NEW YORK, 5:09 AM, SAT JUL 19 | 19 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@consumerist.com | RSS
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bad install

bad install

Car Stereo Company Tries To Install GPS, Causes $12,398.54 Damage To Your Car

Reader Brandon took his recently purchased 1996 BMW M3 to a car stereo installation company to have a stereo, speaker set, and GPS system installed. When he got his car back, he noticed that the climate control system was no longer functioning the way it used to. Hot air was leaking from his air ducts when he selected cold air. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the car stereo installation shop to repair the damage they caused, Brandon took the car to some BMW experts and found out that the botched installation had caused over $10,000 in damage to his car. Brandon then tried to get the car stereo shop's insurance company to pay for the repairs, but they denied his claim on the basis that procedures used for the installation were typical. Brandon says he then took the car stereo shop to small claims court. but the judge ruled against him because the car stereo shop employees claimed that he entered into a oral contract to release them from liability in exchange for a partial refund. Brandon claims he never entered into such a contract. Read his story inside. More »

bad install

Comcast Digs Up Your Patio After You Asked Them Not To And Other Assorted Humiliations

Reader Shannon has been without a working phone in her home office for the past 16 days thanks to Comcast. This has her in a bad mood, but she's also a little ticked off because they sent over a bunch of guys who didn't understand her when she told them not to dig up her patio. More »

bad install

Circuit City Will Not Refund Your $169 Even If The Local News Calls On Your Behalf

Tiffany Byrd hired Circuit City's Firedog to install her 40-inch Samsung TV over her (fake) fireplace. When she told the Firedog rep that she wanted the TV above a "fireplace," Firedog told her it would cost an extra $169 because fireplaces were often made of brick and other substances that make it difficult to attach TVs. Tiffany told them that her fireplace was fake and the wall above it was normal drywall. Firedog said that if the tech got to her house and found that the fireplace was indeed fake, her extra $169 would be refunded. The tech installed the TV with no problems and noted on her receipt "Basic wall installation. Waive Charge." Now Circuit City is refusing to refund the money and not even a call from her local TV news station could compel Circuit City to change its mind. More »

bad install

Verizon Won't Install Your DSL, But Wants $79 To "Disconnect" It

If you can't free up any time from 9-5 on a weekday to have your Verizon DSL installed, the company will still bill you for the "service" you're not receiving says reader Joshua. If you'd like them to stop doing this, they'll charge you a $79 disconnect fee. More »

bad install

Sears' "Ultimate Appliance Promise" Vs. Reality

Reader David writes in to contrast the Sears Ultimate Appliance Promise ("a promise only Sears can make") with reality. He notes that although there's a cute graphic on the "promise" that implies that Sears will deliver every day of the week... he had a hard time getting Sears to deliver no matter what day of the week it was: More »

bad install

Best Buy Randomly Delivers Your New Stove In The Middle Of Your SuperBowl Party

Reader Jennifer wanted a new stove so she could cook delicious vittles for noshing during the SuperBowl. Sadly, she bought her stove from Best Buy, so instead of having a new stove for her party, she had a new stove delivered during the SuperBowl while she had a house full of guests. She launched an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) on them and CC'd us so we could listen in. More »

bad install

DirecTV Installer Crashes Through Your Ceiling, Won't Repair The Damage

In April of 2006, Deborah replaced her daughter's DirecTV receiver. When the technician was installing the line to her daughter's bedroom, he accidentally shoved his foot through the Deborah's ceiling. More »

bad install

FiOS Installation Woes: 5 Attempts In Almost Two Months

David and Jenn were sick of Comcast's unreliable service and decided to switch to Verizon FiOS. It only took 5 appointments and nearly two months. More »


bad install

Four Months Later, The Fridge You Paid Sears To Remove Is Still Sitting There

As with many of the real life stories on your site, ours is filled with astonishment, confusion and anger. It began in August of this year and continues until today. I write to you mainly so that other avid readers of your site may consider whether or not they should ever make a major purchase from Sears, and of course with the small hope that of the two or three staff at Sears who care about customer service would respond and end this saga for us.

More »

warranties

Sears Takes 2 Months And 4 Appointments To Fix Improperly Installed Washer

On Sept. 1 2006, I purchased a Kenmore HE2 Washer and Dryer from a Sears store located in Richmond, VA. These were full-sized units with the dryer stacked on top, and it was installed inside a utility closet in my kitchen by Sears technicians. I paid an additional $233 for a 5-year warranty for the washing machine.
As I will document below, Sears failed to live up to its warranty on multiple occasions, and because of this negligence my home has experienced considerable water damage.
More »

show us your verizon face

UPDATE: Make That 3 Months And 3 Techs Later And Your Verizon FiOS Might Get Installed

Thomas updates us:
When I pulled into my apartment complex last night I remember that I had a package waiting for me at my office. I passed a guy in a red coat who was exiting the office and didn't think anything of it. I got my package (a great little xmas tree my mother sent my gf and I) and walked over to my building to see the man in the red coat standing at the door to the building. I approached and asked him if he needed to be let in and he said "Yeah, I can't figure out how to call apartment 211 on this thing. I'm with Verizon, I need to fix her fiber line." More »

show us your verizon face

Two Techs and Two Months Later, Your FiOS Still Isn't Installed

One day after work I pull into my apartment complex and notice that there are quite a few Verizon trucks and vans parked outside of our apartment office accompanied with "SIGN UP FOR FiOS TODAY" signs plastered just about everywhere you can see. At first I shrugged this off because I am not, and have never been, a fan of Verizon. Then my girlfriend gets home and suggests we at least check it out. So we go over to the little reception they are having and talked to a nice girl about the speeds of their FiOS internet (which is what I was interested in) and the HD TV (what my girlfriend was interested in). More »

bad install

Comcast Tech Leaves Halfway Through Install, Tells Boss He's Done

Bob Garfield usually writes a blog about advertising and marketing for Advertising Age. Yesterday's post was a change of pace for Bob. It's called: "Comcast Must Die." More »

bad install

Lowe's Removes Your Carpet, Disappears For A Month

Rebecca was sick of her old wall-to-wall carpet and hired Lowe's to remove the old stuff and install some new laminate flooring and some new carpet as well. More »

Verizon Continues Weird, Pointless Flame War With Networkworld Blogger Here are the facts of the case as we know them:

show us your verizon face

Verizon: There Was No Fire. Fire Department: Yes, There Was A Fire.

We're feeling philosophical this morning after being confronted with two very different accounts of what went on at a small house on Pine Grove Street in Needham, Mass. Was there a fire? Was there not a fire? What is the definition of fire, anyway? More »

show us your verizon face

Verizon Sets Fire To Your Home

What's worse than Verizon not showing up for you appointment? Verizon techs showing up for you appointment, only to set fire to your home. More »