Consumerist
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inappropriate
Hospital Sends $29,000 Bill To Parents Of Murdered College Student
Not only did the UC Davis Medical Center send a $29,186.50 bill to the parents of college student who was beaten to death by his roommate, they also sent a letter letting them know that their son was considered indigent and was no longer welcome at the hospital if he needed further treatment. He doesn't, of course, because he is deceased. More » -
crime
5 People Charged With Robbing And Torturing Mortgage Modification Agents
KTLA says that five people have been charged with torture, robbery and false imprisonment after luring two loan modification agents to a location and then holding them for hours, beating and robbing them before one escaped. More » -
fail
State Job Website Has Great Opportunities For Self-Starting Identity Thieves
CBS 5 exposed a "gaping hole" in the code of California's state-run employment website that allows anyone who views the site to access and modify other users' resumes and personal info simply by changing some numbers in the URL. More » -
fire
DirecTV Charges Wildfire Victims For Burnt TV Receivers
DirecTV was planning on charging several victims in the largest fire in recorded Los Angeles County history for the satellite TV receivers that burnt to cinders in their homes. "What I'd like to do is take a shovel full of ashes from my cabin and dump it on their desk. They can have their receivers back," Ken Gray told LAT. More » -
call CPUC
PG&E Charges $1000/Month For Electricity Used In The 70's
PG&E has decided to start billing Josh's parents for electricity from the 1970's, to the tune of nearly $1000 per month. More » -
saucy
Crepe Place Will Give You Any Crepe And A Spanking For $25.00
We really have no idea if this is a deal or not, but Metro Crepes in Oakland, CA will give you any crepe on the menu and a spanking for $25. According to the menu, we estimate the value of the spanking at around $20 — if you get either the Brussels or the Madrid crepe. More » -
ripoffs
CA Residents: Watch Out For Fake LLC Registration Scams
California requires limited liability companies to register with the state every two years. You could do this yourself by filling out a form and paying $20, or you could pay this shady company $239 to do the same thing. More » -
A+++ would buy from again
Schwarzenegger Asked To Close Prostitution Ratings Website
At Punternet.com you can rate UK prostitutes, find out about British massage parlors, and participate in a bulletin board about all things prostitutey. ("Punter" = "john" in British slang.) Yesterday a British government minister asked Arnold Schwarzenegger to shut it down, because although it concerns the British sex industry—where prostitution isn't illegal—it's based in California. More » -
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credit limits
Does Living In California Make You A Higher Credit Risk?
Paul Smith, who lives in San Diego and has a credit score of 751, had his HSBC credit card limit lowered from $7,000 to $1,400 recently for mysterious reasons. He called HSBC to find out why. More » -
oh, that recession
You Can't Even Afford To Pay For Porn
You cheapskates are really ruining this economy. First, you decided you couldn't afford to gamble. And now you're giving up on another industry that could be crucial to pumping up our flaccid economy: porn. According to The Economist, revenues in the $6 billion a year adult entertainment industry have dropped by 30%-50%, with some producers claiming that they're down by as much as 80%. Film production has dropped from 5,000 to 6,000 a year to about 3,000 to 4,000. More » -
munchies
This California K.F.C. Sells Marijuana Instead Of Chicken
We just love obvious conversions of former fast food restaurants, but this has to be the best one we've ever seen. A former Kentucky Fried Chicken has been replaced with "Kind For Cures," a marijuana dispensary, says LA Weekly. More » -
sales
California Is Having A Garage Sale!
This Friday and Saturday, the state of California is going to hold a massive garage sale (they're actually calling it that) to try to get rid of surplus state property while also raising enough money to pay the bills for another month. If you're in Sacramento you can attend the event in person. If not, you can still take a look at the things they've posted on eBay. Who knows, maybe you'll find a cool car!
"California state garage sale: Many things must go" [Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: m.gifford) -
bad consumer
Southwest Customer Exposes Self, Punches Another Passenger, Then Strips Naked
Here's an issue you probably didn't expect to run into on your flight from Oakland to Las Vegas. According to the SF Chronicle, a man exposed himself, then punched a passenger who screamed. After that, he decided to strip naked and resist while flight attendants and other passengers subdued him. The flight was turned around and both the man and the woman he punched were taken to the hospital. They apparently don't know each other, and the man is wanted on drug charges. More » -
health
Free Health Care Receives Rock Star Reception In Los Angeles
The past few nights, thousands of people have lined up outside of the Forum in Los Angeles. a venue that usually hosts basketball games or big arena concerts. Who's in town to attract such a crowd? Metallica? Green Day? No, even better—doctors and dentists providing free care on a first-come, first-served basis. More » -
Carpocalypse
GM Cleans Out Closet, Will Sell New Cars On eBay
GM just realized that the downstairs hall closet is a freakin' mess. Mom went down there and saw all these, like, Pontiacs and stuff in there and now everyone is in trouble for letting it get this bad. The solution? An eBay store! More » -
copycat
Chicago "In-N-Out" Settles Trademark Infringement Lawsuit
Don't think you can call your place "Nicky's In-N-Out" and include a certain familiar-looking big yellow arrow in your logo and get away with it. In-N-Out — the beloved California burger chain — has settled a trademark lawsuit against a Chicagoland copycat gyro joint. More » -
crime
Genius Baggage Handlers Steal Retired Police Sergent's Handgun
The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that several baggage handlers working for a company contracted by Delta Airlines were busted in a sting operation that was launched following the theft of a handgun from a retired police sergeant's luggage. More » -
scams
$300,000 Credit Card Skim Was "Model Employee" Scam
His name was "Erick," and after earning respect and responsibilities at the Arco gas station he'd been working at for 8 months, he dissapeared, leaving behind only a hidden credit card skimmer that stole $300,000 worth of debit card info from reams of customers. Police believe that "Erick," pictured, was a low-rank solider in an organized crime ring who had been given the assignment of working his way up the ladder at the gas station until he was in a position to place the credit card skimmer, a type of con known as the "model employee" scam. As a shopper, protect yourself from skimmers by only using cash, credit cards, or swiping your debit card as credit.
Russian or Armenian Mob Used "Model Employee" Con at PCH Arco [LA WEEKLY] (Thanks to Angela!)
PREVIOUSLY: Credit Card Skimmers Attack Arco Gas Stations In California
california
New York, 8:21 PM
Fri Nov 20
20 posts in the last 24 hours
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