Consumerist
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News From The Swamp
Congressional Heavyweights Unveil Food Safety Measure
The Food and Drug Administration might actually be able to protect us from dangerous food if Congress passes a bill recently circulated by six powerful members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The draft legislation would finally empower the FDA to quarantine suspect foods and slap violators with both civil fines and criminal charges. More » -
survey says
On The Border Asks: Do You Love Me?
Um, we're a little sketched out by a survey question from the Mexican restaurant On The Border asking customers to agree or disagree with the statement: "I love On The Border." Sure, sometimes we LOVE Mexican food, but we don't really love any restaurant. It's just too large a step to take with an eatery, you know? Reader Max is equally confused...
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confusing
At Food Lion, "Value Pricing" Means Extra Confusion!
Food Lion can't decide how much this boneless New York strip steak costs or weighs. It could weigh .47 pounds at $9.49 per pound, or it could be 1.06 pounds of value priced meat at $6.64 per pound. Reader Mike isn't sure what's really going on here, but he's hungry and confused and wants his steak to come with answers.
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How To
Buy The Right Sunscreen And Avoid Sunburn
Buying the right sunscreen could mean the difference between a pleasant day at the beach and a nightmare of splotchy pain. Consumer Reports conducted a poll to see how you people use sunscreen, and even dunked a bunch of volunteers in a tub for forty minutes to see how different sunscreens held up. Inside, the sunscreens that earned Consumer Reports' praise, and a few tips for avoiding the dreaded summer sunburn. More » -
success stories
Bank Of America Refunds $315 In Overdraft Fees Thanks To EECB
Ryan convinced Bank of America to drop their demand for $315 from nine overdraft fees by sending a well-crafted Executive Email Carpet Bomb. Ryan admitted that he was wrong to expect his checks to clear so quickly, but gently reminded the bank that nine overdraft fees was excessive, and explained that he would consider taking his business elsewhere if they thought this was an acceptable way to treat a long-time customer. Two days later, the fees were gone. More » -
Shipping and Handling
Amazon Merchant May Want To Reconsider Their Two-Day Shipping Charges
Brent was ready to order two-day shipping from Amazon merchant Electronics Expo for a set of Boston Acoustics speakers until he realized it would cost an extra $186. The speakers were only $49, and standard shipping was available for $14.99. More » -
Lawsuits
Debt Collectors Will Stop Calling If You Sue Them
"Litigant Alert" from WebRecon promises to help debt collection companies ferret out "overly-litigious debtors" with "a history of suing collection agencies." It's basically a Do Not Call list of troublemakers who had the nerve to fight aggressive collection practices with the law. Debt collectors are apparently willing to pay $1,595 to figure out who they should leave alone. More » -
Dell Hell
This Certified Refurbished Dell Laptop Comes With Large Scratches And A Pirated Copy Of Microsoft Office
Ever wonder if "certified refurbished" is just corporate doublespeak for "not entirely broken crap?" Well, at Dell, it is! The refurbished Dell Studio Joseph bought as a gift for his father-in-law arrived with large scratches and a CD-R in the optical drive containing a pirated copy of Microsoft Office. Dell's response? They're willing to take back the laptop and waive the restocking fee, but that's it.
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Identity
Use a PO Box to Thwart ID Thieves
A Post Office Box, or PO Box, can be a very useful tool in your fight against would be identity thieves. Use them to add a layer of anonymity and thieves are likely to look for softer targets. More » -
Travel
Sorry, You Can't Fly Because Your Name Is Hyphenated
Alright everyone, gather round and let me share with you the pain of living with a hyphenated name. Occasionally it's fun and amusing, a third nipple stapled to your ID. Occasionally, it's a miserable nightmare, as Yarn Harlot Stephanie Pearl-McPhee learned when she wasn't allowed to board a flight after an anonymous airline's computer severed her hyphenated name. Neither passports, a conversation with the booking agent, nor a printed receipt showing the proper hyphenated name could convince the airline gate agent that Pearl-McPhee was anything more than a foolishly named terror. More » -
legalese
Time Warner's Revised Subscriber Agreement Allows For Consumption Based Billing
Time Warner has revised their Subscriber Agreement to lay the legal foundation needed to implement consumption based billing, including usage caps, tiered rate plans, overlimit fees, and speed throttling. Though Time Warner's metered broadband plans lie in shambles after a barely-averted run in with Congress' legislative mace, the cable giant clearly has no intention of letting such a potentially massive cash cow escape from the paddock. Inside, the dangerous new legalese that may soon appear in teeny tiny print on your next Time Warner bill. More » -
Perverse Incentives
Office Depot: Buy More, Pay More!
Stores usually offer discounts as an incentive to buy in bulk. Not the rebels at Office Depot! Penny-pinching thriftmongers can buy three boxes of paper at $32.99 each, but the true cash-wasters out there won't miss the chance to buy four or more boxes at $42.99 each. Take that, office managers! (Thanks to Andrea!)
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Above and Beyond
Threadless Replaces Stolen Shirt With Style And Grace
Matthew isn't sure who got his order from Threadless.com, but it wasn't him. UPS claims they delivered the package to Matthew's apartment, but the reception desk would've been closed during the supposed delivery time, and Matthew doesn't have his package. Rather than wait for UPS to complete its investigation, Threadless dug up an extra print of their sold-out design and sent it to Matthew, along with a little something extra... More » -
Overcaffeinated
Economy Thwarts Man's Goal Of Visiting Every Starbucks On Planet
I was impressed when I heard that someone managed to visit every Starbucks store in Manhattan in one day. There were 171 at the time. Then I learned about Winter, who takes Starbucks-visiting to a whole new level, aiming to visit every Starbucks in the world (9,000 to date.) Not in a single day, or even in a single year, but still an ambitious goal that attracts some media attention. More » -
Global flamebroiling
Memphis Burger Kings: Global Warming Is Baloney
At least three Burger Kings in Memphis have recently displayed "GLOBAL WARMING IS BALONEY" on their letter boards, according to the Memphis Flyer and a reader. More » -
Consumer reports health
How To Spot A Contaminated Swimming Pool, And Why You Should
It's gray and rainy up here in the tropical paradise of upstate New York, but for those of you in more temperate climes, Consumer Reports Health kicks off the weekend with some frightening statistics about the American public's pool hygiene, and how to tell whether a pool will make you sick or not before you dive in. More » -
National Health Care Association
Watch Out For Health Insurance Robocallers
Spammy "discount health care" pitches are hated by anyone who owns a fax machine, but now scammy health insurance vendors have taken to robocalling people, too. Reader Dustin was annoyed enough that he decided to track the calls to their source. More » -
Recalls
Recall Roundup
Umbrellas, toy beach chairs, swingsets, and mysteriously collapsing benches. What do they have in common? All of them have been recalled for various reasons in the last month. More »
New York, 1:27 PM
Sat Nov 14
13 posts in the last 24 hours
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