Consumerist
Announcements
Announcements
Above and Beyond
Enstrom Will Replace Your Almond Toffee If It Fails To Calculate Your Taxes
Bobby didn't believe that Enstrom's "Unconditional Guarantee" was truly unconditional, so he sent an email to Enstrom complaining that his Almond Toffee did not perform well as a tax preparer. More »
Ask the consumerists
Which Store Has The Worst Return Policy?
As part of their multi-pronged effort to fight the financial Godzilla besieging the world economy, the European Commission today proposed a 14-day no-questions-asked return period for any online purchases made within the European Union. The "two-week cooling-off period" is designed to give consumers a chance to shop across borders for the best prices without worrying about return policies. The practically adorable European decision to respond to a financial crisis with consumer protections made us want to look inwards at some of the onerous return policies Americans face. More »
Polls
Is It Ever Acceptable Not To Tip At A Restaurant?
Society has determined that service a restaurant is worth between 15%-20% of the final bill, but is it ever acceptable not to tip? More »
Leading Hotels of the World
Leading Hotels Still Kinda Committed To Selling 5-Star Rooms For $19.28 Per Night
The Leading Hotels of the World want you to know they are still committed to offering 6,000 five-star hotel rooms for $19.28. The contest, originally conceived as a way to honor the association's 1928 formation, is proving ironically successful, fusing a modern giveaway with 1928 technology. That whole email do-over idea? Silly! Forget it even existed. The group has gone and hired themselves some internet sherpas to help run the contest, and here's what they've come up with.... More »
Saving Money
Impulse Buys Most Common at the Grocery Store
FROM LIFEHACKER.COM: Personal finance blogger J.D. Roth points out that the more frequently you go to the grocery store, the more likely you are to impulse-buy unplanned items. More »
Complaints
Ticketmaster Is Evil And Must Die
Ticketmaster is an evil monopoly that steals cash from defenseless consumers. They are infinitely more evil than their hated 30% surcharge would suggest, and they must be destroyed. More »
9:30 AM on Sun Oct 12 2008
By Carey
31,253 views,
87 comments
Your Government
How Can We Save Our Debt-Swamped Government?
The United States is $10.2 trillion in debt. Like countless Americans, our government has spent beyond its means and needs help getting back on its feet. We recently received a panicked email from White House Budget Director Jim Nussle...
More »
6:00 PM on Sat Oct 11 2008
By Carey
9,699 views,
102 comments
Above and Beyond
Melissa & Doug's Sky High Customer Service
The Melissa & Doug toy company helped Tracey's daughter pick up the pieces after she accidentally crashed her month-old block plane into the ground, breaking off the metal pin that held the wheels together. Tracey emailed Melissa & Doug to warn them that the broken pin could potentially cause a choking hazard. She quickly heard back from Chris, who told her that she could either receive a replacement toy or pick out a new one. Just in case something wasn't in stock, he said, Tracey should pick out two toys... More »
Bad Consumer
The Worst Tip We Have Ever Received
Yes, our pro-consumer bias has its limits. For instance, when a customer service representative tries to help you, don't respond by telling them to "go back to school," or by mentioning that your fourth-grade class can "spell better." Of the tens of thousands of tips you have sent us, this is one of the worst. Do not be this guy. More »
foreclosure
The Bailout Bill Helps Renters Keep Their Homes
Great news for renters facing eviction due to foreclosure: any mortgage owner seeking assistance under Congress' mammoth bailout bill is required to let paying renters stay in their homes. More »
Science says
Buy Or Be Stabbed
The global economy is crashing, credit markets are playing ice age, and you consumers have a simple choice: buy things now or prepare to be stabbed next year. More »
Point Counterpoint
Verizon's Policy Blog V. SmarterChild
Verizon's so-called "policy blog" is a grotesquely self-serving marketing orifice, perhaps the worst corporate blog we've ever read. We decided to stack Verizon's inane sales schmaltz against the internet's preeminent bullshit-spewing chatbot, SmarterChild.... More »
Badvertising
Old Cigarette Ads: Doctors, Nurses, And Rock Hudson Say It's Good For You
Man, cigarettes were awesome in the past, if these old ads collected by Stanford University are to be believed. They calmed your nerves so you'd stop humming nervously! They soothed your throat! They made you a movie star and helped you capture animals on your big game hunt! We don't know what tobacco was made of before the mid-80s, but no wonder everyone smoked. More »
Roundups
Top Posts Of The Week
Reader Pays Off $14,330 In 20 Months With Our Tips
Lehman Brothers CEO Got Punched In The Face
The Economist Sums Up Financial Crisis: "Oh Fuck!"
The Idiot-Proof Way To Securely Use Public Wi-Fi
5 Expenses To Cut Right Now If You're In Debt
GMail's Achilles Heel: Terrible Customer Service
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Walmart
Walmart Decides To Honor DRM-Protected MP3 Purchases After All, At Least For Now
Last month, Walmart announced it was shutting down the DRM side of its online music store, and too bad if you were a customer, because they were also going to turn off the DRM server that authorized your music for playback. Apparently enough customers complained, because they came to their senses—at least for the time being—and decided to keep the server running. Read their email below. More »
Comcast
Comcast Gives Reader Hurricane Ike Refund
Reader Josh is a Comcast customer says he was without power for 7 days due to Hurricane Ike, and by calling 1-800-COMCAST he was able to get a service credit for the whole time he couldn't watch TV.
(Photo: Wayne Gunn)
