Jayne says:

On two different occasions, I have visited a particular Starbucks and ordered a Vanilla Latte, priced at $2.95. Twice now, I have been charged an extra $.30 for the vanilla flavoring, bringing the price of my $2.95 drink up to $3.25.

The first time, I let it go, thinking it was a simple mistake and hey, it was only $.30. But then, the same thing happened today. I politely asked the cashier why I was being charged extra for the vanilla in my Vanilla Latte (a Vanilla Latte is a separate menu item, priced exactly $.30 higher than a plain latte with no flavor). The cashier looked at me as if I was crazy and said, "Well ma'am, you ordered a Vanilla Latte", as if that was supposed to make it all clear. I explained that had I ordered a plain latte and asked for an added shot of vanilla, I could understand the extra charge. But, the cashier was having none of my logic. I asked for a manager and when I was told that one was not available I gave up, sensing this was an argument I wasn't going to win.

Think about how many people go to Starbucks on a daily basis for their drink of choice. Now, imagine that Starbucks overcharges each and every one of those people, just $.30 or so, each time. How many of those people do you think would notice or complain? Starbucks is probably making a killing off of their regular customers who just swipe their cards or fork over the cash without a second thought. Just as a warning, if it happened to me twice in a week, it might be happening to others out there as well. Make sure you're being charged for exactly what you ordered!

We think that if it says "Vanilla Latte $2.95" and you order "Vanilla Latte," you should get it for $2.95.

If a store isn't charging you the posted price for what you've ordered, you should report it to their corporate headquarters, and if they don't take care of it, your attorney general. You may be thinking, "There's no way our attorney general will give a crap about me being overcharged $0.30 a few times." You're probably right. However, you should know that San Diego's AG busted Baskin Robbins for shorting people on their so-called "pints" of ice cream, so you never know what will interest an AG...

(Photo: Travelin' Librarian )

He consumed 1 teaspoon measured in a medicine cup which in its concentrated state contained 20 times the prescribed dose (100mg) and within hours, his organs began to fail and had to be placed on a ventilator.

The KSLTV article says,

Laurie Scott said, "This shouldn't have happened. It was needless. It was senseless and it's changed lives forever, not just Jessie, but there are other people who love him and his future."

Laurie trusted what she gave her son, what had been filled, was correct.

"I always ask questions. I've always medicated him his whole life. I'm the caregiver and it makes it extremely difficult," she said.

After 16 days in ICU, Jessie moved to intermediate care for another four days, then to HealthSouth for intensive therapy.

Wal-Mart Corporation issued the following statement to KSL News: "This is a very sad situation. Our thoughts are with this young man and his family."

There was a dramatic turn of events this weekend. For the first time, Jessie spoke, though the words are limited and intermittent. We will continue following his story in the weeks and months to come.

What makes this even more infuriating is that pharmacists receive extensive specialized training to prevent these exact types of situations. We are supposed to be able to trust that the medication the pharmacy prepares won't kill us, or worse. We are, however, shocked that Walmart seems to actually be acknowledging the error—they usually deny everything until the point of absurdity. Our thoughts are with the Scott family, we hope that Jessie gets better soon.

Teen in coma after wrong dose of medication [KSLTV] (Thanks to Seth!)

Meet Dennis Hallet and his wife, Sandra. "In thirty years I've never crossed up bills. I managed to send Dell my AT&T check and I sent AT&T my Dell check," Sandra told CBS 13.

Dell cashed the check made out to AT&T and applied the $235.00 toward Sandra's balance. AT&T cashed the $1138.33 check made out to Dell and applied the entire thing to the Hallet's phone bill. This left them with a credit of $903.33.

Meanwhile, interest was piling up on her Dell account. When she called AT&T to see about getting her money back, they told her it was her fault they cashed a check made out to another company and told her they'd give her money back in two months.

CBS13 called and got AT&T to apologize and refund part of the money in 7 days— with July's bill deducted. When asked why they cashed a check made out to another company, AT&T had no answer, so if you're mailing a couple bills at the same time — make sure you put the checks in the correct envelopes and save yourself a huge headache.

Call Kurtis: Check Switcharoo [CBS13]
(Photo: jetsetpress )

Se Habla Espanol? Hope not.

