After the media got ahold of the story of AT&T suing a small business owner over $900,000 worth of fraudulent phone calls, for a total of $1.15 million including fees, it seems the telecom giant is willing to back down. The company issued a statement saying it will abandon the lawsuit against the president of the small manufacturing firm. There’s one condition, claims the man — he must drop his countersuit as well. [More]
AT&T Decides It Doesn’t Have To Bully Small Business Owner Over $1.15M After All
By July 10, 2012
Hope No One Minds If I Just Plunk Down 62,000 Pennies To Pay Off This Mortgage
By July 6, 2012
Money is money, which is why one man figured the bank wouldn’t mind all that much if he finally paid off his mortgage with around 62,000 pennies he’d saved over the last 35 years. He said he just wanted his last payment on the house he bought in 1977 with his wife to be “memorable.” At two 400-pound boxes, we’d say that penny payment isn’t going to be forgotten soon. [More]
1994 Tax Billing Error Forces Woman Into 5-Year Legal Battle To Save Her House
By July 2, 2012
Back in 1994, a Georgia woman received two county tax bills in the mail — one addressed to her, and a second addressed to a man with the same, incredibly common last name, but whom she’d never heard of and whose address was invalid. She paid off the former immediately and ignored the latter. Little did she know that, 13 years later, this goof by the county would land her in court trying to save her house from being taken away from her. [More]
Bank Of America To Pay Woman $300K It Owed For Trying To Foreclose On Her 4 Years Ago
By June 29, 2012
A Texas woman’s “nightmare” of three court cases in six years is finally over, after a judge ordered Bank of America to pay her the $300,000 it’s owed her since 2008. Trudie’s troubles all started after a hurricane damaged her home in 2006, and her then-mortgage company told her not to worry about paying her loan for three months so she could get back on her feet. [More]
DirectBuy Refunds Membership After Customer Obtains Levy, Plans To Sell Store Contents
By June 29, 2012
A customer has gone to battle against pushy members-only shopping club DirectBuy, and won. How did they do it? The Pennsylvania couple enlisted the help of the legal system, a local consumer reporter, and the police. When the company wouldn’t pay the judgment filed against it in court, they showed up with cops and a levy against the company, so they could start hauling off office furniture and anything else in the stoe if they so desired. Instead, they found that the local DirectBuy outpost had moved, and a new store opened with different management. A coincidence, surely. [More]
Rude Flight Attendant Almost Spoils My In-Air Proposal
By June 21, 2012
Consumerist reader Jacob had planned to ask his girlfriend for her hand in marriage mid-flight during their recent trip from Tel Aviv to Memphis. But thanks to a terribly rude flight attendant, those plans were almost grounded. [More]
Judge Gives Louis Vuitton Lesson In Film Comedy 101 In Dismissing ‘Hangover 2′ Lawsuit
By June 19, 2012
The folks at monogram-loving handbag company Louis Vuitton are not famous for their sense of humor, especially when it comes to their oft-copied designs. And they certainly didn’t see what was so funny about a scene in Hangover 2 featuring a character carrying knock-off Louis Vuitton bags through the airport. Luckily, there’s a judge out there who understands comedy — and is willing to explain it, footnotes and all. [More]
Amazon Listens To Reason, Replaces My Second Defective Kindle For Free
By June 6, 2012
No one likes when their brand-new electronics purchase goes on the fritz almost immediately after they buy it. Luckily, there are usually manufacturers’ warranties to cover when this happens. But what about when that replacement device also craps out? [More]
Disney Rewards Kid Who Gave Away His Free Trip With Another Vacation, Which He Then Gives Away
By May 31, 2012
It was like a game of Good Samaritan Hot Potato on Good Morning America today, as Disney offered a free vacation to a 9-year-old Massachusetts boy — who had given away his Disney trip to a young girl whose dad was killed in Afghanistan — only to then have the boy say he’d be passing that vacation on to yet another person. [More]
Florida Library Gives In To Public Demand For "Porn" Reverses Ban On 'Fifty Shades Of Grey'
By May 29, 2012
As any woman gabbing with her pals will tell you, Fifty Shades of Grey is the book to read right now if you want a little ah, mental stimulation, even if the writing is far from fine literature. But although a Florida Library recently responded to the “mommy porn” craze by removing the series from its shelves, it seems the readers have spoken, and demanded it be returned. [More]
Stranger Finds Lost Laptop Bag In Cab, Sends Owner Directions To Its Dark Hiding Place
By May 29, 2012
Losing your stuff because you can’t really exactly very much remember the night before is a big old bummer. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, a good Samaritan swans in to help return your lost items. And in one case, that Samaritan happens to have a penchant for hiding lost property and leaving scavenger hunt-like instructions as to how to collect it. [More]
Waiter Scores $5,000 Tip On $26.95 Bill
By May 29, 2012
Waiting tables can sometimes be a thankless slog, especially if diners choose to go light on the tip. But a waiter at a Houston restaurant is reaping the rewards of years of good service after a pair of loyal customers left him with a $5,000 tip for a bill that had only totaled $26.95. [More]
EECB Makes Lowe's Actually Care About Leaving My Parents Without Screen Door
By May 29, 2012
Bree was really frustrated with the way Lowe’s was treating her parents after they purchased a new screen door and installation service from their local store. She decided that it was time to fight back on her parents’ behalf, arming herself with contact information for chain executives. She e-mailed them a clear, concise recounting of events, and waited. She didn’t have to wait long: Lowe’s executive customer service team were on the phone to her mom within twelve hours, and a day and a half later someone was at her home, measuring for a new custom screen door. [More]
Disney Cruise Line Places Alleged iPhone Thief On Administrative Leave
By May 24, 2012
Well, “Nelson”… If you really did take a passenger’s iPhone while working on a Disney cruise ship, it was silly of you to take photos of your stolen phone shenanigans, because now you’ve been caught. [More]
Would You Return $1,800 In Cash You Found At An ATM?
By May 22, 2012
Just imagine — no need to insert your card or tap in your PIN, there’s money sitting right there, sticking out of an ATM deposit slot, waiting for you to pocket it. Would you do it, or would you go the honest route like a Florida woman who turned in the $1,800 in cash she found? [More]
Do-Gooder Buys Out A Closing Kmart To Donate $200K Worth Of Items To Charity
By May 18, 2012
A Kentucky man was scoping out a Kmart set to close for good, trying to snag himself some good deals on the discounted items for his own business. But while he was at the register, a thought struck him — where does all the rest of this stuff go after the store is shut down? So he signed up to buy out the store and give items to the less fortunate. [More]
Man Steals His Bike Back From The Guy Who Stole It From Him
By May 10, 2012
A vigilant vigilante went after his property with a vengeance in Washington, D.C., after a thief made off with his bike. Police couldn’t respond fast enough, so this guy did what any bicycle-loving property owner would do — he tracked his bike down and took back what was his. Turnabout is fair play, right? [More]
Skipped Step Results In Mass. Police Writing 896 Illegal Speeding Tickets
By May 8, 2012
It’s a pretty big case of “Ooops,” on the part of the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation, which forgot to follow its own regulations when it determined the speed limit on a new stretch of road in Salem. Now, nearly 900 speeding tickets could be reversed — if the drivers are willing to go to court. [More]
