(Robrrt)

Consumerist reader K. had one very important reminder of her late mother — her mom’s beloved Kindle. She says her mom treated it like a sensitive piece of electronic equipment, and really loved it. Every night when K. went to bed, she would read a book on the device and says it always made her smile and think of her mother. But when that Kindle broke, it seemed those sentimental moments would be over for good.

K. writes that although she had put the Kindle away carefully after using it one night, away from foot traffic and heat and inside its protective case, when she turned it on the next day the resolution was all mucked up. The usual cover picture of a random author (in this case, Louisa Mae Alcott) was shady and blurry, and there were ominous, “Etch-a-Sketch” lines on the screen.

After trying a 20-second reset recommended in the Kindle Help section, it still didn’t work. So K. called customer service and spoke with a rep who insisted that the Kindle was out of warranty, so he couldn’t do anything about it. Furthermore, he said “that they would not even consider accepting it for repair, and that according to his technicians and developers, I MUST have done something to damage it. I must have dropped it, stepped on it or gotten it wet.”

Her assurances that she hadn’t done so fell on deaf ears, that she had “put the Kindle in the place it had safely lived for almost a year and it had spontaneously done this itself.” All he offered was to sell her a new Kindle at “a very good price.” That wasn’t going to work for K., but luckily, she came to Consumerist.

I did a bit of research and found a couple of sites, outside Amazon, where owners of Kindle Keyboards had had the exact same experience as I had. (Whether Miss Alcott is implicated here is not clear.) Their screens had frozen, the lines showed up. So, I came to Consumerist.com, searched EECBs, and managed to compose what I hoped was a direct email to Amazon’s CEO. I used two different addresses, and then, per Consumerist’s advice, I waited.

I didn’t expect even a response, or, at minimum, some auto reply claptrap. What I got, to my surprise and great delight, was a response!! It was from a woman named [redacted], who told me that while she could not replace my Kindle Keyboard, she was going to credit my account for the price of a brand new base model Kindle, which I could use to purchase the base model, or apply it to a different model.

She had kind, compassionate words for me, and seemed to realize my situation was not one that would be best ignored. So, while I had really become broken-hearted over losing my mother’s Kindle, Amazon really came through, with that EECB, and responded generously and kindly.

It just goes to show that even in the face of what would seem like a dead-end situation, if you can reach even one kind-hearted person at a company, your efforts could be rewarded. Much better than simply ranting and raving over the injustices served upon you by a customer service rep.

We’re glad K. will still be able to read and think of her mother, so way to go, Amazon.

(Consumerist)

According to the Charlotte Observer, the man’s scam — which involved Walmarts in at least three states — worked a little like this: The suspect would pay cash for $100 American Express gift cards. The store would give him receipts for his purchases. He would then use the transaction codes on those receipts to forge bogus receipts that had the same dollar amount, but different descriptions of what had been purchased. That new description would match whatever counterfeit items he and his scammy pals had gotten their hands on recently.

The Observer has an example from 2010 of scams he pulled on two Charlotte Walmarts. First, he purchased $700 worth of gift cards at one store. Then two weeks later, he used the bogus receipts to return 15 allegedly counterfeit DVDs. He got back $672.40 of the $700 he’d spent on the gift cards, plus he still had those cards to do with as he pleased. His only cost was whatever he paid to obtain the counterfeit DVDs.

Lather, rinse, repeat this scam enough times and you’ve got hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud. Specifically, around $115,000 in fraudulently returned software, $95,000 in DVDs, and $46,000 in fishing rods.

Investigators found a storage locker belonging to the suspect, containing more than 1,000 counterfeit DVDs, around 1,000 counterfeit copies of Microsoft software, 2,000 gift cards, more than 70 fake drivers licenses from Ohio and South Carolina, and receipt printers.

The man now faces federal charges of wire fraud, trafficking in counterfeit goods and conspiracy to traffic. He could be staring at up to 40 years in prison and $3 million in fines.

Mary T.

Back in January, the daughter of a breast cancer survivor started an online petition to ask Victoria’s Secret to design a bra for women who have undergone mastectomies. She wrote that she wanted the retailer to create the bra for her mother, and other cancer survivors because often “shopping for bras is such a discouraging, time consuming and frustrating ordeal.” Despite that petition garnering over 120,000 signatures, however, Victoria’s Secret says it’s opting not to make a mastectomy bra, because it doesn’t feel up to the challenge.

In a statement included in a Change.org press release (via Racked.com), the company explains its rationale in deciding not to go ahead with the idea championed by the petition:

“Through our research, we have learned that fitting and selling mastectomy bras in the right way…a way that is beneficial to women is complicated and truly a science. As a result, we believe that the best way for us to make an impact for our customers is to continue funding cancer research.”

On the one hand, it’s kind of like, c’mon, Victoria’s Secret. You can engineer ginormous angel wings for your supermodels to wear on the runway but you can’t get bra scientists to develop a real product that would mean a lot to your customers?

