NEW YORK, 5:33 AM, SAT JUL 19 | 19 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@consumerist.com | RSS
Stupid Shipping Gang

Hewlett-Packard Crowned Head Of The Stupid Shipping Gang After Packing 32 Sheets Of Paper In 17 Boxes

Leading the stupid shipping gang takes creative incompetence, and Hewlett-Packard is clearly up to the task. Other companies might have turned to email when faced with the challenge of shipping sixteen software licenses. Not Hewlett-Packard! HP went looking for a box. A really big box, which they filled with sixteen smaller boxes, each containing two precious pieces of paper ensconced in a layer of protective foam. More »

1:45 AM on Sat Jul 19 2008
By Carey
746 views, 12 comments

Latest by Turtlestack: Maybe someone at HP is just having a bit of fun here. more »

Shopping

3 Ways To Spend Less While Shopping

Shopping is a war and you are outgunned. Stores attack your desire for self-restraint with armies of psychologists, marketers, and "brand gurus." Defend yourself from overspending with three easy and effective tips from Alpha Consumer... More »

12:30 AM on Sat Jul 19 2008
By Carey
1,088 views, 4 comments

Worst Company in America

Golden Poo Award For Worst Company In America Unveiled

The box we teased you about contained a glistening golden poo statue. That's right, the award for Worst Company In America is here. That can mean only one thing... On Monday we host our final deathmatch between Comcast and Countrywide Home Loans. It's going to be a brutal bloodbath full of chills and spills. Only one will walk away champion, and then we will mail them their justly deserved prize. Stay tuned to Consumerist.com for all the hot crappy-company-on-crappy-company action. More »

3:40 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Ben Popken
9,493 views, 85 comments

Latest by cmdrsass: @harumph: Interesting that you place so little confidence in your arguments that you have to make your snipes and run away without defending them with something like, I don't know, proof? more »

Milk

Why Most Organic Milk Stays Unspoiled Longer

An interesting sidebar in our "Is Your Milk Spoiling Faster?" discussion is why does most organic milk stay fresher longer? It's not because the cows are free of bovine-growth-hormone and the commune-members sing them lullabies every night.

More »

3:10 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Ben Popken
10,073 views, 62 comments

Starbucks

A Complete List Of Starbucks Locations That Will Be Closing

Starbucks has released the complete list of stores that will be closing. You can browse the full list, organized alphabetically by state, inside. More »

2:30 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Meg Marco
11,416 views, 100 comments

Expiration Dates

These Doritos Are Going To Last A While

Frito-Lay has been all sorts of innovative lately—using pumpkin to make snack chips, sticking Cheetos up people's noses—but they've outdone themselves with their latest packaging triumph. Duke writes,

Hey guys — Just wanted to let you know that with all of this grocery shrink ray action that is going on, it is nice to see some companies doing something to make their product last a little longer. The only question is...what kind of preservatives are in these Doritos so they will last until August 39th???

We wonder if Frito-Lay has discovered how to add an extra eight days to the calendar, or if they mean August 2039, in which case we think Duke shouldn't eat them—he should sell them on CraigsList as roofing material.

2:14 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Chris Walters
7,123 views, 48 comments

Latest by MormonJay: You know for the longest time I kept rereading this thinking there was nothing wrong until I finally figured out that there isn't 39 days in a month.... That seriously messed me up. more »

Identity Theft

Brooklyn Ice Cream Shop Owner Stole $25,000 From Customers

Police arrested Daniel Kaufman yesterday and charged him with identity theft and forgery for running customers' credit cards through twice and pocketing the extra money—as much as $25,000 since February, and "cops say that Kaufman also attempted to steal $70,000 more," reports the local Brooklyn Paper. Kaufman managed the Blue Pig ice cream shop as well as three other restaurants, and he took credit card slips from one business and ran them through at another. More »

2:01 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Chris Walters
4,114 views, 28 comments

bad deals

Target's Degree Deodorant Pricing Scheme Rewards Those Who Pay Attention

Gavin wants to know what's up with Target's deodorant pricing. More »
Free Gas

What Would You Do For Free Gas?

Reuters has a wrap-up of some of the wackier gas-related stories of recent weeks, including the Nevada Brothel's free-gas-card offer, a church that's holding a weekly $50 gas card drawing during mass, and an Orlando father who pledged to name his baby after local radio hosts in order to collect a $100 gas card. There's also some gas thieves in Mesquite, Texas, who are siphoning from church vehicles, but that's not so much a "wacky stunt" as a type of criminal "preemptive charity." (""All he had to do was come and ask us and we would have bought him a tank of gas," said the pastor of one church.) More »

1:22 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Chris Walters
2,052 views, 35 comments

Latest by Yurei: @Tmoney02: Nope, I live up in NH. We're such a small state compared to many others, and so sprawled out that getting anywhere is nearly impossible without owning a car. more »

aquadots

Aquadots, The Infamous "GHB-Laced Toys," Are Back With A New Name, "Pixos"!

