Consumerist
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spending habits
Newly Frugal Behavior Is Permanent, Say Some Consumers
A new study says that 26% of US consumers "have no plans to return to their free-spending ways," which probably doesn't sound like good news to retailers. Even worse (for retailers), about a third say they've become less loyal. More » -
Acceptable risk
Stroller Company Maclaren Knew About Amputation Risk 5 Years Ago
The British company Maclaren knew that its recently recalled strollers could potentially lop off a tot's fingertips over five years ago, reports the New York Post, but it didn't bother to alert the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). More » -
Sales
Morning Deals
- Travel
- Delta: [In Flight WiFi] Free Wifi on your next Delta flight with coupon code DELTATRYGOGO (good through 12/31/09) (Thanks to catastrophegirl!)
- Liz Claiborne: [Apparel] Liz Claiborne Coupon Code 30% Off Storewide + Free Shipping $50+
- Joe's New Balance Outlet: [Shoes] Joe's New Balance Outlet sale: Up to 85% off
- Reebok : [Apparel] 25% Off Entire Purchase w/ Coupon FRIEND + Printable
- Original Penguin : [Apparel] 33% Off All Outerwear and Sweaters + One More Coupon OPG33
- Motorcycle Superstore: [Men's Apparel] Motorcycle Superstore sale: Up to 80% off
Clothing -
Don't buy a macpadd
MacPadd Inventor Drinks With Wife, Brags About Education, Curses, But Does Not Provide Tracking Number
Some people should never go the entrepreneur route. Meet David Free, the man behind QMS, a company that sells and sometimes even ships an aluminum mousepad called the MacPadd. When the guys at TomsHardware.com started asking why theirs hadn't arrived, they discovered that Free does business his own way. Or sometimes not at all:
More »Free then exclaimed, "Get out of my f***ing life!" And hung up on us. By now it was becoming clear to us that we weren't going to receive the product we paid for.
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savings accounts
Don't Let Maintenance Fees Ruin Your Automatic Savings Program
If you participate in an automatic savings program like Bank of America's Keep the Change service, where debit card purchases are rounded up and the difference is deposited into your savings account, keep an eye on maintenance fees. James says he was hit with a $5 charge last month because he hadn't met the minimum monthly deposit requirement of $25: "It turns out that I wasn't even accruing $5 worth of change per month, so I was losing more money due to the maintenance fee than I was saving via Keep the Change!" More » -
Telemarketers
Block Spam Callers From Your Blackberry With Call Control
You can always just not answer your phone, but if a telemarketer calling you on your Blackberry sends you into a rage, you might want to look at Call Control. The app relies on the telemarketer database at everycall.us to screen out known spammers. The free version screens out the top 100 telemarketers; an $8 version uses the entire database and includes updates.
Call Control for Blackberry [EveryCall]
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Ebooks
Sony's Ebook Store Prices Too High? Try Shortcovers
Michael bought a Sony Pocket Reader last month, but with the exception of $10 bestsellers, he's finding that other books he wants are priced higher than he's willing to pay. For example, Tad Friend's memoir Cheerful Money is $10 on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble, but $17.49 from Sony. Michael wants to know if we have any advice on how to get Sony to lower their prices. More » -
Lazy
Geek Squad Agent Doesn't Have Time To Look For Multimeter, Let's Just Send Off Laptop For 3 Weeks Instead
The usefulness of Best Buy's Geek Squad depends entirely on the competence of the employee you get when you go in for help, and unfortunately Scott landed one of the lazier ones. Here's his sales pitch to Scott over a laptop that wouldn't start: "It's going to take at least 10 minutes for me to get the multimeter or another adapter. It's going to be a problem inside the computer, let's just send it in." More » -
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Personal Information
Your Credit Report Isn't The Only Report You Should Monitor
When an insurer decides whether to offer you a new policy, or whether to raise rates on a current one, he most likely pulls a CLUE report that lists any homeowner or automobile insurance loss claims (or sometimes even just inquiries) that you've made over the past 3-7 years. Hopefully you monitor your consumer credit report for errors, but as you can see, that's not the only one you should keep an eye on. More »
10:53 AM on Wed Nov 11 2009
By Chris Walters
8,787 views, 28 commentsMost discussed shepd: I've ordered my auto insurance report, and it still had accidents past the mandatory date of expiry for my province. more »
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Sales
Morning Deals
- Veterans Day Specials (Thanks to John!)