But on the other — it’s somewhat refreshing for a company that admits it can’t do something right, and would rather not do it at all than do it the wrong way, just for the good PR.

What do you think?

Yes, he can get the oven fixed for less than a new oven would cost, but that isn’t the point. Harry doesn’t understand why a known defect in an essential home appliance is something that a customer has to take care of himself.

I noticed that the oven has a self cleaning feature, and me being a guy thought, hey, multitask! I can put the self cleaning on and mop the floors in the meantime. So about 4 hours later I decided to take a lunch break and check on the stove. The stove was off, all of the power to the unit was dead and the oven door remained locked. I searched the internet for help and ended up finding pretty much that this is a widely known flaw with Kitchen Aid/Whirlpool appliances. To sum up what happens the oven heats up so much that the thermal breaker melts and trips. Since it’s not a resettable breaker you have to buy a new one and install it.

This is the first time that I have ever used the self cleaning feature. Even though I purchased the oven back in 2006 I have been deployed overseas for around 4 1/2 years so the oven just sat in my house.

Harry contacted KitchenAid to see whether they knew anything about ovens shutting down after running the self-cleaning cycle. What? No way. They had never heard of it, even though Harry found hundreds of similar complaints online about other appliances in the Whirlpool family.

“I would not have used the self cleaning feature on a brand new oven within a few months of purchase, and with all of my deployments the oven hasn’t had a lot of use, so I never had a need to use the self cleaning feature,” he pointed out in his e-mail to Consumerist. He bought a whole suite of KitchenAid appliances for his home, even a microwave and stand mixer: he wonders, why won’t the company respect his loyalty and at least send him the $50 replacement part that would make his oven door open again?

KitchenAid has a very responsive Twitter presence, which might provide some help. KitchenAid is a division of Whirlpool, so the executive customer service information for Whirlpool that we published a few years ago might help if you’re dealing with a similar problem.

The Megabus driver talking to the police in Philadelphia this morning.

When Consumerist reader C. boarded a New York-bound Megabus in Philadelphia this morning, employees for the bus line were selling seats to walk-up customers. All was well and good as the bus departed.

But that happy feeling only lasted a few minutes. When the bus pulled into the next stop, still in Philadelphia, there was some confusion.

C. says that passengers who had reserved seats on the bus were unable to board because those seats had been sold to the walk-up passengers at the previous stop. According to C., the driver demanded that the walk-up passengers give up their seats in order to make room for those who had reserved seats.

When these passengers refused, C. says the driver threatened to call the police. And it was apparently not just a threat, as C. photographed the driver talking to two Philadelphia police officers.

The driver’s plea to the police was apparently not enough to get the walk-up passengers off the bus, as C. says only two or three of the seven passengers trying to get on the bus at the second stop were able to get on board.

In the end, the driver simply got back behind the wheel and didn’t say anything to the passengers, according to C.

A rep for the Philadelphia Police Dept. confirms to Consumerist that officers were called to the scene:

Officers from the 6th Police District did respond to 600 Market Street for a ‘Disturbance’, on the MEGA bus this morning approximately 9:45 a.m. Upon their arrival they were informed by the bus driver that things were worked out and no police service needed.

When reached for comment, a rep for Megabus responded:

Regarding the situation that occurred at 9AM this morning an incorrect ticket sales procedure was used which led to an overbooking situation at the second Market & 6th Street stop. Apologies were made to the overbooked customers who were then accommodated on the next megabus.com departure at 10AM. Proper procedures will be discussed with both the driver and Ground Service staff person involved.

Truth in advertising.

As the saying goes, if you don’t read the amount of calories, fat and sugar contained in a food, none of that counts and you can eat as much of it as you want. Well, that might at least be the mindset behind one Wisconsin ice cream company’s slogan, “You want nutrition? Eat carrots.”

In other words, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, straight out of Madison, Wisc., isn’t about to waste your time trying to convince you that ice cream is actually super healthy (unlike the candy industry), so just eat it and enjoy it without ruining the buzz with your bothersome calorie counts.

Instead, these guys really know how to go right for the gut (mmm, cream). And while they’re darn proud about their unabashed pride in their product, for those health sticklers out there intent on taking the joy out of dessert, the company website does include nutritional info. Bothersome legal regulations!

Consumerist reader David snapped this pic of a Chocolate Shoppe truck in the wild, so of course we had to check in with the company and make sure the image was legit. Not only is it the real deal, but the very pleasant fellow I spoke with on the phone rattled off the entire spiel verbatim — all from memory. Now that’s dedication.

(CBS Denver)

Saturday evening was a quiet time in the Safeway store, and a would-be narcotics thief took advantage of the slow time to rob the pharmacy. The man, who was buying ice cream at the front of the store, heard a cry for help from the pharmacy and acted to help without really thinking about it. He tackled someone who was making a break for the door and who may or may not have been the robber, keeping the suspect in the store until police arrived.

“I’m assuming the guy was the robber, I had no idea at that point,” the man told CBS Denver, but the man he stopped was trying to escape the store with some vials of Vicodin. And a knife.

