them to request an account downgrade. They're going to make money off of that, too.  More »

    Personal Finance Columnist's Financial Advisor Accused Of Fraud
    By Chris Walters on April 21, 2009 4:31 PM   50 Comments

    —>Last week, New York Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber discovered that his family's financial planner was being investigated for fraud, because millions of dollars had been transferred out of clients' accounts without authorization. What's funny is Lieber found the financial planner while writing a column on how to comparison shop for one.  More »

    Cracked Explains Why Tech Support Sucks
    By Chris Walters on April 21, 2009 2:40 PM   123 Comments

    —>Cracked takes a stab at explaining why your calls to customer support inevitably lead to frustration. You'll probably recognize your own experiences as you read their article, and learn a little about why being a customer service agent sucks so much, too.  More »

    Angry Customer Tries To Hold Ashley Furniture Repairman Hostage Until He Fixes That Dresser
    By Chris Walters on April 21, 2009 2:06 PM   55 Comments

    —>A man in New London, Wisconsin grew so angry about the broken drawers on his dresser that he tried to trap an Ashley Furniture repairman in his bedroom until they were fixed. The man's wife reportedly said, "Paul, let him go," in what we hope was an exasperated voice—we have a feeling Paul does stuff like this all the time.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 21, 2009 12:55 PM   12 Comments

    —>

    • Ben & Jerry's: Free cone day
    • Lenovo: [Notebooks] You Pay What We Pay Sale: Extra 20% off Select IdeaPad & ThinkPad Notebook PCs
    • Shop4Tech: Nintendo Wii Remote Charger Stand with batteries for $18 + free shipping
    • T.G.I. Firday's: Penny appetizers with beverage purchase at the bar through April 30th. Free affinity program membership required.
    • TCBY: Free Frozen Yogurt Cone or Cup for Moms on Mother's Day - May 10th

      More »

    Chrysler Financial Accused Of Turning Down Government Loan To Avoid Executive Bonus Restrictions
    By Chris Walters on April 20, 2009 9:07 PM   116 Comments

    —>The Washington Post has just published a story accusing executives at Chrysler Financial of turning down a $750 million government loan because they "didn't want to abide by new federal limits on pay," and instead opted for more expensive private sector financing, "adding to the burdens of the already fragile automaker and its financing company." Chrysler Financial denies the charge.  More »

    Dell Breaks Customer's New Laptop Remotely, Won't Send Him Replacement
    By Chris Walters on April 20, 2009 8:20 PM   156 Comments

    —>Anthony has been a long-time Dell customer and has shared his positive experiences with friends and family, but that's come to an end thanks to Dell's abysmal customer service. It's been one month since he first received his new Studio 15 Laptop, which worked correctly for 4 days. Since then, he's been on the phone with Dell for a total of 14 hours, he's watched a Dell CSR remotely break his laptop by interrupting the BIOS flash, he's been locked out of the data on his hard drive, and there's still no replacement laptop on the way to him. When he copied us on this email, he added, "All I wanted was the computer that I paid for long ago."  More »

    U-Haul Forgets Customer, Forgets Guarantee, Then Forgets Extra Day Agreement And Threatens Criminal Charges
    By Chris Walters on April 20, 2009 7:53 PM   125 Comments

    —>Consumerist reader Dionicious and his brother tried to rent a trailer from U-Haul over the weekend. First they were faced with a closed location, then they had to ask before the company followed through on its $50 "Right Time, Right Location" guarantee. They hoped that was the end of the screw-ups, but the next day an angry employee called and threatened to file criminal charges against the brothers. Too bad there's not some sort of $50 "We Threaten You, We Pay" guarantee.  More »

    McDonald's Remains America's Favorite Fast Food Restaurant
    By Chris Walters on April 20, 2009 6:39 PM   118 Comments

    —>Consumer research company Experian Simmons (yes, owned by Experian), has released a new study of fast food industry covering the past 5 years, and it looks like we still love going to McDonald's more than any other fast food restaurant.  More »

    Pepsi Yankees Promotion Leads To Fans Chanting "Pepsi Sucks!"
    By Chris Walters on April 20, 2009 4:42 PM   78 Comments

    —>It's probably never a good idea to offer Yankees fans free tickets for showing up and forming a crowd, because then you've got a crowd of Yankees fans with nothing to do, and that's not going to end well. In this case, after the fans found out that Pepsi over-promised the number of free tickets it was giving out, they turned hostile.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 20, 2009 11:52 AM   11 Comments

    —>

    • Tiger Direct: [Internet Tablet] Nokia N810 Internet Tablet $227 Shipped
    • Buy.com: [GPS Subscription] Navigon Lifetime Traffic Service Activation Card for $20 + free shipping
    • Gillette: [Freebie] Gillette is giving away 500 Fusion Razors every day through May 16th. Registration required to participate in givewaway.

      More »

    Please Do Not Expose Your Genitals To The Comcast Guy
    By Chris Walters on April 19, 2009 9:14 PM   98 Comments
    A [Howell, Michigan] man was ordered to stand trial on charges he exposed his genitals to a computer technician trying to fix his slow Internet service.  More »

    Here's What A Card Skimmer Looks Like On An ATM
    By Chris Walters on April 19, 2009 6:26 PM   130 Comments

    —>A lot of you have been asking to see what a skimmer looks like before it's yanked off an ATM. Are they easy to spot or virtually unnoticeable? Our reader Timeus works for a bank and deals with this sort of thing every day, and he sent in the following photos. Enjoy.  More »

    Don't Forget To Vote In Round 2 Of WCIA '09
    By Chris Walters on April 19, 2009 4:19 PM   5 Comments

    —>If you haven't done so yet, visit our posts for the round two competitors for Worst Company in America—we've got 7 face-offs ready for your vote, and the final one will go up next week (Circuit City vs. BoA, if you're following the bracket.) Is Ticketmaster's stranglehold on the live event industry worse than United Health Care's capacity for denying valid insurance claims? Does bailout-tainted AIG deserve the title more than regular-tainted Peanut Corp? Only you can decide!   More »

    Slate Investigates If It's Really Illegal To Fart On A Sandwich
    By Chris Walters on April 19, 2009 3:26 PM   64 Comments

    —>Nina Rastogi decided to look into food tampering laws in the wake of our Domino's Pizza story last week. It turns out you can spit in food in Ohio without fear of jail time so long as you don't have a communicable disease. Ohio is clearly the place to work if you are an angry restaurant employee, and the place to avoid if you're a diner who easily angers waitstaff.  More »

    Dilbert Encounters The Rebate Monster
    By Chris Walters on April 19, 2009 2:21 PM   82 Comments

    —>Your rebate frustration has a name, and it is apparently Rebaterus. (Full comic below.)  More »

    Reader Finds Another Card Skimmer On ATM
    By Chris Walters on April 19, 2009 1:56 PM   94 Comments

    —>Kelly sent us these pics of a card skimmer he found yesterday on a Bank of America ATM in Atlanta. He writes, "I asked the police what to do; they said give it to the bank. I asked the bank what to do, they said give it to the police. I assume that no one has established standard procedures to handle this kind of thing yet." Well if nothing else, send us a photo! Then we can publicize it for other readers, which is how Kelly found it in the first place: "I would have not even recognized it or known to look for it had I not read the article on your website a week earlier about what to look for." Full size pics below.  More »

    Got A Verizon Installation Problem? Tell Us Where It Took Place
    By Chris Walters on April 18, 2009 11:59 PM   36 Comments

    Might I make a suggestion for further Verizon Customer Issue articles? It would be helpful to know where the incident took place. As I'm sure you know, different parts of the county have different installation teams. Here in the New England region, installations are handled by real Verizon employees. Where in other areas, they contract installations to a third party that pass themselves off as Verizon. Also most regions have a VP email address for employees to help expidite such issues.  More »

    This Best Buy Survey Seems Suspiciously Biased
    By Chris Walters on April 18, 2009 10:26 PM   60 Comments

    —>Sidd tried to fill out a Best Buy post-purchase survey online, but he suspects it might be skewed toward specific ratings. We know, it's just a glitch, but this would explain that report that Best Buy is demoting 8,000 senior sales associates.  More »

    AIG Keeps Fighting Man Over Wheelchair, Glasses, And False Leg
    By Chris Walters on April 18, 2009 8:46 PM   111 Comments

    —>AIG needs its money for its own problems, people, and doesn't want to have to share with insurance claimants! That's why they've fought every request from John Woodson, a man who lost a leg, an eye, and 70% of the vision in the remaining eye while working as a contractor in Iraq. He told ABC News, "You constantly are worried about who is going to pay these bills, who is going to take care of me? Because you can't rely on AIG to come through for you. I don't understand how a company of their size and their magnitude, with government bailouts and money and support, I don't understand their not taking care of the individuals that were injured."  More »

    How To Raise A Smarter Kid
    By Chris Walters on April 18, 2009 4:44 PM   122 Comments

    —>It turns out kids in wealthier homes have higher IQs, not because of genetics but because of environment. Surely you can be frugal (or just plain poor) and raise a smart one? A psychology professor suggests you focus on praising effort over achievement, and teach delayed gratification—something that also helps when it comes to financial responsibility, so it's a win/win skill. You should also explain that IQ is expandable, not inherent: "Students exposed to that idea work harder and get better grades."  More »

    Kodak Gallery Improves Its Photo Storage Policies, Becomes A Valid Option Again
    By Chris Walters on April 18, 2009 3:24 PM   23 Comments

    —>We recently trashed Kodak Gallery, and rightly so, for providing the least value of any online photo storage/printing service. Now we take that back, because with a simple change to their terms, they've suddenly become a viable choice again—provided you meet a couple of conditions.  More »

    Carey Will Be Back Next Weekend
    By Chris Walters on April 18, 2009 3:10 PM   12 Comments

    —>Our beloved weekend editor Carey is taking the weekend off. I have put on my Carey wig, my Carey vest, my Carey shoes, and my Carey clown nose and will be posting this weekend as a very poor substitute for Carey, while the weather outside is amazing. Here's a picture of how we probably all feel about this.  More »

    Trade Group Asks Obamas To Please Use Pesticides In Their Vegetable Garden
    By Chris Walters on April 17, 2009 9:38 PM   141 Comments

    —>We don't blame the Mid America CropLife Association (MACA)— a pesticide an agribusiness trade group—for promoting its interests, but we still think it's funny that they've asked the first family to not grow organic vegetables in the White House vegetable garden. MACA's Executive Director Bonnie McCarvel sent a long letter to Michelle Obama reminding her of the importance of technology in modern farming, then publicized the letter via an email where she noted, "While a garden is a great idea, the thought of it being organic made Janet Braun, CropLife Ambassador Coordinator and I shudder."  More »

    Monster Cable Misuses Engadget Quote To Sell Its Crap
    By Chris Walters on April 17, 2009 8:46 PM   76 Comments

    —>If there's any blog more anti-Monster Cable than us, it's Engadget—they refuse to review any Monster Cable products because of the company's dishonest sales tactics and legal bullying. Monster either doesn't realize that (doubtful) or doesn't care, because they pulled a quote from Engadget out of context and slapped it on the home page of the Beats By Dre site in a way that implies Engadget has reviewed and approved of Monster headphones.  More »

    This Think Geek Sticker Clearly Wouldn't Fit In The Other Box
    By Chris Walters on April 17, 2009 7:36 PM   163 Comments

    —>We may have to invent a new tag just to accurately describe how absurd Think Geek's shipment to Micah in Ontario was. It was bad enough that the shipping was over $30, but that's a consequence of stupid shipping options from the US to Canada. What really elevates this story to the top of the stupid shipping mountain is how they packed a sticker. But hey, at least the sticker didn't get broken in transit. Update: Think Geek responds in the comments below (which is awesome because we felt kind of bad talking about a site we like so much).  More »

    Stephen Colbert Supports Payday Lending, So You Probably Should Too
    By Chris Walters on April 17, 2009 2:14 PM   49 Comments

    —>Chicago Democrat Luis Gutierrez introduced a bill last month that supposedly reforms out of control payday lending, where interest rates can exceed 300%, but actually gives payday lenders the freedom to charge annual interest rates that can exceed, um, 300%. It doesn't sound like much of a reform, and in fact Gutierrez has been heavily funded by the payday lending lobby. But luckily for you and me, Stephen Colbert explains why this is all a good thing.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 17, 2009 12:20 PM   31 Comments

    —>

    • Buy.com: [MP3 Player] Sansa Clip MP3 Player 1GB (Refurbished) for $14.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Amazon: [Mobile Phone] Verizon LG Dare VX9700 Smartphone 1 Cent Shipped
    • llbean: [Clothes] L.L.Bean Men's Polo Shirts for $15 + free shipping

      More »

    Sex Spray To Stave Off Orgasm Might Not Be So Revolutionary After All
    By Chris Walters on April 17, 2009 1:20 AM   55 Comments

    —>That topical spray we mentioned last week—the one designed to help premature ejaculators—turns out to just be a mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine. Lidocaine is commonly used by dentists to numb the mouth, and prilocaine is used to numb skin before inserting a needle. But beyond that, Consumer Reports points out that side effects reported by the men and their partners in the study included a "rash on their penis" or "a burning sensation in their vagina."  More »

    FiOS Installer Drills Through Wife's Wedding Dress
    By Chris Walters on April 17, 2009 12:54 AM   121 Comments

    —>A Verizon FiOS installer showed up yesterday to install the service in Sam's house, but misjudged the location of the laundry room by 4 feet and drilled directly into the closet where his wife kept her wedding dress.  More »

    Free iPhone App Improves Paypal And EBay Security
    By Chris Walters on April 16, 2009 8:36 PM   43 Comments

    —>We've posted before about security keys—those little digital keyfobs that generate expiring security codes over and over and make it incredibly hard for someone to gain unauthorized access to your account. They're a great idea, and now if you own an iPhone you can install a Verisign app that will work with Paypal and eBay, as well as about two dozen lesser known sites. It's probably the easiest step you can take to vastly improve security on those accounts.  More »

    All the outrage over Sling Media's iPhone app—which would have only worked with the latest Slingbox models—may have been moot. Boy Genius Report says they've received a tip that AT&T asked Apple to kill the app due to concerns about potential bandwidth drain. Update: JosephFinn points out that the tip is likely fake, as the IP address came from a prison. [IntoMobile]  More »

    Brookstone Clerk Tries To Sneak Warranty Into Sale
    By Chris Walters on April 16, 2009 3:58 PM   62 Comments

    —>Clearly Brookstone doesn't spend enough time training its employees to be dishonest, because this airport Brookstone clerk did a terrible job at trying to sneak a $4 warranty onto Nadav's father's purchase. She even admitted to the act when confronted.  More »

    Traveler Arrested For Bathroom Emergency On Delta Flight
    By Chris Walters on April 16, 2009 3:44 PM   155 Comments

    —>Is there a worse place to have sudden diarrhea than on an airplane? Well, yes, and that would be on a water slide, but let's stay with the airplane for a bit. Joao Correa was on a Delta Airlines flight from Honduras to Atlanta last week when something bad happened down below, and he had to immediately use the bathroom. Unfortunately, there was a drink cart blocking his way and the flight attendants wouldn't let him by.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 16, 2009 1:22 PM   11 Comments

    —>

    • Select hotels in Palm Beach: [Hotels] $19.09 sale, pay one night get 2nd night for $19.09 through December 2009
    • Walmart: [Video Games] Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit (Xbox 360) for $99.74 + $9.97 Shipping
    • BuyDig.com: [DVD Player] Toshiba 1080p HD-Upscaled DVD Player $79 Shipped
    • TekServe: [External HD Storage] G-Tech 500GB external hard drive for $129 + shipping, or buy in store

      More »

    Got Allergies? Try Pouring Liquid Up Your Nose
    By Chris Walters on April 16, 2009 2:50 AM   134 Comments

    —>A couple of years ago, I was complaining to my friend about my allergies and she suggested I try a neti pot—she said she had one and it really helped her. I nodded politely but assumed she was crazy, because we were in Brooklyn and because she works in theater. I also didn't like the idea of irrigating my nose, because the only reference point I have for that sort of thing is diving incorrectly at the public pool, and it's never pleasant. But the New York Times says neti pots really do work, and several recent studies indicate that they can be effective, and cheap, treatments for nasal allergies.  More »

    Arrest Warrants Issued For Domino's Outlaws Kristy And Michael, While Domino's Prez Apologizes Online
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 10:56 PM   197 Comments

    —>The saga of Kristy and Michael, the two (former) Domino's employees whose on-the-job shenanigans made it to YouTube earlier this week, continues. Now there are warrants out for their arrests, and Domino's says it plans to sue them. Seriously, if you work in the food industry and are nursing some grudges, just... try to hold them in until you can find a job better suited to you.  More »

    Amazon Can Ban You From Your Kindle Account Whenever It Likes
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 10:41 PM   92 Comments

    —>Amazon recently banned a customer for making what they considered too many returns, and when they did this they also disabled his Kindle account, although the returns were never related to Kindle purchases. So what happens when your Kindle account is taken away? Your Kindle still works, and the books you already bought for it will work, but you can't download those books ever again (better have made a backup on your PC!), you can't receive your magazine, blog, or newspaper subscriptions on it anymore, you can't email documents to Amazon to have them converted and sent to your Kindle, and you can't buy any new books for the device. That $360 device only works so long as Amazon decides it will work.  More »

    This Comcast Rep Should Probably Not Be Talking To Customers
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 3:17 PM   89 Comments

    —>Hannah needs some more training, because her knowledge of Comcast's bandwidth cap is less than Comcastic. We also think calling her an "analyst" is maybe stretching it a bit.  More »

    Romance Novels Selling Like Hotcakes Because We're All Poor
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 2:15 PM   94 Comments

    —>Harlequin, the been-around-forever romance novel company, reported a 32% increase its 4th quarter from a year ago, says ABC News. In this video clip, they look at the company's single minded focus on churning out 1200 new titles per year at $5 each, in pretty much every sub-genre you can invent. The best parts of the segment, however, are watching various celebrities—especially Martin Bashir, George Will, Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd—read samples. Their interpretations will make you feel "the purely caveman urge to pick her up and carry her to bed."  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 1:38 PM   24 Comments
    • Kenneth Cole: Today only, 40% off everything, no coupon/promo codes needed
    • TGI Fridays: Today only, Tax Break discount with $5-$10 Bonus Bites
    • Walgreens: Through April 20th, 15% OFF Online Orders w/ coupon TAXED
    • Taco Del Mar: Today only, free taco.
    • HydroMassage: Today only, free massage (call ahead to schedule an appointment)
    • Pittsburgh Pirates: Today only, $1 seats, $1 hot dogs, $1 12-ounce soda and $1 popcorn
    • MaggieMoos: Today only, free single scoop ice cream at participating stores (which means call first)
    • Cinnabon: Today from 5 to 8pm, free Bites (mini cinnamon rolls); they're also having an online tax essay contest where the winner receives a $100 gift certificate

    Thanks to MainStreet for several of the tips! Check out "Free Stuff: Tax Day Is Snacks Day" [MainStreet.com]  More »

    Cox Cable Needs $40 To Change The Name On An Account
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 2:08 AM   88 Comments

    —>It's pretty hard for Cox Cable to change the name on your account, as Keith and his wife (the original account owner) discovered recently. First they have to disconnect your service, then reconnect it under the new name—and that probably requires all sorts of paperwork and labor. Probably hours of work! Probably someone has to drive out to somewhere and manually do something!!! That's clearly why they hit Keith with a $20 Digital Activation Fee and a $20 Video Activation Fee.  More »

    Maybe Those Domino's Dorks Can Get Jobs In This McDonalds
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 1:07 AM   60 Comments

    —>Lots of readers have been sending us this clip today. It's called "The Filthiest McDonalds in the World," and yes, it pretty much is. On the plus side, you don't have to send your kids to the ball pit—you can just place them on the floor and watch them sink out of sight.  More »

    CitiBusiness Strands Customer In The Middle Of The Pacific With No Credit Card
    By Chris Walters on April 15, 2009 1:02 AM   88 Comments

    —>Skye is on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean without any way to pay for things, because Citibank canceled his card due to a security breach and didn't bother to warn him first. What's worse, they're making him call repeatedly to try to fix it, which is costing him $3.50/minute because he's in the middle of an ocean.  More »

    Virgin Mobile Offers To Pay Your Phone Bill For 3 Months If You Get Laid Off
    By Chris Walters on April 14, 2009 9:31 PM   13 Comments

    —>Starting tomorrow, Virgin Mobile will offer all customers who sign up for $30 or more post-paid plans coverage under their free Pink Slip program, which means if you get laid off and can provide proof, they'll pay your cellphone bill for three months, and you won't have to put a Skype number on your resume.  More »

    Nurse Laid Off In The Middle Of Surgery
    By Chris Walters on April 14, 2009 3:29 PM   161 Comments

    —>When Dean Health System in Madison, Wisconsin announced last week that it "planned to 'immediately' lay off 90 employees," it wasn't kidding around. One of them was a nurse who was pulled out of surgery to be told the news.  More »

    Consumerist Sleuths Track Down Offending Domino's Store
    By Chris Walters on April 14, 2009 2:13 PM   150 Comments

    —>Within only a couple of hours of our posting some gross-out videos of bad Domino's employees last night, our readers Amy Wilson and whyerhead managed to track down the location, call the store directly to alert the manager, and send the address to Domino's corporate. The only two clues they had were the YouTube handle of the uploader and a quick glimpse of the surrounding area as viewed through the drive-through window in one of the clips.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 14, 2009 12:04 PM   18 Comments

    —>

    • BestBuy: [Movies] $4.99 DVD Sale
    • Amazon: [Home Electronics] Free $40 Gift Certificate with Philips Sonicare and Norelco Orders
    • Newegg: [Video Games] Final Fantasy XI for Xbox 360 for $10 + free shipping

      More »

    Former Employee Says AmazonFail Caused By The French (Well, By One Of Them At Least)
    By Chris Walters on April 14, 2009 12:10 AM   71 Comments

    —>Mike Daisey, the monologist and former employee at Amazon.com, told the Seattle PI that the weekend's gay and feminist book fiasco was actually caused by an employee at Amazon.fr who confused the term "adult"—which refers to porn stuff in Amazon's system—with "erotic" and "sexuality." That sharp-toothed troll who claimed all the credit is going to be pretty miffed to find out about this.  More »

    Domino's Rogue Employees Do Disgusting Things To The Food, Put It On YouTube
    By Chris Walters on April 13, 2009 11:26 PM   240 Comments
    Here are three clips of Kristy and Michael, a couple of not-that-bright idiots getting themselves fired, and quite possible sued, by doing unsanitary things to customers' orders on camera while their manager sits in the back reading the newspaper. "Whiteair2" posted them to YouTube in the last day, and now everyone knows that Michael likes to put cheese and peppers up his nose.
    Update: Some of our readers managed to track down the Domino's location and alert corporate.
    More »

    Martha Stewart And Kmart Settle With Magician Who Lost Fingertip In Lounge Chair
    By Chris Walters on April 13, 2009 11:01 PM   25 Comments

    —>It looks like a certain Des Moines magician/hand model will be able to afford a fancy new gold fingertip soon, or at least a gold-plated one, because he's settled his lawsuit against Kmart and Martha Stewart Omnimedia for an undisclosed amount.  More »

    Systemax Wants To Buy Circuit City Website For $6.5 Million
    By Chris Walters on April 13, 2009 9:34 PM   36 Comments

    —>Systemax, the company behind Tiger Direct (and the buyer of CompUSA's remains when it went out of business over a year ago) has announced it plans to buy the Circuit City e-commerce business for $6.5 million cash plus a share of the revenue over a 30 month period.  More »

    What Should You Do With Counterfeit Money?
    By Chris Walters on April 13, 2009 9:01 PM   169 Comments
    From what I've seen online, if I take it to a bank, they might take it, but of course I won't be compensated. Should I turn it into the police? What should I do with it? I don't really want to just pass it along.  More »

    New York Times Calls Botox "The Duct Tape Of Medicine"
    By Chris Walters on April 13, 2009 6:28 PM   31 Comments

    —>Who knew botulism could be so awesome? Botox is Allergan's cash cow, earning the pharmaceutical company $1.3 billion last year alone. The funny thing about the toxin—originally developed as a biological weapon—is it works for a lot of "off-label" uses as well (like treating anal fissures and preventing hair loss), and Allergan says that non-cosmetic applications could be an even bigger market because health insurers will help pay for the treatments. Likely upcoming FDA-approved treatments: stroke-induced muscle spasms, chronic migraines, and enlarged prostates.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 13, 2009 11:45 AM   19 Comments

    —>

    • NewEgg: [Video Game] MotorStorm Playstation3 Game SONY for $16.99 w/ Free shipping
    • BJ's Wholesale Club: [Memberships] Free 60-Day Shopping Pass via printable coupon
    • Buy.com: [Headphones] Kensington Stereo Bluetooth Headset $23 + free shipping

      More »

    Amazon Introduces Packaging Feedback
    By Chris Walters on April 10, 2009 11:14 PM   58 Comments

    —>Is Amazon trying to kill off our "stupid shipping gang" tag? Alex wrote to us today to point out that now there's a new "Packaging Feedback" link under your "My Account" page on their site. Among other things, you can leave feedback on the size of the box relative to what's inside.  More »

    On Costa Cruises, Your "Waiter" Will Take Your Bread Basket Away And Give It To Another Table
    By Chris Walters on April 10, 2009 10:37 PM   70 Comments

    —>There were lots of problems on the recent Costa Cruise vacation that Krista and her friends took, including lukewarm hot tubs, closed buffets, and missing towels. But the biggest surprise was when their waiter was replaced on the second day with a newly promoted, untrained busboy who abandoned them nightly. Well, when he wasn't taking their sugar or stealing their basket of bread.  More »

    AmTrust Offers Homeowner $50 To Voluntarily Close HELOC
    By Chris Walters on April 10, 2009 9:41 PM   13 Comments

    —>Here's a new tactic we haven't seen before: mortgage originator AmTrust called blogger BeThisWay and offered her $50 to voluntarily close her home equity line of credit (HELOC), possibly in response to the recent class action lawsuit against them for illegally closing HELOCs. She writes, "Well, I'd like to keep my HELOC. But I have to figure out AmTrust's next move. What will they do if not enough people voluntarily surrender their HELOCs? Are cancellations next? Am I better off taking the $50 now, or waiting, hoping they don't cancel it?"  More »

    Probably At 4 Cookies The Real Savings Kicks In
    By Chris Walters on April 10, 2009 9:19 PM   38 Comments

    —>Edward found this sign at a Subway shop in NYC. We appreciate that they're doing the addition for us.  More »

    Zales Fires Top Earning Saleswoman Because She Needs Surgery
    By Chris Walters on April 10, 2009 8:36 PM   239 Comments

    —>A saleswoman for Zales who had earned 5 diamonds and almost a dozen commendations over the past 4 1/2 years—she's the area's first employee to earn a million dollars in sales in one year—was terminated last month, one week after she requested time off to have surgery for a life-threatening aortic aneurysm.  More »

    Austin Jiffy Lubes Too Cheap To Dispose Of Oil Properly, Keep Dumping It In City Sewer System
    By Chris Walters on April 10, 2009 4:47 PM   63 Comments

    —>Heartland Automotive Services, Inc., which runs 31 Jiffy Lubes in the Austin area, has to pay a $300,000 fine after admitting to pumping used oil into the city's sewer system instead of recycling it. Normally shops are paid by the gallon for used oil, but in this case a damaged wall let water seep into the oil collection area and create a toxic mess that couldn't be sold—so instead of paying to remove it, they pumped it down the drain.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 10, 2009 1:25 PM   13 Comments
    Highlights From Dealhack
    • Buy.com: [Netbook] HP Mini 10.1-inch Intel Atom Netbook PC $280 Shipped
    • Reebok: [Shoes] Save Extra 20% off Sale Shoes and Apparel
    • Barnes & Noble: [Magazine] Save Extra $5 off Magazine Subscriptions
      More »

    Sling Media's $50 Discount Worthless, Might Even End Up Costing You More
    By Chris Walters on April 9, 2009 11:39 PM   56 Comments

    —>When Sling Media finally released their iPhone app last week, they conveniently turned off access to older Slingbox devices in order to force customers to buy newer models. As a gesture—only a gesture, nothing more—of their gratitude toward existing customers who supported them by already buying Slingboxes, they offered a $50 credit toward the purchase of a newer model.  More »

    Monster Cable Awakens From Slumber, Sues Another Company
    By Chris Walters on April 9, 2009 8:00 PM   176 Comments

    —>Well, that didn't last long. Back in January, we were hopeful that Monster Cable had seen the error of its stupid ways and stopped suing everyone but the dictionary for using the word "monster" in their title. They were just hibernating, it seems, and now they're back and bullying another company—this time a family-owned transmission manufacturer in Florida named Monster Transmission.  More »

    Hit With A Credit Card Rate Hike? Try Freezing The Account
    By Chris Walters on April 9, 2009 6:41 PM   68 Comments

    —>Rosemary writes that Bank of America just increased the interest rates on her two credit cards by 12% and 15% because the balances were too high, after slashing the credit limits on both cards a month before. She's frustrated, of course, but like everyone else who's been hit with these increasing fees, she's sort of stuck with their decision. But Mary Schwager at Examiner.com suggests you try placing your account on hold for six months or so, at which point your creditor may be less terrified of the economy and willing to work with you.  More »

    American Apparel Has Gone Too Far
    By Chris Walters on April 9, 2009 5:17 PM   52 Comments

    —>  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 9, 2009 2:32 PM   10 Comments

    —>

    • NewEgg: [Kitchen] West Bend SHTO100 Toaster Oven for $19.99 w/ coupon EMCLRLV27 w/ Free shipping
    • Amazon: [Babyfood] Save Extra $20 off Tastybaby Organic Babyfood
    • Dell Small Business: [Monitors] Dell G2410 24" 1080p LED-Backlit Widescreen LCD Display for $233 + free shipping
    • KitchenAid: [Kitchen] KitchenAid closeout on mixers and other appliances
      More »

    It turns out that weird evening bank verification call from AmEx was legit. Brandon wrote back, "After reading all the comments on Consumerist, it stoked my fear of fraud even more, so I called Amex security. They verified the call was legitimate and was from American Express. It was just poor customer service after all."  More »

    Reader Receives Three Phishing Attempts In One Week
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 11:55 PM   22 Comments

    —>DoomNasty tells us he's been hit three times in the past week with phishing attempts. The first two were text messages from Alarion Bank, asking him to call 1-877-240-6149 "to find out why my debit/atm card was blocked. I do not have an account, and Privacy Assist shows no account was created behind my back." The third was from 201-968-0007, but no message was left. He traced the number to Liquidity Solutions, Inc., who told him that "one of their numbers got hijacked and the hijacker is phishing for banking info."  More »

    Tennessee Pushes Back Against Late Fees By Credit Card Companies
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 11:45 PM   55 Comments