Apparently, speaking English saves you $50 as a Home Depot Contractor.

Whoops...

It appears that classiccloseouts.com has decided that they could get a nice revenue boost by going back through their files and giving all their past customers a nice new charge on their credit cards. Of course, they don't answer their phones, their voicemail is full, and there's no notice of the charge.

I got one ($49.99), and it looks like a few thousand other folks did, too, with the amounts ranging from $39 to $69. Lovely.

Rip-off Report has a similar story from another customer, this time for $69.99. In that instance, Traci writes that she only ordered from the company once back in 2004.

Another Rip-off Report reader found a $29.99 charge late last month, and despite over ten calls to the company's customer service number, never received an explanation or any sort of response from the company—although the charge was reversed four days later. Mrthurms gives the following contact information for the company:

A member of SlickDeals reports the same fraudulent charge, and says he shopped there once "a year or two ago" for a $5 blanket that was featured as a slickdeal.

He reminds everyone to immediately dispute the charge and consider requesting a new card. He also suggests filing complaints with Trust-e and the Better Business Bureau.

(Photo: Getty)

He didn't think it would work, but he launched an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) anyway...

Nick says:

For the last 8 months I've been submitting claims online to United Behavioral Health (one tentacle of the evil squid that is United HealthCare), for out-of-network service that I'm supposed to get partially reimbursed for. When they don't go through, I have to call customer service, talk to one of their incompetent reps, be patient while they act like I'm the one who did something wrong, and then wait even longer for my eventual payment. There's absolutely no reason for this — nothing complicated about the claims, they're the exact same kind that have been reimbursed before — except, of course, that no insurance company ever wants to pay anyone anything ever. I don't think I need to elaborate any more than that, since it's the same crap that everyone with insurance goes through.

Anyway, last week I got another one of these EOBs that claimed I was owed exactly zero percent of the several hundred dollars I'd spent. This was even more frustrating than usual because I'd had an expensive month and could really use the money. So, rather than spending time at work on the phone with another prickly-yet-stupid CSR, I decided to check Consumerist to see if there was any executive contact info for United HealthCare.

And there it was!

I fired off a non-threatening but firm email to the CFO, COO, and Senior VP/Treasurer in which I told them what was happening and that from now on, I would be corresponding directly with the three of them about any such issues rather than waste time with their phone support. While it was a satisfying note to write, I didn't really expect anything to come of it. After all, these are some of the most senior people in charge of screwing customers, so they have more incentive than anyone to ignore me.

But lo and behold, I checked my claim status online the very next day (in fact, the same day they would have received the email, since I sent it on a Sunday night) and my reimbursement status for my most recent claim had already been modified. I figured the check would still take a while, but hey, at least I didn't have to get on the phone. Wrong again! I got my checks in the mail yesterday, only a week after sending the email.

And yes, you read that right — CHECKS. A total of three. Not only did they reimburse me the proper amount for my most recent claim; they even sent me EXTRA MONEY from previous claims that they realized they'd screwed me on. Rather than get a couple hundred dollars in exchange for hours of bureaucratic frustration, I got almost $700 for a single email that took me three minutes to write. Frankly, I'm still in shock. If the EECB can get United HealthCare to voluntarily cough up money I didn't even ask for, then its powers truly are limitless.

Thanks for posting that contact information, and for all the other valuable services that Consumerist provides.

—Nick

Good work, Nick! Sometimes all your problem needs is a little TLC from someone higher on the food chain. For more information about launching your own EECB, click here.

Mike writes to Best Buy:

Our home computer was infected by a Trojan that had seriously slowed down our service and had recently caused the computer to cease running a crucial process. When we took the CPU into the Geek Squad, they suggested that our best option was to have them back up the hard drive, and for us to then run the computer’s Restore disc at home.

We were asked to fill out a form that contained the absolute minimum that must be backed up. I listed on that form 3 folders of personal documents and a single Word document that resided on the computer’s desktop. However, we were then informed that the best way to absolutely ensure the Geek Squad’s ability to back up our entire hard drive would be to purchase an external drive whose capacity was at least as large as our computer’s. We thus purchased for approximately $95 a 500 GB external hard drive on which to back up an 80 GB computer.

