EECB Results In $6000 Credit From Maytag For Defective Jade Refrigerator

If you plunk down six grand for a refrigerator like the Jade Model #RJRS4870D, you expect it work. And if it doesn't, you expect the three-year warranty on it to cover things like the refrigerator leaking all over the floor, extra ice building up, and exuding the smell of burning rubber. Ron and his parents certainly thought so, but Maytag wanted them to pay for the installation of a new part to fix the problem, even though Maytag admitted it was a known issue with this refrigerator. Read his blog post about how he was able to use an executive email carpet bomb to persuade Maytag to doing the right thing. The end result was more than Ron asked or even hoped for: $6,000 credit towards any fridge they carry from either JennAir or Whirpool, installation included. My favorite line is when he tells them, "If the Whirlpool conglomerate cannot handle all of its customers in a timely matter maybe they should stop acquiring other brands and focus on the ones that they already have."

How to take care of your parents $6000 refrigerator using an Executive Email Carpet Bomb [Ron in Israel]

Credit Card Class Action: Get More Money Back Using Your Digital Camera

If you traveled abroad anytime between February 1, 1996 and November 8, 2006, your credit card company probably owes you money, but how much? Under a class action suing credit card companies for double-dipping on foreign transaction fees, the best bet for getting your the money, if you don't have detailed records of all your foreign transactions, is making an estimate based on how many days you were out of the country. One good way for shutterbugs to figure this out, says Delicious Baby, is to look through your vacation/travel photos on your computer. Most likely, they have digital timestamps you can use to figure out how long you were away. Now figuring out your refund is as easy and fun as going through your old photos. The due date for filing claims at ccfsettlement.com is May 30th.

Easy Hack for Getting a Refund from your Credit Card [DeliciousBaby]

American Airlines To Charge $25 Fee For Checking 2nd Bag

If You Happen To Prevail In Arbitration, Get Ready To Lose On Appeal

Why Does It Take IKEA Four Months To Replace A Defective Couch Cover?

9 Most Obnoxious Hidden Airline Fees

As their corpulent systems collide with increasingly harsh economic realities, airlines are making up more creative fees and charging for things that used to be free. Here's 9 of the worst offenders of the hidden airline fees, via Aviation.com.

9. Making a reservation on the phone or in person. Fee: $5-$20
8. Cashing in frequent flyer miles without "sufficient" advance notice. Fee: $0-100.
7. Bringing a pet onboard in the cabin/ Fee: $50-85 (each way)
6. Re-banking frequent flyer miles. Fee: $50-100
5. Checking luggage. Fee: $3-10 (each way)
4. Getting a refund when a fare goes down. Fee: $25 to $200 or more.
3. Flying standby on the same day of travel. Fee: $0-50
2. Paying for lap children. Fee: $10 to 10 percent of the adult fare
1. Getting a seat assignment. Fee: $5-$11 (each way)

What's your least favorite hidden airline fee?

Most Obnoxious Hidden Airline Fees [Aviation] (Thanks to Brandon!)

Comcast Trawling Blogs And Twitter For Customer Complaints

The sometimes customer service deficient cable company Comcast has a new "fireman" whose job is to respond when people blog or Twitter their customer complaints. Frank Eliason's unenviable task is to watch the blogosphere and reach out to posters when they kvetch about Comcast. He's a nice guy, he's reached out to help some our reader's posted complaints, but he's not omnipotent. This article covers two people customers contacted by Eliason. One of them got their problem solved within a day, the other was still waiting for a solution a work-week later. It is Comcast, after all. Still, if regular customer service isn't helping you, try blogging or Twittering your problem and maybe the magic customer service fairy will visit you! Also, his Twitter profile is comcastcares and his email is We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com.

Comcast's big push to repair its image [Philly.com]

Rude Service Costs Bank Of America Yet Another Customer

Save On Car Rentals By Renting After Busy Holidays

Our favorite travel troubleshooter blogger Chris Elliot interviewed a car rental salesperson to reveal six insider tips on how to get the most for your money. We like number 5, rent after a busy holiday.

5. Timing is everything. The largest expense incurred by a car rental company is depreciation. Basically, these companies are leasing all the cars in their fleet. They're charged different rates for different types of cars. "It is very important for car rental companies to have as many cars on the road as possible, as any cars that are sitting are not making money, and are actually costing the company money in depreciation fees." A customer who shows up after a busy holiday weekend can more or less name the price for a rental car. "They should be begging for you to take cars off their lot," he adds.

6 secrets car rental companies don't want you to know [Elliot]
(Photo: oliliqui)

BillShrink is a new site that analyzes your cellphone use and shows you the plan from all the carriers that will save you the most money. You can either manually enter your zip and how much you're paying monthly, or the more security cavalier can get more detailed results by offering up their cellphone number and carrier site password. I tested it out and while some parts of the website had to be tried a few times to get them to work, overall it was a good ride. They told me I could save $205 a year by switching to Tmobile. I'll think about it.

BillShrink [via Lifehacker]