    —>Although it has yet to pass into law, the Tennessee Senate Commerce Committee has approved a bill that requires creditors to count the postmark date of a payment as the payment date, not the day they say they receive it.  More »

    Has Comcast Hired ELIZA For Customer Chat Support?
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 6:42 PM   56 Comments

    —>This English-as-a-second-language tech support guy just wants to help Noah out, but the weird combination of formal exchanges and misunderstandings make him sound like an AI program. We don't think Jullan even realizes that his good-natured attempts to help are only annoying the customer more. In theory, we like the idea of a tech support guy "extending an extra mile," but maybe next time he should stick to tech support and leave billing questions unto the billing department.  More »

    69 Cent Tracks Are Hard To Find On iTunes Music Store
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 5:52 PM   95 Comments

    —>MP3newswire.net browsed through not-quite-hits from past decades on the iTunes Music Store to see where these fabled 69 cent music tracks are hiding. He tried the Katydids, Camper Van Beethoven, the Lyres, Rock and Roll Trio, but found nothing below 99 cents. Then he went back to be-bop and blues recordings of the '40s—nope. Finally, he looked at songs from Ada Jones, a recording artist from 1893 to 1922. Everything was still 99 cents.  More »

    Do you suffer from premature ejaculations? Waitdon'tanswertha—oh too late. Just know that help may be on the way, with the first topical spray proven in medical studies to delay the magic moment six times longer than without. It's been approved for use in Great Britain but doesn't have FDA approval in the US yet—although NBC News says we'll likely see it here in the next couple of years. Update: Consumer Reports says the spray isn't really all that after all. [MSNBC] (Photo: wili_hybrid)  More »

    iTunes Raises Prices To $1.29 For Popular Music Tracks
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 4:46 PM   119 Comments

    —>Say what you will about Apple's dominion over the music industry, but for a while now they've maintained an artificially low market for music tracks by forcing labels to sell songs for 99 cents each. That era is over: in exchange for moving to a higher bitrate and going 100% DRM free (hooray) iTunes has officially introduced "variable pricing" (boo), which means each track may cost 69 cents, 99 cents, or $1.29—it all depends on the song and the label. It looks like Amazon has introduced variable pricing as well, although it's mostly holding to the 99 cents threshold for now. Amazon's tracks, by the way, have always been free of DRM.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 12:00 PM   15 Comments

    —>

    • Ralph Lauren: [Clothing] 30% purchase through April 14th with coupon code RLSP2009
    • Simple and Delicious: [Ketchup!] Free 24-oz Bottle of Hunt's Ketchup w/ Coupon + $10 Coupon Book (free registration required)
    • Geeks: [Camera+] Polaroid 8MP Camera with Free 7-inch LCD Photo Frame & 2GB Secure Digital Card $150
      More »

    "Sprint Won't Stop Calling Me To Make Sure I Am Happy With Them"
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 1:41 AM   81 Comments

    —>One of our readers can't get Sprint to stop calling him. He's happy with the service, and they just want to make sure he's happy. Repeatedly. To the point that they're starting to get on his nerves.  More »

    Rumor: AT&T To Start Forcing iPhone Data Plan On iPhone 3G Owners Who Aren't Using One
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 1:12 AM   112 Comments

    —>The iPhone blog says that AT&T is going to start contacting iPhone owners who aren't using an official iPhone data plan and force them to sign up for one. The crackdown supposedly starts tomorrow in the Atlanta and Austin markets, and expands nationwide by the end of the month.  More »

    IGN Says Capcom's "New Content" For Resident Evil 5 Is Already On The Disc
    By Chris Walters on April 8, 2009 12:44 AM   143 Comments

    —>Update: Several commenters have pointed out that the size of the download seems to indicate that your $5 gets you new code, not just an unlock key. The original post is below.  More »

    Senators Introduce Bill To Ban Text Message Spam
    By Chris Walters on April 7, 2009 8:33 PM   55 Comments

    —>Senators Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, and Bill Nelson, D-Florida, have introduced the m-SPAM Act, which would update the CAN-SPAM law to include text message spam. "The m-SPAM Act would explicitly bar marketers from sending text messages to any mobile number in the national Do-Not-Call registry maintained by the FTC," reports InternetNews.   More »

    Macy's Makes Fun Of Coupons With Its Latest Coupon
    By Chris Walters on April 7, 2009 7:18 PM   82 Comments

    —>Did you know the asterisk in the Macy*s logo is actually part of a clever branding campaign to associate the brand with fine print? It must be true, because no other department store has such a love of fine print on coupons—and such an apparent hatred of actual coupons. Their latest masterpiece in exclusions won't cover electronics, wigs, mattresses, shoes, watches, about a million clothing brands, and more. What does it cover? Probably a shoehorn from the Notions for Men department.  More »

    The Consumerist Hive Mind Helps You Buy A Diamond
    By Chris Walters on April 7, 2009 3:10 PM   271 Comments

    I'd love to know what to look out for when buying a diamond. Do dealers change the grades of diamonds, lie about carats, etc? Where can I buy reasonably priced diamonds? There may be a huge mark-up in store, but am I going to get scammed online? Maybe just pointing in the direction of reliable user reviews of local or online retailers, since it's so hard to know which reviews are genuine and which are the retailers inflating their stock these days.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 7, 2009 2:06 PM   12 Comments
    Highlights From Dealhack
    • Buy.com: [Drive] Fantom GreenDrive II 1TB Dual Input USB & eSATA External Drive $100 & Free Shipping
    • CellPhoneShop: [Mobile Accessories] Save Extra 10% - 20% off Mobile Cables and other Gear Orders with Coupons
    • Newegg: [GPS] Refurbished Garmin nuvi 200 GPS Navigator $90 Shipped
      More »

    5 Big Retail Mark-Ups To Watch Out For
    By Chris Walters on April 7, 2009 12:48 AM   188 Comments

    —>The Lansing State Journal has put together a list of 5 marked-up retail categories to be aware of when you're making purchasing decisions, most of which you hopefully already know. If you can't find wholesale sources or DIY replacements, then at least make sure you do a lot of comparison shopping to get the best deal.  More »

    Is Buy.com Friendlier To The Environment Than Brick And Mortar Stores?
    By Chris Walters on April 7, 2009 12:29 AM   13 Comments

    —>A study by the Green Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh states that when comparing getting a flash drive from Buy.com versus a physical retailer, Buy.com ends up being about 30% less damaging to the environment. To reach their conclusion, the researchers compared transportation, packaging, warehousing, and energy usage both by the consumer and the retailer.  More »

    Take A Peek Inside A Netflix Mailing Facility
    By Chris Walters on April 7, 2009 12:11 AM   84 Comments

    —>You might want to hum a little of the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood theme song music as you click over to Boston.com to view these photos of what goes down at a Netflix facility. We like how they all wear red tees—they're like Netflix elves merrily providing DVDs to the nation. (Maybe they just did it for photo day, though.)  More »

    National Federation Of The Blind Mounts Protest Over Kindle 2 Restrictions
    By Chris Walters on April 6, 2009 10:48 PM   95 Comments

    —>When the Authors Guild successfully agitated for the right to selectively remove the text-to-speech feature from books read on Amazon's Kindle 2, they alienated an entire group of potential consumers: people who have trouble reading normal printed works. Now a group called the Reading Rights Coalition is going to storm the Authors Guild's NYC office tomorrow at noon to protest.  More »

    Smart Mop Holds Up To 20 Times The Crazy Of A ShamWow
    By Chris Walters on April 6, 2009 8:17 PM   89 Comments

    —>The people behind the new Smart Mop infomercial have clearly studied the success of the ShamWow guy, and they've taken the infomercial genre to a new level of silliness. Their new ad is so ridiculous that it seems designed more for YouTube than primetime, but since it's funny and entertaining (for an infomercial) we'll take the bait and post it.  More »

    Reader Finds Card Skimmer On Bank ATM
    By Chris Walters on April 6, 2009 7:52 PM   164 Comments

    —>Dan says over the weekend he discovered a card skimmer attached to the ATM at his local WaMu branch. He pulled it off and took photos of it.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 6, 2009 1:12 PM   17 Comments

    —>

    • Orangejulius.com: [Smoothie] Buy 1 Get 1 Free Julius Premium Fuit Smoothie (printable coupon)
    • Bluefly: [Fashion] New Customers Save $30 off First Order
    • Buy.com: [Charger] Aluratek Universal Cellular Charging Kit for $10 + free shipping
      More »

    Did Your Paxil Pills Break In The Bottle? Get Up To $150 Cash Back
    By Chris Walters on April 4, 2009 1:27 AM   15 Comments

    —>If you took Paxil between April 1, 2002 and March 4, 2005, and your pills broke in the bottle, you can take part in a new class action settlement to receive some compensation. Tier One covers 1-5 pills and will get you $50. Tier Two covers up to 15 pills and will get you between $50 and $150 depending on the details of your claim.   More »

    Why Do Some Stores Act Stupid About Coupons?
    By Chris Walters on April 4, 2009 1:12 AM   115 Comments

    —>Some stores—like A&P Supermarkets and Bed Bath & Beyond, for example—seem to have a sort of antagonism against coupon users. (For that matter, some of our commenters do too, but they are wrong.) Steve Gosset notes on his "Reality Bites Back" blog that the shortsighted coupon policies at these two stores only ended up costing them more fees, or even a sale.  More »

    Report: Loan Modifications To Date Haven't Been That Effective
    By Chris Walters on April 4, 2009 12:50 AM   33 Comments
    Fewer than half of loan modifications made at the end of last year actually reduced borrowers' payments by more than 10 percent... [while] nearly one in four loan modifications in the fourth quarter actually resulted in increased monthly payments.  More »

    Dell Charges Customer $300 More Than He Authorized
    By Chris Walters on April 3, 2009 11:59 PM   30 Comments

    —>Matt is having some trouble getting Dell to sort out its billing mistake with his new TV purchase. It's an interesting story because for the most part, Dell employees or outsourced CSRs are trying to be helpful to Matt, but nothing has actually been accomplished yet over email, chat, or the telephone. Matt wants his $300 back, and Dell wants Matt to just return the TV set if he won't pay the non-discounted price. We think he may have a case here for disputing the overcharged amount.  More »

    Contact Info For Eastman Kodak Company
    By Chris Walters on April 3, 2009 11:36 PM   2 Comments

    —>An anonymous tipster provides the following contact info for the Kodak executive team.  More »

    The mice are all gone and the Pikesville Target is again open for business! [Baltimore Sun]  More »

    Barnes & Noble College Bookstores Sends Email Reminder That You Don't Want Them To Send You Email
    By Chris Walters on April 3, 2009 2:32 PM   83 Comments

    —>Gosh, this is really thoughtful of the Barnes & Noble bookstore on the Georgia Tech campus. They sent Steve an email reminder that at some point in the past, he explicitly opted out of receiving any email communications from them in the future. See, he may have forgotten that he didn't want to be contacted, and how else would he remember it if B&N didn't contact him to let him know? Update: Shane at Mississippi State University received the same helpful reminder from his campus bookstore, also run by B&N.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 3, 2009 12:56 PM   17 Comments

    —>

    • Amazon.com: [Groceries] Grocery coupon codes for April
    • Surplus Computers: Western Digital 3.5" 80GB IDE Hard Drive for $16 + $8 s&h, more
      More »

    Rodent Infestation Forces Target To Close
    By Chris Walters on April 3, 2009 2:37 AM   70 Comments

    —>A Target in Pikesville, Maryland "has been closed until further notice because of a rodent problem," reports WBAL Baltimore. Target officials wouldn't tell customers why they were closed—our tipster aishel says they told him it was for maintenance, and a person interviewed by WBAL says she was told it was a "water main problem." Target's corporate office, however, confirmed there's a big mouse problem. Update: The store has reopened.  More »

    Forget all that spin about listening to customer complaints: it looks like the real reason Tropicana killed off its rebranding push after only two months is because sales dropped by 20% during that period, while some big competitors posted double-digit gains. We have a feeling Tropicana is going to end up in a lot of business and marketing textbooks in the future. [AdAge] (Thanks to Ross!)  More »

    Bad Idea: Confessing To Your $100,000 A Year Shoplifting Habit On National TV
    By Chris Walters on April 2, 2009 6:31 PM   196 Comments

    —>All the clever shoplifting tricks in the world won't save you from yourself if you decide to reveal your secrets on Dr. Phil. Last week a fraud task force raided the home of Laura and Matthew Eaton, who appeared on an episode in November to show the audience how they did it and to say they were going straight.  More »

    FileFront isn't shutting down after all! The original founders decided to buy back the company from Ziff Davis Media after learning that the service was to be shut down at the end of March. [FileFront] (Thanks to Bob!)  More »

    Verizon Gives Customer $50 Gift Card To Apologize For Taunting Her With Unavailable FiOS
    By Chris Walters on April 2, 2009 6:05 PM   43 Comments

    —>It's strange, the way some customer/CSR encounters go so well when others seem headed for failure before the first sentence is finished. When Nix called to complain about being mistakenly sent a $100 gift card offer that she can't take advantage of, the Verizon rep on the other end not only addressed the real issues, but later sent a $50 gift card to Nix as a goodwill gesture.  More »

    These Martha Stewart/Kmart Lounge Chairs Keep Cutting Off Fingertips
    By Chris Walters on April 2, 2009 5:19 PM   85 Comments

    —>Holy $#!@, this lounge chair will eat your fingers! Fox5 New York has a video report on dangerously unsafe lounge chairs sold at Kmart under the Martha Stewart brand. Naturally (we're not making this up), the chairs are designed to complement the Martha Stewart Spontaneously Shattering Glass Patio Tables also sold at Kmart.  More »

    Don't bother with the new SlingPlayer app for the iPhone unless you own one of the newest Slingbox devices. For some reason—Engadget speculates it's financial, not technical—the app won't work with older Slingboxes. [Engadget] (Thanks to Alejandro!)  More »

    Fake April Fools' Day Product Sparks Demand For Real Version
    By Chris Walters on April 2, 2009 3:40 PM   105 Comments

    —>Of all companies, ThinkGeek should know that you never taunt a sci-fi nerd with something movie related unless it really exists. Yesterday the company revealed its annual page of fake products to trick customers, including squeezable bacon spread and a "Unicorn Chaser" soft drink. The best product of all, however, was this Tauntaun sleeping bag (check out the tiny lightsaber on the zipper pull!), which sparked so much demand that the company is looking into selling it for real.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 2, 2009 1:01 PM   23 Comments

    —>

    • Sam's Club: [Free Samples] Free GLAD ForceFlex Tall Kitchen Garbage Bags Sample
    • B&H Photo: [Camcorder] Sony DVD710 Hybrid Camcorder $230 Shipped
    • OfficeMax: [Paper Shredder] OfficeMax 8-Sheet Diamond-Cut Shredder for $20 + $8 s&h
      More »

    Comcast Sends Customer "Free" Self-Install Kit, Then Adds $9.95 Shipping Charge To Monthly Bill
    By Chris Walters on April 2, 2009 12:34 AM   49 Comments

    —>Hillary discovered that her money-saving free digital service self installation kit from Comcast wasn't so free after all when she got her monthly bill. She says they removed the charge when she called to ask about it, which further reinforces our suspicion that this is a sneaky plan to pass the cost of the free kit back to subscribers. If you request a free self install kit from Comcast, watch your bill for extra charges.  More »

    Ride For Free On Jet Blue (If You Can Get Yourself "Trapped" In The Cargo Hold)
    By Chris Walters on April 2, 2009 12:08 AM   33 Comments

    —>A Jet Blue employee hitched a free flight from JFK Airport in NYC to Logan Airport in Boston this past weekend, after getting trapped in the cargo hold before takeoff. Police aren't charging him with a crime, but they told the Boston Globe that, "Even after talking to him, we were a little uncertain as to how it happened." He apparently called the company from the cargo hold once the plane was in the air—which is exactly what we would do to deflect suspicion in a scheme like this. Tokyo, here we come via new part-time job as a baggage handler!  More »

    Walgreen Health Clinics Now Free For Unemployed
    By Chris Walters on April 1, 2009 11:53 PM   36 Comments

    —>Walgreen has announced that if you're willing to provide proof of unemployment and sign a form that says you lost your health benefits along with your job, you and your uninsured family members can receive free treatment at any of their 300+ in-store health clinics. What's covered: "respiratory problems, allergies, infections and skin conditions, among other ailments." What's not: checkups, vaccinations or other injections, and prescriptions.  More »

    Consumer Reports Health Blog Debunks 6 Medical Myths
    By Chris Walters on April 1, 2009 6:19 PM   37 Comments

    —>Today's "April False" post on the Consumer Reports Health Blog looks at six commonly held medical and health misconceptions. The only one I must take issue with is the one about baldness, because I am balding and I am not only a better lover, but probably the best lover. Otherwise, take a look and learn something new.  More »

    Time Warner Cable Expands Metered Billing To Four More Cities
    By Chris Walters on April 1, 2009 5:55 PM   180 Comments

    —>If you live in Rochester, NY, Austin or San Antonio, TX, or Greensboro, NC, your broadband access from TWC is about to be capped. The company is expanding its trial run from Beaumont, TX to these additional four cities, where TWC broadband customers will have to choose one of the company's tiers of service—anywhere from 5GB to 40GB per month. DSL Reports notes that all five markets lack Verizon's FiOS as an option, and TWC faces little to no competition from other providers.   More »

    Movie Distributor Doesn't Care For Blogosphere, Says To Ignore It
    By Chris Walters on April 1, 2009 1:54 PM   69 Comments

    —>Magnolia Pictures, the company behind the botched US release of the DVD of Let The Right One In, isn't backing down from its claim that the new simplified subtitles are just fine. In fact, this internal communication from a Magnolia rep to a Canadian distributor shows just how little they care about how their core fans feel.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on April 1, 2009 12:57 PM   23 Comments
    Highlights From Dealhack
    • Hanes.com: [Tees] Save 25% off Men's & Boy's Shirts & More
    • Buy.com: [LCD] Acer X193Wb 19-inch LCD Monitor $100 Shipped
    • Lucky Brand Jeans: [Clothing] Friends & Family Sale: 30% off Clothing & Accessories with Coupon
      More »

    Why Is Nokia Charging Customers More Than The Invoice Amount?
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 10:56 PM   25 Comments

    —>Nokia has already had a few problems rolling out its new touchscreen 5800 XpressMusic phone, including earpieces that go bad in humid weather and firmmware that wouldn't work on certain big-city 3G networks on the US model, but now they're screwing around with something serious: customers' money.  More »

    Kraft Salad Dressing Comes With Built In Mini-Shiv
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 9:44 PM   124 Comments

    —>Every time Kevin unscrews a new bottle of Kraft salad dressing, the sharp plastic hinge cuts him. This is good to know if you're in a supermarket and need to show another shopper that you're not to be messed with. It's also good to know if you're trying to unscrew a Kraft dressing bottle, we guess.  More »

    Unilever's Opt-Out Page Thinks It's A Tax Form
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 8:42 PM   46 Comments

    —>We'll give Unilever points for offering an exhaustive opt-out page that covers every conceivable form of communication you may be receiving from them. We'll take all those points away, however, and award them a fail badge for creating the world's longest, most labor intensive opt-out page you've ever seen.  More »

    Best Buy Taking Over Circuit City Credit Cards
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 8:37 PM   57 Comments

    —>"Good news about your credit card account," proclaims the letter Wilman recently received from Chase. Starting in May, you'll be able to use that Circuit City card to make purchases at Best Buy. We think this is more like "mixed feelings" news, but on the plus side you won't have an otherwise good credit card account closed (assuming you care about your FICO score). See the Chase letter below.  More »

    How To Easily Remember A Different Password For Every Site
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 6:37 PM   154 Comments

    —>Everyone knows that one of the best ways to protect yourself from online security disasters is to use a different password for each account. But do you do it? Probably not, because at first glance it looks like an unreasonable burden, having to either remember dozens of unique passwords or having to keep them all written down somewhere (which in itself is a security risk). The website ideashower.com offers a simple way to create a unique, easy to remember password for every account.  More »

    What Do The Notes On Your Account Really Say?
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 2:22 PM   110 Comments

    —>Pretty much every problematic customer service story these days includes some reference to the Notes—that unseen record of what you've been told, and by inference what you've agreed to, on previous calls. The funny thing is, you never get to see them.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 1:23 PM   9 Comments

    —>

    • CVS Pharmacy: [Drugstore] 20% off everything online w/ coupon spring20
    • Newegg: [Portable Video] Flip Video MinoHD HD Video Camcorder $209 Shipped
    • JR: [Water Filter] Brita On-Tap Replacement Filter for $15 + $5 s&h
      More »

    AT&T Supervisor Takes Back Refund Offer Because You Dared To Question Her
    By Chris Walters on March 31, 2009 1:03 AM   145 Comments

    —>Claire was told the wrong thing by an AT&T Wireless rep regarding international long distance, but when she called back to sort things out, she came up against the Nurse Ratched of the AT&T call center—a woman who refused to give in, or offer any help at all. In fact, when Claire finally admitted defeat and said she'd accept the credit that had been offered to her, the supervisor refused. Apparently Claire only had one chance to accept that and since she said no, it was off the table.  More »

    EECB Against EZ Lube Gets $50 Returned To Hoodwinked Customer
    By Chris Walters on March 30, 2009 11:35 PM   67 Comments

    —>An EZ Lube store in California overcharged Timothy for a new cabin filter when he went to get his oil changed. The mechanic managed to do this by quizzing Timothy on his knowledge of air filters, then using that info to make vague assurances that sounded good but didn't convey the actual, final price. Timothy admits that he let his guard down, but when he was hit with the final bill, he regained his consumerist footing and began to take steps to remedy the situation—and he succeeded.  More »

    The website freeshipping.org has launched a new blog named "Go Frugal," aimed at helping consumers find ways to save money. [Go Frugal]  More »

    Yum! Wants Feedback Only From Ancient Ones, Mummies, Civil War Veterans
    By Chris Walters on March 30, 2009 10:46 PM   45 Comments

    —>Want to provide some feedback to Yum! Brands, the company behind KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Long John Silver's, and A&W Restaurants? No matter how old you are—they go back as far as Jan 1st, 1906—they'll tell you that you're too young to use the "Contact Us" part of their website. Yum! is in it for the long haul, and they don't need a bunch of jibber-jabber from hooligans like you.   More »

    Woot Wants You To Understand: You Will Get White Headphones
    By Chris Walters on March 30, 2009 3:19 PM   70 Comments

    —>Do you remember Millard? He was the angry customer who demanded that Woot send him black iPod headphones to match his black iPod, and claimed to have been misled by the company. Woot is selling black iPods today and wants to make it very clear—"in case your monitor can't display pictures, or you're black-white colorblind"—you will receive white earbuds with your iPod. Sorry, Millard, Woot is still refusing to cooperate by inventing a black version of the Apple product.   More »

    Amex Wants To Play "Scam Call" With You, Please Participate
    By Chris Walters on March 30, 2009 2:31 PM   120 Comments

    —>Update: It turns out the call was legit.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 30, 2009 12:08 PM   7 Comments

    —>

    • Quaker Oats: [Freebies] Free True Delights Granola Bar Sample
    • REI: [Cycles] K2 Easy Street Bike for $300 + $74 s&h, more
      More »

    ShamWow Guy Arrested For Beating Up Prostitute
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 11:59 PM   111 Comments

    —>Slap chop to the face! Vince Shlomi, aka the ShamWow Guy, aka You're Gonna Love My Nuts, was "arrested last month on a felony battery charge following a violent confrontation with a prostitute in his South Beach hotel room," reports the Smoking Gun.  More »

    Google Checkout Just As Bad As PayPal
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 8:25 PM   69 Comments

    —>Web brokers Google and PayPal don't believe in human-to-human communication, and one place where you really need that is when you're troubleshooting financial transactions. An interface designer/developer who used Google Checkout to sell an ebook has just been given a huge serving of suck by the "don't be evil" company—they closed her account on her without warning and refuse to tell her why the closed it. The $200 in earnings that hadn't been paid out yet are unretrievable, and she can't open a new one.  More »

    What Is Wrong With Quiznos?
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 7:38 PM   131 Comments

    —>Seriously, what's up with them? Their new ad features an oven that begs a Quiznos employee to "put it in me, Scott," as the camera pans over what it calls a Toasty Torpedo. There's also a subliminal flash of a periscope jutting up from the flames at one point, as our eagle-eyed reader Bbender pointed out.  More »

    KFC's Mashed Potato Bowl: Picture Vs Reality
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 7:01 PM   127 Comments

    —>Jay sent us this picture of a KFC Mashed Potato Bowl he purchased. It's probably blurry in real life, too. Click through for larger, even less appetizing pics, plus a special YouTube tribute.  More »

    Banks Seeking To Value Assets Higher Than Market Value
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 3:06 PM   95 Comments

    —>Banks are pushing for a change to banking rules that would allow them to ignore mark to market accounting for assets in markets that they deem "inactive." In other words, if a bank is loaded with worthless assets but decides that the market for those assets is frozen, they can value those assets higher than the market would. Or to simplify it even more, they can create value out of toxic assets. And it looks like now the Financial Accounting Standards Board, which so far has been against this rule change, is caving in.  More »

    This JCPenney Coupon Doesn't Understand The Term "No Exclusions"
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 2:01 PM   85 Comments

    —>Hey, JCPenney, an asterisk isn't a get-out-of-jail-free card. You can't just say anything you want and then asterisk it away into meaninglessness. Here, we've fixed it for you.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 1:05 PM   37 Comments

    —>

    • Borders: 40% off One Item at Borders (Printable In-Store Coupon)
    • Turbo Tax: [Tax Filing] Free Federal E-Filing on All Returns + Free 1040EZ
    • T-mobile: T-Mobile: Free $25 refill card with select prepaid phones + free shipping
      More »

    Bank Of America Charges You To Cash Its Own Checks If You're Not A Customer
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 1:09 AM   287 Comments

    —>Bank of America doesn't think cashing checks drawn on its own accounts is a service that should be free to no-name people who come in off the streets—they want $6 for that privilege, one reader recently discovered.  More »

    "Velveteen Rabbit" Robocallers Pay $25,000 To Settle Lawsuit
    By Chris Walters on March 27, 2009 12:04 AM   32 Comments

    —>Verizon Wireless has settled its lawsuit against those telemarketers who were phonespamming thousands of people back in February to promote a kids' movie. Feature Films For Families has agreed to pay $25,000 to Verizon, which will be donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH).  More »

    If you use Filefront, finish up your business with them and say goodbye before March 30th, because they're shutting down. [filefront] (Thanks to RT!)  More »

    Bealls Florida Says Amazon Confused Listings On 12 Piece Dinnerware Mini-Fiasco
    By Chris Walters on March 26, 2009 2:28 PM   76 Comments

    —>It took a while, but Bealls Florida has sent us their official explanation for why people who thought they were buying 12 plates through an Amazon sale received just 1 earlier this month.  More »

    Woman Who Missed Obama's Inauguration Starts $10,000 AmEx Chargeback
    By Chris Walters on March 26, 2009 1:24 PM   168 Comments
    American Express has given her an "interim" refund in full, pending a review that will involve the credit card company presenting to PIC officials all of Blessman's documentation on the services she feels she was denied.  More »

    Woot.com is in the middle of a Woot Off. [Woot] (Thanks to Geoff and GitEmSteveDave)  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 26, 2009 12:30 PM   19 Comments

    —>

    • Boscov's: [Tableware] Lynns Valentina 109-piece Fine Porcelain Dinnerware Set. for $49.99 + Shipping
    • Geeks: [Cameras] Kodak 9.2MP Digital Camera + Tripod, Case & 4GB Card $75
    • Lenovo ThinkPad | ThinkCentre: [Computers] Lenovo IdeaCentre Dual Core 2GHz All-in-One 22" Desktop PC for $630 + free shipping
      More »

    Xbox Live Cancels Year-Long Prepaid Account, Demands Another Year's Subscription To Reactivate
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 11:52 PM   111 Comments

    —>Xbox Live has struck again, this time by screwing up the auto-renewal on a customer's account and ruining the prepaid annual membership he activated just three months ago.  More »

    Email Addresses For Microsoft Executives
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 11:50 PM   12 Comments

    —>It's not uncommon to run into a dead end when trying to resolve your Xbox 360 or Xbox Live issues with the official customer support channels, which is why sometimes you have no recourse other than to try to get the attention of the executives at Microsoft. Here are some addresses to try, culled from the Penny Arcade forums.  More »

    US Distributor Of 'Let The Right One In' Says They'll Fix Subtitles, But No Exchanges
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 4:15 PM   56 Comments

    —>After Icons of Fright pointed out that the US DVD and Blu-ray release of Let The Right One In shipped with oversimplified subtitles instead of the ones in the theatrical release, The Digital Bits contacted distributor Magnet Films to ask what was going on. Magnet responded that they'll release an updated version clearly marked as having the theatrical subtitles, but they won't exchange any current discs.  More »

    Everything At This Supermarket Tastes Just Like Chocolate!
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 3:06 PM   47 Comments

    —>Justin sent us this photo of his neighborhood Associated Supermarket in NYC, where a printing error on the latest sales posters didn't stand in the way of putting them up. We guess it was cheaper to just run around throwing handfuls of cocoa powder on everything than to reprint them.   More »

    Is Borders About To Go Under?
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 2:07 PM   153 Comments

    —>Yesterday's post about Borders closing down its unprofitable CD and DVD sections prompted a tip from the owner of a small music label. He says his distributor has already cut off shipments to Borders once for nonpayment (in November 2008), and on Monday the distributor warned labels that they'll have to agree not to hold him "liable on any future shipments to Borders in case they file for bankruptcy." Borders' CFO left in January, which is rarely a good sign for a troubled company. And this morning, the Detroit Free Press notes that the bookseller is facing being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. We may not have to wait long to find out; CEO Ron Marshall is hosting a conference call with analysts and investors next week.  More »

    Sears Clarifies Craftsman Tools Warranty
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 12:57 PM   113 Comments

    —>Earlier this month, we noted how a reader was having trouble getting Sears to properly honor the lifetime warranty on his Craftsman tools. Now David Figler, a vice president of the company, has responded and said, "We stand behind the warranty—complete satisfaction—period." Below is his email, and a portion of the memo he sent to Sears stores on the matter.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 11:36 AM   18 Comments

    —>

    • NewEgg: [Cameras] Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS 8.0 with free MPDOLICA 4GB SD Memory Card & Small Case bundle for $149.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Southwest: [Flights] Spring Sale: Airfares from $49 each way
    • T-mobile: [Phones] Nokia 1208 Prepaid Cell Phone with $25 refill for T-Mobile for $20 + free shipping
      •   More »

    Sirius Streaming Radio Not Working For Some Customers
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 1:07 AM   91 Comments

    —>Sirus-XM charges for access to its Sirius Music Player, but for the past few days, some customers can't get it to work. One of them in this forum says it only connects after Howard Stern is over, and speculates that some cost-cutting measures have reduced available bandwidth, leading to locked-out customers. In another thread customers are complaining that popular third-party streaming radio services have been sent cease-and-desist letters from Sirius, further limiting access to streaming Sirius programming online. Naturally, Sirius-XM hasn't responded to customer queries about the issue.  More »

