NEW YORK, 7:12 AM, SAT JUL 19 | 18 POSTS IN THE LAST 24 HOURS | tips@consumerist.com | RSS
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Digital

Universal TechTronics

It's A Miracle! This Free Digital TV Converter Box Will Cost Me $100

We know you're too smart to fall for this ridiculously fraudulent digital TV converter offer, but maybe you know someone who's not wise to the facts of the upcoming switch to digital TV—specifically that converter boxes cost less than $100, and that you can get a government coupon to offset $40 of that cost. Universal TechTronics—the same scam outfit behind those "Amish" Heat Surge miracle fireplaces—is now conning the less knowledegable with their "free" converter box offer: pay nothing but a warranty and shipping, bringing the total cost to anywhere between $68 and $97. The Los Angeles Times says this is "the first large-scale [converter box] scam the Better Business Bureau has seen." More »

best buy

Best Buy Apologizes For Charging You Too Much Tax On Your DTV Converter Box

The way coupons are taxed is different in every state— and believe us — it gets really complicated. The general rule, in most (but not all) states is that consumers are taxed on the full amount of the transactionincluding any reimbursement that the store gets. More »

western digital

Western Digital HD Ships With Super Secret Asian Lady Porn!

A reader wrote in to tell us that the Western Digital hard drive he recently bought new from Best Buy had hidden dirty pics buried on it. He was running a program to retrieve some accidentally deleted images when he discovered the secret files. Read his story below. [Update: our tipster has written back in to clarify that the HD was not necessarily "brand new."] More »

customer service

Circuit City Calls The Cops On Customer Who Tried To Redeem $40 DTV Coupon

Circuit City wouldn't let Larry redeem his $40 digital transition converter box coupon unless he signed a credit slip agreeing to pay $40. Larry refused, and asked to cancel the transaction. Circuit City's manager responded by calling the police before following Larry into the parking lot to write down his license plate number. More »

dmca takedown notices

The Methods That Target DMCA Violators Are Flawed

When we read stories like Tanya Andersen's and consider the countless others who have been wrongfully targeted by trade groups like the RIAA, it becomes evident that the system by which DMCA takedown notices are issued is very far from perfect. For the uninitiated, DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) takedown notices are official statements which assert that an artist's or company's intellectual rights have been violated (i.e. copyright infringement) and often threaten legal action against an individual. In a study conducted by the University of Washington, researchers proved that this system is seriously flawed, according to the New York Times. In one experiment, the team received takedown notices from the MPAA which accused 3 laserjet printers of downloading the latest Indiana Jones movie and Iron Man. More, inside... More »

bad install

Comcast Digs Up Your Patio After You Asked Them Not To And Other Assorted Humiliations

Reader Shannon has been without a working phone in her home office for the past 16 days thanks to Comcast. This has her in a bad mood, but she's also a little ticked off because they sent over a bunch of guys who didn't understand her when she told them not to dig up her patio. More »

Here's 4 good reasons to buy a high-def TV now instead of later. [SmartMoney]

fines

Big Box Retailers Fight Back Against FCC's Recent Fines

Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears are all contesting the FCC's recent fines against them for not properly following analog transition rules in their stores, reports Ars Technica. Last week, Best Buy submitted a 41-page response (PDF) that claimed among other things that the FCC has no authority to fine them. More »

update

Cablevision Claims They Are Not Lying Liars, But Mysteries Remain

Cablevision responded to our post chastising their attempt to force customer to upgrade to digital service by pointing to an unrelated FCC mandate. Cablevision admits that there is no connection between their unilateral business decision to cut channels and the FCC-mandated transition to digital television, but their statement leaves several questions unanswered. Read Cablevision's statement and our response, after the jump. More »

exclusive

Cablevision Blatantly Lies To Subscribers As The FCC Twiddles Its Thumbs

Update: Cablevision responds.

Cablevision is lying to customers by claiming that the FCC will require all subscribers to upgrade to digital cable boxes in 2009. Digital cable boxes cost $6.50 per month, plus an extra $10.95 for digital service. Cablevision recently sent a letter to all boxless subscribers threatening to cut several channels unless they forked out a bundle of extra cash for digital service. When one of our family member called for an explanation, Cablevision shirked responsibility and placed the blame squarely on some crazy new FCC mandate. We called shenanigans and decided to call back and record our chats with several customer service representatives. Inside, the recordings of Cablevision lies and the FCC's flaccid response.

More »

fines

Sears, Best Buy, Wal-Mart And Others Fined For Not Warning Consumers About Analog Obsolescence

The FCC handed out a whole basketful of fines to electronics retailers today: $1.1 million for Sears and Kmart; $992,000 for Wal-Mart; $712,000 for Circuit City; and amounts between $168,000-384,000 for Target, Best Buy, CompUSA, and Fry's Electronics. What made Christmas come so early? They were all failing to warn consumers that analog-only TVs and tuners will stop working on their own when the digital switchover comes next year. More »

Netflix has been asking its members about their Xbox 360 usage habits as it considers whether to stream movie rentals over the device. Are you a Netflix subscriber who owns a 360? Were you surveyed? [Reuters]

free

Oprah Giving Away Women & Money!

Now you don't have to dress up in corporate casual-wear and spend half the day screaming in a studio audience to get something free from Oprah, because for the next day she's giving away digital versions of Suze Orman's new book "Women & Money" on her website, from now until 8/7c February 14th. Downloads are available in English and Spanish versions, PDF only. More »

your government

Become A DTV Deputy!

Howdy there partner, are you one of them DTV Deputies? No? The FCC thinks it's high time you take the transition to digital television into your own hands. Because why pay for test trials in select communities when you can use early-90's sound effects and cutting edge graphics to bait consumers into studying for a 13-question quiz? More »

drm

Adobe Won't Fix DRM Screw-Up Rendering E-Books Unreadable

If you use Leopard on a Mac and plan on buying e-books, be very careful—according to the various complaints on this thread, Adobe's Digital Editions still doesn't work on Leopard, and yet most places selling Digital Editions e-books won't warn you of this, leaving you with activated books you can't return but also can't read. More »

digital tv transition

Introducing The Most Accurate Press Release Ever Published

The Senate Commerce Committee issued a bold press release aggressively backing FCC Commissioner Michael Copps' contention that the nation is woefully unprepared for the pending transition to digital television. The release is a stunning rebuke to the FCC and the Commerce Department, which have dickered over responsibility for the ongoing transition. The Committee plans to hold a hearing on February 14 to find out just what content should, under ideal circumstances, go here. Full release, after the jump. More »

disputed

Does Comast Check To See If 911 Works On Your Digital Phone?

A Comcast insider warns us that Comcast does no checks to make sure 911 is working on your Comcast digital phone: More »

confusion

Consumers Have No F*&@#%! Clue What's Going On With The Digital TV Conversion

Consumer Reports tells us that according to a survey they commissioned, consumers have absolutely no f@#$@%$ clue what the heck is going on with the digital TV conversion. More »