Consumerist
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entertainment
Should Concert Promoters Have To Disclose Lip-Syncing?
Various people in the country of Australia are upset at Britney Spears for lip syncing — and feel that it is dishonest for the pop star not to disclose that sometimes she's just mouthing along while she dances. More » -
not real
Fake McDonald's Letter Is Totally Fake, Burger Pusher Confirms
Mickey D's down under wants everyone to know that the parody McDonald's letter making the rounds is indeed prankaliscious. Corporate Communications Manager Bronwyn Stubbs writes: More » -
funny
(Parody) New Profit Center For Australian McDonald's: Fraud?
Note: This memo is a parodic spoof.
You know when you leave a fast-food restaurant, look in your bag, and notice that something small is missing? Like, one of your drinks, or an apple pie? Maybe that's not the result of error. Maybe your local McDonald's is the center of a criminal conspiracy. More »
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blacklists
Are You A Hotel Trasher? Don't Stay In Australia
Guests Behaving Badly (GBB) is an Australia-only customer blacklist that hotels there can use to weed out potentially bad guests. From their FAQ:
More »There are a total of five categories of behaviour which include at the lower level blatant disregard for applicable terms and conditions such as smoking in non-smoking areas, using facilities such as swimming pools tennis courts out of hours etc, all the way to non payment of tariff, assault, stealing etc. Persons in breach of the minor conditions referred to would not be reported unless they failed to heed several warnings regarding their activities.
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fees
Enlightened Nation To Banks: Either Explain Excessive Fees Or Eliminate Them
Australian consumers will soon be able to challenge any bank fee that they consider "unreasonable," thanks to a new law that could save consumers up to $1 billion. Banks that want to keep levying excessive fees for late payments and overdrafts will need to prove that the charges are reasonable by revealing the true processing costs behind the fee. More » -
webhackery
Frustrated Customer Hacks Into DSL Website, Fixes Own Customer Service Issues, Is Thanked By Company Bigwig
When three months of phone calls and a $44 fee still didn't result in the name change he'd requested on his DSL account, Aussie techie Douglas decided to hop onto the website's customer portal and fix it himself using a Firebug plug-in. Since the site was extremely poorly engineered and he is a smartypants, he found it ridiculously easy to achieve. When he proudly posted the story to a programming blog, the DSL company wrote in to congratulate him.
Nice one, Douglas. Though I think a certain DSL company owes you about $44??
Connect Betterer [The Daily WTF] (Thanks to Ben S.!)
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how to
ID An ATM Skimmer
Here's a 24-page PDF of a powerpoint on ATM skimmers that's making the rounds in Australia. If you've been reading every ATM skimming post, most of this is review, but it contains several more examples of what skimmers can look like and what to watch out for. Though it's from an Australian bank, most of the information is general enough to apply to any ATM. A handy document to pass around to friends and family to warn them about ATM skimming dangers.
ATM Card Skimming and PIN capturing Awareness Guide [Commonwealth Bank] (PDF) (Thanks to Laura!)
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grocery shrink ray
Cascade Beer Drinkers Defeat Grocery Shrink Ray
When Fosters-owned Cascade beer (different from regular Fosters in that it tastes decent) switched to 330ml from 375ml while charging the same price, consumers let their discontent be known in a highly visible fashion: they stopped buying it. Fosters reported a 33% drop in sales and some retailers reported up to a 50% drop. In response to the steep drop-off, Fosters is going back to 375ml, the standard size for canned beers in Australia.
Foster's cans 330ml stubbies [smh.com.au] (Thanks to Kevin!) (Photo: James Cridland)
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deals
United's Secret Australia Sale: ~$1000 Round Trip Tickets
If you want to hit Australia like right now,United is having an unadvertised sale with roundtrip tickets for about $1000, no advance purchase required. For instance, JFK is only $973 with taxes. Usually no advance purchase required tickets cost a pretty penny. The deal is good at airports all across the nation. Qantas is price-matching the sale, too.
Airfares to Sydney (SYD) [AirFareWatchDog]
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mouthwash
That Burning From Mouthwash? It's Cancer
Great news, kids! Australian researcher Michael McCullough says you should stop using alcoholic mouthwashes like Listerine and Scope because they could give you oral cancer. More » -
Aussie Sprunch
Grocery Shrink Ray Goes Down Under, Attacks Aussie Sprunch Hairspray
Looks like the Grocery Shrink Ray took a working vacation down under this summer. Reader Meg tells us that her redesigned Aussie Sprunch hairspray shriveled from 12 ounces to 10.2 ounces. Gone too is an adorable yellow kangaroo, mercilessly consumed, we presume, by the insatiable Grocery Shrink Ray. More » -
rude
Australian TV Investigates, Uncovers Pattern Of Abuse At "Rude Feedback" Restaurant
Two Australian news shows have been following up on the "Dear Lorraine,your are an idiot we dont need your feedback" email we posted earlier this month — one charged into the restaurant with cameras, and another discovered a pattern of crappy customer service at the Casa Flamenco Restaurant. More » -
Like kangaroos? Flights down under may soon cost less thanks to an open skies agreement signed by the U.S. and Australia that will smash apart the duopoly enjoyed by Qantas and United. Richard Branson's discount Australian airline, Virgin Blue, has already submitted an application to mix things up and drive fares south. [L.A. Times]
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funny
Restaurant Gives Patron Feedback
Here's proof that bad customer service, like haggling and buyer's remorse, is a universal human condition. A woman in Brisbane, Australia saw an ad for 50% off the bill at Casa Flamenco, a local restaurant, so she and some friends went out for dinner. The experience wasn't good—untrained waiter, mediocre food, small servings, long wait time, and despite the half-off coupon the meal was surprisingly expensive for the value. The woman—a restaurant marketer—wrote a polite email to the restaurant with some professional feedback and suggestions on how to improve service. More » -
Don't bring $3000 worth of wine to Melbourne's Tullmarine airport packed in your carry-on luggage, because they are hardcore. [News.com.au via Fark]
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ghb
How The "Date Rape Drug" Was Found Inside A Children's Toy
The New York Times has a great article about the doctor who figured out that the "Aqua Dots" or "Bindeez" beads were full of GHB. It reads like a summary of an episode of House, M.D.:Doctors at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, outside Sydney, first believed that the 2-year-old boy, whose name has not been released, had an inherited metabolic disorder. But when Dr. Carpenter checked urine samples the next day for the chemical markers of the disorder, he found GHB, which can render victims unconscious and even cause death through respiratory failure.
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someone think of the children
Popular Australian Toy Filled With GHB
A toy that won the Australian Toy of the Year award this year has been recalled because it contains small beads that are filled a glue the body metabolizes into GHB. As in gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, a party drug popular among ravers. More » -
Add "barmaid" to your list of toxic things to avoid in Australia. The woman, a 23-year-old former employee of a Melbourne nightclub, and someone police say is "known for her prankster-style behavior," served a patron a shot of Pine-O-Cleen disinfectant during a 6 a.m. "drinking bout." The victim survived but developed ulcers on his skin. The ex-barmaid now faces "four charges of intentionally causing injury." Man, everything cool happens in Australia. [Reuters]
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australia
New York, 7:41 AM
Sun Nov 22
8 posts in the last 24 hours
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