    Kohler Provides Flawless Customer Service
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 12:24 AM   84 Comments

    —>Here's an example of terrific customer service, this time from the sink and faucet company Kohler.  More »

    Why Do Lenders Want You To Use Your Debit Card Like A Credit Card?
    By Chris Walters on March 25, 2009 12:09 AM   138 Comments

    —>A reader wants to know why Chase is pushing him so hard to use his debit card like a credit card when paying for things—they're promoting a contest for people who do this, and on every insert or blank space in the paperwork that accompanied his newest card, they encourage him to always select "credit" over "debit" at checkout. Why?  More »

    Dumbed Down Subtitles Ruin US Release Of 'Let The Right One In'
    By Chris Walters on March 24, 2009 9:06 PM   100 Comments

    —>What if you started to watch Let The Right One In, a highly acclaimed foreign film from last year, and you discovered the US release had been renamed Open Up!? That's sort of the experience consumers are having when watching the new release of the movie on DVD and Blu-ray. At some point between the theatrical release and the DVD release, the distributor replaced the original, nuanced English subtitles with dumbed-down ones.  More »

    Best Buy Forgets It Sold Laptop, Won't Take Customer's Money
    By Chris Walters on March 24, 2009 7:01 PM   133 Comments

    —>The Best Buy where Toni bought a laptop earlier this month has no record of the sale, and it won't collect the funds that have already been released from her account. This sounds like a fun problem to have—$1500 extra dollars, free laptop, woo hoo!—but it's actually pretty annoying. Toni doesn't want this phantom $1500 messing up her balance indefinitely, and she doesn't want to feel like she's stolen a laptop.  More »

    Drummer Comes Up With World's Best Tiered Pricing Structure For New Album
    By Chris Walters on March 24, 2009 1:02 PM   74 Comments

    —>Trent Reznor and Radiohead have been dealt a serious blow in the tiered pricing war for album releases. Josh Freese, a member of Devo and A Perfect Circle who's also played for NIN, Sting, The Offspring, and more!, has just released his solo album today. Aside from the free single or vanilla $7 album download option, you can pay anywhere from $15 to $75,000 for increasingly more bizarre package deals.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 24, 2009 11:36 AM   22 Comments

    —>

    • Buy.com: [Portable Hard Drives] 320 GB Western Digital My Passport for $79.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Tradepub.com: [Trade Mags] Free Business & Professional Magazine Subscriptions
    • Newegg: [Monitors] ASUS 26" Widescreen LCD Display for $310 after $30 rebate + free shipping
      More »

    AT&T Might Charge You For "Free" Mobile-To-Mobile Calls Unless You Notice
    By Chris Walters on March 24, 2009 12:05 AM   38 Comments

    —>Jeff canceled one of the two lines on his AT&T Mobility family plan, and on his next bill he noticed the remaining line had been charged for mobile-to-mobile calls on the AT&T network—even though those minutes are supposed to be free.  More »

    Here's What A Mystery Shopper Scam Looks Like
    By Chris Walters on March 23, 2009 11:26 PM   66 Comments

    —>Want to see what a secret shopper scam actually looks like? Tracey sent us scans of the one that arrived in her mailbox today. It included a letter printed on cut-and-paste letterhead, a form, and a check for $4,200. The idea behind this sort of scam—also called an advance fee fraud or wire transfer scam—is to get the victim to deposit the check, wait for it to clear, then wire back the bulk of the money. Weeks or months later, the check will turn out to be fake, and by law the victim owes the bank for the full amount of the check.  More »

    Kodak's Overpriced Photo Site Will Delete Your Photos If You Don't Spend Money
    By Chris Walters on March 23, 2009 10:16 PM   55 Comments

    —>Kodak Gallery is a poor choice for online photo storage. As of this month, they've changed their storage policy so that now you must spend a minimum amount—$4.99 or $19.99, depending on whether you're under or over 2GB of storage—every 12 months or your pics will be deleted. By comparison, Shutterfly has no minimum spending requirement and unlimited storage.  More »

    Is Borders Shrinking Its CD And DVD Sections?
    By Chris Walters on March 23, 2009 9:26 PM   43 Comments

    —>We received this tip from an alleged Borders employee today. According to this person, if you saw some yellow discount tags of 30% off DVDs and CDs in your local Borders store this weekend, it's a sign that they're closing out those sections except for top sellers. Expect to see much steeper discounts in the coming weeks. The full tip is copied below.  More »

    Best Buy Accused Of Paying Bonuses To Managers Who Don't Price Match
    By Chris Walters on March 23, 2009 3:35 PM   100 Comments
    • Best Buy provided financial bonuses based, in part, on denying proper price match requests.
    • Best Buy denied more than 100 proper price match requests per store per week.
      More »

    Walgreens Doesn't Want You To Print Your Own Passport Photos
    By Chris Walters on March 23, 2009 3:01 PM   117 Comments

    —>Walgreens charges a hefty $7.99 for passport photos. Is it because they're super fancy, or technically challenging to create, or the paper is strawberry scented? The answer to all of these questions is no. It's because it's an easy way to make a quick buck. That's why they hate it when you find a cheaper online solution and try to print out your own 4x6 layout of passport photos via their stores.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 23, 2009 1:01 PM   10 Comments
    Highlights From Dealnews
    • Walmart: [Vacuums] Dirt Devil Rechargeable Broom Vacuum for $25 + $1 s&h
    • GoldenGadgets: [Cables] Retractable Ethernet Cable for 89 cents + $2 s&h
    • Newegg: [Peripherals] Thermaltake BlacX eSATA / USB 2.0 Docking Station for $35 + free shipping
      •   More »

    Amazon 12 Plate Set Looks A Lot Like 1 Plate
    By Chris Walters on March 21, 2009 12:53 AM   73 Comments

    —>Here's an update from Bealls Florida.  More »

    Suze Ormans Life Story, Condensed
    By Chris Walters on March 21, 2009 12:26 AM   46 Comments

    —>Women's Wear Daily has published a short biography of Suze Orman, 57-year-old CNBC personality, Oprah repeat-guester, and aggressive promoter of financial advice and self. Her father's poultry shop burned down when she was a child ("Daddy was a failed man."). At age 30, she lost $50,000 of borrowed money in oil futures, which led her to give up her dream of opening a restaurant and instead enter a training program at Merrill Lynch to pay back the money. Her second book agent—the one who helped shoot her to the top—told her she had to lose 30 pounds to be marketable. And so on: seeing how someone aggressively pursues media stardom is a sausage-making experience. (That same agent says, "I just thought, 'Great. Finally an author who knows she can't write.'")  More »

    How To Teach Children To Manage Money
    By Chris Walters on March 20, 2009 9:17 PM   24 Comments

    —>The "Dollars & Sense" column in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel has an interesting list of ideas for how to instill some financial competence in your child. It starts with the basic skill of learning how to delay gratification, then moves on to increasing levels of personal responsibility, so that by the time you're dealing with a teenager who craves independence, you're handing out a full year's allowance in January and tasking him with managing it properly.  More »

    Arizona May Legalize Fireworks, Putting Fools Throughout The State In Grave Danger
    By Chris Walters on March 20, 2009 8:36 PM   63 Comments

    —>Consumer-grade fireworks are currently illegal in Arizona, but the sate government is considering passing a bill that would give the fire marshal the power to regulate the sale of them. This has caused an outcry from anti-fireworks types who say that even the less powerful consumer-grade products are too dangerous. Unfortunately, one of the most publicized opponents is a guy who was severely burned in 2004 because he was launching mortar-style fireworks from his moving car, and one blew back in through the window and set his stash on fire.  More »

    iPhone To Be Sold Contract Free, But Costs A Fortune And Still Ties You To AT&T
    By Chris Walters on March 20, 2009 7:51 PM   35 Comments

    —>AT&T has announced that starting next week, it will sell the iPhone 3G to current AT&T customers sans 2-year contract, possibly in an attempt to move inventory. Unfortunately, the conditions of the sale are such that it's not worth it unless you're determined to own a brand new, out-of-warranty (i.e. jailbroken) iPhone 3G that you intend to use on another network. (Note: our readers point out that even that route is far cheaper if you buy with contract and pay the ETF.) Otherwise, you'll still be locked to AT&T and you'll still have to buy the more expensive smartphone data plan, which doesn't include text messaging. For no-contract bragging rights, you'll have to pay $600 or $700 depending on the model.   More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 20, 2009 12:55 PM   21 Comments
    Highlights From Buxr
    • Spring Hill Nursery: [Plants] Get $20 Worth Of FREE Plants + $7.95 Shipping
    • Buy.com: [MP3 Players] Ematic 4GB Video MP3 Player with 2.4" Screen, 2MP Camera and Video Recorder for $48.89 w/ Free shipping
    • Timberland: [Clothing] 30% off w/ coupon outdoor
    Highlights From Dealhack
    • Amazon: [DVD] Save up to 47% off on Recent Movie Hits on DVD
    • Abe's of Maine: [Camera] Sony DSC-H10 8.1MP Camera $217 Shipped
    • Amazon: [Dessert] Extra $10 off Kraft Jell-O and Other Desserts
    Highlights From Dealnews
    • REI: [Clothing] The North Face Men's SDS Quarter-Zip Fleece Pullover (large sizes) for $38 + $6 s&h
    • Sony Style: [Cameras] How to buy a Sony alpha DSLR-A200K Digital SLR Camera for $217 + free shipping (continued from yesterday)
    • HandHeldItems: [iPhone Accessories] HHI iPhone 1050mAh Extended Battery Holster for $30 + $6 s&h
      More »

    UPDATE: It's getting worked on!

    Comments still not functioning correctly for you? As Ben suggested, I've opened a complaint on GetSatisfaction.com to try to reach Gawker's tech team. If the comment reply/preview feature is still broken for you (it seems to be working for some, not others), why not head over there and add your two cents to my complaint? [GetSatisfaction.com]  More »

    GEICO Mastercard Slashing Everyone's Credit Limit To $500?
    By Chris Walters on March 20, 2009 12:23 AM   68 Comments

    —>Dan wrote in to let us know his $8,800 GEICO Mastercard now has a $500 line of credit. "It's not you, it's us," is basically what GEICO told him in their letter on March 12th. They also say they're doing this to every one of their Mastercard holders. Dan notes, "Interestingly enough, this new limit is less than the 6 month rate GEICO was charging me for my two cars, meaning that I couldn't even use their preferred card to pay their premiums." You can read their letter below.  More »

    Metrolink Addresses Confusing Wording Regarding Monthly Passes
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 11:49 PM   74 Comments

    —>It looks like someone at Metrolink in Southern California reads The Consumerist, because their communications manager responded today to yesterday's post about some potentially confusing language on their website. He even posted a suggested revision to the language in an attempt to clear it up, and is asking for reader feedback.  More »

    No Manual? Look For A Digital Copy Online, Or Simply Ask For One
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 10:04 PM   35 Comments

    —>Stephanie writes, "I'm guessing I'm not the only Consumerist reader to ever get a sewing machine hand-me-down or buy one from a garage sale sans operating manual." In fact, there are all sorts of devices that require some level of instruction before you can get the maximal use out of them. The problem is, people lose manuals, and companies don't always make them available for download once they've been pulled off the market. Stephanie almost paid $35 for a digital copy when she decided she'd try asking the company directly.  More »

    United's Lost And Found Sounds Like A Good Place To Score Free iPhones
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 8:45 PM   43 Comments

    —>Jason is one of those people who loses things all the time. He must be like Santa Claus to the people working for United at the San Francisco International Airport, because when he passes through their terminal, he leaves awesome presents behind. We can't say for certain that a United employee stole his iPhone, but the last he heard of its whereabouts, it had been found by United crew members and was on its way to their Lost and Found—which won't return his calls or emails.  More »

    Desperate Chrysler Dealership Resorts To Stupid Scare Tactics To Drum Up Business
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 5:43 PM   94 Comments

    —>Apparently the people at Integrity (!) Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Las Vegas don't read our blog, or they would have seen this post last year. Then they would have known what a bad idea it is to trick people into thinking you've hit their vehicle just to get them to call you about a trade-in offer.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 12:21 PM   30 Comments

    —>

    • NewEgg: [Games] Enemy Territory: Quake Wars PC for $5.99 w/ Free shipping
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    Highlights From Buxr
    • Amazon: [Camcorder] Flip Video Ultra Series Camcorder, 30-Minutes (White) + free $20 Create It Reward for $59.99 w/ coupon 67P7PZO3 w/ Free shipping
    • Amazon: [Romantic Partytime] Hershey's Red Kiss Dessert Fondue Maker for $5.43 + Shipping
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    Highlights From Dealnews
    • Overstock: [Coats] DKNY Women's Cashmere Blend Wool Pea Coat for $90 + $3 s&h
    • Amazon: [TVs] Samsung 40" 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $800 + free shipping
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    Highlights From Dealhack
    • REI Outlet: [Backpack] Save $50: High Sierra Torrent Hydration Backpack $40
    • Geeks: [Camcorder] JVC Everio 30GB Hard Drive Digital Camcorder $250
    • OfficeMax: [USB Drive] SimpleTech 1TB USB 2.0 Hard Drive $100 Shipped
      More »

    SoCal's Metrolink Monthly Pass Doesn't Work The Way You Probably Think
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 3:02 AM   117 Comments

    —>Dillon is in college, and he tried to save money by buying a monthly pass on the Metrolink transit system in Southern California. The problem is that Metrolink does a terrible job of explaining how the monthly pass works, and their own staff gives out incorrect information to customers buying the pass for the first time. Now Dillon faces a $250 citation for fare evasion because it turns out he could only use his pass for the upcoming month.  More »

    It's Real: Reader Receives His Tentacle Grape
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 2:02 AM   50 Comments

    —>Last week, we wondered whether Tentacle Grape soda was a real product or a funny/tasteless joke that had turned into a scam, since people had placed orders for it with real cash and had yet to see any product. A reader named Harley emailed us to say a box of the soda just arrived at his address today, along with a condom, naturally. Because that's just classy. He adds, "I can't comment on the taste as I haven't yet tried it, but I don't think I'll be using the condom." Click through for a bigger pic.  More »

    Suze Orman Says Build Up Emergency Cash As Much As Possible
    By Chris Walters on March 19, 2009 1:09 AM   92 Comments

    —>In Suze Orman's most recent book, "2009 Action Plan," she urges people with credit card debt to pay off their balances as quickly as possible using the high interest first method. "The fact that you pay just the minimum is a huge warning signal to your credit card company," she writes, "that you may already be on shaky ground." Now she's changed her mind and says you should just pay the monthly minimum and put the rest of your money toward building an emergency cash stash. Based on the way credit card companies have been behaving, we think she has a point.  More »

    If you transfer a prescription to RiteAid, you'll receive a $25 gift card. Emily, who tipped us to this, says the cashier told her you could do this for up to four meds, but their website says just two. Also, you can't use the gift card to pay for prescriptions. Still, hey, free money if you don't mind where you get your prescription filled. [Rite Aid]  More »

    8 Pieces Of Junk Fitness Equipment
    By Chris Walters on March 18, 2009 11:47 PM   56 Comments

    —>The world of late night TV (and now prime time too) has never had a shortage of stupid exercise machines guaranteed to make you look like a dehydrated, sauced-up infomercial model. ObsessionFitness has put together a quick list of 8 of the worst offenders, including our favorite, the hula-inducing Hawaii Chair.  More »

    Sprightly old people rock. This 78-year-old woman pursued and helped catch an armed robber in the parking lot of a mall on Long Island, NY. You can't hide from old ladies in a PC Richard, purse snatchers of the world. [Newsday]  More »

    This Is Why You Don't Order From Fad Diet & Wellness Sites
    By Chris Walters on March 18, 2009 4:57 PM   93 Comments

    —>Christina decided to give the famed acai berry a try. What the heck, she must have thought, it won't cost me that much ($10) and the site's refund policy clearly indicates when I can return the product, cancel the "subscription," and move on. She knew the cancel-by date and was prepared to follow the rules. AcaiBerryUltimate.com had other plans, which are best summed up by this email they sent to her: "You can get your refund in hell. haahah."  More »

    Best Buy Not Honoring Price Match Guarantee
    By Chris Walters on March 18, 2009 1:18 AM   86 Comments

    —>Not to be outdone by all the negative publicity Office Depot is getting over their "not in stock" lies, Best Buy stores in the New York area have been uncovered refusing to price match TV prices in accordance with their official policy. When pressed, the sales associates said that the TVs weren't covered due to imaginary exclusions that aren't included in the official policy language. An employee at one of the stores gave in, but then made up a new imaginary policy that said free delivery would cost $100.   More »

    If you were recently laid off, you can get a free FranklinCovey day planner this Saturday, March 21st, by showing up at a participating store and giving the name of your former employer and the date you were let go. [FranklinPlanner.com] (Thanks to Anne!)  More »

    Visa Covers Butt By 'Delisting' Breached Credit Card Payment Processors
    By Chris Walters on March 18, 2009 12:07 AM   16 Comments

    —>Visa has removed Heartland Payment Systems and RBS WorldPay, the two huge payment processors that suffered recent data breaches, from its list of companies that are in compliance with Payment Card Industry (PCI) rules. It says they can get back on the list when they recertify that they have proper security in place. While this may sound like a significant change in the status of the companies, in reality it does little to change how the three companies do business with each other or with merchants. It's just a way for Visa to protect itself from any upcoming lawsuits by banks and credit unions against the payment processors.  More »

    This Bank Of America Sign Is Woefully Honest
    By Chris Walters on March 17, 2009 7:26 PM   19 Comments

    —>Or as Holly, the tipster who took the photo, writes, "[there are] so many things right with this picture."  More »

    High Credit Limits Encourage Consumers To Spend More
    By Chris Walters on March 17, 2009 5:35 PM   42 Comments

    —>The more credulous you are, either because you're new to the whole line-of-credit experience or because you're uneducated, the more likely you are to mistake a high line of credit for an indication of your future earnings potential. You can see how this can lead to bad things, as noted by the researchers who studied this unfortunate problem earlier this decade. Luckily, the savvier you get about credit cards, the less influence your credit limit has on you, which is yet another great reason to make financial literacy education mandatory.  More »

    Office Depot Employee Claims He Photoshops Price Tags
    By Chris Walters on March 17, 2009 4:29 PM   35 Comments

    —>Who needs to lie about inventory when you can inflate the price directly? LAPTOP has uncovered more dirty secrets of Office Depot employees being dishonest to customers, this time by altering price tags on clearance items to incorporate the cost of an extended service plan.  More »

    8,000 Comcast Passwords Exposed, Phishing Scam Suspected
    By Chris Walters on March 16, 2009 9:20 PM   24 Comments

    —>The New York Times has reported that a list of over 8,000 Comcast user name and passwords were available to the public via Scribd for two months, before a Wilkes University professor discovered it over the weekend after doing a search for his identity online. Comcast is saying it looks like the result of a phishing scam and isn't an inside job, and that there are so many duplicate entries on the list that it's closer to 4,000 customers.  More »

    Your Credit Card Limit Can Be Reduced Below Your Current Balance
    By Chris Walters on March 16, 2009 5:17 PM   64 Comments

    —>We've seen how available balances can disappear when lenders cut credit card limits, but SmartMoney points out that lenders can cut your limit below your current balance, causing all sorts of problems. They'll send you a notice, of course, but you may not receive it for several weeks. Your best bet is to set up your own alert system. A web-based financial service (like Mint) will send you an email or SMS alert if your available balance drops below a specified threshold.  More »

    Brian Manages To Replace His Rusty Craftsman Sockets At Sears
    By Chris Walters on March 16, 2009 4:52 PM   30 Comments

    —>When we broke off from our Sears Craftsman warranty saga last Friday, Brian had been told there were no replacements on tools that have rust on them, which wasn't what Sears told us the last time we had warranty questions. Over the weekend, Brian found more evidence that Sears can't get its warranty language straight. But there's some good news, too: he dressed up a little, cleaned off the sockets, and went back to Sears. This time he got a different associate who seemed to have no problem swapping out the tools, and who never mentioned the supposed "three per day" rule.  More »

    Gazaro Rates Gadget Sales Based On Historical Price Data
    By Chris Walters on March 16, 2009 3:25 PM   5 Comments

    —>If you're shopping around for a TV, computer, camera, or other consumer electronics gadget, you may want to add Gazaro to your online toolbox. The service, which is free but requires registration, tracks items that are listed on sale, then rates the sale price by comparing it to the item's pricing history. It's an easy way to quickly scan a list of current sales and see which ones are actually good deals. We like it, but there are still some areas that could be improved.  More »

    This Is How All User Agreements Should Be Displayed
    By Chris Walters on March 16, 2009 2:20 PM   30 Comments

    —>Aviary is a suite of web-based graphics programs, both free and subscription-based. What's awesome about Aviary from the Consumerist perspective, though, is their Terms of Use, which offers a plain English summary in bullet points alongside the legalese. It's brilliant, it's simple, it doesn't reduce the power of their legal agreement, and it helps users make informed decisions. Everyone should do this.  More »

    Why Apple's New iPod Shuffle Isn't Consumer Friendly
    By Chris Walters on March 16, 2009 1:27 PM   128 Comments

    —>Update: It turns out the special chips used in the headphone controls of the third generation Shuffle don't contain any DRM after all, so any attempts at reverse-engineering won't bring on the wrath of the DMCA.   More »

    Passenger On Northwest Last Week Had Tuberculosis
    By Chris Walters on March 16, 2009 12:36 PM   40 Comments

    —>If you happened to be on Northwest Airlines Flight 51 from Frankfurt to Detroit last Tuesday, and you were one of the 17 unlucky passengers who sat near enough to Mr. Fancypants Lung Disease Person, you can look forward to a call from the CDC telling you that you need to get tested for tuberculosis. The risk of catching the disease is low, but the CDC is contacting passengers as a "cautionary move" according to the Associated Press. And if for some reason you do end up with TB, please do not get on any airplanes.   More »

    Dan Hesse, You Can Keep Making Commercials Forever
    By Chris Walters on March 13, 2009 10:58 PM   16 Comments

    —>Tonya emailed us a video clip of a cute little piggy with a robot voice complaining about being trapped on hold. We appreciated the rant, but were even more fascinated with the technology that allowed her friend to turn a long, written diatribe into an instant cartoon. You know who needs this? Dan Hesse, shunned pitchman and CEO for Sprint! You'll never have to stop making commercials now. Also, we've decided to make you British.   More »

    Sears Can't Get Its Story Straight Regarding Rust And Craftsman Tools
    By Chris Walters on March 13, 2009 10:09 PM   126 Comments

    —>C'mon Sears, rust isn't a magic brown fairy powder that you can sprinkle over any warranty issue to deny coverage. Brian was told he couldn't have his worn-out sockets replaced because they were rusty. He pointed out that he needed them replaced because they were worn out, not because of some cosmetic damage due to oxidation. Now Sears has officially told him that any rust on a Craftsman tool automatically voids the warranty—which is not what Sears told us two years ago.  More »

    Office Depot To Employees: "Don't Lie About Inventory"
    By Chris Walters on March 13, 2009 8:01 PM   37 Comments

    —>An anonymous Office Depot employee sent us this internal reminder from HQ that addresses this week's allegations that associates and managers lie about inventory depending on the customer. Now the next time you're told by an Office Depot associate that the laptop you want is out of stock, you can say, "Are you absolutely sure? Because I know you had a Sales Practices Reminder on March 12th about lying to customers." And if a manager tries to get all up in, uhm, your grill area, you can say, "Don't you have some tasks to go check off in your Task Manager?"  More »

    Craftsman's "Lifetime Warranty" Depends On Tool Associate's Mood
    By Chris Walters on March 13, 2009 6:45 PM   92 Comments

    —>Brian tried to trade in some old Craftsman tools, the ones that come with a lifetime, no-questions-asked replacement policy. Unfortunately, the Tool Associate at Sears deemed Brian unworthy of the Cratfsman guarantee and refused him. That's why he's the Tool Associate.  More »

    Is Tentacle Grape Soda Real? Because Their Shipment Dates Aren't
    By Chris Walters on March 13, 2009 3:01 PM   56 Comments

    —>Really, grape soda with a tentacle hentai theme (don't Google it if you're not sure what we're talking about, especially if you're at work) just makes sense. Sex-starved tentacled monsters getting it on with anime vixens just cries out to be packaged as a grape drink and sold. But one reader, Lincoln, says he bought his own 6-pack of the drink back at the start of the year and has yet to see it.  More »

    Sears Tower Now Called Willis Tower
    By Chris Walters on March 13, 2009 1:47 PM   80 Comments

    —>Sears Tower, the tallest building in the U.S. and abandoned stronghold of the once-powerful Sears, Roebuck & Co., is no more. Its name will be changed to Willis Tower later this year as part of a big leasing agreement with London-based insurer Willis Group Holdings, Ltd. The Chicago Tribune notes that although everyone still calls it Sears Tower, Sears actually moved out in 1992.  More »

    Bank of America has launched a new cash-back reward program called "Add it Up," where money is deposited in your bank account when you shop from partner retailers. For example, they offer 1% cash back on every dollar spent at Newegg, and 5% for every dollar spent at CompUSA. [Dallas Morning News]  More »

    Icon Parking Accidentally Reveals Why Their Service Is Cheap
    By Chris Walters on March 13, 2009 12:51 AM   30 Comments

    —>Eli Lansey took photos of recent Icon Parking ads on NYC subway cars and posted them on his blog. They promise customers "$10 for up to 10 hours" of parking at various lots in the city. Wow, that's a good price! On the same ad they have a help wanted section that says they're looking for employees, "no experience necessary." Ah.  More »

    This Pringles Super Stack Size Traps The Math Illiterate
    By Chris Walters on March 12, 2009 11:44 PM   55 Comments

    —>The Super Stack can of Pringles on the right looks super big and super packed full of chips. It only has 12% more snack inside, though, while it costs 25% more of your money. Luckily, if you're not handy with division or don't have a calculator or phone with you, just look at the price per pound on the tags below. And never trust packaging!  More »

    Feds Arrest Virginian For $11 Million Ponzi Scheme
    By Chris Walters on March 12, 2009 11:25 PM   23 Comments

    —>The Ponz is everywhere! Seriously, was anyone doing any real investing over the past several years? John M. Donnelly of Charlottesville, Virginia, was arrested earlier this week and "indicted for fraudulently taking at least $11 million from as many as 31 investors in an alleged Ponzi scheme," says their local paper the Hook. He was promising investors returns of up to 22% annually, but naturally had failed to make any investments with his clients' money since 2002. One anonymous person—who may or may not have been a client, we don't know—told the paper, "I visited his office once. He had a bunch of computers. It seemed like a very sophisticated operation."  More »

    Comcast Will Pay You $500 If They Break Your $2000 TV
    By Chris Walters on March 12, 2009 9:10 PM   65 Comments

    —>Comcast's new service agreement (PDF) has some curious details buried in the fine print. Here's the short version: "customer equipment" includes your computer and TV set, and if Comcast somehow damages or breaks any customer equipment through "gross negligence or willful misconduct," they will pay you up to $500, no more. "This shall be your sole and exclusive remedy relating to such activity."  More »

    Our food safety problems have been solved! [The Onion]  More »

    Sure, the talking-menu feature of the new iPod Shuffle is kind of cool, but if you don't want to use the earbuds that come bundled with it, you're going to have to buy an adapter, and "assuming the adapter will cost between $20 and $30 like most other Apple accessories, you're looking at minimum $100 outlay for the new shuffle." [Engadget]  More »

    "TicketsNow Hangs Up When I Say 'Refund'"
    By Chris Walters on March 12, 2009 3:35 PM   34 Comments

    —>TicketsNow has a pretty explicit guarantee that if the tickets you buy aren't good, they'll refund the money. In Sean's case, they seem to have found a way to avoid delivering on that promise: they just disconnect whenever he mentions the word "refund."  More »

    Banks Didn't Pay Into FDIC Coffers From 1996 To 2006
    By Chris Walters on March 12, 2009 12:55 AM   77 Comments

    —>For 10 years—including the boom times banks enjoyed in the first half of this decade—the FDIC was prevented from collecting fees from 95% of financial institutions, which it would have used to further build up its safety net in the event it would someday have to bail out a bunch of stupid losers who confused banking with alchemy.  More »

    Private School Tells 300 Students To Pay Up Or Get Out
    By Chris Walters on March 11, 2009 11:26 PM   127 Comments

    —>A new quarter just started this week at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago, and on the first day back, 300 students were pulled out of class and lined up outside the school, then told to contact their parents and pay their outstanding tuition or they'd have to leave. The Chicago Tribune writes that "by lunchtime, about 100 students were sent home-some confused, some embarrassed and a few angry." The school says parents owe around $450,000 in outstanding tuition payments, far higher than usual, and that they're trying to avoid layoffs and other budget cutbacks. Will the poor economy lead to higher attendance at public schools? "If you want a good education, you have to dish it out," one parent told the paper.  More »

    Who's Scalping Those Concert Tickets? Artists And Agents, Frequently
    By Chris Walters on March 11, 2009 10:53 PM   71 Comments

    —>The Wall Street Journal reported today that for many big name concert events, the people behind a good deal of the really expensive secondary market tickets are the artists themselves, along with their agents and promoters. Recent concerts where the artists and promoters resold tickets on the secondary market and split the profits with Ticketmaster include Neil Diamond, Bon Jovi, Celine Dion, Van Halen, Billy Joel, Elton John, and possibly Britney Spears.  More »

    US Airways Delivers Corpse To Pet Store
    By Chris Walters on March 11, 2009 6:45 PM   45 Comments

    —>If you're a pet store employee, probably the only thing worse than opening up a shipment of live tropical fish to find them dead is opening up a shipment of live tropical fish to find a human body intended for a research facility in a neighboring town. That's what happened at a Pets Plus in Philadelphia yesterday, and US Airways says the mixup was caused by a "verbal miscommunication between a delivery driver and the cargo representative" and that they're deeply sorry.   More »

    Office Depot Employees Claim They're Told To Lie About Stock If You're Not Buying Extras
    By Chris Walters on March 11, 2009 5:10 PM   104 Comments

    —>According to LAPTOP mag, Office Depot has implemented such a stringent sales quota program that the company has essentially broken the in-store laptop buying experience. If you don't buy accessories and extended service plans, many associates will tell you the laptop is out of stock. Of course, this doesn't happen at every Office Depot, but LAPTOP writes that they were surprised by the number of similar reports they received of it happening at multiple locations.  More »

    Man Sues American Airlines For Revoking Lifetime Pass
    By Chris Walters on March 11, 2009 4:34 PM   93 Comments

    —>A man who paid nearly $400,000 in the late 80s for two lifetime passes from American Airlines is now suing the company, claiming they illegally revoked the passes after a supposed rule violation. The passes allowed him and a companion to travel anywhere they wanted in first class for the rest of his life, but AA canceled them after claiming he made "'speculative reservations' for companions."  More »

