Re: Energizer D's,

Theres a seriously bad flaw in Energizer's argument: Cost? Price? What?

Uhm, Here we have, 2 of Energizer's Shitty D's, 2500mAh for $8.22, or $4.11 per Battery: [www.electotronics.com]

And here we have 8 (yes 8x) Tenergy brand D's, 10,000mAh - for the low price of $49.99, or $6.25 per battery: [www.buy.com]

Both are NiMh.

Soooo, I don't know what theyre talking about here. Shouldn't the Energizer cells be $2 per battery in that case? No pun intended.

I think it's time -- again -- to educate you and the readers about payday loans. All I see are the same old criticisms, yet nobody seems to examine the truths about payday loans. And neither do you. Have some cajones and ANSWER. Deleting my comment only makes you appear to be biased and have no interest in the truth

For starters, just because an entity is called the "Center for Responsible Lending" doesn't mean it's some altruistic entity looking out for people. A little research would show that they are nothing more than a PR front for the Self-Help Credit Union. The CRL's goal is to legislate payday loans out of business so as to capture those millions of consumers for their credit union.

And -- surprise, surprise -- credit unions derive all of their net income from overdraft fees. The FDIC report cited below provided unequivocal evidence of this, as does a study by Bretton Woods, the bank analysis firm -- the CEO of which pioneered overdraft protection and now regrets it.

[www.rtoonline.com]

Summary of Bretton Woods report:

[rtoonline.com]

As for all you naysayers, there's a simple truth: there is a need for short-term credit in this country. This short article points out those alternatives. Payday loans are neither the most nor least expensive.

[www.bloggernews.net]

There's plenty more out there, including studies by Donald Morgan at the NY Federal Reserve that shows that consumers are unquestionably harmed if payday loans are benned:

[www.newyorkfed.org]

Anyone who has a brain, and doesn't want to be duped by a corrupt "non-profit" like the CRL will do their own due diligence and their own thinking. The facts are very clear. Payday loans work. 94% are paid off on time, and that is readily known from SEC filings of the public companies.

Use your mind. Don't let others pollute it.

hey ben... i work in financial services and wanted to share some articles that do a great job at explaining personal finance.

[www1.blackrock.com]

[www1.blackrock.com]

while i generally enjoy your website and postings, i feel there is a lack of discipline in giving your novice audience practical advice on the topic of personal finance. specific to the NYT calculator, while that is a nifty graphical interface, it does not accurately explain how a portfolio could break-even. there are a lot better resources out there to convey professional money management, and i hope you find the above links an example of such.

keep up the good work.

Matt aka RedClear55

Ben, keep up the good work on The Consumerist. I don't know if you get very many messages of appreciation, but I wanted to send one. You rock, this site rocks and I love reading about all the stuff you post here. I have found a number of other great blogs by reading the Consumerist. Thanks again for putting so much time and energy into making this site great.

Sincerely
Brendan

Ben, according to valve, your post on this friday's deals is incorrect. Check the comments in that section. quick summary is that they won't let you gift games you already have if you buy the valve bundle. not such a deal anymore...

The picture of the black guy holding a box over his head today... was that supposed to be a nigerian that's ripping off a laptop or something? It was in poor taste.

I've been a reader of four Gawker sites for a very long time and am a very, very large fan who reads almost every post on here. I am also not PC at all and make very crass jokes to my friends, but there is a limit, and even I wouldn't use the term "Rape" in that context. It is completely unprofessional and seems to be there with no other intent then to boost page views for a site that is unfortunately not getting enough ad revenue. Was it there just to controversial? The fact of the matter is that there is a difference between saying it to your friends and writing it on a serious Consumer helping website that is read by thousands. I don't like it when my friends say it and I certainly don't like it when it's written by someone who is the head editor. The fact that Gawker is pushing it to the side is quite frankly bullshit, and I think feminist sites and Digg should get a hold of this and make an example of it. This and Jesus Diaz's posts reflect very poorly on some of the great Gawker writing staff. Meg, Owen, Molly, the two Brians and Luke etc. It has no place here, and I wish it were removed and changed to a different word.

Lastly: rape 1 |rāp|
noun
the crime, committed by a man, of forcing another person to have sexual intercourse with him without their consent and against their will, esp. by the threat or use of violence against them : he denied two charges of attempted rape | he had committed at least two rapes.
• figurative the wanton destruction or spoiling of a place or area : the rape of the Russian countryside.
• poetic/literary the abduction of a woman, esp. for the purpose of having sexual intercourse with her : the Rape of the Sabine Women.

Kudos on your efforts to encourage people to take rape lightly. People need to focus on the really important things in life - like shrinking grocery store packaging.

'Timothy is getting raped...'. WHAT in the world were you thinking when you wrote this? Were you trying to be cute? As a victim of rape, I demand an apology.

Ben,
Could we get an article comparing banks and their checking accts, savings accts, etc? If WaMu is going down, I might want to bail before it becomes too painful.
Thanks!

is the missing reply-to box permanent?