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Chris Walters

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Flickr
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

This week we've selected ten wonderful photos submitted by readers to The Consumerist Flickr Pool. There's one beautiful summer one for foot fetishists, a final shout out to Billy Mays, and then we're going with a general Americana vibe for the rest in honor of the Fourth of July. More »

6:06 PM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
2,609 views, 4 comments

Most discussed Nick Stankus: Trai_Dep... that is my fireworks shot (nixter) . I agree it is hard to get them right. A good setting more »
bureaucracy
Everyone Knows How To Handle A Stolen Checkbook Except For Verizon
Yesterday I was musing that Time Warner Cable was passing the cost of customer care off to other businesses, by requiring customers to take half-days or full days off of work just to wait for a cable repairman. Today I think I stumbled upon another hidden economic impact of bad customer service: it's responsible for generating a lot of the "free" content online. The next time you're reading an IMDB entry about "Damages" or "Big Love" for example, you can thank Verizon's collection of angry, confused, and possibly insane employees, and all the idle time they create for a customer who has to deal with them. More »

4:26 PM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
9,512 views, 31 comments

Most discussed Muhammed T Prophet: Nt t blm th vctm, bt f Hrtt ws llwng Vrzn t t-dbt hr ccnt ths ws bnd t hppn. more »
Privacy
Marketers Announce They Will Bring More Transparency To Personal Data Collection By 2010
Several major advertising trade groups announced yesterday that starting in 2010, they will implement a new set of self-imposed guidelines on how they collect and use your personal info, in an attempt to prevent the government from handing down federal regulations. More »

2:32 PM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
1,226 views, 9 comments
That end-of-the-school-year DVD may have been homemade by the teacher, but that doesn't mean it can't pack an accidental porno cherrybomb. An elementary school teacher in Sacramento mistakenly included 6 seconds of a "home movie" in a compilation she sent home to students. Click through to the article for an awesome photo illustration of how adults think kids react to gross-out grownup stuff. [SFGate] (Thanks to Paul!) (Photo: Adactio) MORE »

21 comments
Traveling
Never Pack Your Jewelry In Checked Baggage

This past February, a Delta customer had her expensive heirloom jewelry stolen from her checked bag on a trip from Rochester through Atlanta to Las Vegas:

My suitcase had been opened, my jewelry bag unzipped, and my fine jewelry (gold, diamonds, sapphires) had been hand picked out of the jewelry bag and the inexpensive jewelry (plastic, glass, metal) left strewn across my belongings inside my suitcase.

More »

12:25 PM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
6,804 views, 69 comments
Libraries
Live In Ohio? Your Library May Soon Close
Here at Consumerist, we love libraries. They're like some weird, old-school version of Netflix, but with books! And free! That makes them one of the most cost-effective sources of entertainment and reference material around. Unfortunately, Ohio may gut the funding on this public resource if the proposed state budget goes through. More »

11:29 AM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
3,887 views, 102 comments

Most discussed henwy: Slash and burn it. We have too many libraries anyway. The ones around here are ghost towns. more »
Here's another free game for iPhone/iPod Touch owners to pass the time this weekend: Wild West Pinball. If you're a Blackberry owner, Bplay has a 30% off sale going on right now—enter JULY in the code box at checkout. [IntoMobile] MORE »

1 comment
Copyright
ASCAP Wants Royalties On Ringtones

Not content to let the RIAA get all the recent publicity for stupid lawsuits, ASCAP has sued AT&T over sales of ringtones, saying each time a ringtone plays it's a public performance and royalties should be paid. Luckily (?) for consumers, ASCAP wants AT&T, not individuals, to pay—although we wonder what they'll say when you take a track from your own library and make a ringtone out of it.

"Group Sues AT&T Over Ringtones Heard In Public" [MocoNews]
(Photo: Ewan-M)

9:37 AM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
2,122 views, 35 comments

Most discussed EricLecarde: Were things like this back when Cassettes and tape players the dominant form of music entertainment? I remember recording music more »

Sales
Morning Deals
- Banana Republic: [Apparel] New Banana Republic Coupon Code Extra 15% Off Sale + Free Shipping $100+
- Nabisco World: [Grocery] $55 in Kraft Coupons and Free Calendar with sign-up
- Home Depot: [Fan] Lasko 20" Box Fan for $14.99 w/ Free shipping
- National Parks Service: [Park] Two Free Admission Weekends to 100 National Parks
- New Egg: [Game] 150 PC Games for $10 or Less + Free Shipping
- Reebok: [Sports] Save Extra 15% off Footwear, Apparel, & Accessories Store-Wide
- Meritline: [Optics] 8x21 Compact Sport Binoculars $7 Shipped
- Newegg: [LCD] Asus 23-inch 1080p LCD Monitor $160 + Free Shipping
- WilsonsLeather: [Clothing & Accessories] 20% off + free shipping at Wilson's Leather: Wallets from $5, more
- Puma: [Clothing & Accessories] Puma Semi-Annual Sale: 20% to 40% off + extra 25% off
- The Children's Place: [Children's Apparel] The Children's Place Monster Sale: Up to 80% off + extra 10% off
- Dell Small Business: [LCD Monitor] Dell UltraSharp 2408WFP 24 inch Widescreen LCD Monitor $395.10 Free Shipping
- Dell Small Business: [Pico Projector] Dell M109S DLP Mini Projector (G101H) LED .8lbs 34 Watts $299 Free Shipping
- Lucky Brand Jeans: [Apparel] Lucky Brand Jeans Coupon Code Free Shipping +50-75% Off Select Items
Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers. Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.
If you have a tip for Morning Deals, send it to tips@consumerist.com, and be sure to put "morning deals" in the subject line.
9:03 AM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
773 views, 7 comments
Funny
Doctor J. Marcus Solves Your Expensive Health Care Problem