    Our reader Hank Scorpio, while taking a break from plotting to take over the world, suggested an awesome web tool earlier today: Readability. Drag the bookmark to your browser's bookmark bar, then click it when you're on a badly cluttered page and watch magic happen. [via Hank Scorpio]  More »

    The Easier It Is, The Safer It Seems
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 10:22 PM   39 Comments

    —>Self-identified rational people take pride in the fact that they can't be easily manipulated, but of course that's the pride part of their dumb monkey brains talking. Here's an interesting study that measured whether hard-to-pronounce words were perceived as riskier than words that were easier to pronounce—in this case, by comparing fake additives in food and asking which ones were more likely to be harmful.  More »

    Jack In The Box Brand Redesign Makes Juvenile Humor Much Easier
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 9:44 PM   65 Comments

    —>I've always thought "Jack in the Box" was a weird name for a fast food restaurant, but this new branding approach the company is rolling out in San Diego—where Jack HQ is located—seems like a step back. By isolating "Jack," so much, they're going to be sending immature people everywhere into fits of smirking. I keep imagining commercials with taglines like: "It's time for a little Jack," or "Hungry? Jack it!" Other than that, is it just me or does it look incredibly retro?   More »

    Pennsylvania Training Its State Liquor Store Employees To Be Nicer
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 9:25 PM   80 Comments

    —>If you buy your devil juice from Pennsylvania, you might notice a difference in the way you're treated starting later this month. Pennsylvania is spending $173,000 to train employees of its state-owned liquor and wine stores to be more polite, reports PhillyBurbs.com: "The board wants to make sure clerks are saying 'hello,' 'thank you' and 'come again' to customers coming in for wine and liquor."  More »

    Today only, FedEx Office (formerly FedEx Kinko's) will print up to 25 copies of your resume for free. You can submit as a digital file or in person, but must pick up the resumes at a FedEx Office location. [FedEx] (Thanks to ingaraundquist !)  More »

    FTC Launches Own Singing Credit Report Commercials
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 5:49 PM   32 Comments

    —>As we've said repeatedly, AnnualCreditReport.com is the good website to go to when you need to pull a credit report, because it's actually free. The others, including freecreditreport.com, use the promise of free the way an angler fish uses its forehead-worm-thing to trap dumb little fish. The FTC has decided to fight fire with fire by releasing its own jingles. To be honest, we're not 100% sold on them—they have kind of a squaresville, PBS vibe, which is gonna really hamper their viral power. Check them out below.  More »

    How To Delete Your Online Accounts
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 5:27 PM   26 Comments

    —>PC Mag has assembled a list of instructions on how to wipe your account from a long list of websites, including Classmates.com (you'll have to call), Windows Live ID (it's complicated), and Friendster (ha ha ha). In many cases, canceling is as straightforward as clicking a link and authorizing the cancellation, but it's nice to see all the phone numbers and tips collected in one spot.  More »

    The Caylee Anthony "tribute" dolls are back up for sale, according to the company's "tribute" website. So far, we can't find a way to actually buy them. We're loaded up with "Caylee Sunshine" bracelets and tees, however. That should creep out all the parents in Park Slope. [CayleeDoll.com] (Thanks to Craig!)  More »

    Public Transit Ridership Highest In 52 Years
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 2:47 AM   75 Comments

    —>See, here's some good news to the wallet-gouging gas prices of 2008: ridership of public transportation was up to 10.7 billion trips last year, "the highest level of ridership in 52 years" according to the American Public Transportation Association. It was the fifth consecutive year that ridership increased, but it may come to an end in 2009 because of skyrocketing unemployment.  More »

    Single Men Trade Stocks Too Much
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 2:35 AM   19 Comments

    —>Nick Kapur at The Motley Fool says that men trade stocks more frequently than women. This is not a good thing; the result of all this hyperactivity and overconfidence is lower earnings on your investment. He writes, "Worse still (for unmarried guys like me) is that single men trade a whopping 67% more than single women, earning them annual net returns of 2.3% less! The authors cite increased trading costs, taxes, and a greater tendency to speculate as reasons for this underperformance."  More »

    Target Employee Incompetence Freezes Nearly $800 Of Customer's Money
    By Chris Walters on March 10, 2009 12:21 AM   154 Comments

    —>Erica, who writes Philadelphia Weekly's Style blog, went to Target this past Saturday to purchase some new tank tops. She and her boyfriend filled their cart with a lot of other stuff too—"Ready to stimulate the economy?" she joked to him on their way to the register—and they agreed to split the cost equally. Now when I worked retail, that was an infrequent but not impossible task. When you ask a Target cashier to do that, get ready to have your debit card debited twice for the full amount of the bill, and then told two days later that the voided transactions will take 72 hours to clear.  More »

    Check Out The New Commercial For Citibank!
    By Chris Walters on March 9, 2009 9:11 PM   41 Comments

    —>Here's what you can expect from a nationalized Citibank, courtesy of Funny or Die. NSFW warning: this thing is full of f-bombs, and even an r-mine. (Full video after the jump.)  More »

    Toys R Us Bathroom Stall Falls On Child Safety Advocate
    By Chris Walters on March 9, 2009 6:35 PM   115 Comments

    —>In 2006, Jennifer—the co-founder of popular parenting/consumer advocacy site Z Recommends—took her two-and-a-half-year-old to the bathroom at the local Toys R Us store. What she didn't know was that this particular store featured the awesome striking power of the Action Toilet Stall with Collapsible Mom Trap! As she closed the door, the entire partition fell over on top of her and her daughter. Jennifer managed to protect her daughter from harm, but in the two years since the event, she's developed chronic pain from the accident—and the response from Toys R Us has been "don't call us, we'll call you."  More »

    A Glimpse Into The Future Of Broadband With Time Warner Cable
    By Chris Walters on March 9, 2009 4:35 PM   148 Comments

    —>Time Warner Cable is running a pilot program in Texas where they're metering your bandwidth usage and charging extra if you exceed your monthly allotment. This also gives them the opportunity to create a tiered system where you pay more for more bandwidth. Richard is a TWC Texas customer, and his story is a good example of how things work in a tiered, metered system like this. The bottom line: if metered broadband comes to your area, get used to paying extra to take advantage of things like Hulu (which is free) or Netflix video streaming (which you already pay for).  More »

    CareerBuilder's Free Resume Review Is Bot-Driven Junk
    By Chris Walters on March 7, 2009 1:17 AM   30 Comments

    —>Sometimes"'free" means "wow what a great bargain," and sometimes it just mean worthless. CareerBuilder offers a free resume review on their site—enter your email address, upload your resume, and "we'll email you the results of your free evaluation, including tips on writing a resume that will help you land the interview." All it really does is collect your address so it can send you unsolicited email (we got spammed 30 minutes later), and your "review" is just a boilerplate page of generic advice.  More »

    Sears' New 'Secret Eavesdropping' Phone Technique Improves Customer Service, But Totally Freaks Out Other Sears Employees
    By Chris Walters on March 6, 2009 11:53 PM   52 Comments

    —>It looks like Sears has finally figured out a way to ensure good customer service for home deliveries. Unfortunately, this method induces extreme paranoia in other Sears employees. The woman referred to as "Delivery" in Jason's retelling below will probably never trust another coworker again.  More »

    Symantec's Support Chat: Upsells And Freeware, But Not A Lot of Support
    By Chris Walters on March 6, 2009 11:30 PM   54 Comments

    —>Something bad has happened to Symantec's once-good chat service, notes Neil J. Rubenking at PC Mag. In the past, he says, they were helpful and knowledgable; now they pass freeware apps off as their own and attempt to get you to pay $100 fees for their "expert" service when you're trying to troubleshoot a problem with them. He writes, "My new experiences while evaluating Norton 360 version 3.0 opened my eyes to the magnitude of the problem. Did Symantec switch outsourced support companies? Has the chat support team gone rogue?"  More »

    Save Money On A Funeral
    By Chris Walters on March 6, 2009 4:13 PM   111 Comments

    —>Someone wrote to us this week that a person in his family is terminally ill, and that he was told "that the cost of the casket, funeral, viewing, and burial would possibly exceed 12,000 dollars." He thinks that's an "exorbitant amount of money," and so do we. There is no reason to pay that much money for a kick-ass funeral that people will be talking about for years to come. You don't need to be a cheapskate to manage this, either—you just need to be aware of your rights and know what traps to watch out for. Here's our list of what to do the next time you have to plan a funeral.  More »

    No More BPA Baby Bottles In US?
    By Chris Walters on March 6, 2009 3:31 PM   18 Comments

    —>Philips Avent, the nation's largest seller of baby bottles, announced today that it will voluntarily stop selling bottles containing the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA). Attorneys general from Connecticut and New Jersey had written a letter to several bottle makers asking them to stop, and the Washington Post says the six largest baby bottle manufacturers in the country have voluntarily complied.  More »

    Amazon Announces Game Trade-In Program To Compete With GameStop
    By Chris Walters on March 6, 2009 2:23 PM   47 Comments

    —>If you don't like GameStop, how about Amazon? On Thursday, they announced their new "Video Games Trade-In" program (www.amazon.com/tradeingames), where you send in your used games for Amazon gift card credit. What we like about this is you don't have to spend the money on more games if you don't want to, so you can convert old games into anything Amazon accepts gift cards for. What we don't like is you can't just get cash back—but hey, if you hate GameStop, here's an option for you.  More »

    EHarmony Reunites Customer With His Money, Apologizes
    By Chris Walters on March 6, 2009 12:26 AM   18 Comments

    —>David, who we noted earlier this week was out an extra $140 because eHarmony decided to open a second account in his name, has written back with an update.  More »

    Hertz Holds Your Rental Hostage For Cash Deposit, To Be Returned In 2 Weeks
    By Chris Walters on March 6, 2009 12:01 AM   90 Comments

    —>Ryan's wife is currently traveling alone with their 3-month-old son on the way to an unexpected funeral near Salt Lake, Utah. Despite the fact that she paid for the rental up front as part of an Orbitz package, the local Hertz jerks are refusing to give her the car unless she goes to an ATM and brings back $200 cash, which they say they will mail back in check form a few weeks after she returns the car. Even Hertz says this isn't their policy, but they can't seem to stay on the phone long enough to help Ryan and his wife.  More »

    Which State Consumes The Most Online Porn?
    By Chris Walters on March 5, 2009 10:24 PM   76 Comments

    —>Utah, that's which state! Or so says Harvard researcher Ben Edelman, who "analyzed subscriber data from an unnamed 'top 10 seller of online adult entertainment.'" When comparing broadband subscribers, Utah comes in first with an average of 5.47 per 1000. In second place is Alaska with just over 5.03 per 1000, and coming in third is Mississippi.  More »

    Shrink Ray Turned On Latest Issue Of GOOD Magazine
    By Chris Walters on March 5, 2009 9:48 PM   25 Comments

    —>The latest issue of GOOD magazine, which arrived in our mailbox yesterday, seems to be equal parts tongue-in-cheek and an actual attempt to save money on printing. To be honest, it's the first time we ever made it entirely through a magazine in one sitting, so in that sense we kind of like the new format, even if it's just for one issue. Of note: if your resume sucks, you can enter it in their resume-makeover contest.  More »

    Watch Out For These Phishing Attempts On Your Steam Account
    By Chris Walters on March 5, 2009 7:42 PM   36 Comments

    —>PC World notes that phishers are now targeting Steam account holders. Games are an easy target because you can make quick money off of them and the security isn't as high as with, say, credit cards. The site that first reported this, SpywareGuide, demonstrates two examples—steamgift.com and steamverification.com—that will attempt to trick you into giving them access to your digital library of games.   More »

    Woman Finds Tiny Mammal Vertebra In Peanut M&M
    By Chris Walters on March 5, 2009 4:14 PM   69 Comments

    —>A woman in Atlanta bit into a blue peanut M&M and discovered a tiny, blackened bone, probably from a nut obsessed animal who crept into the M&M to eat the peanut, then died of remorse. A Mars rep told the customer it was probably just a peanut twig. Whatever; by our estimations, this animal is most likely smaller than a peanut M&M, but has a comically wide and very short neck. Hmm, maybe we should instead ask an expert to deduce where this bone came from, which is what the customer did.  More »

    Comcast Fixes Customer's Modem Problem After Stinky Installer Man Disappears
    By Chris Walters on March 5, 2009 1:33 AM   45 Comments

    —>Earlier today, Jessica wrote to us about her Comcast horror story: there was something that smelled terrible, and the smell was coming from inside her apartment! He also hooked up her replacement modem incorrectly, so it still didn't work, then said he'd be right back and drove off forever. Luckily, she was able to steal enough wifi to send an email to Comcast, and as of now the problem has been resolved.  More »

    United Promises There's No Fee, Then Takes $150 Out Of Your Account
    By Chris Walters on March 5, 2009 1:12 AM   24 Comments

    —>We all know that just because a rep on the phone promises you something, that doesn't mean it's necessarily true. But in Alan's case, two different United reps both confirmed, repeatedly—he asked several times before completing the purchase and again before canceling—that he could cancel his tickets within 24 hours of purchase without paying a fee. A week after he canceled, he was hit with a $150 non-refundable fee that one United rep admitted was a new policy that wasn't in writing—but United still refused to reverse it.  More »

    Citibank Launches iPhone Version Of Mobile App
    By Chris Walters on March 4, 2009 6:37 PM   21 Comments

    —>Okay, all you iPhone dorks, Citi's just released an easy way for you to keep track of your account balances while you're running around pinching things bigger and smaller with your heavily patented gestures. Don't worry, ugly phone owners, they've got other mobile versions too.  More »

    Comcast Installer Also Installs Mud, Body Odor, In your Apartment
    By Chris Walters on March 4, 2009 5:01 PM   91 Comments
    He is actually still here I as I e-mail you — I hate to be mean, but the BO is so bad, I am seriously choking. He left to get some parts out of the truck and the smell is so strong in my apartment I am going to need to open all of my windows for the rest of the afternoon just to get this smell out.  More »

    Going To The Doc? Be Sure You Don't Sign A Gag Order
    By Chris Walters on March 4, 2009 4:44 PM   80 Comments

    —>Man, those online review websites sure can be harsh. Some doctors think they're totally unfair! That's why a neurosurgeon in North Carolina has started a business called Medical Justice. The Associated Press says the company provides waiver forms for docs to give to patients. If you sign it, and then post a review online that can be traced back to you, the doctor can use your signed form as proof that it must be removed.  More »

    If We Buy This And Give It Back To You, Will You Read It, Circuit City Execs?
    By Chris Walters on March 4, 2009 4:03 PM   19 Comments

    —>After seeing our photo evidence of the sorry state of the St. Peters, MO, Circuit City yesterday, Eric decided to check out the final days of the Circuit City in Poughkeepsie, NY. He writes, "On one clearance table, among the overpriced cables, I saw this. I'm not sure what this was doing there, but it's probably something the Circuit City executives should have read a few years ago, huh?" Yes, but it's never too late! Those executives are going to end up working somewhere after all. By the way, do CC execs get a liquidation discount?  More »

    McDonald's Apologizes To 911 Nugget Lady
    By Chris Walters on March 4, 2009 12:50 AM   117 Comments

    —>We've made it pretty clear that we don't condone Latreasa Goodman's attempt to use 911 to report a McNugget Emergency, but in all fairness to Goodman, she was being shafted by the lying, uncooperative McDonald's employee who said "all sales final" and refused to refund her money. McDonald's has released a statement where they own up to their role in escalating things in the first place, and they're sending her a free meal gift card as well as the refund she originally requested. Now she can enjoy a complimentary lunch on the day she goes to plead "no contest" to the judge for abuse of 911.  More »

    Watch Out For Payment Date Errors—And Related Finance Charges—From Chase
    By Chris Walters on March 4, 2009 12:25 AM   50 Comments

    —>Mike used an Office Depot Visa card issued through Chase to take advantage of a pay-no-interest deal through 2008. He paid off the remaining balance a couple of days before the offer period ended, but Chase still slapped him with a nearly $40 interest charge. Why? Because they've been "having problems like that" with Office Depot cards.  More »

    E-Harmony Gives You 58 Dimensions Of Suck By Billing You For Two Accounts
    By Chris Walters on March 3, 2009 8:55 PM   87 Comments
    Update: eHarmony has returned the money.  More »

    Blockbuster's Stock Nosedives On News It Is Investigating Bankruptcy
    By Chris Walters on March 3, 2009 7:24 PM   96 Comments

    —>Blockbuster's stock just dropped 79% this afternoon after Bloomberg published a story that said the company hired the firm Kirkland & Ellis "to evaluate restructuring options, including a possible pre-packaged bankruptcy." Blockbuster says they've only hired the firm for "refinancing and capital raising initiatives," and that they do not intend to file for bankruptcy.  More »

    Outside Magazine Will Send Your Free 2009 Calendar When It's In The Discount Bin
    By Chris Walters on March 3, 2009 6:50 PM   19 Comments

    —>Outside Magazine offered Tracey two free 2009 Calendars if she signed up for an annual subscription early last December. She thought her dad would enjoy the magazine and the calendar, so she accepted. Now it's March and there's still no calendar, and Tracey says every time she calls to complain, they tell her they'll send it. In the meantime, her dad still has no idea what day it is.  More »

    Sham-Wow And Zorbeez Tested On Attack Of The Show
    By Chris Walters on March 3, 2009 5:16 PM   70 Comments

    —>See, this is why you let experts like Consumer Reports or Captain Duvel Moneycat handle product testing. Kevin and Olivia from G4's AOTS decide to have a Sham-Wow/Zorbeez faceoff to see which one works best. All we can say is maybe they shouldn't have used so much fake vomit. Oh, and apparently both products smell bad when they're wet.  More »

    Customer Refuses To Give Up, Convinces Apple To Give Him What He Paid For
    By Chris Walters on March 3, 2009 12:35 AM   87 Comments

    —>James almost got cheated out of CS4, the suite of graphics software sold by Adobe, when he bought a new Macbook Pro recently. He kept pressing the issue though, and his persistence and level-headedness finally, after several near misses, convinced Apple to do the right thing and send him what he paid for. Congrats to James!  More »

    Passover Is Coming, And It's Your Chance To Buy Real Sugar Products
    By Chris Walters on March 2, 2009 9:17 PM   143 Comments

    —>Passover is a holiday that has special meaning to everyone, regardless of faith, because it's the time of year when some food and drink companies release products sweetened with real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). If you want to stock up on real sugar Coca-cola or u-bet chocolate syrup (which I've never heard of, but John Hodgman seems to like), or if you just want to see whether you can really taste a difference between HFCS and cane or beet sugar, now's your chance.  More »

    The State Of The Global Economy As Measured In Unsold Cars
    By Chris Walters on March 2, 2009 8:36 PM   59 Comments

    —>WeSeed directed us to this sad photo album of cars backed up at ports and manufacturer lots around the world. Maybe they can be handed out in clusters as executive bonuses at the end of the year.  More »

    T-Mobile Customers Can Take Advantage Of Cheaper Plans Starting Today
    By Chris Walters on March 2, 2009 8:19 PM   41 Comments

    —>The rumor was true—T-Mobile has started offering cheaper unlimited voice plans to existing customers. Matthew wrote to us, "The TMO loyalty plans are showing up on the site as of today...we just moved to the Unlimited Loyalty Family Plan at $89.99, which is $10 cheaper than the 2000 minute Family Plan we'd been on."  More »

    This Ace Hardware Promotion Requires That You Go Back In Time To Use It
    By Chris Walters on March 2, 2009 6:01 PM   49 Comments
    Marketer: [gleam in her eye] ...oh, I know how we can afford it. [cue evil laughter]  More »

    Amazon Allows Publishers To Kill Text To Speech Function On Kindle 2
    By Chris Walters on March 2, 2009 3:28 PM   88 Comments

    —>The 8,000 member Authors Guild—the RIAA of the publishing world—has complained about the text to speech feature on the Amazon Kindle 2, which can read aloud your ebook in a computerized voice (something text to speech programs have been doing for years). The Guild says that's equivalent to an audio book, and that Amazon can't just allow it without paying extra, so last Friday Amazon caved in and announced they'll let writers and publishers disable the feature on a title by title basis moving forward.  More »

    AT&T Mobility And RadioShack Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over $5,000 Overage Bill
    By Chris Walters on March 2, 2009 2:44 PM   126 Comments

    —>A woman in Oklahoma bought a 3G netbook from RadioShack for $100, subsidized by a two-year data plan from AT&T Mobility. That plan comes with a 5GB monthly data cap, which she exceeded, and as a result her first monthly bill was over $5,000. Now the two companies are facing a class action lawsuit that alleges they are not clearly disclosing to purchasers that overage fees could be "astronomical."  More »

    Smart Television Alliance Asks "Feature Films For Families" To Stop Using Its Name
    By Chris Walters on February 27, 2009 7:10 PM   13 Comments

    —>Feature Films For Families—the company that's been phone-spamming random people over the past few weeks—follows no man's law! The nonprofit Smart Television Alliance, which works to educate parents on how to improve the television experience for kids*, discovered that the company was using its name without permission.  More »

    Tainted Peanut Butter Problems Will Go On For Some While, Says FDA
    By Chris Walters on February 27, 2009 6:04 PM   36 Comments

    —>Our sister blog at ConsumerReports.org notes that "current salmonella outbreak caused by tainted peanuts could drag on for as long as two years," according to the FDA. The Peanut Corp of America may be history, but because peanut butter has such a long shelf life, and because they're still adding products to the recall list, there may be food items lurking in pantries across the U.S. that are loaded with disease-causing peanuty badness.  More »

    Technically, There Is Nothing Wrong With This Display
    By Chris Walters on February 27, 2009 5:14 PM   40 Comments

    —>On the other hand, we think the CVS manager in this D.C. store might want to take a look around and see how other stores are doing it. (Thanks to Rob!)  More »

    See The Bank Failure And Foreclosure Rates In Your State
    By Chris Walters on February 27, 2009 3:47 PM   46 Comments

    —>CNN Money has put together a couple of quick interactive maps of the U.S. that let you see the bank failure rates and foreclosure rates for each state. According to these two maps, Wyoming is the place to be.  More »

    Generic Drug Maker Ranbaxy Found Falsifying Data To FDA
    By Chris Walters on February 27, 2009 2:18 PM   13 Comments

    —>The FDA has suspended all new drug applications from one of Ranbaxy's plants in India—the Paonta Sahib plant—after "determining the facility was falsifying scientific data." You may recall that last September the FDA banned the import of 30 popular generic meds made by Ranbaxy due in part to quality control issues from this very same plant. What do they think they are, a peanut butter factory?  More »

    Great idea from reader CumaeanSybil: "One thing I've been doing lately: every time I buy something on sale, I take the difference from regular price and put it in savings. It keeps me motivated to seek out sale prices and coupons, because I like seeing that account grow."  More »

    Time's Portrait Of The American Shopper
    By Chris Walters on February 27, 2009 12:59 AM   88 Comments

    —>Time interviewed Paco Underhill, a retail consultant and the author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, to find out how the average American consumer shops and thinks these days. Turns out, according to Underhill, there are three types of "average consumer" out there now, and—you may have noticed this already—the era of the big box retailer is in decline.  More »

    Dunkin' Donuts' 99 Cent Latte Ads Are Misleading
    By Chris Walters on February 26, 2009 9:58 PM   42 Comments

    —>Corey pointed out to us that the Dunkin' Donuts advertising for their 99 cent latte is a bit misleading. He writes,
      More »

    Facebook Will Let Users Help Draft New Terms Of Service
    By Chris Walters on February 26, 2009 8:11 PM   21 Comments

    We are open to putting the documents up to a vote. The rules people must do when on the site and what we must do, a two way thing. There will be Comment periods, a council that will help on future revisions.  More »

    Verizon Wireless Sues "Velveteen Rabbit" Telemarketers
    By Chris Walters on February 26, 2009 6:42 PM   66 Comments

    —>Hooray for Verizon Wireless! Wait, what? The cellular carrier has just filed a lawsuit against Feature Films For Families for illegally telemarketing. Specifically, they're accusing the company of using an auto-dialer to cold call hundreds of thousands of Verizon Wireless customers earlier this month, which is illegal according to NJ state laws (where the suit was filed) and the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act.  More »

    One final Tropicana thing: this video clip from 5 weeks ago shows Peter Arnell explaining the thought process behind the Tropicana redesign. It's a peek behind the curtains at how much thought goes into packaging, and how it's designed to communicate to you subconsciously. [AdAge] (Thanks to wanda!)  More »

    ITunes Offers To "Upgrade" The Already DRM-Free Songs You Bought From Amazon?
    By Chris Walters on February 26, 2009 4:49 PM   81 Comments

    —>Update: Mike writes back to say that after reading the comments below, he checked his purchase history and the album is indeed listed there. What's confusing is Mike didn't buy it through iTunes, but through Amazon, but he says that other people did have access to his account and may have purchased it without his knowledge.  More »

    The "Real" Reason Circuit City Went Under
    By Chris Walters on February 26, 2009 3:45 PM   22 Comments

    After fifteen minutes of being ignored by Circuit City executives, Pliego decided to try to find the documents himself. Frustrated, Pliego ultimately tapped acting Chief Executive James A. Marcum on the shoulder and told him he couldn't find the financial statements he was looking for.  More »

    Tropicana's Failed Packaging Design Was A Real Life Poochie
    By Chris Walters on February 26, 2009 12:41 AM   108 Comments

    —>The Tropicana redesign disaster seemed strangely familiar to us, and we just now realized why: the Simpsons already did it.  More »

    Oklahoma Legislature Has Cocaine (The Drink) Party, Stays Up All Night Debating Ban, Grinding Teeth
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 11:55 PM   84 Comments

    —>Should an energy drink be allowed to brand itself with the name of an outlawed drug? A state lawmaker in Oklahoma says no, especially not when kids can buy it, and he's trying to get the drink pulled off of shelves in the state.  More »

    Vonage Silently Adds "Optional" Feature, Refuses To Refund Your Money
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 11:31 PM   65 Comments

    —>We're having a hard time figuring out how Vonage can justify pulling their "Visual Voicemail" scam on customers without even offering the option of a refund, but that's exactly what they're doing to Daniel. They quietly turned on the feature over a year ago. You'd think in a year of logging onto the website, an observant customer would catch that sort of thing—only Vonage makes it actually look like it's not enabled on your control panel, all the better to sneak it past you. Here's how they pulled it off with Daniel's account.  More »

    Verizon Wireless Accused Of Wrongly Billing NY Customers State Tax
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 10:45 PM   15 Comments

    —>A class action lawsuit has been filed against Verizon Wireless accusing it of passing directly to customers a "metropolitan commuter transportation district" tax that the company was actually supposed to pay. Albert Levy, who filed the lawsuit, points out that Sprint has never charged the tax to customers. Verizon Wireless calls the accusation "silly," and says they're billing it correctly. Perhaps not surprisingly, the actual wording of the tax law leaves the matter up in the air.  More »

    Here's The Math Formula That Ruined Our Economy
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 6:53 PM   132 Comments

    —>Now if your kids ask you why they have to learn math, you can tell them, "Because if you don't, you could ruin the global economy, you little beast." Wired has just published an article that traces the entire clusterfrak back to a formula published in 2000 by a mathemetician working for JPMorgan Chase. Bankers loved its simplicity but completely misused it—despite warnings from academics that it was flawed—to turn pretty much every security into a triple-A, no-risk fabrication.  More »

    The Comcast Throttling Scandal And Its Consequences, Summarized
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 5:45 PM   57 Comments

    —>NPR spoke with Daniel Roth, a senior writer at Wired Magazine, over the file sharing fiasco that Comcast found itself in about a year ago—the one where a Comcast customer discovered that the company was secretly impersonating his computer to interrupt bittorrent transmissions.  More »

    Want to read more about the banker President Obama mentioned tonight who gave $60 million to his employees past and present? [The Miami Herald]  More »

    ThankYou Network Announces Changes To Its Rewards Program
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 1:29 AM   29 Comments

    —>What's going to happen with Citibank's ThankYou Network on March 1st? Is Vikram Pandit going to convert all of your points into executive bonuses? Will it be nationalized?!? Um, no, but here's a copy of the letter one of our readers received today announcing the changes that are going in place next week.  More »

    Alcohol Sales Plummet
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 1:16 AM   94 Comments

    —>What's up, beer drinkers of America? Bloomberg notes that "take-out sales of alcoholic beverages tumbled 9.3 percent in the fourth quarter, the steepest drop since the U.S. Commerce Department started compiling data half a century ago," and a drop four times greater than the overall fall in consumer spending. Most of that was due to the 14 percent drop in beer sales.  More »

    Blockbuster Reduces Total Access Benefits, Disguises Change As "No More Due Dates!"
    By Chris Walters on February 25, 2009 1:00 AM   112 Comments

    —>Blockbuster's Total Access subscription service—their bid for relevance in the Netflix era—used to ship the next movie in your queue as soon as you dropped it off at a Blockbuster store in exchange for a free rental. Now the next movie won't ship until you return that free store rental—in other words, now it will count as the next movie in your queue. Of course, in Blockbuster marketing-speak, that's considered a great new benefit.  More »

    Help, This Restaurant Won't Accept My Restaurant.com Coupon!
    By Chris Walters on February 24, 2009 11:33 PM   106 Comments

    —>Adam bought a gift certificate coupon from restaurant.com, but the restaurant where he tried to use it turned him down: "They informed me that restaurant.com had started selling certificates to their restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge or approval." Now he wants to know what to do.  More »

    Kellogg's Brand Reputation Takes A Hit After Dumping Phelps?
    By Chris Walters on February 24, 2009 10:29 PM   115 Comments

    —>Supposedly, Kellogg's "brand reputation" is in the gutter after canning Phelps over the pot photo, slipping from #9 to #83 in a list of 5,600 companies. We'd believe it more if this "reputation index" chart from Vanno, a brand index company, didn't look like someone was given PowerPoint and 3 minutes and told to produce some convincing evidence for a press release.  More »

    Kmart Assistant Manager Hates Your Coupons, Will Not Process Your Transaction
    By Chris Walters on February 24, 2009 5:37 PM   172 Comments

    —>If you're one of those really smart coupon hoarders, you know to save up for double-coupon offers, because then you can get things for next-to-nothing. Nicole has used this strategy at Kmart in the past without problems, but this time she ran into an assistant manager who refused to honor the promotion, saying, "It's not our policy. It's not written down, but that's the policy."  More »

    Ritz Camera Files For Bankruptcy
    By Chris Walters on February 23, 2009 11:01 PM   65 Comments

    —>Ritz Camera, an occasional and colorful character on our blog (scam confessions! feedback bribery!) has just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.  More »

    Another Month, Another Massive Credit Card Data Breach
    By Chris Walters on February 23, 2009 10:18 PM   46 Comments

    —>Don't be too surprised if you get a letter from your bank or credit union in the next few weeks telling you it's replacing your credit card. If your data was among the latest set compromised, Visa and Mastercard are already alerting financial institutions so they can cancel the account number.  More »

