bed-bugs

Priceline Upgrades You To Reportedly Bedbug-Infested Hotel
By Laura Northrup on December 7, 2011 12:15 PM  
Ordinarily, it would be a good thing if Priceline upgraded your bid for a 3.5-star hotel to a 4-star bid. This sometimes happens when a classier hotel accepts your bid. It wasn't much of a bonus for Lissa, though. She wanted to avoid a certain 4-star hotel because user reviews in various places complained of bedbug infestations, so she bid only on 3.5-star establishments. Of course, this bid landed her at the allegedly infested hotel. It took her several hours of customer service hell to get out of the situation, which is still better than being chomped on by bedbugs. More »

Phony Bedbug Exterminator Steals Jewels
By Ben Popken on November 3, 2011 5:00 PM  
New York Police are warning Queens residents to be on the lookout for a jewel thief in bedbug exterminator's clothing. More »

Firms Start To Offer Bedbug Insurance
By Phil Villarreal on July 19, 2011 9:45 AM  
If you suspect there are bedbugs crawling around you when you're trying to get to sleep, it's tough find peace of mind. But some businesses are trying to sell people some easier sleep by offering bedbug insurance. More »

Can Bedbugs At The Waldorf-Astoria Actually Give You An Anxiety Disorder?
By Meg Marco on January 6, 2011 1:35 PM  
The bedbug lawsuits are flying... or maybe they're crawling. Anyway, Gothamist has a post about the most recent customer to point a calamine-scented finger at the Waldorf-Astoria. More »

My Hotel Room Has Bedbugs -- What Do I Do?
By Phil Villarreal on November 17, 2010 1:26 PM  
Rick woke up in his hotel bed to find he'd been joined by several unwanted strangers for some dirty exchanging of bodily fluids. That's right, he's got bedbugs. He's freaked out and doesn't know what to do. More »

New York Requires Landlords To Tell Tenants Of Bedbug History
By Phil Villarreal on August 31, 2010 9:45 AM  
Since New York is being eaten alive by bedbugs, the state government has stepped in to make landlords disclose a one-year history of bedbug infestations at properties to prospective tenants. More »

Bedbugs Spread Across America In Search Of Delicious Fresh Humans
By Laura Northrup on August 21, 2010 5:00 PM  
New York City is experiencing a bedbug infestation, with the critters back in the news for munching on humans at a movie theater and even the Empire State Building. We expect to hear about bedbugs in densely populated urban areas like New York and San Francisco, but NPR reports that the critters are showing up nationwide. More »

(Ben Popken)

Bedbugs Shutter Hollister Store
By Ben Popken on July 1, 2010 10:00 AM  
Nasty bitey bedbugs shut down Hollister's flagship clothing store in SoHo, New York yesterday. Gothamist reports that the store's traditional shirtless male greeters are now employed to stand outside and tell would-be shoppers that the store is closed. More »

Would This Bed Bug Billboard Keep You From Shopping Here?
By Chris Morran on April 12, 2010 11:31 AM  
Over on Rick Moser's blog, he posted this photo of a billboard in NYC featuring a mammoth bed bug looming over a strip club, a souvenir shop and a pizza joint. Aside from it just being creepy-to-the-max, might this billboard not also be doing damage to the businesses below? More »

Sleepy's Exec Says Bedbugs Come From People
By Chris Walters on August 17, 2009 9:32 PM  

—>Buried in the controversy surrounding the exit of consumer reporter George Gombossy from the Hartford Courant was his article that looks at complaints against mattress company Sleepy's. We though this bit of wisdom from Sleepy's COO was worth repeating:  More »

Nighttime Itching? Bed Bug Infestations Up 500% Worldwide
By Lucy Bayly on April 20, 2009 2:17 PM  

—>Call it the Twilight phenomenon. The EPA held its first ever "bed bug summit" last week, to discuss the rise in infestations of the tiny nocturnal bloodsuckers. There was talk of more 'bed bug task forces' in big cities, possible federal research into new technology such as steaming or freezing the bugs, and lots of icky close-ups of parasites.  More »