Reader Maya noticed that those GHB-laced toys (distributed in North America by Spin Master) that were recalled last year are back, and they've got a brand new name. Pixos! More »

12:53 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Meg Marco
5,864 views, 26 comments

Starbucks

Starbucks Charged Me Extra For The Vanilla In My "Vanilla Latte"

Let's say, hypothetically, that a regular latte at Starbucks costs $2.65. Let's say that there's a separate menu item posted called "Vanilla Latte" and it costs $2.95. Let's also say that a regular latte with "syrup" (vanilla, for example) is $2.65 plus $0.30, or $2.95. Why then does a "Vanilla Latte" cost reader Jayne $3.25? More »

12:28 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Meg Marco
9,646 views, 79 comments

In Brief

J.D. Power: Car Dealership Customer Satisfaction Improves, Jaguar Comes Out On Top Again

FROM JALOPNIK.COM: According to the 28th annual J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index, car dealerships rose in customer satisfaction so far this year, due mostly to an increased satisfaction with repair work. Overall, two-thirds of the 37 brands ranked experienced gains in customer satisfaction. More »

12:15 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Matt Hardigree
2,748 views, 38 comments

Flickr

Friday Consumerist Flickr Pool Finds

Here are five special photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, chosen because they're both neat and could possibly be used in a Consumerist post. Our Flickr Pool is the place where Consumerist readers go and upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click "Join Group?" up on the top right, and start hitting "send to group" on your individual photos you want to add to the pool.

Caption: "Drinking a coke (finally finished staining the deck today, thus the "dirty" hands)"
By: yoshiffles

More »

11:28 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Ben Popken
3,346 views, 21 comments

Latest by Imaginary_Friend: @ThriftStoreAddict: Keep your head up! I admire your bold use of color and pattern. It's cool to see a house with a little personality instead of the usual boring taupe, tan, and Ikea crap. @snoop-blog: You ain't seen nothin' yet: [retrocrush.buzznet.com] more »

Scams

Scammed By Curb-Side Check In At JFK

Reader Andy decided to check his bag curb-side at JFK, that wretched hive of scum and villainy, and the curb-side check-in attendant scammed him out of $15 by promising to sneak his "overweight" bag onto the flight for a "big tip." Naturally, after the deal was done, Andy realized that his bag probably wasn't overweight and he'd just been scammed. Now he's writing in to tell his story so that other consumers can avoid a similar fate. More »

11:26 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Meg Marco
6,556 views, 59 comments

Latest by ecwis: @humphrmi: He bribed an airline official? First off, curb-side check-in guys are contracted out (usually by the airport) and therefore not airline employees. Secondly, the guy was definitely not an official... But yeah this guy definitely deserved to get scammed. more »

Inflation

Coca-Cola: Expect Higher Prices After Labor Day

The U.S. Coca-Cola market just isn't what it used to be — bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises' profit fell 23% due to commodity costs and sluggish U.S. sales. The solution? Raise prices. You can expect battled Coke to cost a little more after labor day. More »

10:59 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Meg Marco
4,203 views, 89 comments

Roundups

Top Posts Of The Week

This Colgate Toothpaste Packaging Is Awfully Deceptive
"Logan thought this bonus pack of Colgate contained two equally-sized tubes of toothpaste. After all, the boxes are exactly the same size. Yet when he opened the bonus box, he found a smaller box containing a mini tube of toothpaste."

10 Things You Might Not Know About Your Credit Card
"As you might imagine, we get a lot of questions about using credit cards. Based on those piles of emails we've put together a list of 10 things a lot of people don't know about credit cards."

10 Banks That Could Be Next To Go Under
"IndyMac bank going under probably has you wondering, is my bank next? Here's the top 10 list of the nation's most troubled banks..."

10 Credit Card Company Tricks To Beware
"Are you smarter than a credit card company? They've got billions riding on their belief that you're not."

Exchanging A Defective iPhone 3G Is A Huge Pain In The Butt
"His girlfriend got her iPhone on launch day but quickly discovered that the speaker was broken. She brought it into the Apple store to have it checked out and an employee accidentally dropped it. At that point, Apple told them they'd just replace to the phone. That's where things got complicated."

(Photo: Adam Gurno)

10:57 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Ben Popken
713 views, Comment

Tmobile

Contact Tmobile Executive Customer Service

Tmobile
Stuart, Executive Assistant to the Vice President
1-877-290-6323 ext. 341-8025.

Don't forget to be calm, professional, and polite, and tell your story succinctly and clearly. This post shows you how it's done.

(Photo: shlomp-a-plompa)

10:46 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Ben Popken
660 views, 1 comment

Sales

Morning Deals

  • Office Depot: Black Vinyl High-backed chair for $7.99 plus shipping or pick up in store (down from $169.99)
  • ThinkGeek: Wi-Fi Detecting Watch for $9.99 + ~$8 s&h
  • Borders: 40% off one item online with coupon code BC4777* (must have only one item in cart for it to work)
Highlights From Dealhack
  • National Geographic: Save an Extra 10% off Store-Wide
  • Moo.com: New Customers Save 15% off All Custom Printed Cards with Coupon
  • Chefs: Summer Sale: Save up to 75% off Kitchen Gear
Highlights From Bargainist
  • Amazon: Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera $150
  • Linens 'n Things: Black & Decker small appliances $14 AR & coupon
  • Eddie Bauer: $20 off all backbacks + free carabiner clip

9:17 AM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By Ben Popken
1,234 views, 19 comments

Latest by margit: Sweet. I used the Borders code and it looks like it went through ok. I think you only get 30% off some of the DVDs because they are already "on sale" at 10% off. Still a good deal, though. more »

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