Consumerist
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electricity bills
Energy Star Program Relies On Honor System For Some Products
Your new washer, dryer, fridge, monitor, or TV set may have an Energy Star label on it, but it turns out that nobody is making sure that means anything, reports the New York Times. Our parent organization Consumer Reports pointed out that this was a problem a year ago. More » -
economic stimulus package
Energy-Efficient Appliance Rebate Program Still Lacks Catchy Name
The main problem with the energy-efficient rebate program the federal government has planned is that it just doesn't have a catchy enough name, editors' and bloggers' efforts notwithstanding. Dollars for Dishwashers? Cash for Kelvinators? Even its official acronym, SEEARP (State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program) isn't very mellifluous even if you belch it. More » -
frustrating
Best Buy: All The Appliances In Your House Must Break 4 Times Before We Replace Them
James Lileks bought some fancy-ass Electrolux appliances from Best Buy. Unfortunately. they've turned out to be a bit of a headache. Mr. Lileks thought perhaps since he was a valuable customer who bought fancy-ass items, Best Buy would help him out and swap the problematic dishwasher for a more reliable cheaper brand (turns out that that the washer's control panel is susceptible to moisture, of all things.) He was wrong. They'd rather keep fixing it. Over. And Over. And Over. More » -
rebates
Coming Soon - Cash For Clunkers: Home Appliance Edition
Now that it's ending, you thought you were done hearing about the Cash for Clunkers program, didn't you? Not yet. Coming soon will be a state-administered, federally-funded program providing rebates to consumers who buy Energy Star appliances. Check out Consumer Reports for a preview. More » -
melted butter
Kenmore Fridge Doubles As Easy-Bake Oven, Saves Valuable Space In Kitchen
It's good to have an Easy-Bake Oven around for those times when you want to serve a tiny, partially baked cake-like product to your parents or little sister. The last thing you want, though, is another appliance cluttering the counter. Kenmore has solved that problem with a built-in fridge model with light bulbs that stay on even when the door is shut—and explode when you try to unscrew them! Okay, the exploding glass part is maybe not so convenient. More » -
sears cares
Sears Finally Delivers Air Conditioner, Follows With Barrage Of Phone Calls
Remember Eric, Fleur, and their epic air conditioner ordeal? When we last spoke to them, they were AC-less, hot, cranky, and reaching out to the Internets for help. Now they have their air conditioners, but only after a stunning show of disorganized solicitousness on the part of Sears. More » -
air conditioners
Watch Out For Sweet Appliance Deals Later This Summer
Sales of major appliances are down 29.2 percent from this time last year, and the most notable decline has been in air conditioners. What has caused it? Growing energy consciousness? Shrinking pocketbooks? Maybe a little of both. More » -
fake reviews
Yet Another Company Learns The Difference Between Amazon Reviews And Ads
Instead of paying outsiders to give their products fake positive reviews on Amazon product pages like Belkin and other companies, DeLonghi cut out the middleman. Their communications manager, Tara Carpenter, simply went on Amazon and gave a variety of DeLonghi products five-star rave reviews herself. More » -
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recession
Sears: Lose Your Job, Keep Your Purchase, Forget The Debt
Acknowledging that skittish consumers are still unwilling to buy big-ticket items, Sears tomorrow plans to unveil a bold new guarantee: if you lose your job after charging a purchase worth $399 or more to your Sears card, the retailer will credit 1/12th of the purchase price to your account for each month you are unemployed. If you stay jobless for one year, the debt is entirely forgiven, and the appliance is yours to keep. More » -
flowers
Ask The Consumerists: These Flowers Just Need To Chill
Billy's wife owns a small flower shop near Austin, Texas. The shop's floral cooler broke down recently. They can't afford a new one, and can't find a used one for sale in the area. A misunderstanding when taking out an insurance policy means that the business's insurance won't cover the cooler malfunction.
Without a place to keep the flowers fresh and cool in the summer heat, they might as well close down the shop—but who wants to do that? More »
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appliances
Maytag Refers You To Sears Repair, Then Claims Sears Repair Isn't Authorized
Consumer affairs columnist (and my former colleague) Dan Higgins stumbled upon a well-guarded secret—the real reason the Maytag repairman has nothing to do. It isn't because the appliances are so reliable. No, apparently it's because Maytag dispatches Sears repairmen to make warranty repairs, then refuses to reimburse customers because Sears isn't an authorized repair provider. At least that's what happened to this nice elderly lady. More » -
how to
Use Your Dishwasher Properly
Listen parents, we told you all those years that cleaning the dishes before putting them in the dishwasher was silly and duplicative, and now we have the Times telling us we were right! Ha! Pre-rinsing dishes is "actually triple bad" according a "senior dishwasher design engineer," because dishwasher detergent exists to attack food, and when it doesn't find any, it instead attacks your glasses. It also wastes electricity and water. And that's not the only mistake most people make. Inside, the Times' tips for keeping your dishwasher happy... More » -
appliances
LG Refrigerator Causes Flash Floods, Mini-Glaciers
Jason's refrigerator wouldn't work correctly, no matter how many times it was repaired. Eventually, Best Buy had to intervene. Yes, that Best Buy. More » -
best buy
Best Buy Assembles Washer/Dryer Outside, Delivers It To Your Neighbor
John ordered a washer and a dryer from Best Buy. First, he says Best Buy showed up early for the delivery, so naturally, John wasn't home. Then they assembled the pedestals for the washer and dryer on some gravel in front of his house, damaging them. After that, they left the appliances with his neighbor. More » -
repairs
Woman Barricades Repairman Until He Fixes Her Washer
A British woman locked a repairman in her washer room and said she wouldn't let him out until he fixed her washer. More » -
There's a George Foreman fryer now, people. It promises to "knock out" 55% of the fat by spinning your food. "Patented Smart Spin™ Technology lets you spin out the fat for up to 2 minutes with low or high speed setting." You may begin posting your Arrested Development "cornballer" jokes in the comments at this time. [George Foreman]
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Freezers
Americans Stop Buying Appliances... Except For Freezers
Consumer Reports says that despite an overall downturn in appliance purchases, one category is up 13% from last year. Freezers! More »
appliances
New York, 6:46 PM
Sun Nov 15
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