All How To

There's A Used Condom In My Room. Does The Hotel Owe Me Anything?
David and his wife were staying in a hotel over the weekend, and their lovely room came with a complimentary used condom on the floor. The staff on duty at the time swapped them into a different room, and promised that someone in charge would contact them in the morning. And that was the last they heard about it. He wonders: did they deserve a discount on their bill, a comped night, or anything at all for their trouble? More »

Where Do Smart People Sell Collectibles These Days?
When you have interesting collectibles in your house that you no longer have room for, what do you do with them? Reader pop top has acquired a collection of mint-condition Cabbage Patch Kids from the '80s. Okay, she won't be able to retire on them, but they must be worth at least a few bucks each. Years ago, the question of where to sell them was simple: eBay was the best and biggest marketplace for collectibles. But horror stories of frozen funds and scammy buyers now abound, and she wants to ask the Consumerist hive mind: where is the best place to unload some cuddly dolls? More »

How Hard Should I Try To Give Back Someone Else's Tablet?
Last week, Brian received a package from the ASUS repair center. It was a freshly repaired tablet, the same model that he owns. Except he hadn't sent his in for repair lately. Someone else's address appeared on the return merchandise authorization (RMA) form inside the box, but the label on the outside had Brian's information. He wonders: how much time and money should he invest in getting this package home when Asus doesn't particularly seem to care? More »

The Supermarket Tricks You Need To Avoid To Save While Shopping
You might have a good set of tactics while shopping at your local supermarket. But are you savvy to the subtle ways food stores (and other retailers) get you to buy more? There might be a few tricks you've fallen prey to in the past. More »

Making An Early Retirement Work
Some people are so obsessed with their work that they can never envision chucking everything to begin a life of leisure, while others have spent most of their work lives counting the days until they no longer have to clock in. If you opt to jump the gun and call it a career before you hit your golden years, you're taking a calculated risk, hoping to make your savings stretch out longer rather than spending more time to build it up before you take the plunge. More »

Determining The Value Of Your Free Time
Unless you're a salaried employee or business owner who's expected to work excessively for the good of the company, the more hours you work usually determines how much you'll make. The prospect of working overtime or taking on a side job can be compelling, helping you save by having less time to go out and spend the money you're piling up. More »

T-Mobile Customer Demands Refund For Two Years Of Too-Slow Data... And Gets It
When Sam was having problems with his T-Mobile smartphone, he did what he thought he was supposed to do: call up support. The agent on the phone couldn't restore his phone's Internet connectivity, but they did try to upsell him on some new services. He'd rather have the services he was already paying for working, thanks. When he took the phone to a retail store for help, he learned the real cause of his problems: he'd been wandering around for two years with an old 2G SIM in his 4G phone. He thought that he should have the extra cost of a 4G data plan refunded to him, and T-Mobile acquiesced... but only after he launched an executive e-mail carpet bomb. More »

EECB To Amazon's Jeff Bezos Results In A Very Happy Ending
The first step in resolving a customer service issue isn't to email the CEO of a company, but if nothing else works, why not? Lia used Consumerist's Executive Email Carpet Bomb listings to get in touch with Jeff Bezos of Amazon and lo and behold, success! More »

Save Money By Taking Choice Out Of The Equation
If you struggle to put money away, it helps to eliminate personal choice by taking money out of your hands before you allow yourself to spend it. Getting saving to seem like something you have no control over makes it easier to set the funds aside and adapt your spending habits accordingly. More »

How To Make A Lowball Offer With A Straight Face
In a tortured housing market filled with sellers desperate to unload their homes, today's lowball offers are next month's listing prices. If you're in the market for a house, you have nothing to lose by disregarding the sticker price and putting in a comically low bid for the property. Doing so as a way to start negotiations is probably the best way to see just how low the owner is willing to go. More »

The Supermarket Tricks You Need To Avoid To Save While Shopping
You might have a good set of tactics while shopping at your local supermarket. But are you savvy to the subtle ways food stores (and other retailers) get you to buy more? There might be a few tricks you've fallen prey to in the past. More »

An Example Of When Buying A Generic Drug Can Save You 72%
Yeah, buying generics drugs instead of their snazzy brand name versions could stifle an allergy, calm a nasty cough or banish that throb on the cheap. But at more than half the price? More »

Washing Your Clothes Now Involves Complicated Flow Chart, Credit Cards
Darren's New York City apartment building just got a new set of laundry machines. Which is all well and good, but the instructions that come with said equipment? Let's just say the "3 Easy Steps" touted on the in-depth flow-chart appear to be neither three in number, nor easy. Whatever happened to sticking some quarters in a machine and popping your whites and darks in? More »

10 Signs Your Used Car Is Really A Rebuilt Wreck
We often hear from readers horrified to discover that their perfectly lovely used car was once another owner's total loss. They only find out much later, once something goes horribly wrong due to the previous damage. But once the vehicle is all fixed up and shiny, how is the average car buyer to know the difference? It turns out that there are distinctive signs that a car was previously in a crash or flood. Some you might notice yourself, and others require a mechanic's eye. More »