My mom would like his advice.
Advice
Be Your Own Financial Regulator
Any sort of federal agency to protect consumers from abuse from the financial industry is months, or possibly years, away, notes Linda Stern of Reuters. That's why you shouldn't depend on such an agency to protect you in the meantime. In fact, you can take her advice and use it no matter what happens at the federal level. More »

7:52 PM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
3,014 views, 9 comments

Most discussed econobiker: "-- Use old-fashioned letters when applying for a new account. Credit card issuers don't exactly show you all of the more »
Groceries
New Survey Says Less Than 20% Of Consumers Trust Food Supply
Is it any surprise that after the past few years of outbreaks and recalls, almost no one trusts products from food manufacturers anymore? IBM recently completed a survey of shoppers in the 10 largest cities, and found that a lot of consumers want more information than they currently can get about their food choices. More »

7:07 PM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
2,099 views, 24 comments

Most discussed Cant_stop_the_rock: So 80% of the people don't trust that the food they're eating is safe, but they eat it anyway? more »
DIY
Want To Learn How To Make It Yourself? Visit Homegrown Evolution
HomegrownEvolution.com is sort of a simplified Instructables for people interested in "mead making, beer brewing, bread baking, urban poultry raising, container planting, pirate gardening, foraging, pickling," and more, according to Cool Tools. We have a feeling "pirate gardening" isn't as fun as it sounds. More »

6:26 PM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
3,321 views, 5 comments

Most discussed JulesNoctambule: 'Pirate gardening'? My hopes will be dashed if it doesn't involve parrots and growing my own eyepatches. I have a more »
Flickr
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are ten wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out! More »

5:55 PM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
2,875 views, 8 comments

Most discussed post_break: Anyone notice the guy in the back is on the phone? Who takes a call while on a ride like more »
Computer Repair
Is This Rogue Installer Running A Scam On Comcast Customers?
If you live near Burke, Virginia, you might want to pay close attention when the contractor hired by Comcast comes to install your service. Rick runs a computer repair company and has twice run into the same problem with Comcast customers, where they can no longer access the Internet after an upgrade and are offered an off-the-books repair service. More »

5:25 PM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
9,027 views, 44 comments

Most discussed eskimo81: This story doens't add up to a scam to me, more an idiot that thinks he's a technician. To misconfigure a more »
Insurance
Two-Thirds Of Insurers Share Faulty Database That Lets Them Overcharge Patients
Earlier this week, a Congressional investigation revealed that several insurance companies rely on a database from Ingenix that deliberately underestimates the cost of medical services, reports the Associated Press. The result is that "American consumers have paid billions of dollars for health care services that their insurance companies should have paid." More »

1:44 PM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
4,456 views, 50 comments

Most discussed jmujeff: Holy conflict of interest. Hearing stuff like this, while not surprising, makes me furious seeing as I shell out $3-4 grand+ more »
Sales
Morning Deals
- Amazon: [Music] Free Patriotic Music Sampler
- Jamba Juice: [Restaurant] Buy One Get One Smoothie Free w/ Printable Coupon
- Sears: [Bed & Bath] Sears Mattress Sale: 50% off + extra 10% off select mattresses
- Buy.com: [Flash Memory] SanDisk 4GB Memory Stick PRO Duo for $17.77 w/ Free shipping
- Newegg Mall: [USB Drive] Wintec 4GB USB Flash Drive for $4.99 + $2.95 Shipping
- New Egg: [Headset] Nokia Bluetooth Headset for $0.99 after $15 rebate w/ Free shipping
- Dell Business: [Displays] Save Extra 10% off Most Dell LCD Flat Panel Monitors
- Eastern Mountain Sports: [Gear] Save 20% off One Item + 15% off the Rest of Your Order
- BuyDig: [HDTV] Toshiba 32AV502R 32-inch LCD HDTV $444 Shipped
- Graveyard Mall: [Store Events] GraveyardMall.com Clearance Sale: 90% off hundreds of items
- Target: [Men's Apparel] Target Clearance Sale: Up to 75% off men's jackets, deals from $6 + $5 s&h
- Expedia.com: [Vacations] Last minute travel deals from Expedia: Hotels from $18, cruises from $179, more
- Newegg: [Digital Cameras] Newegg Coupon Code 10% off Digital Cameras
- SmartBargains: [Home Goods] New SmartBargains Coupon Code Extra 20% Off w/ PayPal Payment
- Dell Small Business: [GPS] TomTom ONE 140S Portable GPS (3.5in Touchscreen, Text to Speech) $119.99 Free Shipping
(Photo: law_keven)

Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers. Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.
If you have a tip for Morning Deals, send it to tips@consumerist.com, and be sure to put "morning deals" in the subject line.
10:38 AM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
1,055 views, 16 comments
Scams
Scammers Also Use Dating Services To Look For Easy Marks
A reader received a weird message from a fellow Match.com member last night—it was a fairly transparent attempt by someone to establish contact with her via a false identity. More »

11:01 PM on Thu Jun 25 2009
By Chris Walters
10,729 views, 58 comments