    Ticketmaster Agrees To Stop Linking To TicketsNow
    By Chris Walters on February 23, 2009 7:50 PM   52 Comments

    —>When the recent Bruce Springsteen ticket sales event blew up in Ticketmaster's stupid face, it brought down the wrath of New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram. Now Ticketmaster and New Jersey have reached a settlement that will change how the company conducts business across the U.S. Here's what will change:  More »

    Microsoft "Vista Capable" Lawsuit Won't Be Class Action
    By Chris Walters on February 23, 2009 5:55 PM   27 Comments

    —>Last week, a U.S. federal court judge denied class action status to the Microsoft "Vista Capable" lawsuit, on the grounds that "the plaintiffs could not demonstrate that their claims were common to the entire class of consumers who bought computers marked with the 'Windows Vista Capable' but without the 'Premium Ready' label."  More »

    Animation: Target's Spread Across The U.S.
    By Chris Walters on February 23, 2009 4:36 PM   74 Comments

    —>Last summer, we highlighted an ominous-looking animation that traced the spread of Walmart stores across the American landscape over the past 5 decades. Now the same guy behind that map has put together a new one, this time tracing Target's growth.  More »

    Budget Slaps Customer With $500 Repair Fee Months Later
    By Chris Walters on February 23, 2009 4:26 PM   73 Comments

    —>When Sean returned a rented truck to Budget Truck Rental nearly a year ago, he went through the standard inspection with an employee, who then signed off on the return. Now the company has sent a $500 bill to collection for damage they refuse to provide evidence of.  More »

    California's Anti-Violence Video Game Law Thrown Out
    By Chris Walters on February 21, 2009 12:30 AM   119 Comments

    —>The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 2005 California law that prohibited the sale or rental of violent video games to minors is unconstitutional, saying that the "lawmakers failed to produce evidence that violent video games cause psychological or neurological harm to children," and that there were other ways to deal with access to violent games, including the current voluntary rating system, public campaigns to educate parents, and parental controls.  More »

    Crazed Pizza Hut Delivery Guy Drives Onto Your Lawn, Tries To Fight You, Leaves With Food
    By Chris Walters on February 21, 2009 12:04 AM   95 Comments

    —>Eugene and his wife Julie tried to order some pasta from Pizza Hut the other night. What they got instead was a turfed lawn and an invitation to a fist fight from the very angry delivery guy.  More »

    Companies Accuse Yelp Of Review Extortion, Yelp Says No Way
    By Chris Walters on February 20, 2009 9:53 PM   66 Comments

    —>Some San Francisco companies have accused the review website Yelp of manipulating reviews, either in exchange for buying advertising or as punishment for refusing. Yelp flat out denies the charges. They say that the posting and removal of reviews are determined solely by an algorithm and that their sales staff has no access to the reviews. But in this detailed article published this week in the East Bay Express, several restaurants cite phone calls and emails that they say indicates otherwise.  More »

    How The "Velveteen Rabbit" Company Is Bypassing The Do Not Call List
    By Chris Walters on February 20, 2009 9:30 PM   63 Comments

    —>We were wondering how Feature Films For Families, the company that's randomly calling home lines and cellphones to sell a movie to people who are on the Do Not Call list, was able to get around federal and state telemarketing rules. It turns out they're hiding behind a non-profit, and non-profits are exempt from following the Do Not Call list. Something similar happened in 2006 between Feature Films For Families and a different non-profit named the Dove Foundation, and the state of Missouri fined them $70,000. It might be time for you to start filing complaints with your state Attorney General and the FTC.  More »

    Drunk Old Man Shoots TV After DTV Converter Box Doesn't Work
    By Chris Walters on February 20, 2009 8:15 PM   46 Comments

    —>Maybe it was the hooch, or maybe it was the fact that he was missing his TMZ, but a 70-year-old man in Missouri was arrested yesterday for unlawful use of a firearm after he shot up his TV. According to Minneapolis/St. Paul news station KARE11, he "was angry that he had lost his cable, and was unable to get his new DTV converter to work properly." According to his wife, he had been drinking.  More »

    Obama Administration Asks Meat Industry To 'Voluntarily' Follow Stricter Labeling Guidelines
    By Chris Walters on February 20, 2009 4:01 PM   39 Comments

    —>Earlier this week, U.S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told consumer groups that "he will ask the meat industry to voluntarily follow stricter guidelines for new package labels designed to specify a food's country of origin." If they don't comply, "the administration will write new rules." The request won't please meat packing companies, who often mix Mexican with U.S. beef before selling it.  More »

    UBS Will Release Names Of Americans Hiding Money From IRS
    By Chris Walters on February 20, 2009 2:08 AM   149 Comments

    —>Swiss bank UBS, which has "admitted conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and agreed to pay $780 million to settle a sweeping federal investigation into its activities," has agreed to release the names of Americans who have been secreting away cash in UBS' fabled Swiss bank accounts. The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating about 19,000 accounts, but the New York Times says the bank may only release a couple hundred names. Update: Now the IRS has asked a judge to demand that UBS turn over the names of around 52,000 clients. UBS says it will "vigorously challenge" the new request.  More »

    Rumor: T-Mobile Will Offer New 'Loyalty Plans' For Existing Customers In March
    By Chris Walters on February 20, 2009 1:47 AM   48 Comments

    —>IntoMobile says that there's a leaked screenshot going around that suggests new pricing due March 1st from T-Mobile. Among the new plans: $50/month for unlimited anytime minutes, and family plans starting at $90/month with additional lines at $40/month. There's also a rumored $135 credit if you add a line and move a number over from another carrier. Is it true? We'll know in about a week.  More »

    Exploding The Myth Of The Bad Credit Card Customer
    By Chris Walters on February 19, 2009 8:27 PM   75 Comments

    —>Too often, when we post about undeserved credit card rate hikes, a few readers will justify the credit card company's actions by pointing out that the OP is, in pure business terms, a bad customer. If you're a consumer, this is the worst way to visualize your business relationship with your credit card company. Here's why.  More »

    Customer Apologizes For Guitar Center Screw-Up
    By Chris Walters on February 19, 2009 7:07 PM   79 Comments

    —>Mitch wrote to us last week to complain that he was sent a used guitar instead of the new one he ordered. Musician's Friend and/or Guitar Center (they're related) followed up with Mitch and corrected the mistake, but it turns out that Mitch was in the wrong on this one. Here's his explanation for what happened.  More »

    Capital One Does Not Appreciate You Being Responsible, More Than Doubles Your APR
    By Chris Walters on February 19, 2009 2:41 PM   110 Comments

    —>Beverly, who always pays on time and recently started paying off her balance in full every month, just saw the rate on her Capital One card more than double, from 13.9% to 29.4%. That'll teach you to not help sink the economy, Beverly!  More »

    Consumer Advocate Clark Howard Announces He Has Prostate Cancer
    By Chris Walters on February 19, 2009 1:30 PM   27 Comments

    —>The consumer advocate, author, and radio personality Clark Howard told his listeners yesterday that he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was caught very early, so chances are excellent that it can be removed without complications. Like a true advocate, Howard took advantage of the announcement to urge men over 40 to get regularly screened for prostate cancer.   More »

    Law Firm 'Jones Day' Usurps Monster Cable For Stupidest Trademark Lawsuit Ever
    By Chris Walters on February 18, 2009 10:25 PM   83 Comments

    —>Monster Cable loves to sue companies that use "Monster" in their names, even if they don't sell cables and even if they've been around as long as Monster Cable has. Jones Day is a law firm that doesn't want anyone else to use standard, everyday formatting for links in news stories about its staff, and it succeeded in forcing a small start-up to cave in to its demands.  More »

    This 'Velveteen Rabbit' Teaches You The Triumph Of Love. Also Of Telemarketing.
    By Chris Walters on February 18, 2009 5:02 PM   24 Comments

    —>Oh no, someone's gone and made a terrible looking half-animated, half-live action, religious-on-the-down-low version of this beloved children's book. That's bad enough, but then they decided to direct-market it to households by cold calling strangers and offering them a "producer's guarantee" that if they don't like it, they can purchase other movies from FamilyTV.com for $4 each. Update: Here's how the company producing the film is sneaking past the Do Not Call rules.  More »

    Shrink Ray Now Hitting Rewards Programs
    By Chris Walters on February 18, 2009 1:35 AM   49 Comments

    —>We've seen food items, airline mile programs, and credit card limits all shrink as the economy worsens. Now it's time for other rewards programs to become just a little less rewarding—and somewhat sneakily, too, in these two stories recently sent in by readers.  More »

    How Does Facebook's TOS Compare To Other Social Networking Sites?
    By Chris Walters on February 17, 2009 5:38 PM   55 Comments

    —>If you've been following the Facebook story over the past couple of days, you know by now that Facebook has said that they are not claiming ownership of uploaded user content: "We certainly did not—and did not intend—to create any new right or interest for Facebook in users' data by issuing the new Terms." But blogger Amanda French decided to actually compare the fine print for several social networking sites—MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Picasa—and she concludes that "Facebook's claims to your content are extraordinarily grabby and arrogant." Read her side-by-side comparison here.  More »

    Man Sues Walmart After Being Bitten By Snake, But Keeps Going Back For The Deals
    By Chris Walters on February 17, 2009 4:29 PM   67 Comments

    —>Ah, the irresistable pull of bargains! A man in Florida is suing Walmart because he was bitten by a pygmy rattler while shopping in the garden center in 2008. His is the third such attack in a Walmart in Florida since 2006, and he's claiming the retailer should have taken better steps to prevent rattler bites after the first two attacks. Our favorite detail, though, is that he won't stop going to Walmart, because "their prices are too good to shop elsewhere."  More »

    Woman Misses Flight, Seems Slightly Annoyed
    By Chris Walters on February 17, 2009 2:00 PM   89 Comments
    It's as if all the frustration from airline travelers across the world has collected into one crazy woman who's just eaten a candy bar. We can't believe we missed this last Thursday.  More »

    Facebook Clarifies Terms Of Service: "We Do Not Own Your Stuff Forever"
    By Chris Walters on February 16, 2009 11:52 PM   76 Comments

    —>Well, yesterday's Facebook post certainly blew up today, and it looks like Facebook is currently preparing an official response. In the meantime, a Facebook rep has written to the Industry Standard to emphasize that all rights are subject to your privacy settings, so even if they don't expire when you close your account, they'll still be subject to whatever restrictions you had when the account was active. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has also posted a more philosophical response on the Facebook blog saying that while the new Terms of Service are "overly formal," they're only meant to give Facebook the legal ability to enable content sharing among users.  More »

    Dell Has Separation Anxiety Over Scanner, Can't Bring Itself To Ship It
    By Chris Walters on February 16, 2009 10:07 PM   38 Comments

    —>Sean can't get Dell to ship the scanner he ordered on January 20th. They keep canceling it at the last minute, then promising to ship it the next week. They really like your scanner, Sean. Can't you just leave them alone and let them have their forbidden love?   More »

    Fandango & Regal Play Blame Game For Missing Tickets
    By Chris Walters on February 16, 2009 9:15 PM   65 Comments
    After waiting in line ~10 minutes I swipe my credit card only to get the following message "Tickets cannot be found, please try another machine." After trying several other machines, I quickly realize that nobody can find their tickets.  More »

    Is This Gas Company Lying About Reading Meters? Nope!
    By Chris Walters on February 16, 2009 5:37 PM   73 Comments

    —>Update: As several readers have pointed out, there's a simpler explanation for the confusion: both the OP and I were misreading the meter. The first digit should be rounded "down" to 9, so the meter in the photo actually reads 997.4 MCF—which is more in line with the previous bill. Thanks to everyone who caught this and wrote in or commented! We hope this helps you out, Michael.  More »

    Prediction: 'Elmo Tickle Hands' Will Be Most Abused Toy of 2009
    By Chris Walters on February 16, 2009 3:38 PM   27 Comments
    Furries rejoice! Andy at NonToxicReviews is covering Toy Fair in NYC this week, and he's just uploaded some footage of the latest in the unending parade of Elmo merchandise: vibrating, giggling gloves that you can wear. We're almost afraid to see the videos that are going to start popping up once these hit the market.  More »

    US Airways And Delta Duel Over The Phone For Most Incompetent Airline Ever Award
    By Chris Walters on February 16, 2009 1:55 AM   58 Comments

    —>Want a great example of the broken state of airline customer service in this country? Try a four-way conference call between yourself, Amex Travel, US Airways, and Delta. You'll see firsthand how CSRs from the two airlines can play the "it's not our responsibility" so well that even a devoted Amex Travel rep can't get them to solve your problem.  More »

    You want to know why some restaurants charge a fee to cancel a reservation? Because of jerks like this, who makes reservations at up to 10 restaurants at a time so that he can choose which one he wants on that special night. Don't be this guy. [Des Moines Register] (Thanks to David!)
    (Photo: wili hybrid)  More »

    TWC Apologizes For Botched 1-Cent-Movie Weekend, Offers Coupons
    By Chris Walters on February 15, 2009 11:46 PM   24 Comments
    We totally exceeded the number by 3-times the amount. It was hugely successful. But a lot of people used it at peak times, which overloaded the system. For any inconvenience we caused for customers, we do apologize.  More »

    Facebook's New Terms Of Service: "We Can Do Anything We Want With Your Content. Forever."
    By Chris Walters on February 15, 2009 11:14 PM   331 Comments

    —>This post has generated a lot of responses, including from Facebook. Check them out here.  More »

    Three Men Arrested In Heartland Data Breach For Using Fake Visa Gift Cards
    By Chris Walters on February 15, 2009 10:14 PM   14 Comments

    —>The U.S. Secret Service has arrested three men in Florida on "hundreds of counts of credit card fraud" for using fake gift cards imprinted with account info stolen from Heartland Payment Systems last year. The Secret Service still thinks an Eastern European group is behind the Heartland breach, and that the Florida guys are smaller-time crooks who most likely purchased a subset of the stolen data.  More »

    What The Stimulus Bill Has For Everyday Americans
    By Chris Walters on February 15, 2009 4:39 PM   252 Comments

    —>In case you haven't had a chance to read the 1000+ page stimulus bill that was passed on Friday, Ron Lieber at the New York Times has highlighted some of the provisions that will directly affect the average American.  More »

    Time Warner Cable's 1 Cent Movie Weekend Just Annoys Customers Even More
    By Chris Walters on February 15, 2009 3:50 PM   31 Comments
    Update: TWC says sorry, offers coupons to affected customers.  More »

    It's Going To Get Crowded At This Kroger Come Easter
    By Chris Walters on February 15, 2009 2:48 AM   40 Comments

    —>You people had better start buying some of this holiday crap if you want Kroger to have any room for Fourth of July supplies. At least, we're assuming this is left-over holiday coffee for sale. If it isn't, then, as our tipster Paul puts it, "I believe that February 14th marks a new record for the earliest start of a store's Christmas Shopping season." *shudder*  More »

    Obama Collector's Coins Turn Out To Be Stickers Stuck On Regular Coins
    By Chris Walters on February 14, 2009 11:32 PM   149 Comments

    —>You may have seen the commercial where Montel Williams hawks some goofy collectible coins with President Obama's face IN FULL COLOR OMG. If you were planning on ordering some, though, watch this video from KATU 2 TV in Portland, Oregon first.* A father and daughter bought the coins and discovered that they're just regular money with color stickers applied. One of the news anchors even comments that she could see the face on the coin through the sticker when she looked at it from the side.  More »

    Thieves stole all the roses—400 of them—from an Ohio florist yesterday, as well as the vases, the decorations, and the computer. [Associated Press] (Photo: tillwe)  More »

    Oh No, People Can't Afford Stupid Crap This Valentine's Day
    By Chris Walters on February 14, 2009 11:01 PM   87 Comments

    —>Yesterday I passed by a Godiva store in midtown Manhattan and saw that it was packed with frustrated looking men in suits lined up to the door. It reminded me of how manufactured this particular holiday is. After all, these men hadn't all shown up at the same store, on the same day and for the exact same reason, spontaneously; it took years and years of conditioning. But is there room in the new Poor America for the sort of spendy nonsense that Valentine's Day demands? The New York Times takes a look at how people are cutting costs, and ignoring mass-marketed fauxmance for cheaper and more personalized experiences.  More »

    Polite Complaint Letter To Delta Earns Passenger 5,000 Extra Miles
    By Chris Walters on February 14, 2009 10:00 PM   26 Comments

    —>A glitch in Delta's website bumped Jesse's return date up by a month, which sort of interfered with his travel plans when he showed up at the airport to check in. Here's the complaint letter he sent to Delta, and their response.  More »

    Jiffy Lube Pulls Dirty Filter Trick On Unsuspecting Customer
    By Chris Walters on February 14, 2009 5:45 PM   210 Comments

    —>Josh has been paying $30 extra to change out the air filter each time he brings his car to Jiffy Lube for an oil change. This time, to save money, he decided to do it himself—and that's when he discovered that Jiffy Lube lied to him about the filter.  More »

    The New York Times' Bits Blog posits a terrifying idea: what if they bring back Clippy to work the floor in the new Microsoft retail stores? "It looks like you're trying to run out of the store in disgust!" [Bits]  More »

    Apple Wants To Make Jailbreaking Worthy Of Jail Time, $2500 Fine
    By Chris Walters on February 14, 2009 4:41 PM   122 Comments
    [it] would have the right to claim statutory damages of up to $2,500 "per act of circumvention." People who jailbreak phones, might even be subject to criminal penalties of as long as five years, if they circumvented copyright for a financial gain.  More »

    Judges Sent Hundreds Of Teens To Private Detention Centers In Exchange For Millions
    By Chris Walters on February 14, 2009 4:17 PM   89 Comments

    —>Two Pennsylvania judges were sued in federal court this past week for allegedly taking $2.6 million in kickbacks from private juvenile detention facilities. In exchange, they sentenced hundreds of youths to the centers over the past 5 years. One of the judges, Mark Ciavarella, sent 1 out of 4 defendants to the centers, compared to a statewide rate of 1 in 10.  More »

    Missing iPhone Mystery Solved By Consumerist Readers In 55 Minutes
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 11:20 PM   78 Comments

    —>Wow, that was impressive! In less than one hour after we posted about Dino's dad's lost iPhone, Consumerist readers were able to locate his Facebook and Hi5 accounts, track down his name and home address, and even get him to respond via email—something Dino and his dad weren't able to do yesterday. Dino just wrote us and said "Michael Smith/Emerson" contacted him and promised to return the phone tomorrow.
    Update: the phone has been returned!  More »

    Peanut Corp Has Gone Out Of Business
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 11:15 PM   52 Comments

    —>It was bound to happen, and it looks like it just did: Peanut Corporation of America has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and will liquidate its assets to pay off creditors.  More »

    UPDATED: "My iPhone Is Missing, And Some Guy Is Taking Pics Of Himself With It!"
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 10:16 PM   140 Comments

    UPDATE 2: the phone has been returned!  More »

    AT&T Employee Misleads Customer, And Now He's Trapped In A 2-Year Contract
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 8:49 PM   61 Comments

    —>A little over a month ago, Mark gave up on his GoPhone SIM, went into an AT&T store with his iPhone 2G in hand, and signed up for a new two year, post-paid plan. The sales rep promised Mark that his corporate discount would apply, and instead of a contract presented just a receipt. Now AT&T is saying there's no corporate discount on an iPhone purchase—even though he didn't buy an iPhone, just the service plan—and that he can't cancel now without paying an ETF because it's past the 30 day mark.  More »

    Search For All Recalled Peanut Butter Products With This Widget
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 7:43 PM   51 Comments

    —>Here's a handy widget, courtesy of the FDA, that you can use to determine whether or not your Valentine's Day goodies are a trap set by an angry lover.  More »

    Ticketmaster Redirects Woman To TicketsNow, Sells Tickets That Don't Exist For Over $800
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 6:53 PM   101 Comments

    —>Will the Ticketmaster/Live Nation merger be good for customers? Why of course it will! Just take a look at this awesome purchasing experience Ticketmaster managed to provide recently:  More »

    DVD Planet Uses 'Ebay' For Password, Sends It To You Via Email If You Ask
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 3:37 PM   24 Comments

    —>Dear DVD Planet, you might want to sit down with the person who designed your customer account system and have a long talk. You know, about things like data security. After we posted this story yesterday about an Amazon shopper who was surprised to find you'd automatically created a barely secure account in his name with his data, another reader—this time a former eBay customer from nearly two years ago—decided to check whether you'd done the same thing to her. Yep! And the password was "Ebay."  More »

    Peanut Corp: "Don't Like Salmonella PB? Try Our New Dead Rat And Feathers Flavor"
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 6:16 AM   75 Comments

    —>On Thursday, Texas ordered the Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) to recall all products shipped from its plant in Plainview, Texas. The order came after Texas Department of State Health Services discovered dead rats, rat droppings, and bird feathers in a crawl space that was connected to the plant's ventilation system.  More »

    DVD Planet's Automatic Account Creation Raises Security, Privacy Issues
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 1:54 AM   38 Comments

    —>Joel says when he ordered a disc from DVD Planet via Amazon, the company automatically created an account for him on their website. The problem is that the default password they used was so easy to guess that he figured it out on the second try, and he suspects it's the same password they use on every account. Once you guess it, you can see the customer's past orders and credit card billing address. When Joel contacted them to have the account removed, he was told that wasn't possible.  More »

    Best Buy is streamlining its high end Magnolia Audio Video stores by closing down Magnolia HQ, disbanding all current Magnolia management positions, and closing 7 of the 13 stores. [TWICE] (Thanks to Klay and Eric!)  More »

    US1Photo Pulls The 'Buy Accessories Or We'll Cancel Your Order' Scam
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 1:06 AM   41 Comments

    —>Nate has stumbled across yet another scammy online camera retailer, US1Photo, also known as US1Camera. Longtime Consumerist readers and photography enthusiasts who visit camera forums are familiar with the routine: offer a great deal on a camera, contact the customer later and try to hard-sell expensive accessories, and if the customer refuses simply cancel the order and blame it on inventory issues. Nate is actually thinking about placing the order a second time. Nate, do not order from US1Photo.com. Their bargain-basement prices lure you in, but companies like this are only out to cheat you.  More »

    Musician's Friend Responds To Guitar Center Shipping Mix-Up
    By Chris Walters on February 13, 2009 12:12 AM   46 Comments

    —>Bob Weibel at Musician's Friend contacted us only a few hours after we posted Mitch's story of the used guitar shipping screw up. He writes, "This kind of thing simply can't happen, ever. We've tracked down Mitch's order information and have been attempting to reach him on the phone to make things right."  More »

    Dairy Queen's Recession Friendly Sweet Deal Menu Costs More
    By Chris Walters on February 12, 2009 5:11 PM   76 Comments

    —>Starting next month, you might see TV spots advertising Dairy Queen's new "Sweet Deal" menu, which is supposed to be a value-priced alternative to their regular menu. They're already rolling it out, and at least one item on the menu will actually cost you about 8% more than it used to.  More »

    Thefts At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Have Doubled Since 2003
    By Chris Walters on February 12, 2009 4:28 PM   51 Comments

    —>If you're looking to start or end a vacation with having something stolen from your luggage, D/FW Airport is a good place to go. At least that's the impression you get when you look at the rising number of reported thefts over the past 5 years.  More »

    Guitar Center Ships Broken Guitar From Another Store's Inventory, Says Too Bad, Now It's Yours
    By Chris Walters on February 12, 2009 2:57 PM   93 Comments

    —>Did you know Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, and "a few other online music retailers" all share the same centralized distribution center? That's the explanation a Musician's Friend CSR gave Mitch when he tried to solve the mystery of the dented, twisted-neck, not-even-from-the-right-store Fender Telecaster. It looks like Guitar Center shipped him another company's returned item. That's bad enough, but now Guitar Center says they won't make good on his order because it's beyond the 30 day return period. Hey, Guitar Center: What return period? Mitch never got the product he ordered in the first place.
    Update: Musician's Friend has responded with an apology.  More »

    Chicago Considering A Partial Ban On Bisphenol-A Products
    By Chris Walters on February 12, 2009 12:34 AM   43 Comments

    —>Chicago might become the first place in the United States to partially ban the sale of products that contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), the chemical that some studies have shown may have harmful effects on humans. They're proposing to forbid the sale of any BPA product intended for children. Canada banned the chemical last year, but the FDA has so far come down on the side of manufacturers.  More »

    DSW's Dirty Trick Backfires; Now Customer Has Free Shoes
    By Chris Walters on February 11, 2009 11:47 PM   114 Comments

    —>DSW is playing dirty with Brook, who tried to legitimately order two pairs of shoes on January 30th. Due to an error on DSW's side, the order was never fulfilled. He called and resolved the problem and they re-processed the order, but a few days later DSW decided to send the order a second time, and this time they jacked up the price by $20. They won't let him cancel the order and say they'll only refund the smaller of the two amounts if he returns it. Surprise, DSW! According to the FTC, you just sent Brook some free shoes.  More »

    Don't Fall For The Job Hunting Credit Report Scam
    By Chris Walters on February 11, 2009 10:55 PM   62 Comments

    —>Christine is looking for a new job, and she found this neat little credit report scam. The scam is pretty transparent in this case, but we thought we'd put it out there as a reminder anyway. Remember, if you want a truly free credit report, only use annualcreditreport.com. Everything else comes with a hidden cost or enrollment in a billed membership—and if a potential employer inists on a specific "free" service that isn't free when you read the fine print, you can be pretty sure it's a scam.  More »

    United Sets Woman's Luggage On Fire
    By Chris Walters on February 11, 2009 6:04 PM   106 Comments

    —>United may be trying out a new revenue idea: the don't-set-my-bags-ablaze fee. Shannon Tadel's luggage was incinerated as she boarded a plane in Syracuse, NY on December 1st, 2008. The cool thing about this sort of story is she got to see the inside of a cockpit! The not so cool part is what happened next:
      More »

    Radio Shack Employee Lies, Says Government Requires Your Name And Address To Use DTV Coupon
    By Chris Walters on February 11, 2009 5:35 PM   82 Comments

    —>Tim tried to use a Digital TV coupon at a Philadelphia Radio Shack and was told that he had to provide his name and address in order to redeem it, as per government regulations. Strike out "government" and replace with "imaginary" and you're closer to the truth. Hmm, did this Radio Shack employee just break the law?  More »

    Late Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on February 11, 2009 4:26 PM   6 Comments

    Highlights From Buxr

    • NewEgg: [Gaming] NBA Street: Homecourt Xbox 360 Game EA for $9.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Buy.com: [Appliances] P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor for $29.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Dockers: [Apparel] Additional 50% off sale
      More »

    Ticketmaster And Live Nation Agree To Merge
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 8:06 PM   102 Comments

    —>That booming evil laughter you heard echoing across the sky earlier today came from the board room where Live Nation and Ticketmaster agreed to an all-stock merger between their two blighted companies. Ticketmaster Chairman Barry Diller says the merger will benefit customers, who are frequently "frustrated by their ticket buying experiences." Oh! So by merging the two companies most responsible for those frustrations, we'll cancel them out! This is doubleplus good, right?  More »

    How A CEO Can Live On $500K A Year
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 7:50 PM   228 Comments
    Private school: $32,000 a year per student. Mortgage: $96,000 a year. Co-op maintenance fee: $96,000 a year. Nanny: $45,000 a year. We are already at $269,000, and we haven't even gotten to taxes yet.  More »

    Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has announced a new website, financialstability.gov, to increase transparency in the financial stability program.  More »

    Senate approves $838 billion economic stimulus bill 61 to 37. C-Span says three Republicans broke ranks to vote for it: Senators Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter.  More »

    Customers Fight Back Over Fake Amazon Reviews
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 5:36 PM   102 Comments

    —>We all know that Amazon's review system is kind of a mess. It's plagued by "professional reviewers," reviews from friends, legitimately critical reviews that get yanked after complaints by angry fan groups, and—worst of all—fake reviews, usually written by employees of the manufacturer. Adam found a new fake reviewer named David Jacob, but what really caught our eye was how real Amazon shoppers have picked up on it and left a series of comments to warn future customers to stay away from Gamenamics.  More »

    Qchex Shut Down, Scammers Everywhere Weep
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 5:24 PM   32 Comments

    —>ArsTechnica reports that a judge has ordered Neovi, the company behind Qchex, to immediately stop offering their service, which allowed people to create and send checks drawn on any bank so long as they provided the account info. As you can imagine, this led to abuse by scammers who would use Qchex to create fraudulent checks.  More »

    GameStop Pays Its Employees In Hidden Fee "Cash Cards"
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 4:15 PM   153 Comments

    —>Remember our post on student loan debit cards? The cards are pitched as a great convenience, or less expensive to distribute than paper checks, or more secure, when in reality they're germy with hidden fees that slowly nickel and dime your balance. Turns out, GameStop uses a similar system to pay its employees.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 3:14 PM   6 Comments

    Highlights From Buxr

    • Overstock: [Cellphones] LG KG320 Chocolate Bar GSM Unlocked Cell Phone for $89.99 w/ coupon 134877 w/ Free shipping
    • Buy.com: [Gadgets] PHILIPS Bendable Gooseneck Web Cam for $11.99 w/ Free shipping
    • Toys R Us: [Toys & Games] Cranium Cadoo 2 Board Game for $7.98 w/ Free shipping
    Highlights From Dealnews
    • Buy.com: [Audio] Anycom HCC-500 Bluetooth Speakerphone for $58 + free shipping
    • TigerDirect: [HDTV] Refurbished Sharp 32" 720p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $380 + $41 s&h
    • Amazon.com: [Shoes] adidas Men's Terrex Low Gore-Tex M Hiking Shoes from $37 + free shipping (select sizes only, sadly)
    Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers, Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.  More »

    Free Subscription Offer From Stonyfield Farm Will Cost You Money
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 12:38 AM   33 Comments

    —>Someone needs to explain to Stonyfield Farm that free usually means that you don't have to pay any money for the item in question. Especially in a case like this, where you're already having to send in multiple proofs of purchase to prove you've "earned" the "free" item. What you find when you peel back the foil lid is some fine print that explains you also have to pay $2 for this free offer. SLR, who sent in this tip, adds, "I wrote to them via their web site asking what part of free don't they understand, but received no reply."  More »

    Best Buy Employee Arrested For Stealing Credit Cards
    By Chris Walters on February 10, 2009 12:09 AM   55 Comments

    —>Uh oh, another Best Buy employee has been caught swiping data from customers. Unlike the woman last August who went on small time shopping sprees, this woman was caught using a card reader to swipe and store info on as many as 4,000 customers at the Best Buy store located at 1880 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd in Palm Beach, Florida.  More »

    AT&T Sells You A Service They Don't Offer, Denies It, Bills You Anyway
    By Chris Walters on February 9, 2009 11:49 PM   52 Comments

