ken.d.lewis@bankofamerica.com, colleen.haggerty@bankofamerica.com, britney.w.sheehan@bankofamerica.com, nicole.nastacie@bankofamerica.com, joe.price@bankofamerica.com, keith.banks@bankofamerica.com, michael.jones@bankofamerica.com, liam.e.mcgee@bankofamerica.com, brian.t.moynihan@bankofamerica.com, jeffrey.r.carney@bankofamerica.com, amy.brinkley@bankofamerica.com, steele.alphin@bankofamerica.com, liam.e.mcgee@bankofamerica.com, bradford.r.dinsmore@bankofamerica.com, michelle.shepherd@bankofamerica.com, diane.morais@bankofamerica.com, maryellen.baker@bankofamerica.com

We have received numerous requests lately for company-specific email lists. At present, we have very few, but that number can be increased if you send in the results of your successful EECBs. Don't be so lazy, here's all the info you need to build your own EECB.

(Photo: Payton Chung)

My Debt, all of my worldly bills comes w/house and car [eBay] (Thanks to Ryan!)

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

I work in an IT dept at a tech company in Utah and we have about half Apple computers and half PCs. We had a 17" MacBook Pro with a bad hard drive, so I sent it in with AppleCare and got it back within a couple days. They sent it back with a new hard drive, a new battery, and a broken keyboard! There was tape covering the tab, caps lock, and shift keys and when I lifted it off, the caps lock key came with it! (see picture)...

Also, many of the keys around the caps lock key were very sticky. So, one of the repair techs probably spilled something on the keyboard and then tried to clean it off, but took out the caps lock key in the process. So, I called them back and they were great! They said they wanted to make it up to me by giving me some free stuff. The rep offered me an Apple shirt, or a hat, or some software. I considered Adobe CS3 Premium, but figured that was pushing my luck. My wife wanted The Sims 2 for her MacBook, so asked for that. The next morning, it was at my desk! Apple has 2 new very impressed customers.

Honda and Acura 6 Speed Manual Problem Addressed - TSB Released [Automotivearticles](Thanks to Mark!)

PREVIOUSLY: Honda Ignores Civic SI Owners' Complaints About Faulty Transmissions

1) Working coupon codes for specific products and categories
2) an easy-to-use widget to search by category for discounted products depending how much of a percentage they're on sale for
3) An Amazon deal search engine

Number 3 is probably the most useful one. Rebate checks start arriving Monday... just because you're stimulating the economy doesn't mean you need to overpay.

Amazon Coupons & Review [Coupon Codes Mall]

• Chargebacks can be filed on all tickets, whether they were purchased directly from the airline or from a third-party
• You don't have to take a replacement flight offered by another carrier if you don't want to
• You have 120 days from the date of expected travel to file a chargeback
• Depending on merchant policy, travel insurance may be transferable or redeemable

(Photo: Getty)

I live in a 750 square foot apartment in Brooklyn, NY. Per the lease agreement, my roommate and I signed to pay the heat separate from the rent. The first gas bill we received was $750, and the following gas bill was roughly the same amount. We knew that the price of gas was expensive, but for two people who make great pains to use the heat only when absolutely necessary, and occasionally use the stove to boil a pot of water, this seemed ridiculous. For all of 2007, we owe roughly $2000 in gas costs.

The gas company inspected our boiler; we were told that it was inefficient and outdated, and that our boiler, though supposedly hooked up to meters separate from the rest of the building, used to heat the entire building. We brought the matter to our landlord, even showing him the graph provided by the gas company that demonstrates that we are paying triple that of the average customer in our area. When we asked him to compensate us for half of what we owe, he laughed in our face and refused. Does Consumerist or any of its readers know - do we have any form of recourse? Are there rules and regulations concerning the standards by which a boiler must run at? Are there rules and regulations concerning the repairs a landlord must make on a utility that is paid for by the tenant? Also, my advice to anyone considering entering a rental agreement where the cost of heat is not included in the rent - don't do it. Thank You for Reading, Marcie

Here's what our readers said when they nominated these two companies:

News Corp:
"The company that brings us Faux News, crappy reality series on Fox and the hive of scum (idiot self-centered teens) and villainy (sexual predators) that is MySpace. Oh yeah, and the Post too! Not only they want the WSJ, they want a piece of Yahoo! as well."
"Allah/God/SpaceInvaders have mercy on you morons that don't know why."

Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company:
No readers specified why, but we suspect it has to do with them putting cows they knew were sick into the food supply for little kiddies to eat for their school lunch. Just look up "downer cows."

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america/

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING:
Chase vs United Healthcare
Clear Channel vs Toyota
Countrywide Home Loans vs Dish Network
Sprint vs Hewlett Packard
Blue Cross Blue Shield vs CNN
Gamestop vs Monster Cable
Bank Of America vs Toys R' Us
Toshiba vs Microsoft
US Airways vs Washington Mutual
American Airlines vs Blockbuster
Time Warner Cable vs Radioshack
Wellpoint vs Charter Cable
Dell vs Home Depot
Sears vs Citibank
Wal-Mart vs TJMaxx
Mattel vs ATT
Capital One vs Video Professor
eBay/Paypal vs COX
Apple vs SallieMae
Diebold Vs Pfizer
MTV vs TransUnion
CompUSA vs DirecTV
Target vs Best Buy
Allstate vs Verizon
DeBeers vs 1800 flowers
Starbucks vs United Airlines
Exxon vs Crocs
Google Vs Sony
Ticketmaster vs Wachovia
Facebook vs The American Arbitration Association
Comcast vs Menu Foods

After calling The Consumerist Sprint Executive Customer Service number (703-433-4401), it turns out that Sprint misprinted the bill for lots of people, accidentally moving the decimal two places to the right. The error has now been fixed and Jessie only owes $326.69. "One question remains though," asks Jessie, "will debt collectors be knocking at my door for this mistake?"

Eagan couple's sex ads on craigslist were a setup for ID theft [StarTribune] (Thanks to Gregg!)

10. Got any bank fees? Ask the bank to waive one as a courtesy
Most banks will give you at least one courtesy fee waive per year, but they won't do it unless you ask 'em first.

9. Lower Your APR by threatening to switch to another credit card company
Try saying this: "I think I've been a good customer. I'd like to stay with you, but I really want you to lower the rate on my card. Can you help me?"

8. Use a 0% balance transfer to get a reprieve from credit card interest for a few months
Many credit card companies offer 0% balance transfer deals where you can move your balance from another company's card to theirs, and enjoy 0% APR for a few months. Be careful to read all the rules though, because if you break some of them, you can shoot back up to your old rate or higher. Also the 0% is for a limited time, so mark your calendar and be prepared to shift your funds again.

7. Lower your cable bill by threatening to cancel
Many of our readers have had success with this one. Mention competing offers you've researched and ask for them to give you a reason to stick around.

6. Get your spending under control so you're paying off your credit card in full every month, and avoid paying extra interest
If you carrying a balance and paying finance charges on it, it amounts to an extra tax on everything you purchased. Why should you pay someone for your own money?

5. Pack your own lunch, make your own coffee, cook at home
Eating out is expensive, and those lattes add up. Rediscover the joy of cooking and you'll feel enriched in more ways than just your pocketbook.

4. Adjust your tax withholdings so you're not giving the IRS an interest-free loan
If you get a big ol rebate from the IRS, you may be claiming too few withholdings. I'm sure you know many better things to do with that money throughout the year than the IRS does. Here's how to do it.

3. Take advantage of new low interest rates by refinancing your home to a lower rate
Pay a little less each month and that can add up to several thousands of dollars in savings over the life of the loan.

2. Switch to paying for most things in cash only...
Money hurts more. Pay for things in physical cash and you may find yourself making better purchase decisions.
...And then put all your pocket change in a piggy bank
The piggy bank can now become your Wii fund, or your vacation fund, or your new wardrobe fund. When it gets full, take it to Commerce Bank's Penny Arcade and cash it in for free.

