Consumerist
funny
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stinky
Chicago Is Sorry They Towed 20 People So Secret Could Film A Deodorant Commercial
Know what's more important than you not having your car towed and having to pay a $160 tow fee? Secret deodorant commercials! At least that's the message Chicago sent back in September when they put up signs about a film shoot tow zone only 3 hours before the towing was to begin. More » -
class action
Chicago Impounds Your Car As Part Of "Investigation," Holds It Hostage
A class action lawsuit has been filed against the City of Chicago on behalf of people whose cars were impounded as part of a police investigation — and then charged outrageous fees to get their vehicles back. The lawsuit covers 15,000 people whose cars were impounded by the city over a five year period. More » -
funerals
Congressman Introduces Bill To Oversee Cemeteries
Remember Burr Oak this past summer? That was the Chicago cemetery that dug up bodies and resold the graves to new customers. Well, yesterday a U.S. Representative from Illinois introduced the Bereaved Consumers Protection Act, a bill that would standardize record-keeping, make cemeteries accountable to federal officials as well as state, and protect consumers from shady business practices. More » -
rescission
Insurer To 17-Year-Old: Your Parents Lied On Application, Good Luck Paying Your Bills
The Chicago Tribune says that when 17-year-old Brianna Rice was diagnosed with celiac disease in February — she had insurance. Her insurance company, however, has rescinded that coverage because her parents allegdly lied on her application — by neglecting to mention her troubling medical history of dizziness, elevated cholesterol levels, ongoing fatigue and a persistent cough. More » -
privatization
Lawsuit Attempts Declare Chicago's Privatized Parking Meters "Illegal and Void"
Know what people don't like? Chicago privatized parking meters. Now a public interest group is suing the city, claiming that Daley didn't have the right to lease the meters to a private company for an "excessive period," that that tax payer dollars shouldn't go towards police to enforce meters owned by a private company. They also say that the city can't force the Illinois Secretary of State to suspend licenses for failure to pay tickets issued at private meters. 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 » -
follow ups
Twitter Lawsuit Company Tells Its Side Of Story
Horizon Realty, the Chicago company that sued a former tenant for libel after she posted an offhand remark about them on her Twitter account, must have felt the full effects of Internet notoriety today. Jeff Michael—who was quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times saying that Horizon was a "sue first, ask questions later" sort of company—has issued a response. Click here to read it (PDF). The short version: he says the tenant in question sued them first (about a month after the tweet in question), and they're all in deep disagreement about any existence of mold in the apartment. (Thanks to Alyssa!) More » -
lawsuits
Tenant Sued After Using Twitter To Complain About Moldy Apartment
If the the puiblic didn't read Amanda Bonnen's Twitter feed before, they will now, thanks to a defamation lawsuit brought against her by Horizon Group Management in Chicago. More » -
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cemetery
$300K Grave-Recycling Scam In Chicago
Historically, it's not unheard of to dig up graves, move bones to a different site, and re-use those graves. It only becomes problematic when cemetery staff take it upon themselves to re-use cemetery plots already bought, paid for, and occupied, and dump the occupants in a pile of weeds out back. That's what employees of a historic black cemetery in Chicago did. More » -
crime solving
Man Uses New Tracking Feature To Hunt For Stolen iPhone
On Saturday, Kevin lost his iPhone in a bar in Chicago, and by lost we mean someone grabbed it within seconds of him leaving the bar, but no one had seen a thing when he ran back in to ask about it. Since he had the Find My iPhone service activated on it, and his friend had a Sprint 3G dongle on his laptop, they decided to see whether they could track it down. AT&T and Sprint: working together to fight crime! More » -
illinois
170 Bogus Tickets: Chicago Tests Ticketing Equipment With Your License Plate
When I read the headline for this story (it didn't mention Chicago), I bet myself a million dollars that the man had an Illinois license plate. I am now a millionaire. Or I will be as soon as I pay myself. More » -
the chicago way
Chicago Group Misuses Government Funds To Try To Lobby For More Money For Itself
The Chicago-based community organizer group the National Training and Information Center received more than $200,000 to train employees of other community organizations, but instead used the money to send its own employees to Washington D.C. to lobby for more funds. The misappropriated cash was part of more than $3.1 million in total government funds the NTIC received between 2000 and 2002. More » -
expiration dates
Will CVS Ever Pull Expired Medicine, Baby Formula From Their Shelves?
CVS stores across the nation regularly stock expired medicine, milk, and baby formula, according to a damning union report. This isn't the first time CVS has been caught stocking dangerous goods. Last year, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo threatened a suit after his office caught the pharmacy selling goods over a year past their expiration dates. CVS claims that, despite investing over $160 million in a "perpetual inventory management" system, it's nearly impossible to keep expired items off the shelf because they simply have too much stuff. More » -
scams
Apartment Listing Service Sells Database Of Scammy And Outdated Rentals
The Illinois attorney general's office has filed suit against a Chicago-based rental property listing service for allegedly "charging consumers a membership fee for access to a property database populated largely with fraudulent or outdated rental listings." More » -
Who Killed Kiddieland? After 80 years the Chicagoland amusement park will be closing in September to make way for an unnamed big box retailer. [Chicago Tribune]
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bpa
Chicago Bans BPA In Baby Bottles
The Chicago City Council has voted to ban the controversial chemical BPA in baby bottles, says the Associated Press. More » -
As of May 1st, Jewel-Osco, the Chicagoland grocery chain, no longer accepts expired coupons. "This practice is being phased out given the wide range of in-store money-saving opportunities, including the use of Jewel-Osco's Preferred Card, regularly advertised sales, availability of online coupons, and special in-store promotions," a spokesperson said. [Daily Herald]
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