    —>This is like one of those ghost stories where the hero joins up with a fellow traveler, and then at the end of his journey discovers that his travel companion never existed. Oooooo! Only it's about AT&T, so instead of being spooky it's just annoying. Especially the part at the end where he receives a bill.  More »

    Use Google's M-Lab To Test Your Internet Connection
    By Chris Walters on February 9, 2009 11:13 PM   23 Comments

    —>Google has assembled a suite of free tools (developed by researchers, not by Google itself) that let you measure things like BitTorrent throttling, upload/download speeds, and last mile snafus. In exchange for "free," the test data is being made public to enable further study of broadband connections. You might want to bookmark the site for future reference when you're trying to figure out what's going on with your ISP.  More »

    Pistol Whipping Pizzeria Owner Was Ex-Mobster In Witness Protection Program
    By Chris Walters on February 9, 2009 6:25 PM   81 Comments

    —>Well, this explains that Goombah Pizzeria owner's apparent anger management issues: he was a former hit-man who'd served prison time in 2004 after pleading guilty to 2 murders.  More »

    Office Depot Comes Through On Promised Gift Card
    By Chris Walters on February 9, 2009 4:08 PM   10 Comments

    —>Last week, Jake wrote to us wondering why Office Depot hadn't mailed the gift card they promised back in November. Someone from the company contacted Jake, and they all made up, and hugs, and happy Monday morning there's a gift card in the mail heading Jake's way now.  More »

    Fun weekend project: make your own homemade font for free. [CoolTools]  More »

    T-Mobile came in first in a J.D. Power and Associates study of cellphone customer care performance, with 755 out of a possible 1,000 points. Actually, though, all the carriers came in above the 700 point range except for Sprint, which was in the 600s. [RCR Wireless]  More »

    Twitter genius from badbanana: "They should make a Matlock reunion special where the plot fully explains the upcoming digital TV transition." [via BestAt]  More »

    How To Tell If Your Spam Came From Russia
    By Chris Walters on February 6, 2009 11:36 PM   24 Comments

    —>It's Social Studies time! Did you know that 22% of the world's spam comes from Russia? It's fun to get mail from other countries, isn't it? Andrew Biliter at the blog readrussia.com has some handy tips on how to tell whether that penis enlargement email was written by a vodka-swigging bearded man sitting in an onion-domed house. Or, you know, just a regular Russian. *shrug*  More »

    'Property Tax Reassessment' Company Sends Junk Mail Disguised As Tax Doc
    By Chris Walters on February 6, 2009 11:09 PM   65 Comments

    —>We've seen some misleading advertising before, but this one is a doozy. A company called "Property Tax Reassessment" is sending homeowners in California a fake tax document that looks official, and that attempts to con recipients into paying $179 before February 26th so that the company can file some paperwork on their behalf. There's even a late fee threat for missing the deadline! It's some of the most convincing looking junk mail we've ever seen, and it's a total scam.  More »

    Bank Of America Blames You And Your Dead Mother For Financial Crisis
    By Chris Walters on February 6, 2009 10:26 PM   100 Comments
    CSR: Oh, that's really not the way to look at it. I know that if it were my mother, I'd pay it. That's why we're in the banking crisis we're in: banks having to write off defaulted loans.  More »

    Don't give your friends money via Facebook without talking to them first. [CNN] (Thanks to Jamie!)  More »

    So, Who's To Blame For The Salmonella Outbreak? PCA, The FDA, The CDC...
    By Chris Walters on February 6, 2009 5:01 PM   34 Comments

    —>We know there's salmonella story fatigue setting in, but this new overview from yesterday's Senate hearing is the best yet as far as piecing together exactly how salmonella-tainted peanut butter made it into our food supply for such a long period of time, and why it took so long to trace it back to a single rotten peanut plant in Georgia. Ultimately the blame lies with Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) for failing to maintain its factory and for not destroying lots that tested positive for salmonella, but both the FDA and the CDC had a role in it, too. One example: the FDA didn't even know the plant produced peanut butter or peanut paste until 2007.  More »

    Papa John's Founder Says Don't Eat Too Much Of His Pizza
    By Chris Walters on February 6, 2009 3:57 PM   87 Comments

    —>Marketing and PR folks probably dread stories like this one: John Schnatter, the founder of Papa John's, said on a BBC radio interview yesterday that you shouldn't eat too much of their pizza.  More »

    Some brilliant jerk found an entirely new way to spread malware: he distributed fake parking tickets that prompted victims to visit a malicious website. [ZDNet]  More »

    AT&T Mobility Sues Over Auto Warranty Robocalls
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 10:35 PM   82 Comments

    —>You know those annoying robocalls on your mobile phone about renewing your car warranty? The companies behind the calls use spoofing to remain hidden, but AT&T Mobility just filed suit in federal court to track down the culprits, then hopefully make them stop. This is great news, because judging from the quotes given to RCR Wireless, the FTC and FCC both don't seem too concerned about the matter.   More »

    Fake Debt Collectors 'Moreno And Woods' Strike Again
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 9:09 PM   50 Comments

    —>Another reader has contacted us to say that Moreno and Woods, the fake collection agency that likes to threaten and intimidate people into paying huge bills for collections they don't owe, "called my house last night and left a threatening message on my phone for my son." Luckily for Linda, she's got a recording of their threat now.  More »

    "There Are Worms In My Goobers!"
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 8:14 PM   47 Comments
    Out of an abundance of caution, Dollar General has ordered its stores to remove Goobers candy from its shelves and is programming its point-of-sale systems to block transactions of this product pending further investigation."  More »

    Fortunoff Files For Bankruptcy (Again)
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 6:18 PM   12 Comments

    —>Regional jeweler Fortunoff has thrown in the towel and filed for bankruptcy today. The retailer cited terrible holiday sales, a "severe liquidity crisis" in January, and the cost of expanding its jewelry line into Lord & Taylor stores as reasons. Fortunoff was brought out of an earlier bankruptcy about a year ago by a private equity firm, but it didn't take.  More »

    MySpace Kicks Off 90,000 Registered Sex Offenders
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 5:45 PM   116 Comments
    This revelation is totally appalling and unacceptable, and this shocking revelation, resulting from our subpoena, also provides compelling proof that social networking sites remain ripe with sexual predators."  More »

    Chase Wants You To Pay Your Taxes By Credit Card. Don't.
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 4:44 PM   55 Comments

    —>Chase has emailed its customers a friendly reminder that if you can't pay your taxes this year, you can charge them on your Chase credit card! Even the IRS site suggests you consider using a credit card if you can't pay your debt. However, before you do something as debt crazy as charge up a high credit card balance, consider the following points and make sure you're doing the most financially responsible thing.  More »

    Are you a New Jersey resident who was screwed out of Springsteen tickets by the Ticketmaster/TicketsNow "technical glitch"? The state's Division of Consumer Affairs would like to hear from you. There's a small box on the lower right corner of the home page that will take you to a complaint form. [NJ Consumer Affairs via MetsPolice]  More »

    Cellphone Recycler Says 99% Of Phones Still Contain Personal Data
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 1:57 AM   62 Comments
    Regenersis studied a random sample of 2000 handsets processed during the first week in December and found that 99% of handsets received contained some sort of personal data, including: contacts, SMS messages, pictures, music, videos, calendar entries, emails, notes, mailing lists and to do lists. In some cases, extremely sensitive information was contained, including bank details, addresses, and confidential emails.  More »

    Office Depot Comes Through With Stellar Customer Service, But Then Doesn't Deliver On Promise
    By Chris Walters on February 5, 2009 1:13 AM   28 Comments

    —>Jake couldn't place an order for an Xbox 360 deal on Black Friday—yes, we're talking about a failed transaction from two and half months ago—but he got surprisingly helpful customer service from Office Depot. Margaret at the Office of the Chairman even gave him her personal number and promised him a raincheck of sorts in the form of a gift card for a future purchase. Her offer sounded almost too good to be true, and maybe it was, because as of February he still hasn't seen a gift card. And Margaret won't return his voicemail messages, not even to say the deal is off. Update: Office Depot saw this post, and they contacted Jake.  More »

    Find or give away free moving boxes at freecardboardboxes.com.  More »

    Congressman Wants Ticketmaster Investigated For 'TicketsNow' Website
    By Chris Walters on February 4, 2009 7:26 PM   188 Comments

    —>Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. (D) of New Jersey has asked the FTC and the Justice Department to investigate the relationship between Ticketmaster and its reseller website, TicketsNow, after consumers who tried to buy Bruce Springsteen tickets encountered technical problems that prevented purchase, and were then redirected to TicketsNow where prices were "hundreds of dollars above face value" (actually, more like "thousands of dollars," based on our check just a few minutes ago).  More »

    Peanut Corp Says Salmonella Plant Was Regularly Inspected, Given Good Ratings
    By Chris Walters on February 4, 2009 6:35 PM   42 Comments

    —>Peanut Corp. of America is now saying that its Georgia plant was regularly inspected by the FDA and given a "meets or exceeds" rating. This doesn't excuse the company from its own failings, but we think it points out what President Obama recently noted, which is that the FDA inspection system doesn't seem to work very well.  More »

    Ticketmaster, Live Nation Consider Merging, Destroying Concertgoing Forever
    By Chris Walters on February 4, 2009 5:12 PM   73 Comments

    —>The two companies most responsible for making your next live entertainment experience a financial disaster may announce a merger as early as this week, reports Reuters and the WSJ. If it goes ahead, the new company will apparently call itself Live Nation Ticketmaster, not "Satan's Boxoffice" as one might expect. The merger will raise antitrust issues, but if Sirius/XM has taught us anything, it's that those issues can be ignored at the expense of consumer choice and pricing.  More »

    3 iPhone Class Action Lawsuits Filed In The Past Week
    By Chris Walters on February 4, 2009 4:19 PM   80 Comments

    —>The number of people gunning for some Apple/AT&T cash keeps increasing, with three new class action lawsuits filed over the past 8 days alone. In all three suits, the primary complaint is the same: that AT&T Mobility's 3G network isn't robust enough to deliver the type of experience promised by iPhone marketing.   More »

    Don't Draw Genitalia As Your Signature When Paying Via Credit Card
    By Chris Walters on February 3, 2009 10:49 PM   89 Comments

    —>After accidentally scribbling nonsense on a verification screen and seeing that it didn't trigger any alerts, Kingpin at DrunkRepublic decided to start goofing around with his signature when using his credit card. It led to some fun times for a while. Then it backfired. (Warning: the image after the jump is cartoonishly NSWF in a Comcast-at-the-Superbowl sort of way.)  More »

    Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur Urges Squatting In Foreclosed Homes
    By Chris Walters on February 3, 2009 9:41 PM   70 Comments

    —>Last week I was watching Lou Dobbs while scrubbing my dentures and complaining about joint pain (two of those things are true, sadly), and I saw a segment on Ohio congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who is encouraging homeowners to stay put in their foreclosed houses. She argues that many of the loans made during the subprime fiasco may not be legit, and that you should seek legal counseling and demand a mortgage audit from the bank before leaving. Kaptur admits her advice doesn't trump the sheriff knocking at your door with an eviction notice, but a real estate lawyer told the Toledo Blade that otherwise she has a point.  More »

    'My Coke Rewards' Program Grows Authentically Smaller, Less Rewarding
    By Chris Walters on February 3, 2009 8:19 PM   82 Comments
    If you have a large number of points you better use them in the next few weeks, or be content with getting a large amount of Coke-branded clothing.  More »

    The Word 'Free' Makes People Lose Their Minds
    By Chris Walters on February 3, 2009 7:41 PM   122 Comments

    —>Seriously? It's stay-indoors weather, we keep seeing that our food safety system is fundamentally broken, and people still lined up outside Denny's today like soup kitchen hoboes for the chance to nosh on some flour+watermilk discs, HFCS syrup, and a little pig meat? (And also eggs, a reader points out.) We hope you left a tip, at least. As Naomi, who took photos of her local Denny's, reminds us, "If ever there were a day where Denny's employees have to work hard, this is it."  More »

    World's Lamest Promo? Buy $48 In Tickets, Receive 4 Free Tacos!
    By Chris Walters on February 3, 2009 6:42 PM   42 Comments

    —>Holy mother of sponsor deals! Yesterday and today only, if you visit ComcastTix.com and spend $48 on a Taco Bell Family 4-Pack for the Sesame Street Live "Elmo Makes Music" event at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton "We Don't Have A Corporate Sponsor Yet But Give Us Time" New Jersey, you'll receive 4 free tacos from Taco Bell! Oh, but "additional fees may apply."  More »

    How Credit Bureaus Correct, Or Fail To Correct, Errors On Your Report
    By Chris Walters on February 3, 2009 5:30 PM   32 Comments

    —>SmartMoney's Anne Kadet looked into the process by which the three major credit bureaus—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax—investigate and correct errors on credit reports. What she found was that the process is "almost entirely automated," and that "many lenders respond by simply rereporting the erroneous data." Here's how it works, and your meager options when something goes wrong.  More »

    Anti-Fraud Websites Emerging To Fight 'Massive Ignorance'
    By Chris Walters on February 3, 2009 12:27 AM   22 Comments

    —>The website Scam Victims United warned its readers about last week's arrested ponzi schemer, Nick Cosmo, nearly four months ago, based on a visit one of its forum members made to Cosmo's office. Reuters points out that this site and others like it—Fraud Aid and Scam Warners, for example—are enjoying healthy traffic spikes right now, which is great news in the fight against fraud.   More »

    Obama Orders Review Of FDA In Wake Of Salmonella Outbreak
    By Chris Walters on February 2, 2009 11:32 PM   80 Comments

    —>President Obama has had it up to here with poor FDA oversight, particularly of salmonella-infested peanut factories, and he's called for a review of the underfunded organization, according to U.S. News & World Report.  More »

    Worldwide Rebates Using Suspiciously Fragile Check System
    By Chris Walters on February 2, 2009 9:27 PM   78 Comments

    —>Mail in rebates (MIRs) are the among the worst "deals" you can fall for, because any number of issues—most of them beyond your control—can render your supposed savings moot. Now a reader wonders whether Worldwide Rebates is deliberately employing what has to be the world's least durable check mailing system to throw yet another obstacle in the difficult path to a successful rebate.  More »

    Check Your AT&T Bill For Fraudulent Charges
    By Chris Walters on February 2, 2009 7:39 PM   41 Comments

    —>Ralph discovered a mysterious $18 charge on his most recent AT&T bill. A little research turned up OSP Communications, which is apparently a front for a fraudulent biller that has repeatedly hit AT&T customers with a cramming fraud. Read Ralph's email below, and be sure to check your own phone bill for charges like this each month.  More »

    Watch Out For Supermarket Price Spikes
    By Chris Walters on February 2, 2009 6:01 PM   54 Comments

    —>A penny-pinching reader discovered that Giant Eagle—a supermarket chain that heavily promotes a savings club where you earn slight discounts on gas—has some jacked up soup prices, especially on their private label. Remember, if you're not comparison shopping among local supermarkets, you can expect easy-to-miss price spikes like this one to wipe out any savings you thought you were getting.  More »

    Text message phishing scam hits U.S. Cellular customers in Des Moines. [WHOTV.com] (Thanks to David!)  More »

    EECB Over Xbox 360 Keeps Getting Bounced Back As Spam
    By Chris Walters on February 2, 2009 3:56 PM   58 Comments

    —>Those wily Xbox 360 gremlins are at it again, and this time they're cracking Michael's game discs in little spokes along the inner ring of each disc. His customer service call went nowhere, naturally, so someone on the Penny Arcade forum where he posted his story suggested an Executive Email Carpet Bomb. The only problem is, it keeps getting sent back as spam.   More »

    Proflowers Does Not Want This Man To Send Flowers
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 11:38 PM   50 Comments

    —>William has given Proflowers three chances to send his flower orders to a loved one. So far, they're 0 for 3. William says they've refunded his money, so he doesn't feel cheated or anything. But as he points out, since flower deliveries are usually a time-sensitive matter, reliability is really the number one goal you're looking for in a flower company.  More »

    Subway Launches Text Message Ordering In NYC
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 11:19 PM   32 Comments

    —>Subway has launched a pilot program called SubwayNow where New York City residents (Manhattan only at the moment, it looks like) can register to place pick-up orders via text message. According to IntoMobile, after registering with your address and providing payment info, which they keep on file, you set up a list of sandwich orders that are saved as a personal menu. When you're ready to use the service, you text "menu" to the Subway shortcode, and Subway sends back your pre-set menu. Then you text back the menu item you want, and Subway responds with a pick-up time.   More »

    Comic Book Prices Creep To $3.99 Per Issue
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 7:51 PM   124 Comments

    —>Over at sci-fi publisher website Tor.com, Heather Massey points out that the ceiling on comic book pricing is being steadily pushed higher by the big publishers, especially Marvel, which now prices individual issues of some of its titles at $3.99 each.   More »

    This Taco Bell Lies About Water In Order To Sell The Bottled Kind
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 6:05 PM   95 Comments

    —>Seriously, has it come to this? Now we have to resort to fountain drink station sleuthing to figure out whether our local fast food restaurant is lying to us? Nathan used his knowledge of drink machine buttonry to figure out that the machine does indeed offer up plain municipal water. The "water" button has been colored black with a marker, however, to help it blend in with the machine.  More »

    Is JC Penney Going To Close Some Of Its Stores?
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 5:51 PM   50 Comments

    —>This is rumor only, folks, but a tipster tells us that JC Penney plans on closing 11 stores this year, and that they're freezing salaries on all employees. The retailer isn't doing as badly as some of its competitors—it has no debt maturing in 2009, for example, and plans to have $2 billion in cash on hand at the end of this month—but considering CEO Mike Ullman has said he's planning business conservatively for 2009, it wouldn't be that surprising if it turns out to be true.  More »

    How Unscrupulous Food Manufacturers Manipulate Lab Tests
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 4:33 PM   63 Comments

    —>In yesterday's Peanut Corp. post, our commenter microguy07828 left a detailed explanation of how food manufacturers sometimes play dirty when it comes to getting the lab results they want on a product. We though it deserved more visibility in light of yesterday's accusation that the Peanut Corp. of America knowingly shipped tainted peanut butter. As microguy07828 puts it, it "happens more often than you would think."  More »

    NewCreditRules Asks, Which Of These Stores Will Get Your AMEX Card Reduced?
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 4:04 AM   133 Comments

    —>Last month we posted about Kevin Johnson, a 29-year-old self-employed businessman with excellent credit and an established history with American Express, who had his credit limit cut by 65% because AMEX said he was shopping at the wrong sorts of stores. Johnson has created a website called NewCreditRules.com to try to uncover what, exactly, he did wrong to fall under AMEX's high risk category.  More »

    Peanut Corp. of America Knowingly Shipped Tainted Peanut Butter
    By Chris Walters on January 29, 2009 2:54 AM   72 Comments

    —>The news about Peanut Corp. of America's complete abandonment of food safety gets worse: now it seems that the company knew its peanut butter had salmonella, but shipped it anyway. When the product tested positive, the company shopped around for another lab to provide "acceptable" results.   More »

    Pizzeria Owner Pistol Whips Customer For Complaining About Calzone
    By Chris Walters on January 28, 2009 7:28 PM   57 Comments

    —>Joseph Milano, the owner of Goombah's Pizza in Palm Coast, Florida—and no, we're not making up that name—was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after he struck a customer in the face with a gun, then leaped over the counter and began beating up the customer and his roomate. The man had ordered a takeout calzone, and was at the counter asking for a refund because he said the calzone had been prepared incorrectly. Wait, is this a theme restaurant? Update: Yeah, it sorta is: it turns out the owner is a former hitman for the mafia.  More »

    Knife to the eye! The Digital TV transition will not be delayed after all, according to the House vote today. Will the Senate try again? [Washington Post] (Thanks to Ult3!)  More »

    Here are 11 fruits and vegetables that typically have low amounts of pesticides. Now we just need to find a recipe for asparagus pineapple onion salad. [The Daily Green]  More »

    Buy A Gift Certificate From Restaurant.com, Sign Up For A Recurring $14.95 Monthly 'Service"
    By Chris Walters on January 28, 2009 7:01 PM   76 Comments

    —>Note: this post is about restaurant.com, not restaurants.com. The two websites are not related. Tracey emailed us today to let us know that she just found a mysterious $14.95 fee on her credit card. It turns out a company called Shopping Essentials is now billing her as a monthly subscriber, and all because she bought some gift certificates via restaurant.com in December. To make matters even more shady, Shopping Essentials never contacted Tracey to let her know she signed up for anything, or to send her information about their services, or to call attention in any way to the fact that she now pays them a monthly fee.  More »

    Here are 9 companies that have never had a layoff. Will they be able to maintain the streak? And perhaps more importantly, are they hiring? [Fortune] (Thanks to harisn)  More »

    Save money by polishing your shoes with a banana. Monkeys have been doing it for millennia. [Huffington Post] (Thanks to daveburdick !)  More »

    Virgin Atlantic Asks Complaint Writer To Be Taste Tester
    By Chris Walters on January 28, 2009 3:53 PM   35 Comments

    —>The man who wrote the long, funny complaint letter to Richard Branson about the level of suck on his recent Virgin Atlantic flight has been asked to "come to the airlines catering house next month, to help select the food on future Virgin flights." Yeah, we know that it's a publicity stunt, but an entertaining one. We hope the customer agrees, and hates the new food just as much. In fact, we wish he'd replace Toby Young on Top Chef; the dead hamster line would be a pretty good put-down on that show.  More »

    Who's Watching Our Nation's Honey Imports? Pretty Much No One
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 5:49 PM   147 Comments

    —>The Seattle P.I. reports that "two-thirds of the honey Americans consume is imported and almost half of that, regardless of what's on the label, comes from China." The first problem with that is some Chinese honey is "tainted with banned antibiotics" such as ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol. The second problem, according to U.S. honey producers who are upset about the lack of oversight, is that whenever contaminated honey is discovered, many companies just sent it back to the importer and never tell the FDA—which means it can be resold elsewhere, including to other U.S. packers.  More »

    Is This The World's Best Airline Complaint Letter?
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 4:35 PM   140 Comments

    —>A disgruntled Virgin Air passenger sent an exhaustive complaint letter to Sir Richard Branson, supported by a series of incriminating photographs. We think it's safe to say that he did not enjoy the in-flight food—which is surprising, because everybody likes a bit of mustard Richard.  More »

    Here's a resource to help you determine whether your library lends digital media such as audiobooks and ebooks. It also helps you locate other libraries that offer digital lending. [Overdrive] (Thanks to jojo319!)  More »

    Caylee Anthony Doll Won't Be Sold
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 3:31 PM   27 Comments

    —>The manufacturer of the Caylee Anthony Doll has decided to not sell it, bowing to public reaction over the plans to sell a doll "inspired by" a child homicide victim. [Cayleedoll] (Thanks to J M!)  More »

    This iPhone Comes With A Blackberry User's Email Address, And A Mystery
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 3:16 PM   43 Comments

    —>No, we didn't accidentally republish yesterday's post. This is another story of a "new" iPhone with someone else's email address, and this time there appears to be no simple explanation for it—the address on the phone belonged to a man who lived on the other side of the country and used a Blackberry.  More »

    Nearly 30% Of Books Sold For The Kindle Are Now Above $9.99
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 2:39 PM   87 Comments

    —>It's been a little over a year since Amazon released the Kindle, and now publishers are finally getting the chance to set their own pricing on ebook editions. The result has been a slow creep in pricing on some titles—in some cases to levels above the price of a paper edition of the same book—for a digital edition that you can't resell, give away to someone else, or read on any other device. Kindle owners have started to notice, and now some of them are complaining that Amazon overpromised the $9.99 bookstore concept to move Kindles.   More »

    Toy Manufacturer To Sell Caylee Anthony Doll
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 1:53 AM   72 Comments

    —>Now you too can be a part of the Caylee Anthony saga unfolding on cable news networks! What's that? This is a grotesque commercialization of what should be a private tragedy? Don't be such a downer! "We want it to be a tribute," Showbiz Promotions prez Jaime Salcedo told the Orlando Sentinel. Heck, he's even thinking of donating $3 per purchase to some good cause or another.   More »

    1800mattress.com Will Give You Free Pillows, But That Doesn't Mean It Has To Like You
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 1:18 AM   61 Comments

    —>We love it when what's supposed to be internal communication leaks out to the customer—it gives you such clear insight as to how a company really feels about you. In the case of 1800mattress.com, calling to complain about a missed delivery date makes you "difficult." But hey, they'll still send you some free pillows.  More »

    Over 71,400 jobs were cut today, bringing the total jobs cut this year to over 200,000. CNN Money has a list of what's been lost in 2009 so far. [CNN Money] (Thanks to Olevia!)
    (Photo: bbaunach)  More »

    How Do I Use My Circuit City Extended Warranty Now?
    By Chris Walters on January 27, 2009 12:36 AM   58 Comments

    —>When Circuit City finally went pining for the fjords, we all understood that their extended warranties and service plans would remain in effect. Assurant Solutions, the company servicing these plans, came right out and said so last week (warning: PDF). But the company contracted to service David's TV said they can't reach Circuit City for more info on how to handle in-home support calls, so they're not going to do anything.  More »

    This 'New' iPhone Comes With Russian Email Address
    By Chris Walters on January 26, 2009 11:51 PM   50 Comments

    —>It's bad enough that Victor and his friends were scammed by this AT&T store in Brooklyn, but AT&T has basically told him that they can't help fix the problem, even though he's now in another town. Update: Eugene Pikulin says this could have happened innocently when the phone was activated in-store.  More »

    Monster.com Hacked, User Names & Passwords Stolen
    By Chris Walters on January 26, 2009 7:27 PM   87 Comments

    —>Last Friday, Monster.com announced that their database had been attacked, and that account names, passwords, email addresses, and phone numbers had been stolen. Unfortunately, they haven't sent out email alerts to anyone—they just put the announcement up on the security section of their site. As our tipster Erica points out, "Given people's tendencies to reuse passwords on multiple sites (BAD!), that they aren't actively emailing and informing members of this breach is quite irresponsible."  More »

    President Obama has ordered the EPA to allow states set their own fuel-efficiency standards (fourteen states had begun the process when President Bush put a stop to it a couple of years ago.) He's also asked the DOT to "develop higher fuel-efficiency standards automakers would have to follow." [USA Today]  More »

    How To Tell If A 'Business Opportunity' Is A Multi-Level Marketing Scheme
    By Chris Walters on January 26, 2009 5:33 PM   111 Comments

    —>Kevin's been invited to his friend's house to hear about a great new business opportunity! He writes, "I did a quick Google search and... while the company appears to be legit, it seems that their way of marketing their products [is] almost pyramid scheme in nature." The problem for Kevin, and anyone else researching this sort of thing, is it can be hard to tell how much you should trust any specific page of reviews or feedback. Here's a clear 5-step evaluation to determine whether or not the next big thing is really a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme.   More »

    Scammed Lawyer Sues Citibank For Verifying Fraudulent Check
    By Chris Walters on January 26, 2009 3:39 PM   83 Comments

    —>Banks usually avoid having to deal with the consequences of advance fee fraud, since they make the depositor responsible for coming up with the missing money when a check turns out to be fake. But a lawyer who just got scammed is taking Citibank to court, because he says their "unconditional" guarantee that the check was legit led directly to his loss of $182,500.  More »

    Rumor confirmed: AT&T has indeed dropped the price of its unlimited data and messaging plan by $5—the new cost is $30/mo, and $10/mo to add a second phone under their shared family plan. Unless you plan on texting more than 200 messages a month, however, it's not worth it (you can get unlimited data + 200 messages for $20). [Engadget Mobile]  More »

    Hug Me Pillow Relieves The Loneliness Until Morning
    By Chris Walters on January 24, 2009 1:41 AM   87 Comments

    —>You don't have to be sad anymore, single person. Overstock has you covered. Just don't turn over in the middle of the night, especially if you have night terrors.  More »

    Aetna Fires You From Your Job Without Your Company's Permission
    By Chris Walters on January 24, 2009 1:15 AM   59 Comments

    —>Richard O'Connor, the Vice President of Marketing for Aetna, might want to rethink how his department handles its customer retention program in this economy, particularly when it comes to telling people that they're still valued even though they've been let go. Chris received just such a letter today, and now the VP of his company's HR department is trying to figure out why Aetna fired Chris.  More »

    'U.S. National Bank' Scammer Thwarted By Google, Consumerist, And A Fake Bankruptcy
    By Chris Walters on January 24, 2009 12:16 AM   47 Comments

    —>Idolina was targeted this morning by a U.S. National Bank scammer. As he was prattling on with his heavily-accented seesaw of threats and incentives, she Googled the bank. (And no, we're not anti-anyone, but there's something funny about a supposed U.S. National Bank and/or government representative who sounds like he's currently calling you from a foreign country.) The third search result was our interview last October with Laurie Lucas, who faced a similar scam. Idolina writes, "I was reading it while I was on the phone with him."   More »

    The Secrets Of Liquidation Sales
    By Chris Walters on January 23, 2009 11:21 PM   31 Comments

    —>CNN Money has posted an informative article about what happens at liquidation sales. Some of the people quoted are fairly critical, but even the liquidation company execs that are quoted admit that a liquidation sale doesn't exist for the benefit of the consumer. Here are the highlights.  More »

    Gap Kids Planting Headless Tots For Spring!
    By Chris Walters on January 23, 2009 8:26 PM   39 Comments

    —>This may be one of those posts where it turns out nobody else is bothered by it, but seriously, wtf is up with Gap Kids? Their little headless mannequins have always been a bit off-putting to me, but now they've gone full-blown Anne Geddes and placed the bodies in a weird context that makes them seem even creepier than usual.  More »

    NYC Baker Sells 'Drunken Negro Head' Cookies, Doesn't See The Problem
    By Chris Walters on January 23, 2009 7:43 PM   188 Comments

    —>Ted Kefalinos, the proprietor of a bakery in Greenwich Village (a neighborhood in New York City), can't understand why the media is having such a field day over his Drunken Negro Head cookies. They're fun! Nobody complained about his dead geese cookies last week! He's got a Cuban brother-in-law! We'd be more willing to believe it was just a bad marketing decision if it weren't for the follow-up comments a customer alleged he made.   More »

    Snapple's Acai Drink Just Pear Juice And Corn Syrup
    By Chris Walters on January 23, 2009 4:06 PM   88 Comments

    —>Of all the ridiculous Acai schemes we've seen involving overpriced miracle elixirs, Snapple wins hands down—their Acai Blackberry drink is high fructose corn syrup, pear juice, and "natural flavors," which Consumerist reader LS points out could be "a spoonful of blackberry jam from Aunt Sally's root cellar and a puff of acai-laced breath from the health food girl in accounting." Or more likely, just some flavoring extracts from a company similar to this one.  More »

    Remember the father and son team who cut in line at Walmart, then threatened an off-duty police officer with bodily harm, then were arrested? They've been charged with battery, and the off-duty cop has been cleared. A police investigator said, "The [Walmart] video supports [Officer] Kirby's version of what happened." [Indy Star] (Thanks to David!)  More »

