Consumerist
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best
Best Buy's Stock Magically Replenishes (Once You Buy it Online)
Sometimes, we get a tip in that rides the line between malignant incompetence and stupid mistake. I'm not really sure which one this next one counts as, so I'll let you decide. More » -
shady
Buy.com: It's Not Our Problem That You Never Got Your Item
Eric ordered a hard drive from Buy.com. He never received it, but Buy.com says that it was delivered. Eric's wife was home at the time that the delivery supposedly happened, and she remains hard drive-less. Now, Buy.com is saying that it's their policy not to be responsible for items once they are shipped, and Eric wants to warn others about this policy.
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survey says
Which Popcorn Pops The Most Kernels?
I can't help but feel a little ripped off when you finish a bag of popcorn only to find a bunch of unpopped kernels at the bottom. Am I really paying for defective popcorn? Which is I'm glad reader Wade, a popcorn junkie, conducted a home experiment to see which brand of popcorn pops the most kernels, and which one is the best to buy. They're not the same. In his test of Newman's Own, Pop Secret, Jolly Time, Best Choice, Act II, and Orville Redenbacker popcorn, Newmann's popped the most kernels, but Wade dubbed said Act II the winner. Why? It's the cheapest, came in 2nd for popped kernel percentage, it comes decently close to providing the claimed amount of servings, and his subjects said it tasted the best. Check out his site for the full results and methodology.
The Popcorn Test [Official Site]
(Photo: H Shap)
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My Recent Best Buy experience:
I am a 22 year old computer engineer. I
am also a garage drummer. In my garage I have my kit a 4.1 surround
sound and a laptop. <a href="http://tinypic.com"
target="_blank"><img
src="http://i30.tinypic.com/1zdi5l.jpg" border="0"
alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> The
laptops built in sound card was terrible so I wanted to upgrade. I
head over to my local best buy and look for the Creative USB 5.1
surround sound
(http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=206&product=10702).
Now some background I worked at a best
buy for a year, and im well aware that the staff is generally
untrained and incompetent. But this leads into something I didn't
expect; blunt lying.
On my search around the computer dept I
could not find the sound card, In the past I had seen it there and so
I figured maybe they placed it somewhere else. So I looked for a
sales associate. I find one and he points to the spot that I had just
been searching and walks away from me. Ok I am fine with that. I find
the dept lead and tell him the product I am trying to locate. He
heads over to there computer system and types in “creative USB”
it comes up with multiple internal sound cards but no external. Now I
expect him to just say “Sorry we no longer carry that item” and I
would be on my way, This did not occur. The dept lead turns to me and
says “ theres no item like that you cant upgrade a laptops sound
card” I politely responded “well there is a usb sound card out
there ill just check another store” he responds “ excuse me but
obviously I am not making my point, your just going to waste your
time going to another store, it doesn't exist.” Now I am a
generally mild tempered person but this bothered me. Because had I
known any less I may have taken this persons advice and go home
unsatisfied, I could just see that he had the mentality to often lie
to customers. I finally responded and said “ok, you obviously
dont know what you are talking about I am just going to leave.” he
then again says louder “you are just wasting your time, just buy a
better laptop” Thats it I had enough. I approach the store manager
thats walking around w/ a balloon attached to his clipboard and
explain the situation. The store managers response was “ our
computer sales associates are well trained and if they say it does
not exist, it must be true and you are wasting your time.” Appalled
I shake my head leave the store and head to our local “micro-center”
At micro center I pick up my creative
usb 5.1 as well as a information card on the product. I head home and
log onto the creative website as well as new-egg and print out the
detailed specs on the product.
I head back to the best buy, with my
information in hand on this product, I approach the store manager who
was quite surprised to see me again. I show him the product and
information that I had collected. He then pages over the dept lead
that I spoke to, and I requested an apology for his actions,
“obviously the product exists I just want to know why you were so
insistent on why I should give up my search for this product” with
a stunned look on his face, he says “this is ridiculous I don't
have time to deal with this Bullsh&*” Says this in front of his
store manager, The dept lead just walks away and the store manager
requests me to leave the store. Again appalled I said im sick of this
service I want the number to cooperate I am going to file a formal
complaint. The store manager responds in saying you cannot do this
cooperate does not take complaints. I said ill find out for myself.
Again he refuses to give me the number, At this point im getting
heated and making a bit of a scene. Security comes over and is now
“escorting me” out of the building. I later called the cooperate
office and told them of my experience they apologized and said action
would be taken, which It probably wont but, for anyone that goes into
theses stores expecting a knowledge base, do your research first.
Thank you,
ACR.
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deals
Just Shop For Items With Free Shipping
Free Shipping On is a new site lets you shop only for stuff with free shipping at Amazon, eBay and tons of other sites. To use the site, just click on the Amazon or eBay tab to find free shipping from those places, or click on the Free Shipping Coupons to get free shipping coupons for the oodles of other sites. A god-send for eager-beaver online bargain hunters. -
cars
Consumer Reports Top Auto Picks 2008
Here are the cars Consumer Reports says are standouts in 2008 for "performance, versatility, reliability, and safety."
Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE ($18,000)
Midsized SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe ($27,000 to $39,000)
Luxury Sedan: Lexus LS 460L ($77,000)
Family Sedan: Honda Accord ($22,000 to $31,000)
Upscale Sedan: Infiniti G35 ($33,000 to $35,000)
Fun To Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata ($27,000)
Small SUV: Toyota RAV4 ($23,000 to $30,000)
Minivan: Toyota Sienna ($24,000 to $37,000)
"Green" Car: Toyota Prius. ($24,000)A good starting guide if you're looking to pick up a new car this year.
Top Picks 2008 [Consumer Reports]
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cars
Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Luxury Cars
ForbesAutos released its list of the top 10 most fuel-efficient luxury cars.
10. Volvo C30
9. Porsche Boxster/Cayman
8. Lexus IS 250
7. Acura TSX
6. Volvo S40 2.4i sedan/V50 2.4i wagon
5. Audi A4 2.OT
4. Lexus GS 450h
3. Audi A3 2.0T
2. Audi TT 2.0T
1. Mercedes-Benz E320 BluetecIf you're going to spend extra for a high-end car, might as well save some on gas.
Top 10 Most Fuel-Efficient Luxury Cars [Forbes Autos]
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buy
Hi-Def TVs Cost Drops 40%, Quality Up
Looking to upgrade to a hi-def TV? Now is the time, says Consumer Reports. Price are down as much as 40% and quality is up. They tested a whole bunch of TVs and rated as Best Buys the Sony Bravia KDL-46S3000 $1900 46-inch and Toshiba Regza 42HL67 $1,150 42 inch LCD TVs. Based on their surveys, repair rates have been very low, and so they still recommend skipping the extended warranty.
TV Stars [Consumer Reports]
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A roundup of the best, basic, no-frills, low-cost cellphones. [Cnet]
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buy
Who Should And Shouldn't Buy A Mac
Walter Mossberg wrote a guide for buying a Mac and we like the parts that say who should and who shouldn't get one. Mac vs PC debates are highly personal, often end in bloodshed, and usually make no sense, so it's nice to see a rational discussion of each system's attributes. In the end, it really matters what kind of user you are, and what your price point is... More » -
cars
25 Safest Cars Of 2007
These are the 25 cars you're least likely to die in, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Picks 2007. They do front and side crashes at high speeds. They see how much of a crick in the neck you get after being hit in the rear. One thing that stands out is that cars with optional electronic stability control are getting good grades.
LARGE CARS
Audi A6
2008 Ford Taurus with optional electronic stability control
2008 Mercury Sable with optional electronic stability control
Volvo S80MIDSIZE CARS
Audi A4
Saab 9-3
Subaru Legacy with optional electronic stability controlMidsize convertibles and small SUV's, inside... More »
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This nice 8.5 x 11 picture of hundreds of shopping carts can be yours for only $20. It was taken by Kate Bingaman, the gal, who draws pictures of all her credit cards and purchases. [20x200]
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Here's a sample email one man used to gather quotes from multiple dealerships. He ended up getting a 2007 Odyssey EX minivan for $25,780 before TTL, $630 under invoice, no trade, no accessories and the dealer beat his e-loan rate. [dbattery]
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deals
Virgin America Helping Pop Transcontinental Air Fare Prices
As we read in their e-newsletter this morning, a top airline analyst told Farecompare.com, "because of the debut of Virgin America, watch for many airlines to lower the air fares on their transcontinental flights for the foreseeable future." Wow, look at that, increased competition means lower prices for consumer. Who would have ever have thunk it? And yes, that's a view inside one of their planes.
(Photo: Ted Shelton)
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If you're interested in switching to "green light," check out this comprehensive but digestible CFL buying and use guide. [Danny Lipford]
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poison ivy
Tecnu Washes Away Poison Ivy Oils Instead Of Just Dulling The Itch
We got some poison ivy and first we tried our Hot/Cold water method. In this, first you run hot water on the rash until it's so hot you can't stand it. Then hold it there. Then flip the water to freezing. Your nerves will be so freaked out they won't know how to itch for the next few fours.
Days later, the rash hadn't gone away and we were starting to go insane. We bought 3 poison ivy products but only one of them really worked. More »
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health
5 Pedometers That'll Knock Your Socks Off
Whether you're looking to start a serious exercise plan or simply want to keep track of how much walking you're doing, a good pedometer can be one solution for tracking your progress. And today's models are up to the task — having come a long way from the "shake and count" versions of just a decade or so ago. To find out which pedometer should be named King of the Walkers, Money magazine tested the five top units.
The winner was the Omron Pocket HJ-720ITC. For $50, it is over 99% accurate, stores 42 days of data, and allows you to upload results to your computer. Alas... More »
buy
New York, 1:21 PM
Sat Nov 14
13 posts in the last 24 hours
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