• customer service

    Customer Service Not Working? Try GetSatisfaction

    Here's hoping for everyone's sake that some Warbucks type buys up Consumerist, lavishes me with gifts, and allows this great blog to continue. But even so, it never hurts to know about other online services out there. GetSatisfaction.com is a kind of crowdsourced customer service forum where anyone can post about any product or company, and where companies are encouraged to join in. Since the content is grouped around those products and companies, it's easy to drill down to relevant topics, or to find people who can help answer that customer service question you can't seem to get resolved. Here's a sample page on Comcast. That's right, my first entry as a substitute Consumerist editor today and I've already mentioned Comcast. More »

    8:30 AM on Fri Nov 14 2008
    By Chris Walters
    2,546 views, 17 comments

    Most discussed vladthepaler: Here's hoping that whoever buys Consumerist fixes your web pages so they're not so damned wide. All this horizontal scrolling more »

  • ikea

    Top 10 Geeky IKEA Hacks

    Lifehacker has 10 neat IKEA hacks. That's right, toss the manual and start making your own cool Scandinavian-infused furniture mods. In particular, I enjoy the tutorials on making an Allen wrench drill bit and embedding scrap bowls into your counter top. I remember reading one time on the IKEA hacker blog about how you could "make" a couch by binding together a series of the same chairs with plastic ties. That was pushing the bounds a bit, but most of these are straight-up useful, especially if you're a nerd.

    Top 10 IKEA Furniture Mods [Lifehacker] (Photo: joelgoodman)

    12:33 PM on Mon Oct 20 2008
    By Ben Popken
    12,773 views, 15 comments

    Most discussed dakotad555: These are mostly fantastic, but the knife rack seems like a pretty dangerous one if you have kids or pets. I've more »

  • comcast

    Comcast Loves You So Much They Keep Billing You... 4 Months After You Canceled

    Oh Comcast, you romantic. You were so sorry to see Michal leave that you pretended he didn't. We get it: he bikes, he blogs, he helps toddlers learn Polish. But after four months of him repeatedly asking you to stop billing him, when you still won't stop it begins to look a little stalker-ish. Your computers can't always be down. More »

    9:04 AM on Tue Sep 30 2008
    By Chris Walters
    9,699 views, 33 comments

    Most discussed GreatWhiteNorth: People WAKE UP! Never give a company access to your bank accounts. They will abuse that access... guaranteed... it more »

  • diy

    Economics Professor Self-Publishes Textbook To Subvert Overpriced Publishing Industry

    R. Preston McAfee, a Cal Tech economics professor, is annoyed at how overpriced textbooks are. "'The person who pays for the book, the parent or the student, doesn’t choose it,' he said. 'There is this sort of creep. It’s always O.K. to add $5.'" To fight back, he's foregone the potential six-figure advance traditional publishing would have granted, and published his textbook online for free. More »

    8:26 PM on Tue Sep 16 2008
    By Chris Walters
    8,421 views, 77 comments

    Most discussed thnkwhatyouthnk: My state resident tuition cost: $2175 per semester My book costs: ~$400 per semester Average salary for a Comp Sci major after more »

  • product testing

    Fellow Consumerist Tests Coffee Grounds Tips So You Don't Have To

    We want to commend hhole for electing himself or herself guinea pig on this morning's coffee grounds post. Apparently, hhole immediately started rubbing coffee grounds all over his or her body in order to see if it really would work as a facial scrub/hair shiner. (Of course, this only makes us want to come up with some imaginary "use" for, say, kitty litter or corn meal to see whether hhole takes the bait.) Read this intrepid commenter's first person report below. More »

    8:37 PM on Mon Aug 25 2008
    By Chris Walters
    10,161 views, 32 comments

    Latest by Nick_Bentley: Yeah when my old manager was first married they called a plumber to fix a drain, he told his wife more »

  • shopping

    Expect Fewer Deals At Home Depot, Lowe's

    Home Depot and Lowe's are starting to realize that the surging housing market — which had fueled their own sales for the last few years — is really and truly over and it may not be coming back for a good long while. What does this mean for their customers? An emphasis on lower prices every day — and fewer promotions.
    More »

    11:59 AM on Mon Aug 25 2008
    By Meg Marco
    5,976 views, 29 comments

    Latest by engfish: ... and when my water heater burst this weekend, Lowe's's installation charge was $479. The water heater was $329! Happy ending more »

  • 3m

    Confusing: Paint Mask Should Not Be Used With Paint?

    Reader Mike is confused by this 3M Latex Paint and Odor Respirator with Valve. The front of the package lists "disposable aerosol spray paint cans" as something the mask "helps provide relief" from. However, the instructions seem to say that you shouldn't use it with paint spray. What should he do? More »

    9:50 AM on Tue Jul 8 2008
    By Meg Marco
    9,016 views, 24 comments

    Latest by trygstad: Having implemented OSHA programs from the ground up for 2 Navy aviation squadrons, I can tell you that if a more »