More than a week after a man with terminal cancer took his gripe with Spirit Airlines public — and after several stern statements by Spirit that it would not, under any condition, bow to public pressure and refund the man his $197 — the airline has bowed to public pressure and is refunding his $197. [More]
Spirit Decides It Doesn't Want To Be So Reviled After All, Refunds Dying Man's Ticket
By May 4, 2012
Reebok Finally Gives Free Shoes To America's Tallest Man After He Raised $37K
By May 4, 2012
Remember the very very tall man who needed special shoes? Igor has foot problems, at over seven feet tall, and he couldn’t find shoes to fit. The shoes he needed cost $15K, money he didn’t have. But when his story came to light in March, well-wishers ended up donating $37K to his cause. Now Reebok is doing the right thing and offering him the shoes for free. [More]
Harley Davidson Says It'll Restore Motorcycle Washed Away By Tsunami
By May 3, 2012
If your heart has been feeling a little chilly, here’s a chance for it to warm right up: Harley Davidson says it’ll restore a motorcycle found washed up in British Columbia, that was swept away during the tsunami that hit Japan last year. [More]
GE Makes Customer Happy By Actually Responding To, And Resolving, Problem
By May 2, 2012
GE may not have the best public image — and it’s certainly no help that it was portrayed on 30 Rock as a lumbering dinosaur left over from a bygone age — but one Consumerist reader says he was pleasantly surprised by how well the company responded to his problem. [More]
Pabst Distributor Replaces Beer Stolen At Forkpoint From College Student
By May 2, 2012
We can’t imagine how bereft one must feel after having a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon forcefully stolen at forkpoint. But we do know what it’s like to get free beer, so we’re pretty happy that a Pabst distributor tried to right the wrong done to one theft victim by giving her free cases of PBR. [More]
Woman Wins $10 Million Judgement Against Collections Agency, Has Trouble Collecting
By April 25, 2012
Last year, a woman in West Virginia won a $10 million lawsuit against a collections agency she’d accused of using deception and threats in an attempt to collect a non-existent debt. But considering that no one from the agency even showed up at the trial, it seems unlikely that she’ll ever see a nickel. [More]
CFPB Complaint Portal Resolves Problem That Years Of Phone Calls Could Not
By April 19, 2012
In March the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched a complaint portal for people with unresolved issues tied to their checking and savings accounts. Now we’re hearing the first of what we hope are numerous success stories from Consumerist readers who have tried the CFPB portal. [More]
Seattle Man Victorious Over Apple In Small Claims Court
By April 17, 2012
Chalk up another win for the little guy! A blogger in Seattle says he just wanted Apple to repair his MacBook as the company had promised. When Apple refused, he felt he had no other option but to take the computing colossus to court. [More]
Researcher Says A Bit Of Beer May Help Creative Problem-Solving
By April 11, 2012
Science usually plays the role of wet blanket when it comes to the topic of how alcohol affects the human body. But a researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago says that downing a couple brewskis may actually improve one’s creative problem-solving abilities. [More]
Boots The Cat Heads To New Home At Shelter After Being Saved From Late Owner's Will
By April 11, 2012
Boots, a Chicago-area cat, made headlines last week when Fifth Third bankers in charge of executing her late owner’s will made the decision not to euthanize the kitty, despite that being a term in the document. And now Boots has been moved to her new home, a no-kill shelter called Cats Are Purrsons Too. [More]
Public Shaming Does The Job: Bank Of America Gives Army Vet His $25K Back
By April 6, 2012
It’s not that we love the act of shaming a big, greedy bank into doing the right thing — wait. Scratch that. We totally love it, which is why we’re happy that Bank of America finally refunded over $25,000 in fraudulent debit charges to a U.S. Army reservist. All it took was years of fighting, a little public flogging and collective indignation. [More]
Cat Spared Late Owner's Death Sentence, Fifth Third Intervenes In Will Execution
By April 4, 2012
Fifth Third Bank proved they’re friends to the feline, when trust officers refused to administer death to 11-year-old Boots, despite that execution directive being included in her late owner’s will. Feel that? It’s your heart, warming. [More]
Sprint Gives Me An Early Upgrade, In Spite Of Employees' Worst Efforts
By April 3, 2012
Most “happy ending” stories we post involve customer service reps who do a little more than what the script provides. But this story is slightly different, in that the customer still managed to get good customer service, even while dealing with people who didn’t seem to know what was going on. [More]
Alert Big Y Clerk Prevents Woman From Falling For "Granny Scam"
By March 28, 2012
A Connecticut grandmother still has money in her bank account thanks to the heads-up behavior of an employee at her local supermarket. [More]
Fellow Citizens Pitch In Over $25K To Help America's Tallest Man Afford Special Shoes
By March 28, 2012
We’ve gotten a few tips about the plight of America’s Tallest Man, who lives in Rochester, Minn. Igor is 7’8″ tall, and after 15 foot surgeries to help support his body, needed special shoes. The only problem — they cost about $15,000, an amount he just didn’t have. [More]
We Knew Gandalf Himself Would Totally Step In & Save The Hobbit Pub
By March 23, 2012
Of course Galadriel would be too busy acting all ethereal to lift a finger to save some humans, so obviously, Gandalf is swooping in to save the Hobbit Pub from closing. Sir Ian McKellen (the human part Gandalf plays) and comedian Stephen Fry are going to pay the copyright license fees necessary to keep the pub alive. [More]
Peeved Mass Effect 3 Fans Might Actually Get The Ending They Want
By March 22, 2012
For several years, a growing number of people have enjoyed beating the hell out of Geth, mastering head-shots on husks and trying to save the entire, expanding universe as Commander Shepherd in the Mass Effect series of video games. But without giving too much away, a lot of those same fans are not pleased with how the series finally wrapped up in Mass Effect 3. [More]
Little League Decides It Doesn't Want Strip Club Money After All
By March 14, 2012
Remember yesterday’s heartwarming story about the troubled California Little League teams that got a financial boost via a semi-anonymous $1,200 donation from a local strip club? Well, no sooner did we post the story then the league decided it didn’t to fund its baseball games with lap dance loot. [More]
