Consumerist
3G
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Walmart is your god now
Walmart Goes Crazy On Couple Suspected Of Shoplifting
Walmart can try to spin itself as being on the side of good all it wants, but if it ever suspects you of shoplifting, you may find that you're powerless to fight back. In the case of a couple accused of shoplifting some Bic lighters in Niles, Michigan this past August, Walmart detained them, the police came and cuffed one of them, their two kids were taken to a security room, and—after a review of security footage proved the couple's innocence—they were banned for life from all Walmarts. To top it off, Walmart's legal team has sent the couple a letter asking to be reimbursed for 10 times the value of the lighters, even though the police determined no shoplifting had taken place. More » -
Annoyances
Are Postcard-Sized Rebate Checks A Conspiracy?
So you've fought the mighty rebaterus and won, prying your hard-won mail-in rebate money from its claws. If your rebate isn't in the form of a prepaid debit card, it's probably a postcard-sized check—cheap to mail, simple, easy. For the rebate fulfillment company. For the consumer depositing checks via ATM as banks cut back on their hours, it's not so simple or easy. More » -
It's not a bug it's a feature
Reader: "Paid My T-Mobile Bill, Saw Some Boobs"
Reader Andrew has an interesting problem: whenever he logs onto T-Mobile's website to pay his bill, T-Mobile flashes him. More » -
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New And Exciting Products
The Dreamie: It's Like A Snuggie That You Sleep In
I often tell myself, "Self, I love to travel, but I hate forcing myself to sleep in places that don't have satin sheets." That's where the Dreamie comes in. It's like the secret hybrid of a sleeping bag and a Snuggie. Only in satin. And you, blessedly, can't walk around in it. More » -
Aquafina
$1.26 Billion Glorified Tap Water Judgment Against Pepsi Thrown Out
Good news for Pepsico: the lawsuit two Wisconsin men filed, accusing the company of stealing from them the idea that eventually became Aquafina, will have to be judged on its actual merits. The default judgment of $1.26 billion that they received when Pepsi failed to acknowledge the suit has been vacated. More » -
inappropriate
Hospital Sends $29,000 Bill To Parents Of Murdered College Student
Not only did the UC Davis Medical Center send a $29,186.50 bill to the parents of college student who was beaten to death by his roommate, they also sent a letter letting them know that their son was considered indigent and was no longer welcome at the hospital if he needed further treatment. He doesn't, of course, because he is deceased. More » -
T-Mobile
T-Mobile Surprise Porn Not An Isolated Incident
After we posted yesterday about a T-Mobile customer being greeted by pictures of topless women when he logged into his account to pay his bill, some of you asked, "What's the problem?" Several readers' stories answer that question. (Censored but not exactly tasteful pictures inside.) UPDATE: T-Mobile response inside. More » -
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Real Estate
Expansion And Extension Of Homebuyer Tax Credit Now Official
As anticipated, President Obama signed the 8,000 first-time homebuyer tax credit extension into law on Friday. You can now collect the credit if your home purchase is complete by June 30, 2010. But wait, there's more! The extension also offers a tax credit for people who are purchasing a new residence, but aren't first-time homeowners. More » -
Subscriptions
Seattle Coffee Direct Decides You Need $40 Worth Of Coffee Per Day
If you've been tempted by Facebook ads promising cheap "introductory" offers from Seattle Coffee Direct or World Bean Cafe, located in the world coffee capital of Evanston, Illinois, readers Adam and Ivan say, "don't do it!" The ads promise t-shirts or a free coffee grinder as an incentive to sign up, or tempting introductory offers. But you're really signing up for a coffee delivery service for close to $80 per month. Or more, as reader Ivan learned. He says that the company accidentally billed him for, and sent, two bags of coffee per day. More » -
Health Insurance
Health Care Reform Bill Passes House
The House version of the health care reform bill passed the House on Saturday night. Now it needs to be merged with some sort fo Senate version of the bill and signed by the President to become law. So how does this reform bill actually affect consumers? More » -
Taking advantage
Bally Reps Drove Developmentally Disabled Man To Gym, Signed Him Up
Family members of a developmentally disabled 49-year-old man told 6 News in Indianapolis that two men from Bally Total Fitness showed up at the man's apartment, drove him to a Bally location at Pike Plaza, and signed him up to a monthly membership. When the man's family asked Bally to invalidate the agreement, the gym refused. More » -
Credit
Taking Credit Card Offers Hurts Your Credit
Last week, I wrote about how to turn your good credit into cash. I purposely excluded credit card offers from the list because I wanted things that, should you implement them, wouldn't hurt your credit. Today, I want to warn to the overzealous. More » -
Creepy
Bill Collector Accused Of Offering Debt Forgiveness For Sex
A Rent-A-Center employee near Detroit has allegedly found a new approach to helping consumers get out of debt: making their bills go away in exchange for sex. More » -
Laundry
Laundromats Enter Underfilled Recession Cycle
Are you doing laundry this weekend? Are you running fewer loads than you used to, going longer between washes, or even using a friend or relative's equipment in order to avoid unloading a pocketful of quarters at the laundromat? If so, you're not alone. Laundromats, once thought to be a recession-proof business, are surprisingly vulnerable to economic downturns. More » -
Expansion
Walmart Prepares For New Push Into Major Urban Areas
If you live in Chicago, New York City, or Philadelphia, expect to start hearing some noise about Walmart in the coming months. The retailer has announced that it's going to "step up efforts to mobilize local political support" so that it can finally open stores in those cities, reports the Financial Times. More » -
eating out
50 More Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do
As promised, here is part II of the NYT "Stuff Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do" series. The list was written by a fellow who is opening a seafood restaurant in Bridgehampton, NY. We've grabbed the most debate-worthy of them for your enjoyment. More » -
nifty
Reporter Actually Measures Noodles In Campbell's Soup
32' of noodles is about 10 yards, so a reporter from KING5 in Seattle decided to lay them out, end by end, starting at the 10 yard line of a fooball field, to see if he could score a noodley touchdown. We applaud this effort. More » -
Classy
Meet JC Penney's Notoriously "Obese" Mannequins
Over at The Awl there is an intensively researched fact-check of Cintra Wilson's review of the Manhattan JC Penney store, which at the time, we described as "simultaneously hateful and boring." The review-of-the-review features photographs of the mannequins Ms. Wilson described as "obese." More » -
Close enough
Sears Declares Halloween "Black Friday"
Forget Christmas creep. How about Black Friday creep? Sears went ahead and declared last weekend, October 30 and 31st, the beginning of Black Friday, and told their mailing list so. More »