Don’t worry: the robber-tackling hero of this story got his ice cream for free.

Safeway Shopper Thwarts Pharmacy Robbery [CBS Denver]

(sdc2027)

In an uprising reminiscent of backlash against those oft-despised doorstops otherwise known as the Yellow Pages, residents of one Chicago neighborhood are fighting for the right to not be bombarded on a weekly basis with coupon circulars. Despite opting out, the residents claim in a lawsuit that the coupon packages keep showing up, like some sort of plague of paper zombies.

About two dozen residents of the Logan Square neighborhood have filed a lawsuit against the distributors of the circulars, the Chicago Tribune and Valassis Communications, reports, fittingly, the Chicago Tribune. According to the lawsuit, residents keep trying to opt out of the coupon deliveries, but yet there they are, piling up on doorsteps week after week.

The plaintiffs want the coupon barrage to stop, and also are seeking $50,000 in punitive damages for each resident included in the lawsuit.

“Our neighborhood gets flooded with these damn papers every week,” said the Logan Square attorney representing the residents. “It’s ridiculous it had to come to this, but we need to get their attention to stop the distribution of this thing to people who don’t want it.”

The lawsuit claims that sometimes more circulars will show up in a week than there are even units in an apartment building. Extra scrap paper for anyone who has a paper shredder but not enough documents to feed it, perhaps?

In all seriousness, however, some residents feel that the plethora of paper blowing about makes it look like the properties are abandoned, or someone is out of town. One plaintiff claims he was burglarized while out of town and blamed that in part because of how many coupon mailers had piled up on his doorstep.

The Tribune issued a statement saying residents can simply opt ouf of receiving the mailers. Which doesn’t explain why the residents are claiming they’ve tried to opt out and can’t, but anyway:

“While we do not typically comment on lawsuits filed, we are aware of the pending litigation regarding the delivery of weekly ShopLocal packages to select Chicago properties,” Maggie Wartik, a Chicago Tribune spokeswoman, said in a statement Monday. “We understand the frustration felt by some who wish to opt out, and we are revisiting that process in order to improve the customer experience. If a resident wishes to stop delivery, please call 1-800-TRIBUNE or email triblocalvalues@tribune.com.”

Logan Square residents sue Tribune, partner over coupon circulars [Chicago Tribune]

“For the first time, you and your TV are going to have a relationship,” Microsoft declared in the opening of its announcement on Tuesday.

Promising an “all in one system,” Microsoft finally unveiled the Xbox One, a black box with a single slot for inserting a disc. There is a glowing Xbox logo, but no Red Ring of Death that we could see.

The new Kinect motion and voice-control sensor is also larger than the existing version. But it shoots in 1080p, with motion detection capabilities and more conversational voice-recognition. Microsoft claims the Kinect can detect your heartbeat while you work out. It is separate from the console, which only makes sense as having them integrated would require you positioning the console in front of your TV. Though they are separated physically, the Kinect will come with all Xbox One consoles.

The controller for the Xbox One is mercifully almost identical to the ones users have mashed for almost a decade. However, the company says there have been more than 40 tweaks to the controller, including “dynamic impulse triggers” that provide feedback right in the triggers themselves. The new Kinect can also identify the controller as something separate from the player, allowing it to be detected and tracked.

Via Kinect, the user can use gestures and voice to not only control the Xbox One, but also other connected devices like a TV. You can also launch Internet Explorer right onto your TV. No more switching of inputs — or at least that’s what Microsoft is claiming.

The Xbox One guide will supposedly have your channel listing and programming information right there on the screen for you, allowing you to jump seamlessly — and quickly, per the demo — from channel to channel without ever leaving the Xbox

The integration of Windows Snap Mode into the Xbox interface allows users to multitask. You can watch a movie in one window while browsing the web off to the side. You can have Skype call without interrupting what is going on elsewhere on the screen. The notion is that you no longer need to use your computer, phone, or tablet as a supplementary screen; you can have it all right there on your TV.

“The one place where you are at the center of your entertainment,” says Microsoft. “This is the beginning of truly intelligent TV.”

Video game giant, and reigning Worst Company In America champ, Electronic Arts was on hand for the announcement, saying it will have four of its big sports titles — Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, NBA Live, and UFC — coming out for the Xbox One within the next 12 months. Among the updates — 3-D crowds and a “daily stream” of new content that impacts the game.

Here’s a screengrab from the video of NFL Madden. Whether it will actually look this good in-game is still to be discovered:

Microsoft Studios showed off the Xbox One version of driving game Forza, which will be available at launch for the console.

There will apparently be 15 games made exclusively for Xbox One in its first year, with 8 of those being new franchises.

No release date yet; just “later this year,” and no pricing discussed. Presumably, this will be announced at the E3 gaming trade show later this summer.

Microsoft isn’t abandoning the 360 just yet, which is good, because there are many, many millions of them out there and people have invested billions in those games.

“Xbox 360 remains a vibrant platform,” said the company, which plans to unveil more for that platform at E3.