- KrispyKreme: [Donut] Free donut! Today only, at participating locations
- Applebees: [Restaurant] Free meal for Veterans on Veterans Day. See available menu on Applebees promo site.
- Brides Across America: [Wedding Gowns] Free gowns from participating shops on first come, first serve basis, for brides-to-be with deployed fiancés
- Golden Corral: [Restaurant]Free meal for veterans from 5 to 9pm on Monday, November 16th
- MilitaryAvenue.com: [Discounts] List of discounts or freebies offered to veterans
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Settlements
Target Pays New Jersey $375K To Settle Fraud Charges
Target has agreed to pay New Jersey $375,000 to settle charges that it sold baby formula and non-prescription drugs that had expired, and that it charged higher prices on some products than what was displayed on the shelves. More » -
Unsubscribe
Staples Wants To Know If They're Freaking You Out With Their All-Knowing Emails
Apparently Staples is worried that their emails might be too accurate when it comes to marketing office supplies to people—accurate enough to make potential customers paranoid. More » -
Freebies
Google Offering Temporary Free WiFi Access At 47 Airports
From now until January 15th, 2010, Google will offer free WiFi access at 47 airports around the country. As part of the promotion, they'll be collecting donations through Google Checkout for three non-profit organizations and will provide matching funds up to $250,000. But whether you donate or not, there's a much better chance now that you'll be able to go online while waiting for your flight. Imagine all the airline tips you can send to us!
"Free WiFi for the Holidays" [Google via IntoMobile]
(Photo: quinn.anya) -
Insurance
10 Strategies To Lower Your Auto Insurance
Over at the Mint blog they've posted a list of 10 ways to reduce your car insurance premium. You'll want to contact your current insurer and ask some questions, like whether they offer a discount for paying up front, or if they'll cut you a deal for being a long-term customer. More » -
Higher education
Keep Track Of Which Diploma Mills Will Work Out Best For Your Pet
In this job market, anything you can do to give your cat or dog an edge is worth pursuing. That's why you shouldn't enroll your pet in just any diploma mill—you want one that's a proven scam. Boingboing points out that there's a Wikipedia page to keep track of animals with fraudulent diplomas to make it easier to comparison shop for that next fake certificate.
"List of animals with fraudulent diplomas" [Wikipedia via Boingboing] (Thanks to Trai_Dep!)
(Photo: ourdogholly) -
Testing the water
Is Bank Of America Of Trying To Skirt The CARD Act With New Annual Fees?
In a series of recent posts, WalletBlog has accused Bank of America of breaking the spirit of its "no new fees" promise and of potentially breaking the law next year, after it announced it will introduce annual fees on some existing credit card accounts in 2010. More » -
Sales
Morning Deals
- Clothing
- Bloomingdale's: [Apparel] New Bloomingdale's Coupon Code 20% off + $100 Gift Credit w/ $500 Purchase
- 6pm.com: [Shoes] 6PM Unlisted by Kenneth Cole Men's Shoes $14.95
- Coldwater Creek : [Apparel] $30 Off $100 Purchase w/ Coupon NKA9439
- Lands' End: [Men's Apparel] Lands' End Men's Overstocks: Deals from $4 + free shipping
- eBags: [Bags] 25% off 1 Item Tuesday Only
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Fees
Citibank To Charge Fees On Checking Accounts
If you're a Citibank customer who has one of the bank's two smaller checking account plans—the ones where the monthly fee is waived as long as you use direct deposit or their online bill payment—then maybe it's time to consider taking your business elsewhere. Starting in February, anyone with an average balance of less than $1500 will be assessed a monthly $7.50 service fee, reports the New York Post. More »
New York, 4:58 PM
Thu Nov 12
22 posts in the last 24 hours
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