Marijuana may be legal and taxed in Colorado, but the federal government still considers anyone who sells it to be a drug dealer and won’t allow banks to offer accounts to these businesses. So how is a legal businessman supposed to pay those sales tax to the state? [More]
Marijuana Shop Owners Paying Taxes In Cash Because Banks Can’t Take Their Money
By May 13, 2013
Hertz Tells Me It Has No Idea How To Read A Fuel Gauge
By May 13, 2013
Anyone who has returned a rental car with less fuel than agreed to knows full well that rental company employees understand how to read a fuel gauge, because there is money to be made if you’re coming back light on gas. But one Consumerist reader says it’s a different story when you prepay for fuel and you’re the one looking to be reimbursed. [More]
Installment Loan Borrowers Being Saddled With Unnecessary Insurance Add-Ons
By May 13, 2013
Installment loans are typically, shorter-term, high-interest, loans to borrowers with severely damaged credit. These loans usually have longer terms than the 2-3 week turnaround for payday loans, and the borrower agrees to pay the money back in equal, monthly installments, but some of those who have worked at installment lenders say these loans are laden with charges aimed at getting around interest-rate rules and keeping the borrower in a cycle of indebtedness. [More]
Verizon Accidentally Gives Customer’s Number To Someone Else, Charges Her $50/Month For Its Mistake
By May 13, 2013
One day, a Verizon landline customer in New Jersey found that her phone was no longer working because the number she’d had for 35 years had somehow been given to someone else. To make things worse, even after it was obvious that Verizon was responsible for the mistake, the company said the customer now had to pay an additional $50/month for its screw-up. [More]
ABC To Begin Streaming Its Entire Broadcast Schedule Online (But You’ll Still Need To Have Cable)
By May 13, 2013
Starting tomorrow, people in New York City and Philadelphia with iOS devices will be able to access ABC’s entire network schedule live online, as the broadcaster tests out a new cloud-based service intended to compete with Aereo and others. [More]
guerrilla marketingBefore last summer’s horrific fatal shootings at The Dark Knight Rises screening in Colorado, hiring costumed “gunmen” to walk into a crowded movie theater as a marketing stunt would have merely been a bad idea that might have made the local news. Post-Aurora, it’s the kind of idiotically ill-advised idea that results in multiple 9-1-1 calls and the theater having to apologize to outraged customers. [Reddit via Gawker]
JCPenney Coupon Code Results In Rush On “Free” Towels And Washcloths
By May 10, 2013
In what is either a mistake that will probably result in angry customers and canceled orders or a deliberate effort to rid its warehouses of towels and washcloths, JCPenney issued a coupon code earlier today for $10 off purchases of $10 or more. [More]
How Unscripted Are Those Kids’ Responses In The AT&T Ads?
By May 10, 2013
We’ve certainly made no attempt to hide our distaste with some of AT&T’s business practices, but we are all stupidly charmed by those seemingly improvised AT&T ads in which youngsters in a classroom respond to questions like “Who thinks more is better than less?” But considering how amusing some of these ads can be, we’ve been curious about just how scripted those kids’ replies are. [More]
Vanilla Mountain Dew, Strawberry Pepsi Made Possible By New Soda Fountains
By May 10, 2013
Four years after Coca-Cola launched its Freestyle soda fountains that allow users to mix/match/blend/concoct whatever flavor monstrosities they want without the hassle of having to bounce from nozzle to nozzle, PepsiCo has finally gotten on board the Fantasy Flavor Train with a test of a new soda fountain that allows customers to add shots of extra flavor into their sweet drinks. [More]
When Your FiOS Backup Battery Goes Dead, It’s Probably Up To You To Replace It
By May 10, 2013
If you have an Internet/phone/cable bundle, there’s a chance that your modem has a battery backup that would allow you to use the phone for several hours during a power outage. But not all Verizon FiOS customers know that it’s their responsibility to maintain that battery and replace it if necessary. [More]
the questions never stopIn a series of posts on Consumerist, Rohit Chopra, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Student Loan Ombudsman, answered readers’ questions about comparing, paying for, and getting out from under student loans. If you missed it, or didn’t get your question answered, head on over to Reddit where Rohit is currently taking part in an Ask Me Anything session with readers.
Memo Seems To Confirm The End Of McDonald’s Angus Burgers
By May 10, 2013
Yesterday, we mentioned an unconfirmed report that McDonald’s was ending its experiment with the Angus Third Pounder burger after nearly four years, now a Consumerist reader has provided us with what appears to be solid proof that the Angus burgers will be disappearing in the coming weeks. [More]
Nordstrom Decides To Stop Tracking Customers’ Smartphones
By May 10, 2013
Earlier this week, we told you how Nordstrom has been testing a smartphone tracking service at 17 of its stores around the country. Almost immediately after the public found out about the tracking system, the department store decided to put an end to it, though it insists the timing is just a coincidence. [More]
Why We’re Praying That ESPN Does Not Begin Subsidizing Wireless Plans
By May 10, 2013
For the last couple years, some in the wireless industry have been pushing for providers of data-heavy content to subsidize users’ wireless plans in order to guarantee that subscribers don’t hit their monthly usage caps. Apparently, ESPN is mulling over whether it wants to go that route, but we really hope they don’t. [More]
the truth hurtsThe Federal Aviation Administration would undoubtedly get more respect from the public if it was as obscenely candid as it is in this Onion article about how horrible the airlines handle customers. Our favorite line: “The FAA has come to the determination that Spirit Airlines treats its customers like pieces of sh!t and that everyone should boycott this airline.” [via The Onion]
Sen. Warren Introduces Bill To Lower Rates On Student Loans To .75% For One Year
By May 9, 2013
While commercial and personal borrowers are currently enjoying historically low interest-rates on loans, and big banks are able to obtain loans at less than one percent interest, student borrowers have had to fight against lawmakers looking to raise interest rates on federally subsidized student loans. With the rates on Stafford loans set to bounce back to 6.8% from 3.4% on July 1, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced legislation that would actually lower that rate for one year to only .75%. [More]
Trading That Old Quarter For An Ice Cream Cone May Not Be Such A Good Idea
By May 9, 2013
You see this sign offering ice cream cones for only a quarter and it sounds like a pretty flippin’ awesome deal. But then you notice that the store is only looking for quarters from 1964 or earlier, and if you have one of those lying around, you might want to consider just how much you value ice cream. [More]
Report: Amazon Working On 3-D Smartphone
By May 9, 2013
Amazon has done pretty well with its Kindle line of e-readers and tablets, but it looks like the company is determined to expand beyond the market of “things to read and watch stuff on.” A new report says the e-tailer is working on a pair of devices different from any hardware it has released before. [More]