    Carbonmade Quickly Responds To Error, Fixes It In Less Than 4 Hours
    By Chris Walters on January 23, 2009 3:08 AM   22 Comments

    —>As the economy tanks, we keep seeing examples of companies cutting more corners on customer service, and especially becoming less cooperative when it comes to resolving a problem that involves billing. That's why it's nice to see a business not only respond quickly, but in favor of the customer. (It's probably no surprise to you that it's a small business and not a corporation.)  More »

    Audible is offering a free download of "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People." You'll have to sign up for a free account to qualify. [Digital Inspiration] (Thanks to Hunt!)  More »

    Your Car Is Used. Should GM Still Be Responsible For A Mistake It Made In The Factory?
    By Chris Walters on January 22, 2009 7:45 PM   130 Comments

    —>At what point is an auto manufacturer freed from all responsibility for the car it makes and sells? Griffin says it's almost certain that the incorrect body control module (BCM) was inserted at the factory, and that GM's mistake cost him $459 to fix. GM says the former owner (Griffin's friend) must have swapped out BCMs and therefore it's "out of our control," but Griffin argues that's pretty much impossible.   More »

    Countrywide Freezes HELOCs, Says "It's Not You, It's Your Home"
    By Chris Walters on January 22, 2009 7:12 PM   96 Comments

    —>Eric writes:
      More »

    This terrible, terrible commercial for Lenovo's new laptop is clearly meant to go viral a la Songsmith, but someone forgot that it should be amusing and not just cringe-inducing. You got your viral on, Lenovo, but now your new slogan is "That's What She Said." [YouTube via Engadget]  More »

    Staples Would Tape Your Projector To A Postcard If They Could Manage It
    By Chris Walters on January 22, 2009 3:25 PM   35 Comments

    —>Usually our stupid shipping gang entries focus on comically large boxes containing one or two small items, but this time we've got the reverse situation. Eli ordered a projector from Staples. As you probably know, projectors are fairly fragile pieces of electronic equipment. This is how Staples sent it. Eli thinks their new slogan should be, "Staples: That Was Easily Damaged."  More »

    Vonage has settled a class action lawsuit over its flaky fax service, but participants can only expect to see between $4-19 repayment. You have until March 2, 2009 to file a claim or an objection. [Bustos Fax Settlement] (Thanks to Klay!)  More »

    Samsung Stalls And Lies For A Year Over Broken Photo Frame
    By Chris Walters on January 22, 2009 1:25 PM   45 Comments

    —>Dave bought his mother a Samsung digital photo frame for Christmas—Christmas a year ago, and it stopped working after just a few weeks. Since then, Dave has tried regular customer service and executive customer service, he's waited on hold for up to 2 hours at a time, and he's waited patiently for RMAs that are promised but never sent. Now it looks like he's throwing in the towel: "I no longer have the time or energy to waste with them." You win this battle, Samsung! But you do realize that Dave—a small business owner who has made large Samsung purchases in the past—will never buy another one of your products, right?  More »

    Claim Your Share ($78) Of The Bank Of America Overdraft Settlement
    By Chris Walters on January 22, 2009 12:45 PM   84 Comments

    —>Bank of America has settled a class action lawsuit over its dirty overdraft tricks—things like approving transactions that generate overdraft fees, for example, or clearing transactions in high-to-low order to increase the number of overdrafts. If you're a former customer of BoA, Fleet, LaSalle Bank or United Trust Company, you can claim your part of the settlement fund.   More »

    EBay today announced that their net earnings fell 31% last quarter. You'd think in this economy, shoppers would be drawn to the potentially lower prices of eBay—after all, Amazon apparently did just fine. Are the headaches of dealing with eBay/PayPal outweighing the potential savings? [WSJ]  More »

    AMEX Surprises Traveler By Canceling Card Without Warning
    By Chris Walters on January 21, 2009 8:10 PM   101 Comments

    —>It looks like American Express is still in the throes of its "risk management" craziness and closing accounts without visible reason. Did Chris, who was just left stranded while on a business trip, shop at the wrong store? Did he fail an internal financial review that nobody told him about? Whatever the reason, it's a good example of why you should have more than one credit account when traveling, so you don't have to rely on the whims of any single faceless corporation.  More »

    Credit And Debit Card Breach May Affect Over 100 Million
    By Chris Walters on January 21, 2009 12:09 AM   72 Comments

    —>The Washington Post has reported that Heartland Payment Systems, a payment processor that services "more than 250,000 businesses," has had more than 100 million transactions compromised via malicious software that was installed on its network; it will likely turn out to be the largest data breach ever reported. The "good" news is that the criminals were only capturing credit card numbers, the names on the cards, and expiration dates—the info encoded onto the magnetic strip on the card. Because no addresses, SSNs or PINs were stolen, the prospect of full-blown identity theft is pretty small—which must explain why Heartland isn't offering any sort of credit monitoring package as compensation. Instead, their CFO says, "We recognize and feel badly about the inconvenience this is going to cause consumers."  More »

    Sprint Clears Up 'Unlimited Messaging' Confusion
    By Chris Walters on January 20, 2009 11:24 PM   42 Comments

    —>We got an email today from a Sprint representative addressing the confusion over just what "unlimited" means in their unlimited messaging package. If you recall, Erica says Sprint told her she would still be billed per message when sending pics or video, which runs contrary to the offer she signed up for. Now Sprint has officially responded that unlimited means no additional charges, and they're investigating the matter. Below is their statement.  More »

    Is Sirius XM About To Raise Rates On Its Customers?
    By Chris Walters on January 20, 2009 4:30 PM   100 Comments
    Ryan pointed us to an article on Orbitcast about a rumored fee hike by Sirius XM. The increases appear to be for services that aren't strictly protected by the FCC agreement, which is why they would legally be able to do this despite promises that they wouldn't raise rates for 36 months after the merger.  More »

    Hey Look, It's Contact Info For Walmart's CEO
    By Chris Walters on January 20, 2009 3:54 PM   11 Comments

    —>A very nice anonymous reader just sent us contact info for Michael Duke, the new CEO of Walmart (as of February 1st, 2009). Please use it wisely.  More »

    Best Buy is selling Far Cry 2 for Xbox 360 for only $29.99, for some reason. It's selling elsewhere for $59.99. Backordered online, but you may still be able to find it available for in-store pickup. [Best Buy] (Thanks to Chris!)  More »

    Understanding Circuit City's "End Of Days" Return Policy
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 11:32 PM   24 Comments

    —>Returning something to Circuit City? All sales are final during the liquidation, but if you bought it between January 1st and the 16th, you have a 14-day return window. However, if you bought it before January 1st, the original 30-day policy still applies. Your cashier might not know this, though, and try to deny the return. That's what happened to Jason today when he tried to return a hard drive.  More »

    You probably won't be surprised by this, but it looks like Circuit City's liquidation deals aren't very good deals at all. [Gizmodo]  More »

    So, Why Is The Price Of Gas Rising Now?
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 11:17 PM   131 Comments

    I just don't get it. Does Consumerist know of a good media source that has a *current* (i.e., in the last week or two) breakdown of why the heck gasoline prices are rising 10 cents a week and more in the last month?  More »

    Please do not eat the lobster, then glue the shell back together and return it for a refund. [Times Union Albany] [Thanks to Laurie & Brian!]  More »

    If You Use MyCorporation From Intuit, Will You Get Spammed?
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 9:02 PM   18 Comments

    —>Today we posted a Morning Deal for "free" LLC/corporation filing from MyCorporation, a company owned by Intuit (TurboTax, Quickbooks). A one-time "customer" from MyCorporation—he never actually went through with their free service, but filled out the initial forms—contacted us with his own story of how he's been bugged by spam and free offers on a weekly basis ever since he dealt with them.  More »

    Belkin Apologizes For Review Fraud, Sort Of
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 8:32 PM   46 Comments
    • We're very sorry this happened;
    • We don't condone unethical behavior
    • We'll try to remove the fraudulent reviews;
    • Our business partners had no role in this fiasco.
    The one thing that's missing? The fate of ethically-challenged dimwit Bayard (edit - and anyone at Belkin like him), who the Daily Background has since caught posting his own fraudulent reviews for Belkin.  More »

    "Why Circuit City Failed"
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 7:06 PM   138 Comments

    —>Now that Circuit City has finally sputtered out, it's fun to talk about what did them in—see their firing-your-best-employees stunt a few years back, for example. But what do former Circuit City employees think? This guy worked with them from 1997 to 2002, and he says for one thing, they should have never stopped carrying appliances.  More »

    Shaken by a huge drop in sales last month, Toyota has announced cash incentives to help move inventory, including (for the first time) the Prius. [Jalopnik]  More »

    CNBC Taking Votes For Best "As Seen On TV" Product
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 5:43 PM   78 Comments

    —>Karla writes, "I thought this fun little tournament might interest Consumerist readers, especially the possibility of a Billy Mays vs. Vince from Shamwow showdown in the Sweet 16." The contest will determine the "greatest 'As Seen on TV' product," although with entries like Video Professor and Miss Cleo on there, "greatest" seems to be loosely defined.  More »

    Spirit Airlines Tries To Charge Cancellation Fees On Passengers It Put On Flight 1549
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 4:19 PM   100 Comments

    —>Update 3:10pm ET: the airline has said it won't charge the men after all.
    Spirit Airlines wants $90 each from Rob and Jeff Kolodjay, two of the passengers in last week's U.S. Airways flight 1549, because they're not using the return leg of their tickets. Rob and Jeff were on flight 1549 in the first place because Spirit canceled their original flight.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on January 19, 2009 3:15 PM   17 Comments

    —>

    • Newegg: MSI Wind Nettop Barebone Lightweight Desktop PC $130
    • Abe's of Maine: Nikon 10MP Camera + 4GB Card $170 Shipped
      More »

    Why Can't You Understand That Hobbytron Does Not Want To Talk To You?
    By Chris Walters on January 17, 2009 1:20 AM   30 Comments

    —>Hector ordered one product from Hobbytron and received something else. He tried to contact them to arrange a return, but every avenue they offered didn't work, or funneled him to an alternative method. He finally recieved an RMA from them, but no instructions or description of what happens next. Hobbytron is really busy right now, Hector! They don't need your guff!  More »

    Urban Outfitters Employee Likes Being Flashed, Will Force You To Play Along
    By Chris Walters on January 17, 2009 12:54 AM   208 Comments

    —>Miriam got a rude surprise at Urban Outfitters yesterday when she was trying on some clothes. Loud music doesn't cover up the nipples, people; keep the changing room doors shut, or at least don't laugh about it after exposing a customer.  More »

    Sprint's 'Unlimited' Messaging Package Charges You Per Message
    By Chris Walters on January 17, 2009 12:31 AM   108 Comments

    —>Sprint offers an "Everything Messaging Family" package that promises "unlimited nationwide, text, picture and video messaging to anyone on any network." The catch? Unlimited seems to mean "you have the capability to send messages, but you'll still have to pay for each message you send." Erica has called in twice to clear up the mistake, but the CSRs are telling her it's not a mistake. Oh. Well then, is it a lie?  More »

    Tribute Band Scammed By Fake Check
    By Chris Walters on January 16, 2009 9:41 PM   73 Comments

    —>Joe's tribute band was booked by a man named Rodrigues Collin for a gig in San Francisco, but it turned out to be an advance fee fraud. Joe says he discovered that Collin made contact with dozens of tribute bands at the same time, so he's contacting them himself to warn them. Here's how it happened to him.  More »

    See The Madoff Scandal From A Victim's Perspective
    By Chris Walters on January 16, 2009 6:50 PM   127 Comments

    —>Alexandra Penney had been building up her retirement savings for over 30 years, and a decade ago she put her money in the trust of Bernard Madoff's firm to grow it. You know how that story ends, but in her ongoing series "The Bag Lady Papers," Penney writes about the emotional toll of seeing your life's savings evaporate in what seems like seconds, and how she's been coping since.   More »

    Macy's now admits that it was an in-house software glitch that caused them to charge in-store debit card users twice on the Saturday before Christmas. [StorefrontBacktalk] (Thanks to Evan!)  More »

    Bad news! This uterus has been recalled because it presents a potential choking hazard. [iheartguts.com]  More »

    Add Alabama to the unpublicized states that are also participating in the Dell settlement. If your state wasn't in the original list of 34 earlier this week, be sure to check your attorney general's website just in case. [Alabama settlement info - PDF] (Thanks to Henry!)  More »

    500,000 Stork Craft Cribs Recalled
    By Chris Walters on January 16, 2009 1:02 AM   6 Comments

    —>More killer cribs are on the loose, this time from Stork Craft. The CPSC has issued a recall for all Stork Craft cribs "with manufacturing and distribution dates between May 2000 and November 2008," because the metal support brackets can crack and break, creating a suffocation danger. If you own one, call Stork Craft at 866-361-3321 to order a free bracket replacement kit, or click here.  More »

    Reverend Run's Daughters Keep Stealing This Guy's Ideas
    By Chris Walters on January 16, 2009 12:54 AM   75 Comments

    —>Angela and Vanessa Simmons, daughters of Reverend Run of Run-D.M.C., are following the Hot Topic business model of ripping off the designs of other people. In this case, their fashion line Pastry keeps putting out t-shirt designs that are uncomfortably similar to the tees that Johnny Cupcakes puts out first. Last Spring, he had his lawyer contact them about trademark infringement, but he says that hasn't stopped them from using his line as a free design resource. Classy!  More »

    Pool Operators Slow To Comply With New Safety Law; Make Sure They Do
    By Chris Walters on January 15, 2009 11:53 PM   48 Comments

    —>The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act—which requires filtration systems to have special safety covers—was named after a 7-year-old who was killed in 2002 when she was trapped at the bottom of a hot tub by "hundreds of pounds of suction force." It's not the sort of accident that happens frequently, but when it does it's a grisly and horrific event. Unfortunately, despite the law being in effect since the middle of last month, and the fact that pool operators have known about it for over a year, CNN reports that many pools still haven't been brought into compliance.   More »

    Kellogg: "Please Don't Eat Our Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers"
    By Chris Walters on January 15, 2009 9:45 PM   59 Comments

    —>Can't make it to your local prison, hospital, or school cafeteria to get in on this year's peanut butter salmonella craze? Kellogg may have you covered at the nearest snack vending machine. The company has announced that it doesn't want anyone eating its Keebler and Austin brand peanut butter crackers right now while it investigates whether they're action packed with salmonella stowaways.  More »

    It's not one of the 34 states publicized earlier this week, but Texas is another one of the states where you can get a piece of the DELL settlement. [Texas Dell Claim Form]  More »

    Need to save money on textbooks? Textbook Media offsets the cost of its digital copies by inserting ads at chapter breaks. BookSwim rents textbooks. Also see these old suggestions, and today's morning deal.  More »

    Coke Sued Over VitaminWater Claims
    By Chris Walters on January 15, 2009 4:40 PM   124 Comments

    —>The Center for Science in the Public Interest has announced a class-action lawsuit against Coca-Cola over its VitaminWater line, on the grounds that it makes deceptive claims about the nutritional benefits of its drinks.   More »

    Credit Card Scammers Convince Cashier To Call Fake Number To Approve $8,000 Purchase
    By Chris Walters on January 15, 2009 2:07 AM   100 Comments

    —>These two guys somehow managed to make off with an $8,000 purchase at Hattiesburg Cycles in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, by telling the cashier that they were expecting their (fake) credit card to be denied, and to call a phone number to validate it. The catch: they gave the cashier the phone number to call.  More »

    AT&T's 'American Idol' Text Message Stunt Backfires
    By Chris Walters on January 15, 2009 1:49 AM   97 Comments

    —>AT&T spammed a "'significant number' of its 75 million customers" yesterday with text messages advertising the premiere of American Idol. AT&T also pissed off a significant number of its 75 million customers in the process, and the company's justification for the blitz isn't exactly making AT&T sound smart when it comes to understanding what qualifies as spam.  More »

    West Elm Excels At Taking Your Money, Not At Shipping Your Items
    By Chris Walters on January 15, 2009 1:07 AM   39 Comments

    —>Add West Elm to your list of online retailers who don't believe shipping should be part of the business plan. It would be one thing if West Elm stated up front that they don't know when they'll send you the goods, but we guess it's just easier to makes sales when you list everything as available for "immediate delivery" on the website, no matter when you plan on shipping it.  More »

    Microsoft Attempts To Kill Music Forever With Songsmith Commercial
    By Chris Walters on January 14, 2009 7:37 PM   81 Comments

    —>  More »

    FTC Sues Indiana Company For Failing To Honor Rebates
    By Chris Walters on January 14, 2009 7:08 PM   24 Comments

    —>The Federal Trade Commission has charged Wintergreen Systems, an Indiana-based electronics reseller owned by John Levy, with failing to honor mail-in-rebate offers for thousands of customers. The FTC's conditions for settling the lawsuit require Levy and his company to "be barred from any involvement in the development, marketing, fulfillment, or funding of any rebate program." There's also a $330,000 judgment, which the company will not have to pay (more on that below). Both Wintergreen Systems and its parent company, Market Development Specialists (MDS), resold electronics through companies like Office Depot, PC Connection, Buy.com, PCMall, and Woot.com.   More »

    Reminder: Text Messaging Can Be Used For Scams, Too
    By Chris Walters on January 14, 2009 5:54 PM   42 Comments

    —>This story from Jessica is a good reminder that scammers don't care about the technology, they care about about fooling you. That means they'll use whatever method is available—in this case, SMS.  More »

    Today only, receive a "free" Suave product (a $3 coupon good for "Suave Shampoo, Conditioner, Hair Spray, Styling Aid, BodyWash, or Body Lotion"). [Suavenomics via Bargainist]  More »

    Amazon Loses Challenge On NY State Sales Tax
    By Chris Walters on January 14, 2009 3:47 AM   102 Comments

    —>A New York state Supreme Court justice threw out Amazon's sales tax lawsuit earlier today, opening the way for New York to begin collecting sales taxes on Amazon purchases.   More »

    Worst Apartment Rental Ad Ever
    By Chris Walters on January 14, 2009 1:28 AM   215 Comments

    —>David sent us the following alleged apartment for rent listing from CraigsList. It's a shame—I would be more than willing to wear the ID bracelet at all times and submit to unannounced inspections, but that yard is too small to do my prison workout in.   More »

    How Would You Feel About A New National Gas Tax?
    By Chris Walters on January 14, 2009 1:12 AM   183 Comments

    —>Don't worry, there's not one in the pipeline just yet, but Flexo at Consumerism Commentary asks whether now—with fuel prices relatively low again, at least compared to the recent past—is a good time to consider one.  More »

    Ready to apply for Social Security benefits? You can now apply online. [UCAN via unclefatlips]  More »

    Did Adele Services Charge Your Credit Card? The Company Does Not Exist
    By Chris Walters on January 13, 2009 8:07 PM   30 Comments

    —>The Boston Globe says that credit card users are noticing a mysterious charge for about 25 cents from Adele Services in Melville, NY. The trouble is, "There is no business by that name listed in Melville, or registered to any business anywhere in New York, for that matter." No one knows yet whether these small charges are tests for larger unauthorized debits, or if this is the entire scam. Either way, check your statement and be sure to file a dispute—and request a new card—if you come across it.   More »

    Father & Son Cut In Line At Walmart, Go To Jail
    By Chris Walters on January 13, 2009 6:33 PM   147 Comments

    —>When 26-year-old Edward Pluhar Jr. decided to walk past the people waiting in line at Walmart's customer service desk over the weekend, he probably didn't expect one of the men he dissed to confront him over it. What he and his father really didn't expect, however, was for the guy to be an off-duty police officer who doesn't appreciate being threatened.  More »

    Village Sends Woman $3600 Water Bill
    By Chris Walters on January 13, 2009 4:15 PM   73 Comments

    —>Here's another good reason to monitor your utility bills. A woman in Illinois saw her quarterly water bill shoot from $150 on average to $3600, after the village where she lives finally fixed a broken outside meter that for 25 years misreported her home's water usage.   More »

    How To Read A Water Meter
    By Chris Walters on January 13, 2009 4:15 PM   28 Comments

    —>To make sure you're paying the right amount on your monthly water bill, you should know how to read your water meter and compare it to the amount your utility company thinks it should charge you. As several readers pointed out previously, in some cities you can even do your own meter reading and call in the number each month. "But how do I read my water meter?" Here's how.  More »

    When Buying Travel Insurance, Find Out What's Covered First
    By Chris Walters on January 13, 2009 1:57 AM   68 Comments

    —>Richard is angry. He paid good money for travel insurance when he purchased tickets to Italy, and when he ended up having to work over vacation he canceled the trip and filed a claim. Access America denied it because being required to work during a trip isn't covered by Richard's benefit plan.   More »

    Save Over $0 At Toys R Us
    By Chris Walters on January 13, 2009 1:25 AM   40 Comments

    —>This sign is accurate. You do save more than nothing at all if you buy this reduced-price Batmobile.   More »

    Gamestop Selling 'Not For Resale' Game Bundle, Overpriced Of Course
    By Chris Walters on January 13, 2009 12:06 AM   74 Comments

    —>This Gamestop somehow ended up with extra bundles of the games that were supposed to be included in holiday Xbox 360 sets (the ones that shipped with Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda). So what do they do? Why, slap a $100 price tag on them and put them on the shelves, despite their "not for resale" labeling. You can buy both games brand new for less than $80 total, by the way.  More »

    Chase Invents $120 Annual Fee For Balance Transfer Customers
    By Chris Walters on January 12, 2009 11:18 PM   85 Comments

    —>Some customers who transferred their balances to Chase were hit with a new fee this month: a $10 monthly surcharge just for having the account in the first place. This $120 annual fee is pure profit for Chase and doesn't get applied to the balance. Oh, and they're doubling the minimum payment as well, although the sooner you pay off your Chase credit card and close it, the happier you'll be.  More »

    Utility Bill Surprisingly High? Check Whether It's 'Estimated'
    By Chris Walters on January 12, 2009 3:28 PM   131 Comments

    —>Paul wants to know how his gas company can get away with estimated meter readings instead of actual numbers, especially since they lead to much higher bills. "This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of," he writes, "And we are hoping that The Consumerist will be able to help us out." It's pretty common practice, actually, and the solution is to call the company and request a real reading as soon as possible.  More »

    Is Silicon Solar Ripping Off Its Customers, Or Is It Just Incompetent?
    By Chris Walters on January 12, 2009 2:35 PM   37 Comments

    —>Update: company co-founder Matt addresses some of the accusations in a comment below. Why are there so many complaints online about Silicon Solar? One customer, Dennis, told us how he was lied to by a salesman, then strung along by a woman in customer support until the 14-day return period had expired. A quick Google search turns up dozens of similar stories about being treated badly by customer service, receiving products that don't work as advertised, and never being given the RMAs necessary to send items back. Writes one reviewer on DavesGarden.com, "I can't express the anger and frustration I felt when dealing with this company."  More »

    Hasbro Casts Spell Of Greater Invisibility Over D&D Cancellation Page
    By Chris Walters on January 10, 2009 2:50 AM   57 Comments

    —>You can't cancel your annual membership agreement with Hasbro's "D&D Insider"—at least not easily, and not at all for some frustrated users. Company admins keep giving out ridiculous instructions on the user forums, but those posts are followed by customers saying all they get are error messages, no matter what browser/OS combo they try. To make matters worse, their customer service department was closed over the holidays, so nobody was answering the phone numbers they listed. This is the kind of runaround we expect from scammers like the Acai resellers, not a national toy company.  More »

    The Pita Pit Offers Free Pita If You Get Their Stolen Chair Back
    By Chris Walters on January 10, 2009 2:15 AM   43 Comments

    —>  More »

    Vonage Says "If You Hang Up We'll Cancel Your Account"
    By Chris Walters on January 10, 2009 12:12 AM   90 Comments

    —>We don't know what the hell happened with this customer service situation, but somehow the CSR for Vonage decided that when Sarah abruptly hung up on him, she agreed by default to a service cancellation and $92 cancellation fee. That sounds like the kind of angry-CSR "mistake" that can be fixed with a second call—but according to the next CSR Sarah spoke to, that's just Vonage policy. What?  More »

    Remember that Norwegian site that was offering Beatles songs for legal download? Yeah, well, not anymore. It turns out their licensing agreement stipulates that the shows they put online have to have been aired within the past 4 weeks, and all the Beatles shows are from 2007. [Exclaim News] (Thanks to elc81!)  More »

    Identical Fake Testimonial Diet Sites Spreading Like Herpes
    By Chris Walters on January 9, 2009 11:06 PM   40 Comments

    —>On Monday, Meg alerted you to a BBB warning about Acai sellers doing scammy things to consumers. Now Donna has tipped us off to a slew of identical websites that have sprouted up online, featuring Everyday Women Like You And Me with names like Jenny, Sarah, Nancy, and Amy, and who all look like the same blonde model. They've all lost pounds, too! How? With "My 2 Step Formula," that's how!   More »

    Here's one man's poignant Amazon review of how "The Secret" changed his life. We take back any skepticism we had about it. [Amazon] (Thanks to Smashville!)  More »

    Chinese Dairy Companies Apologize For Melamine Scandal Via Text Message
    By Chris Walters on January 9, 2009 9:34 PM   25 Comments

    —>Twenty-two dairy companies sent out a text message to millions of Chinese consumers last week to apologize for selling tainted milk products. According to the BBC, it read, "We are deeply sorry for the harm caused to the children and the society. We sincerely apologise for that and we beg your forgiveness."   More »

    Save Money On Your Next Refurb Project, Shop At A Habitat ReStore
    By Chris Walters on January 9, 2009 9:03 PM   31 Comments

    —>Did you know Habitat for Humanity operates retail outlets where they sell used and surplus building materials? Habitat ReStores are located in 47 U.S. states and 9 Canadian provinces.   More »

    Fatburgr Collects Restaurant Nutritional For Easy Reference
    By Chris Walters on January 9, 2009 3:09 AM   56 Comments

    —>Riley writes, "I remember seeing a couple of articles about restaurant nutrition information awhile back (ie the 2008 Ultimate Fast Food Nutrition Guide) and was motivated to create a site that houses nutrition information for chain restaurants across the country." The result is Fatburgr, where you can quickly look up info by restaurant or food type.   More »

    Citibank, Senate Agree On "Cramdown" Bill To Prevent Foreclosures
    By Chris Walters on January 9, 2009 2:08 AM   58 Comments

    —>Ever heard of a cramdown? It's when a bankrupcty court splits a home loan into two parts: a secured loan that's equal to the current value of the home, and an unsecured loan that covers the rest of the outstanding debt. The secured loan is paid, and the unsecured isn't. It can result in lower monthly payments (if the new loan amount is amortized over the course of the loan), but the important part is that it helps guarantee that a significant part of the loan will still be paid off.   More »

    Quest Says Nearly 10% Of Its Vitamin D Tests Were Inaccurate
    By Chris Walters on January 9, 2009 12:05 AM   22 Comments

    —>Last October, Quest Diagnostics contacted "thousands of doctors" around the country to notify them that one or more of their patients might have received "questionable" results on vitamin D tests performed over the past two years. It's offering free retests to anyone who was affected.  More »

    Consumer Borrowing Dropped $7.9 Billion In November
    By Chris Walters on January 8, 2009 11:28 PM   29 Comments
    Consumers have clammed up, said Ken Mayland, president of ClearView Economics LLC in Pepper Pike, Ohio, who forecast a decline. The reduction in consumer credit doesnt stop here, and will spill over into 2009. Households are bolstering their balance sheets.  More »

    Oprah & Orman Give Out Free Book: "2009 Action Plan"
    By Chris Walters on January 8, 2009 11:05 PM   28 Comments

    —>"Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan" is free to download from Oprah.com for the next week. Unlike last year's "Women & Money," this book is intended for pretty much everyone. We haven't read it, so here's a line from the Amazon editorial review: "There are safeguards to put in place, actions to take, costly mistakes to avoid, and even opportunities to be had, so that you are protected during the bad times and prepared to prosper when things take a turn for the better."  More »

    Macy's Closing 11 Stores
    By Chris Walters on January 8, 2009 4:03 PM   90 Comments

    —>Looks like it's time for Macy's annual closing of the stores! This time it's 11 underperforming locations that will be shuttered, and Macy's says clearance sales will begin at those stores next week. Here's a list of the stores that will be saying goodbye.  More »

    Washington Sports Clubs Sets Up New Account, Bills Ex-Member $700 More In Fees
    By Chris Walters on January 8, 2009 4:38 AM   58 Comments
    I just found out that after I canceled my account with Washington Sports Clubs last year, they created a new account and continued to deduct hundreds of dollars from my account. More than $700, actually. I should have noticed this, but the charges varied each month and didnt say Washington Sports Club anywhere so I missed it. After more than a week of phone haggling and bringing in documents, the club is refunding my money. I would also like them to grovel and send me on a trip to Paris.  More »

    Graphic: Why GM Will Still Fail
    By Chris Walters on January 8, 2009 12:46 AM   145 Comments

    —>Not that you necessarily need convincing that GM is doomed no matter how much cash is thrown at it, but here's a cool graphic that shows all of the auto company's problems as piles of shipping containers. The designer points out that "many aspects of this graphic can apply to the rest of the Big Three but I focused on GM since they are in the most dire position."   More »

    Consumers Union Asks Nancy Nord, CPSC To Do A Better Job Explaining These New Toy Testing Rules
    By Chris Walters on January 8, 2009 12:08 AM   55 Comments

    In this letter (PDF) sent to CPSC chair Nancy Nord, and released to the public, Consumers Union and a bunch of other consumer interest groups ask the CPSC to please do its part to clear up all the confusion over the coming Toy Testing Apocalypse. Don't want to read the whole thing? Here's a much shorter summary:  More »

    Circuit City's "Free Shipping Day" Promise Turns Out To Be Worthless
    By Chris Walters on January 7, 2009 2:24 AM   58 Comments

    —>Circuit City promised that if you ordered from them on December 18th, you'd get free shipping and a guarantee that your order would arrive before Christmas. It turns out that promise was worthless, at least for Brandon—or rather, it's worth exactly $5 in company scrip from Circuit City. (We love apologies that force you to shop at the company that screwed up.) Circuit City's CSR even says that the December 18th offer doesn't exist, despite the fact that their logo is still up on the freeshippingday.com website as of today.  More »

    JetBlue Passenger Forced To Cover Arabic Shirt Gets $240k From JetBlue, TSA Employees
    By Chris Walters on January 7, 2009 1:36 AM   236 Comments
    In 2006, Raed Jaer, an Iraqi-born U.S. resident, was forced by TSA officials and JetBlue to cover his t-shirt—it read, "We Will Not Be Silent" in both Arabic and English—before he could board a flight. The airline and the two TSA officials (TSA was not named in the suit) settled out of court last week for $240,000, although JetBlue still denies they did anything wrong, and the TSA says they don't "condone profiling in any way shape or form."
    Here's what happened back in August 2006:


    After passing through security... [TSA and JetBlue officials] came up to him and asked him to change his shirt as, "people are feeling offended."
    Jaer replied, "Why do you want me to take off my t-shirt? Isn't it my constitutional right to express myself in this way?" Inspector Harris said, "people here in the US don't understand these things about constitutional rights."
    He added, "You can't wear a t-shirt with Arabic script and come to an airport. It is like wearing a t-shirt that reads "I am a robber" and going to a bank."