1. Make a budget
Simply monitoring your money forces you to be wiser with how you use it. I consider the personal budget the financial dashboard to making sure I'm master of my money instead of the other way around. Here's a few tools to get you started:

Consumerist's 9-Step Beginner's Budget
An excel sheet I made that does the job rather well, if I may say so myself.
The Zero Based Budget
The idea behind it is that every single dollar you earn will get allocated to a specific category. There is no money sloshing around, you have total mastery over all of your money.
How To Budget With An Irregular Income
Most budgets assume a steady paycheck, but if your income comes in spurts, here's a great way to still keep your bills paid and your money under control.
8 Free Personal Finance Management Programs (And 4 Pay Ones)
A roundup of Consumerist reader's favorite budget tools.

(Photo: Getty)

Here's what our readers said when they nominated these two companies:

Chase:
"Nothing about their credit cards is good. They are legalized loan sharks."
"They like to play musical payment-due-dates."
"raises rates without notice, etc."
"I got a credit card with them that was supposed to be 0% interest. The first time I carried over a balance they charged me interest. And than I have received no end to the special offers that they offer through their card. They are the most annoying credit card company out there."
"Their customer service sucks, they abuse their employees and they are one of the big four behind the Payday Loan industry."
"I've been through hell with Chase credit services"

United Health Care:
"Ruining people's lives and/or killing them"
"Their service is abysmal, and they're currently being sued for it. They intentionally underpay both medical providers and consumers."
"All their employees upstairs got to the cafeteria before I did (at 11:55) and bought up all the Chicken Parm Rotellos for lunch. I really wanted one... I had to settle for crappy pizza."
"Any company in the business of letting people die is a bad one."
"operate on "screw the customer" as their guiding principle. United Health also offers the additional service of making life miserable for actual health care providers."
"absolute bottom of the pile insurance company."

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america/

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING:
Clear Channel vs Toyota
Countrywide Home Loans vs Dish Network
Sprint vs Hewlett Packard
Blue Cross Blue Shield vs CNN
Gamestop vs Monster Cable
Bank Of America vs Toys R' Us
Toshiba vs Microsoft
US Airways vs Washington Mutual
American Airlines vs Blockbuster
Time Warner Cable vs Radioshack
Wellpoint vs Charter Cable
Dell vs Home Depot
Sears vs Citibank
Wal-Mart vs TJMaxx
Mattel vs ATT
Capital One vs Video Professor
eBay/Paypal vs COX
Apple vs SallieMae
Diebold Vs Pfizer
MTV vs TransUnion
CompUSA vs DirecTV
Target vs Best Buy
Allstate vs Verizon
DeBeers vs 1800 flowers
Starbucks vs United Airlines
Exxon vs Crocs
Google Vs Sony
Ticketmaster vs Wachovia
Facebook vs The American Arbitration Association
Comcast vs Menu Foods

Microsoft Keeps Your Repaired XBox For 4 Months, Calls You A Thief For Wanting It Back
"Microsoft hasn't returned Tiffany's XBox 360 for four months because they think she is a thief, even though she has her original receipt and a credit card statement proving that she is the console's rightful owner."

WaMu: Sorry We Don't Have Your $4200 In Cash, Want A Check?
"He told me (still across the room BTW) that they operated on some automatic withdrawal machines and that he couldn't authorize that much of a withdrawal because other people needed to use it and that the amount of capital wouldn't cover it."

Macy's Confiscates Your Item Because "Another Customer Wants It"
"...before she could pay for the item the store's manager stopped her and took the pot away because "another customer want[ed] it."

EMI Says You Can't Store Your Music Files Online
"Today, MP3tunes' CEO Michael Robertson sent out an email to all users of the online music backup and place-shifting service MP3tunes.com, asking them to help publicize EMI's ridiculous and ignorant lawsuit against the company"

(Photo: dylan.greene)

(Photo: Robrrt)

(Photo: Breslow)

(Photo: AComment)

(Photo: CurtisJoeWalker)

Add your shots to The Consumerist Flickr pool, and perhaps they'll get featured in a future story, or even highlighted in a Friday Consumerist Flickr Pool Finds post.