Walmart Refuses To Take Back Air Mattress, Makes Up New Return Policy On The Spot
By Chris Walters on October 3, 2008 2:01 PM  

—>Jacob writes, "I have been trying to make Walmart take back an air mattress for two months now, and they refuse." The store manager at the Walmart on South Duff Avenue in Ames, Iowa (shout out to Leslie Hall!) has started making up new rules on when an air mattress can be returned—including that the federal government limits returns to 15 days "because of the bed bugs, you know." No, we didn't know that, Walmart manager. In fact, after thinking about it, we're still not sure we know it. Because it sounds like you made it up.  More »

Walmart Refuses To Take Back Air Mattress, Makes Up New Return Policy On The Spot
By Chris Walters on October 3, 2008 2:01 PM  

—>Jacob writes, "I have been trying to make Walmart take back an air mattress for two months now, and they refuse." The store manager at the Walmart on South Duff Avenue in Ames, Iowa (shout out to Leslie Hall!) has started making up new rules on when an air mattress can be returned—including that the federal government limits returns to 15 days "because of the bed bugs, you know." No, we didn't know that, Walmart manager. In fact, after thinking about it, we're still not sure we know it. Because it sounds like you made it up.  More »

A Days Inn in Cleveland, Ohio, has bedbugs, a mother of four found out when the Red Cross put her family there for the night after her house burned down. Yes, it's another bedbugs-in-hotels story, but this time there are pictures! [WKYC.comMore »

Those Aren't Bedbugs, Says Ohio Travelodge. They're Dirt!
By Chris Walters on July 16, 2008 9:22 PM  

—>People, we're never going to attract Canadian tourists if we keep scaring the hell out of them with fireworks and bedbugs. Esmond and his girlfriend were staying at a Travelodge in Sandusky, Ohio on July 5th, and couldn't sleep because of fellow Travelodge guests shooting off fireworks in the parking lot. Around 1:30 a.m. there was a loud boom:  More »

There Are Bed Bugs On The Subway Benches. Yes, Really.
By Meg Marco on May 14, 2008 6:03 PM  

—>Bedbugs are usually thought of as something that only hotel guests have to worry about, but apparently New Yorkers who like to sit on benches while they wait for the subway should be concerned about the bloodsuckers as well.  More »

Hey, Thanks For The Bed Bugs!
By Meg Marco on April 14, 2008 12:46 PM  

—>Sarah is experiencing every traveler's worst nightmare. Bed bugs!

I just started reading The Consumerist. I did a search on bedbugs to see if you had any posts, and then thought I'd tell you my own story after reading about the people who found bedbugs in a Santa Monica hotel. In August of last year, I stayed at the Holiday Inn in Santa Monica.
  More »

Watch Out For Bedbugs When Traveling
By Chris Walters on November 13, 2007 11:07 PM  

—> The next time you're in a hotel, whether it's a cheap day-rate one for your sad little affair or a luxurious business suite that the company has unwittingly paid for, check to see whether the mattress has an "allergy free" cover on it—it's a codeword for "bedbug-proof." Also, if you see trained beagles roaming the hotel sniffing out mold, there's a good chance the "mold" is another codeword for "bedbug." Hotels are quietly doing their best to locate and exterminate the insects to protect themselves from particularly vengeful lawsuits—but since an infestation can occur anywhere (it has nothing to do with "cleanliness" or sanitation), it's a tough battle to win.  More »

New York City Lets the Bedbugs Bite
By Meg Marco on September 19, 2006 6:31 PM  

The city of New York is experiencing an epidemic of bedbugs with no apparent cause. Officials recently voted down a measure to ban the sale of used mattresses, because, duh, new mattresses are expensive and people need somewhere to sleep.   More »

Consumerist Ask Metafilter Round-Up
By consumerist.com on August 10, 2006 9:55 AM  
• Can bedbugs survive an airplane flight if they hitch a ride in your (checked) luggage? [Link]  More »

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