    When the settlement was announced, JetBlue took pains to make it clear that they're only settling to avoid a protracted legal battle, and that they don't think they did anything wrong, according to this email to the Washington Post:

    "JetBlue continues to deny, outright, every critical aspect of Mr. Jarrar's version of events," airline spokeswoman Alison Croyle said in an e-mailed statement. Croyle added, "JetBlue believes diversity adds great strength to our company; diversity among our crewmembers as well as our customers."

    Diversity, and silence! And obedience! Lower your heads, cattle passengers of all colors, and submit to the skittish herd!
    Anyway, we're happy for Jaer. We're also trying to come up with a good pseudo-terroristy tshirt design so we can try this ourselves.
    "JetBlue, TSA Workers Settle in T-Shirt Case" [Washington Post]
    RELATED

    "JetBlue Makes Passenger Change 'Offensive' Arabic Tshirt"
    More »

    "Free" SlyDial Service Sneaks Ads Into Your Voicemail Inbox
    By Chris Walters on January 7, 2009 12:53 AM   22 Comments

    —>SlyDial lets you jump straight to voicemail to leave a message. You can pay a fee for the service, or agree to listen to an ad first before leaving a message. Glenn gave the service a trial run and it seemed to work as promised—he listened to an ad and then left a message. Today, however, the company "slydialed" him and left a second ad in his voicemail box. That's certainly sly, but sounds to us like an abuse of the service as they've described it. You might want to avoid using them until we find out more about why they're spamming previous customers, or check back on Glenn's blog to see what develops.   More »

    Time Warner Calls You In Another Dimension, Or Something
    By Chris Walters on January 7, 2009 12:43 AM   42 Comments

    —>Kushal wants to know how Time Warner verifies the call logs for its installer technicians, because when they say they call, his phone doesn't ring.  More »

    LiftSift Helps You Find A Ski Lift In Your Budget
    By Chris Walters on January 6, 2009 11:16 PM   5 Comments

    —>Nate at Idea Shower (responsible for the awesome Read It Later Firefox extension) has created a nifty online tool to help you narrow down your ski and snowboard destinations. Visit LiftSift.com, adjust a few sliders to set your price range, vertical rise, and location, and compare away. The data behind the service is public so that users can add new locations or make updates when lift prices change.  More »

    Monster Cable has agreed to drop a heavily mocked (by us, anyway) trademark lawsuit against Monster Mini Golf after a private phone call between the founders of the two companies. Great, now you won't be able to tell if you're playing mini golf or being gouged by a cable manufacturer. [News10.net] (Thanks to Trever!)  More »

    Consumerist Nominated For Best Blog
    By Chris Walters on January 6, 2009 4:20 PM   59 Comments

    —>That's right, despite having its budget slashed and being put up for sale, Consumerist still rocked 2008 with a bunch of cool and/or ridiculously awesome posts, and now we're in the running for the Best Blog in the 2008 Weblog Awards. You can cast your vote here. Frankly, we haven't even heard of some of the competitors. Gawk-er? What is that, a peeping tom site? Boing boing? Who names this stuff?  More »

    Super 8 In Pasadena Is Super Run Down
    By Chris Walters on January 6, 2009 12:40 AM   97 Comments

    —>You know you're not in for a life-changing experience when you get a room at a Super 8 motel, but you at least expect that for $190 a night, there will be hot water and blankets big enough to cover both you and your girlfriend. And no plywood in the bathroom. And four legs holding up the bed. But not at the Super 8 in Pasadena, CA, according to Matt, who was just there for the Rose Bowl.  More »

    Acer's Secret Business Model Somehow Involves Envelopes
    By Chris Walters on January 5, 2009 11:58 PM   38 Comments
    To date I've received one batch of five flat pacs [and] one batch of seventeen flat pacs. Each flat pac has three restoration discs (for a total of 66 discs), none of the flat pacs I've received has contained the promised system disc.  More »

    14 Weeks And Counting, But Limited Edition Zune Still Not Fixed
    By Chris Walters on January 5, 2009 11:21 PM   83 Comments

    —>The 30-gig Zunes may have temporarily revolted last week, but Brooke's limited edition 80-gig Zune has been MIA for over three months now, apparently lost in that magical ever-transitioning Zune world from the commercials. (It just keeps falling through floors and walls and swimming pools.) Maybe someone at Microsoft can take a look at what Brooke's had to go through so far, and get back to her with a real answer?  More »

    Giant List Of Online Legal Resources Will Keep You Half-Educated, Annoy Your Lawyer
    By Chris Walters on January 5, 2009 10:13 PM   36 Comments

    —>Thanks to the Internet, with a single Google search and some creative guesswork you can diagnose pretty much any disease you want. Yes, this has made the world of medicine entirely unnecessary, but what about the legal profession? Surely the web can replace that too!   More »

    IDT Back In Brooklyn, Working Their Door To Door Scamming Magic
    By Chris Walters on January 5, 2009 8:38 PM   44 Comments

    —>Just a quick heads up to everyone that IDT has nothing of value to offer you, so if someone claiming to be from IDT (or any other energy company that's not the one you already buy energy from) comes to your door and asks to see your bill, give them a good how do you do and send them on their way. I've had IDT scammers hit my building twice in the past two weeks, and just now returned from throwing them out of the building a few minutes ago.   More »

    Make 2009 Scam-Free With This List
    By Chris Walters on January 5, 2009 6:14 PM   37 Comments

    —>Stephanie Zimmermann of the Chicago Sun-Times has put together a list of resolutions to prevent scams, cons, and cheats. We really like the suggestion that you find a reputable locksmith, plumber, A/C repairman, and mechanic now, instead of waiting until an emergency.   More »

    Want to download every Beatles track ever made, legally? [NRKbeta.no via BoingBoing]  More »

    Fisher-Price Kiddie Camera Comes With Fun And A Computer Virus
    By Chris Walters on January 3, 2009 12:22 AM   77 Comments

    —>Jeff says his kid's new toy, a working camera from Fisher-Price, tried to give his computer a virus when he plugged it in!  More »

    Play Anti-Phishing Phil And Learn How To Spot Phishing Attacks
    By Chris Walters on January 2, 2009 11:58 PM   15 Comments

    —>Phishing attacks are pretty cleverly designed, because they skip most virus checkpoints altogether and go for the true weak spot in human-computer interaction, the human. Lorrie Faith Cranor, a computer security researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, has been studying phishing attacks to identify new ways to fight them.  More »

    If You Can't Find That DVD Set Anywhere Else, Maybe It's Pirated
    By Chris Walters on January 2, 2009 10:13 PM   126 Comments

    —>Phil found out that you don't order DVDs from websites that look like this, or that offer sets that aren't for sale elsehwere. Now his wife is the proud owner of some homemade discs with low-quality TV footage of the series and a "TBS" bug in the corner.  More »

    Bus Company Abandons Man With Cerebral Palsy On Bus On New Year's Eve
    By Chris Walters on January 2, 2009 5:46 PM   35 Comments

    —>The bus matron of a special needs bus owned by Outstanding Transport, Inc. has been charged with felony reckless endangerment, after forgetting about a 22-year-old passenger and leaving him strapped in his seat on the bus over New Year's Eve in below-freezing temperatures. He was found yesterday morning at 10:30am and is in good condition, although his sister can't imagine how he could have been overlooked in the first place: "He's like 6'2 and hunches over, the seats are not even high."   More »

    New York City doesn't publicize it in any way, but they offer a guaranteed reduction on parking ticket fines if you challenge the ticket in person, online, or via mail.[New York Times]  More »

    How Universities And Credit Card Companies Make Money Off Of Students
    By Chris Walters on January 2, 2009 3:52 PM   88 Comments

    —>How can an educational institute act in its students' best interest if it stands to make money off of increasing their debt load? The symbiotic relationship between universities and credit card companies is being questioned more than ever by student groups and politicians, writes the New York Times.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on January 2, 2009 2:02 PM   21 Comments

    —>

    • Teva Women's Shay Slip-ons for $16
    • Amazon: Save up to 70% or More off: LED Flashlights from $5
    • App Store Free MetaSquares Puzzle Game for iPhone and iPod Touch
    • 6ave: Shure SE110 Sound-Isolating Earphones for $63 + free shipping
      More »

    New Year's Surprise For TWC Customers: No More Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon...
    By Chris Walters on December 31, 2008 10:14 PM   111 Comments

    —>Update: A deal has been reached. Crisis averted. Viacom is demanding that Time Warner Cable pay more for the right to broadcast its networks, but TWC has refused. Tonight at midnight, 13.3 million subscribers in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Cleveland will feel the effects of the stalemate first hand when Viacom makes good on its threat to pull all of its networks from TWC. Translation: no more "The Daily Show," "Dora the Explorer," "The Colbert Report," "The Hills," etc. But hey, there's always Hulu and BitTorrent, right?  More »

    Chairwoman of Chinese dairy company pleads guilty in melamine case, may face death penalty. [Reuters]  More »

    Drug Makers Say Goodbye To Swag In 2009
    By Chris Walters on December 31, 2008 6:13 PM   79 Comments

    —>Beginning tomorrow morning, drug companies will stop peppering doctors' offices with branded pens, bandages, tongue depressors, stethoscopes, calipers, mugs, prescription pads, soap dispensers, and t-shirts.  More »

    Zunes Everywhere Froze At 2am This Morning
    By Chris Walters on December 31, 2008 5:13 PM   156 Comments

    —>If you're Steve Jobs, you probably dream of stories like this: Zunes all over the world froze up at around 2am this morning and won't reboot, and nobody knows why.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on December 31, 2008 1:41 PM   17 Comments

    —>

      More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on December 30, 2008 3:06 PM   28 Comments

    —>

    • NewEgg: Nextar Q3 3.5" GPS Navigation for $59.99 with free shipping
    • Geeks: Unlocked Motorola Quad-Band GSM Mobile Phone $30
      More »

    ExxonMobil Gift Card Results In Higher Prices At Pump
    By Chris Walters on December 29, 2008 11:37 PM   55 Comments

    —>ExxonMobil says their gift cards are "better than cash." They also say, "This cash card is not a credit card." But Rob in NY was hit with a credit card surcharge when he used his.  More »

    When international product naming goes wrong. (Thanks to Seth!)  More »

    The Economist's Credit Crunch Game Makes Subprime Loans Fun Again!
    By Chris Walters on December 29, 2008 10:38 PM   7 Comments

    —>We think the idea of "Credit Crunch," a print-it-yourself board game in this week's issue of The Economist, is great. We're not convinced it's exactly cost-effective to print the board, cards, and money with your own equipment, though—as someone suggests in their comments section, maybe a web-savvy reader should create an online version.  More »

    Dog Shoplifts Bone From Grocery Store
    By Chris Walters on December 29, 2008 10:15 PM   42 Comments

    —>What kind of world do we live in where even dogs have started shoplifting? A mildly amusing world, that's what kind.  More »

    Morning Deals
    By Chris Walters on December 29, 2008 2:35 PM   37 Comments

    —>

    • Valve: Doom II or Ultimate Doom for PC downloads, $1 each
    • Amazon: EyeClops BioniCam magnifying toy for $17.99 (78% off)
      More »

    Every other retailer in existence may have had an awful holiday season, but Amazon says it was its "best ever." [MarketWatch]  More »

    Fry's Price Matches, But Only If You Pay "Overnight Shipping" For Item In Your Hand
    By Chris Walters on December 27, 2008 1:05 AM   88 Comments

    —>This Fry's in Texas apparently wants you to pay for them to replace their inventory. Or they think their customers are idiots. Maybe both?  More »

    A list of online tech help sites. [New York Times]  More »

    Vonage Says Merry Christmas By Raising Rates On Cheapest Plan
    By Chris Walters on December 27, 2008 12:22 AM   38 Comments

    —>William got an email from Vonage yesterday telling him they're raising his bill starting in February.  More »

    Here's a bittersweet elegy on airline travel. [New York Times]  More »

    Kohl's Marks Up Jewelry, Then Discounts It
    By Chris Walters on December 26, 2008 10:19 PM   80 Comments

    —>A Maryland woman bought some jewelry on sale at the Kohl's in Westminster, then discovered cheaper prices under the price tags.  More »

    Store's "Free Gift Wrapping" Means "Everything Wrapped Together"
    By Chris Walters on December 24, 2008 6:01 AM   25 Comments

    —>Joe received his order from DiscoverThis.com today and yes, they did indeed wrap the items for free. Too bad they wrapped them together as one unit.  More »

    How Do You Reach Hasbro's CEO Brian Goldner?
    By Chris Walters on December 24, 2008 5:44 AM   13 Comments

    —>Hasbro promised to replace a Nerf product that broke within minutes of being removed from its package, but that was back in October and Ed still hasn't received anything.  More »

    Retailers Beg Government To Create Tax-Free Shopping Holidays To Save Them
    By Chris Walters on December 24, 2008 4:27 AM   72 Comments

    —>The National Retail Federation has asked President-elect Obama to declare three tax-free shopping holidays next year.  More »

    New Toy Safety Rule Has Collateral Damage: Handmade Toy Manufacturers
    By Chris Walters on December 24, 2008 4:08 AM   110 Comments

    —>Thanks to big companies like Mattel, this may be the last Christmas season for a lot of handmade or custom toys from small businesses.   More »

    WISdomestics Blames Competitors For Its Own Misleading Vibrator Copy
    By Chris Walters on December 23, 2008 9:10 PM   104 Comments

    —>Jen ordered a product on Amazon, but what arrived in the shipment was significantly less than what was promised.   More »

    Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme was one of the biggest, but he's got a lot of company. Here's a list of the "9 Most Brazen Ponzi Schemes in History," from Charles Ponzi (yep, that's why we call it that) to Social Security. [Neatorama]  More »

    Greyhound Abandons 60 Passengers In Seattle, Locks Up For The Night
    By Chris Walters on December 22, 2008 11:21 PM   119 Comments

    —>Unsafe road conditions in Seattle brought Greyhound's fleet to a standstill on Sunday, which apparently is why they abandoned riders outside in 25 degree weather last night.  More »

    Looking For A Job? The Foreign Service Is Hiring
    By Chris Walters on December 22, 2008 10:38 PM   59 Comments

    —>The New York Times reports that the freeze on Foreign Service hiring has been lifted, so if you're willing to endure being moved to a new (occasionally dangerous) country every 2 to 3 years...  More »

    Nearly 25% Of Nursing Homes 'Much Below Average'
    By Chris Walters on December 22, 2008 10:01 PM   42 Comments

    —>Of all the unusual gifts you can give Mom or Dad this holiday season, none would be more surprising than a simple card saying, "We're putting you in a home." Just make sure you don't pick a bad one, because nearly a quarter of nursing homes were rated "much below average" in a new monthly federal evaluation.  More »

    KidsSave Software Helps Your Child Track Investments
    By Chris Walters on December 22, 2008 9:41 PM   5 Comments

    —>KidsSave is a kid-centric application (Windows XP only, with an OS X version coming out next year) that lets your child track allowances and other types of "income" and teaches the benefits of saving.   More »

    RIAA To Stop Suing File Sharers
    By Chris Walters on December 19, 2008 7:51 PM   89 Comments

    —>The Wall Street Journal and Ars Technica are reporting that the RIAA has announced a fairly dramatic change in its strategy to fight piracy.   More »

    Some Digital TV Advice In Plain English
    By Chris Walters on December 19, 2008 7:50 PM   90 Comments

    —>You know, the coming switch to digital TV isn't exactly rocket science, but we're betting plenty of people are still going to end up feeling confused and angry come February of next year.   More »

    New Credit Card Rules Will Force Banks To Reduce Credit Lines, Close Accounts, Supposedly
    By Chris Walters on December 19, 2008 6:56 PM   118 Comments

    —>Here's another reason to wean yourself off of credit cards, and build up a robust emergency fund, in 2009: the credit card party is about to really dry up, says one analyst.  More »

    Petland Uses Puppy Mills
    By Chris Walters on November 21, 2008 1:11 AM   137 Comments

    After an eight-month investigation, the Humane Society of the United States accused Petland, the national pet store chain, of selling dogs bred under appalling conditions at puppy mills around the country.  More »

    Need gift ideas? Curbly user ModHomeEcTeacher has put together a list of 45 different holiday gift guides from around the web. [Curbly]  More »

    EECB Convinces Best Buy To Pay For Damage To Car
    By Chris Walters on November 20, 2008 11:34 PM   48 Comments

    —>Here's a good example of how to write an effective Executive Email Carpet Bomb, or EECB, to break through the "please hold" purgatory of the company's phone system. Alicia's car's bumper was scratched by a Best Buy employee, and calling consumer relations as directed proved fruitless. Now she's got a check in her hands from Best Buy to pay for the repairs.  More »

    If you have an account with Mint, and you've enabled mobile alerts, you can now text "Bal" or "Balance" to 696-468 (MyMint) and receive a summary of all of your accounts. [Mint]  More »

    Sprint Asking Employees To Please Pink Slip Themselves
    By Chris Walters on November 20, 2008 8:58 PM   55 Comments

    —>Sprint has asked some of its employees to consider voluntarily resigning by December 3rd in exchange for a compensation package. Says a spokesperson, "No one is being forced to do anything. There are no forced reductions. There are no layoffs in store. It's a matter of employees having the option to exercise discretion. No targets have been announced." IntoMobile says retail store employees and managers are not being included in the offer. Update: We've received a little more info from an anonymous tipster about the downsizing, and what it might mean for customers of Sprint.  More »

    World's Most Conscientious Customer Completes Botched Software Purchase Over A Year Later
    By Chris Walters on November 19, 2008 2:58 AM   79 Comments

    I just wanted to pass along a story of a truly honest customer.  More »

    CarX Auto Service Will Change Your Oil, Give You A Puppy
    By Chris Walters on November 19, 2008 2:44 AM   121 Comments

    —>Kari sent us this photo she took last night in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. We'll give them points for finding a unique promotional angle, but we wonder if they saw sales increase or drop off? Update: is it legal to give away animals as a store promotion?  More »

    Lean Cuisine Recalls Chicken Meals For Containing Plastic Pieces
    By Chris Walters on November 19, 2008 1:35 AM   27 Comments

    —>Lean Cuisine is recalling 900,000 pounds of its entrees after "several consumers" reported finding blue plastic in the product. If you have the Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, the Chicken Mediterranean or the Chicken Tuscan varieties, here are the UPC and production codes of the affected batches.  More »

    Here's A Cartoon Explaining The Types Of Bonds
    By Chris Walters on November 18, 2008 7:40 PM   26 Comments

    —>Slate's "The Big Money" has decided it's time to start educating readers on some core financial principles, and they're starting with the very basics, presented in a "Schoolhouse Rocks!" style. Their first cartoon explains the four types of bonds. Visually, it's a perfect match to the style of the original cartoons, but we hope they work on a catchier jingle for their next installment.   More »

    GM's Prez Begs Customers To Plead On GM's Behalf
    By Chris Walters on November 18, 2008 6:57 PM   243 Comments

    —>Consumerist reader Darkrose writes, "I just got this in my e-mail. Thought you guys might be interested in it." In the email, GM's president Troy Clarke is in high PR mode, pointing out the grave consequences and emphasizing that GM wants not "a bailout but rather a loan that will be repaid." We thought other readers who aren't GM customers would find it interesting.  More »

    ASAP Van Lines, a moving company we've covered in the past for alleged abuses against customers, has changed its name to Chicago Moving Systems. You have been warned. [MovingScam.com] (Thanks to Christopher!)  More »

    Ann Taylor Changes Terms Of Sale After Purchase?
    By Chris Walters on November 18, 2008 3:09 PM   96 Comments

    —>Update: Several readers have pointed out that Ann Taylor's return policy says items with prices ending in .44 or .88 are automatically deemed "Final Sale" items. Colleen is stuck with four extra dresses because Ann Taylor marked the items "Final Sale." The problem is, they did this after she ordered and paid for them. As she notes in her email below, she has proof on her order confirmation that the dresses were not marked "Final Sale" when she bought them. She also has previous order confirmations where items have been clearly marked "Final Sale." Now she wants to know how to get Ann Taylor to do the right thing.  More »

    Are you so loaded that you exceed the FDIC's guarantee limit for deposits? Consider the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service. Deposit the funds at one of 2,500 CDARS member banks and they'll automatically spread your cash among other member banks as needed to stay within FDIC coverage limits. Kiplinger says, "You'll earn one rate (set by the home bank) and get one statement and one form at tax time." [Kiplinger]  More »

    Over on Elliott.org, a woman describes how her $29 Days Inn room ballooned to a $180 charge when the hotel's owner refused to honor the deal, and what she did to get the difference refunded. [Elliott.org]  More »

    Apple Repair Center Doesn't Repair Your Laptop, But Does Replace Your Keyboard With German Layout
    By Chris Walters on November 17, 2008 11:38 PM   50 Comments
    So when you take your Mac to get repaired and they have to send it to their repair center, politely request that a service technician with the ID 31514 at the CTS, Apple Authorized Repair Center in Houston, Texas does not fix your Mac.  More »

    20% Of Citigroup Cardholders Can Expect Rate Increases For 2009
    By Chris Walters on November 17, 2008 11:20 PM   64 Comments

    —>If you have a Citigroup-issued credit card and you haven't had a rate increase over the last two years, expect to be notified of a 2-3% rate increase on your November statement. Congratulations! You're going to help Citigroup offset its losses in the global credit card division, whether you were directly part of those losses or not. As the New York Times points out, by doing this Citigroup is breaking the promise they made to Congress in 2007 that they would not arbitrarily raise rates on accounts—which may be why they're offering a fairly lenient opt-out policy.  More »

    Vision Therapy Center 'Pencils In' Appointment Without Full Consent, Then Charges $50 No Show Fee
    By Chris Walters on November 17, 2008 9:28 PM   62 Comments

    —>Elysse was told by an optometrist to consider "vision therapy" as a treatment for her child's strabismus (crossed eyes), but the business she was sent to—Children's Vision and Learning in Versailles, Kentucky—turned out to be one of those places where selling is their top priority, and medical care simply the product being sold. After being lied to about the cost, given a hard sell during the first appointment, and even being asked, "Don't you care about your child's vision?", Elysse decided to look elsewhere. Now, four months after the experience, the business is billing her $50 for a "penciled in" appointment she never agreed to keep in the first place.   More »

    Reader Talks Citibank Down To A Lower Interest Rate On Her Credit Card
    By Chris Walters on November 17, 2008 6:27 PM   50 Comments

    —>Nicole was hit with a surprise 6 point interest rate increase on her Citicard, so she fought back. Her story is a good reminder that you should look at all of your options and be prepared to argue on your behalf, even if you're not in a position where you can just pay off the entire balance and walk away.  More »

    Alert: You Cannot Buy Consumerist With Doodle Money
    By Chris Walters on November 17, 2008 6:07 PM   74 Comments

    —>Our post last Friday gave people some great business ideas. We appreciate the offers, but we must insist that you do not try to purchase Consumerist with doodle currency that you have minted yourself, probably while drinking. You can, however, try to bail out the auto industry with it if you want.  More »

    Furniture Store Employee Wants You To Know There's Something Wrong With Your Salesperson
    By Chris Walters on November 17, 2008 2:08 PM   187 Comments

    —>Jeff and his wife bought a couch, chair, and armoire from Basset Furniture in Rockville, Maryland this weekend, and while the actual experience was rather pleasant, they might not be going back. It wasn't because their salesperson was rude, but rather because another employee they'd never dealt with pulled them aside at the last minute to warn them that there was "something wrong" with the woman who'd been helping them. What? What the hell does that mean? Did she sell them haunted furniture? Was she really a robber who was pretending to sell furniture to get the customers out of the store so she could finish her robbery? Was she a replicant?  More »

    Home Depot Website Prices Have Nothing To Do With In Store Prices
    By Chris Walters on November 15, 2008 1:49 AM   80 Comments

    —>Remember, Home Depot's price match policy doesn't apply to online listings, including its own website. At his local store, Michael paid more than twice the online Home Depot price for a coaxial cable, but Home Depot refused to refund him the difference. They even say as much in small print on each page of their website. With Home Depot, be sure to call and get a valid local price quote before heading off to purchase something you saw online.  More »

    Dallas School District Caught Using Random SSNs For Foreign Workers
    By Chris Walters on November 14, 2008 8:48 PM   72 Comments

    —>The Dallas Independent School District has been making up fake Social Security Numbers for foreign hires for years, even after being told in 2004 by the state's education board to stop because it's illegal. The numbers were meant to "expedite" the hiring process and get the employees on payroll, but they found their way onto Department of Homeland Security and IRS forms (which are kept in-district but shared with feds upon request), were used for criminal background checks, and in at least 26 cases were numbers in use by real people.   More »

    Sirius XM Merger Reveals True Face: Fewer Channels And 'Sanitized' Programming
    By Chris Walters on November 14, 2008 6:55 PM   231 Comments

    —>This week, Sirius XM began consolidating its channels. In reality, this mostly meant jettisoning XM channels wherever there was a tenuous overlap with something Sirius already offered, which is bad news for anyone with a favorite station on XM who woke up Wednesday morning to find it missing. Alex wrote in to tell us that the four Spanish music channels have been condensed to one without regard to genre, and that the uncensored "urban music" station Hot Jamz has been cleaned up, rechristened "The Heat," and now leans toward radio-friendly R&B. The Motley Fool suggests that the new lineup may drive people to downgrade their subscription—it's "an incentive to downgrade to the cheaper plan that costs $6 less a month and lets users cherry-pick 50 stations."  More »

    Alert: You Cannot Send A Drawing Of A Spider As Payment
    By Chris Walters on November 14, 2008 6:12 PM   78 Comments

    —>David didn't have the money to pay his account (for some mystery service—we don't know what), so he decided to see if they'd accept a drawing instead. Turns out they won't. The email exchange that follows is hilarious, and much more entertaining for both parties than the old put-the-wrong-check-in-the-envelope trick.   More »

    United Adds $800 In Fees To $560 Trip, Loses Customer For Life
    By Chris Walters on November 14, 2008 3:13 PM   163 Comments
    And let's not forget the exorbitant booking fee for using miles for one of our tickets. The actual FLIGHT was only $280 round trip per ticket, but with the booking fee TO USE THE MILES TO PURCHASE A TICKET, we wound up paying over $500.  More »

    This Walmart Guard's Loss Prevention Strategy Includes Tackling
    By Chris Walters on November 14, 2008 2:09 PM   271 Comments

    —>Joseph Gregorie, a (former?) Walmart loss prevention officer, is going to make sure nobody steals on his watch, especially not in this economic climate. After seeing a 58-year-old woman stuff several items in her tote bag and head for the exit, he introduced himself. She dropped the bag but continued to leave the store, so he "grabbed [her] in a bear-hug and threw her to the ground," giving the woman a pretty impressive looking black eye in the process. They've both been arrested.  More »

    Customer Service Not Working? Try GetSatisfaction
    By Chris Walters on November 14, 2008 1:30 PM   17 Comments

    —>Here's hoping for everyone's sake that some Warbucks type buys up Consumerist, lavishes me with gifts, and allows this great blog to continue. But even so, it never hurts to know about other online services out there. GetSatisfaction.com is a kind of crowdsourced customer service forum where anyone can post about any product or company, and where companies are encouraged to join in. Since the content is grouped around those products and companies, it's easy to drill down to relevant topics, or to find people who can help answer that customer service question you can't seem to get resolved. Here's a sample page on Comcast. That's right, my first entry as a substitute Consumerist editor today and I've already mentioned Comcast.   More »

    So Long, Jerks!
    By Chris Walters on October 17, 2008 7:57 PM   109 Comments

    —>[This post is in reference to the Consumerist layoffs announced two weeks ago.] Carey already said all the classy stuff last Sunday, so I'll be brief. I had fun, this was an eye-opening experience (I actually learned how to better manage my finances), and blogging every day for a responsive audience is a little like smoking crack, except it makes you fat instead of bone-skinny, and it's not quite as sexy. The best part of this job was watching a story produce results. In aggregate, we're not really "the little guy," and I'm thankful I was able to participate in a website that makes this possible.  More »

    Why You Should Never Order Anything From Sears.com
    By Chris Walters on October 17, 2008 7:08 PM   129 Comments

    —>Mike sent us two stories of back-to-back merchandise fiascos with orders he placed on Sears.com for in-store pickup. What's worse, the problems can't just be blamed on a lone rotten employee, or attributed to bad luck—several Sears stores were involved. Our verdict: there's something seriously messed up with the Sears fulfillment chain, and it's not worth your time or energy to bother with it. But you knew that already, right?  More »

    Walmart Employee Hates New Trash Cans, Will Throw Yours If You Set It Near Him
    By Chris Walters on October 17, 2008 2:26 PM   110 Comments

    —>Ricky had a bizarre run-in with "Larry" at his local Walmart, where he was shopping recently with his mother, who needed a new trash can. While Ricky browsed the automotive accessories counter, his mom did mom things in the silk flower department, and she left her new trash can next to Ricky's leg while she wandered off. It turns out, you do not leave trash cans anywhere in Larry's line of sight if you know what's good for you.  More »

    AIG Says It Will Try Harder To Cut Costs, Begins By Canceling $10 Million Severance Package
    By Chris Walters on October 17, 2008 1:47 PM   51 Comments

    —>AIG has been repeatedly called on the carpet over the past week or so for indefensible "business as usual" expenditures—a lavish corporate retreat, an executive hunting trip, and severance packages costing tens of millions of dollars. Now, after a meeting with NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, they've announced they'll start trying harder to monitor and stomp out unnecessary expenses.   More »

    Circuit City Credits Wrong Card For $130 Return, Sends You Away With Nothing
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2008 5:41 PM   182 Comments

    —>UPDATE: Man Finally Gets His $130 Back From Circuit City  More »

    FTC Busts Giant Spam Operation, Enlarges Penis
    By Chris Walters on October 16, 2008 12:15 AM   46 Comments
    As part of their inquiry, FTC staff made undercover purchases from the sites. No one asked the clandestine buyers to provide verification of a prescription and the shipped drugs did not include doctors' instructions or dosage information, officials said.  More »

    The Best Cities To Live In During A Recession
    By Chris Walters on October 15, 2008 10:45 PM   82 Comments

    —>BusinessWeek asks, assuming that we keep sliding down into an official recession, where are the best places to live? They've pulled data from PolicyMap.com and the U.S. Census to make some educated guesses about local economies that will be least damaged by a large-scale downturn. They reason that no matter how the national economy fares, there will always be government jobs and a need for health care; higher education institutes provide a cushion for local economies, too.   More »

    Make Your Next House A Shipping Container
    By Chris Walters on October 15, 2008 9:55 PM   33