• Accept the lender's new terms and use other sources
• Try to appeal the freeze by contacting your lender and asking them about their appeals process.
• Try to refinance with another lender if your current lender won't budge.

It might also be possible to refinance with a different lender if your credit is in good shape and your home's value is stable. Just remember that a refinance may involve closing costs.

— JLP, AllFinancialMatters

(Photo: Getty)

• Tiger Direct: Lexmark Wireless Inkjet Printer & Trendnet WiFi Router Bundle only $40
• Dell Business: Dual Core Vostro 200 Desktop PC & 20-inch LCD $469 Shipped
• Geeks: Lite-on Dual Layer DVD Recorder with DivX & HD-Upscaled Playback $80

Tax rebates to start arriving Monday [CNN Money] (Thanks to Caren!)
(Photo: MBru)

She was greeted by an angry, belligerent manager who cursed at her and then the two traded words. At approximately 3am an off-duty employee, Erick Thurman, got involved. "He then tried to come outside and charge us at the window," Hall said. At which point, the apparently intoxicated Thurman began to escalate the confrontation. She recalls, "He (Thurman) was yelling obscenities at us, and asking us to do sexual things for him, and just calling us names, and things like that. Well we hear from the back, from the car behind us, hey, hey, you know, trying to get his attention." The person in the car behind her was Jeff Cox. With his attention now on Cox, Thurman fired nine rounds into Cox's car, hitting Cox, and thus landing him in intensive care. Hall believes the diversion by Cox saved her life, "I feel like an angel was over us. And he was our angel. But at the same time, where was his, you know? It's just really emotional, really emotional," said Hall. The shooter Erick Thurman, who has admitted to the crime, was arrested a few hours after the incident.

There are many good ways to professionally deal with customer complaints when things go wrong. Small weapons fire is not one of them.

Shooting Hero In Intensive Care [NewsOn6]

(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane)

"We used to be split into main support groups, East Noc/West Noc, one in Denver, one in Bishop's Gate NJ. Most of that work is getting pushed out to local groups. The national groups are getting scaled down. Local groups getting scaled up. Should be better support all around for the network. It's by no means a perfect company, no company is, but this is a good move for all. It's giving the first responders the ability to do what needs to be done. Before we were the middle man in a wild chain of escalation. I can now personally take ownership of an issue should one occur in my market."

If true, this a good move for Comcast that should improve network performance.

(Photo: largeprime)

"Can I have some ice water?"
"No ice water, read the sign."
"Ok then, how about an empty cup?"
"No."
"Why not, it's not on the sign?"
"Get out! I call cops!"
"I'm coming back with my boxcutter, just as soon as my friend is done using it to hold up struggling musicians."
Door slams.
"Damn, we need to make a more comprehensive sign."

Annnd scene. Hey, at least they're celebrating earth day by reusing the buy 6 donuts get 6 free signs.

Free H20 In Any State, Won't Be Served At Dunkin' Donuts [ANIMAL]

Here's what our readers said when they nominated these two companies:

Clear Channel:

"they have destroyed so much of this country I love."
"Clear Channel is playing to Madison Avenue, despite lip service to the listener. Hell, did you see that Clear Channel is increasing the number of minutes of advertising on the radio? Why not turn every station into an infomercial. Make the whole CHANNEL an ad!"

Toyota:
Toyota was nominated without anyone specifying why they are wrath-worthy.

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america/

STILL OPEN FOR VOTING:
Countrywide Home Loans vs Dish Network
Sprint vs Hewlett Packard
Blue Cross Blue Shield vs CNN
Gamestop vs Monster Cable
Bank Of America vs Toys R' Us
Toshiba vs Microsoft
US Airways vs Washington Mutual
American Airlines vs Blockbuster
Time Warner Cable vs Radioshack
Wellpoint vs Charter Cable
Dell vs Home Depot
Sears vs Citibank
Wal-Mart vs TJMaxx
Mattel vs ATT
Capital One vs Video Professor
eBay/Paypal vs COX
Apple vs SallieMae
Diebold Vs Pfizer
MTV vs TransUnion
CompUSA vs DirecTV
Target vs Best Buy
Allstate vs Verizon
DeBeers vs 1800 flowers
Starbucks vs United Airlines
Exxon vs Crocs
Google Vs Sony
Ticketmaster vs Wachovia
Facebook vs The American Arbitration Association
Comcast vs Menu Foods

I could not find a way to contact AOL to stop my service. So I took a yellow marker, drew a line though that line item on my credit card bill, and wrote on the bill...."Do not pay, account in dispute". I paid all the other items on the CC bill that month. It took AOL about 2 weeks to call me.....I told them what I thought of their service, and instructed them to terminate my account, while I was still on the phone. It worked. They seem to understand when you tell them you are not going to pay.

• Motorola RAZR V3xx Platinum Phone - make $49.99 after rebate
• Nokia 2610 Phone - make $149.99 after rebate
• LG CU575 - make $24.99 after rebate
• Nokia 6085 - make $124.99 after rebate
• Nokia 6126 Phone - make $99.99 after rebate

• There's also some restrictions to make sure you're not gaming the system:

The Price listed above for this phone includes an instant $250 discount from Amazon.com. You agree to repay this $250 discount to Amazon.com if, during the six-month period following the activation date or renewal date of your existing contract, you:
(1) fail to pay your balance due each month on time;
(2) fail to maintain your account in good standing;
(3) disconnect the line of service;
(4) transfer the phone to another line of service;
(5) change your service rate plan, including canceling or removing required PDA, BlackBerry, or smartphone features after your product has shipped; or
(6) use this line of service to replace an existing account with the carrier. The discount is available only if you are activating a new non-substitute line of service or extending an existing line of service. If you do not follow these rules, you authorize Amazon.com to charge your credit card $250 as reimbursement of the discount without need for further approval. Third-party resellers are prohibited from purchasing cell phones on behalf of customers. **Purchase limit five (5) cell phones per household.**

Amazon AT&T Phone Sale

• There are 448 subprime related federal lawsuits as of March 31 2008
• 170 federal lawsuits were filed in Q1 2008, vs 181 total filed in the last 6 months of 2007
• The Savings and Loan scandal of the 90's resulted in 599 lawsuits
• 57% involved at least one Fortune 1000 company
• 46% of the subprime related class action lawsuits are brought by borrowers
• 42% of those are related to disclosures made at loan origination

• Mozy: Quick Sale: Save 25% off Unlimited Online Backup with Coupon
• Musician's Friend: Save $70: Tascam Digital 8-Track Portastudio Hard Disk Recording System $199 Shipped
• Buy.com: LaCie Neil Poulton-designed 1TB USB 2.0 External Drive $205 Shipped
• Oneida: Save up to 50% off Open Stock & Flatware Sets

• Amazon: $20 off $99 planet-friendly product purchases coupon
• Goody's: 50% off entire stock swimsuits, sandals, shorts, more
• Circuit City: Nikon Coolpix L10 5MP Digital Camera $70

[Minyanville via Upgrade: Travel Better]

I always use electronic postage when sending my rebates. This prints the mailing date very clearly on the envelope. Then I make two copies of the envelope itself, I keep one with my copy of the rebate forms and I attach the other copy to the packet I am sending in for the rebate. I also highlight the date on the photocopy of the envelope so that it's very clear to them that I mailed my documents before the rebate deadline. So even if they mis-file your packet or if they lose your original envelope or if they claim it was mailed too late there will always be a record of when the rebate was mailed attached to your packet. When they see this level of detail they know you mean business and that you are diligent. So maybe they are less prone to mess with you? I don't know. But I do this religiously and have had great success.

Tips to ensure you get your MIRs [SlickDeals]

(Photo: ninjapoodles)

(Photo: Maulleigh)