The process, we were told, would take 2 to 3 days. After 5, we were finally told that our computer was ready.

Having picked up the CPU and brought it home, I checked the contents of the external hard drive before running the restore disc. At this time I discovered, firstly, that only the bare minimum had been backed up—the three folders and one document that we had indicated on the form. Since I had purchased the 500GB hard drive specifically because I was told that this would with certainty allow the Geek Squad to back up the entire hard drive, this was extremely frustrating.

However, the situation almost immediately graduated from frustrating to infuriating. One of the three folders I had marked on the form was the “My Documents” folder. The icon for this folder on the hard drive indicated that the file size was 1 KB. The technicians at Best Buy had NOT backed up the “My Documents” folder, as I had requested: they had backed up only the shortcut. None of the files within the folder had actually been transferred.

There is an expectation upon the part of the consumer that Best Buy’s computer technicians know what they are doing. The fact that they were not tipped off by the “1 KB” notation that I noticed immediately suggests precisely the opposite: that the Geek Squad at Best Buy on 14th Street are lazy at best, incompetent at worst.

I am extremely unhappy. I spent all night last night backing up the computer myself—a service I paid for rather handsomely, and for which I received LESS than the absolute-last-resort minimum that I had indicated on my paperwork. But my biggest regret in this entire fiasco is that I did not avail myself of the Best Buy Geek Squad’s long history of complaints and dissatisfied customers. I might then have saved myself a great deal of time and trouble.

Please be assured that I will not patronize Best Buy again.

Thank you.



Mike

Kudos to you for not waiting until after you nuked your hard drive to check the external. If Best Buy doesn't offer a refund for the services they did not perform, we wouldn't hesitate to contact our credit card company and request a chargeback.

(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane )

Our friend, travel expert Christopher Elliott has opened our eyes this morning with the story of Wendy Watkins. She was scheduled to fly from Oakland to Southern California, but accidentally boarded an nearly identical-looking flight to New York. Her flight was scheduled to leave a 1:00 pm from Gate 9, the New York flight left at 1:00 pm from Gate 9a.

How could this happen? How could JetBlue scan Wendy's boarding pass and not notice that she was on the wrong flight?

From Elliott.org:

I went to what I thought was my gate, and waited for them to call my boarding class. When the line died down I walked up to the ticketing area, gave them my ticket, they ’scanned’ it, and gave me back my half.

I then got on the plane and off we went. About a half hour into the flight I looked down at the landscape and thought it looked a little odd. I took my ticket out and the lady next to me looked at it and said, “That’s not good, this flight it going to New York.”

I couldn’t believe it! How was I able to get on this flight? They took my ticket and supposedly scanned it but still let me on the flight.

I guess where I got confused was the fact that there was a gate 9 and 9a and they were both leaving at 1 p.m. I didn’t even think twice about it. Also, the ladies next to me said that it was weird how they never mentioned that we were taking off to New York, like they usually do. It was a string of unfortunate events.

JetBlue flew her back, but is unwilling to offer additional compensation because it was "human error." Wendy also says the supervisor she spoke to was condescending and rude. Hey JetBlue, can't you do a little bit better? Yes, she made a mistake, but in this case, human error was a two-way street.

“The worst travel experience I’ve ever had” [Elliott]

I'm writing cause I'm at my wits when and don't really know what else to do. Approximately 4 months ago I called up comcast and explained to them that I needed to have the movie channels discontinued since I don't watch them anymore. I also told them I wanted to add the Baseball package which I really missed the year before when I didn't order it. The guy explained to me that my bill for everything I had would go down to approximately $115+40 for my baseball package (for the time it was on). Sure enough my next bill was 115 since the baseball season hadn't started yet.

The following month I got this bill for $380. I called and talked to a couple people including a manager, who's names I wrote down, they all insisted that I owed comcast $380 or else. Finally, I got in touch with a sweet old lady from the billing department to whom I explained that I had spoke to a rep the month before who had told me I would only owe $115+40 for the baseball package. She asked for some time to look into the issue and through the call logs and said she would call me back. Sure enough she called be back and said that she couldn't put me on $115 a month but could put me on $120 a month package which I was fine with she said she'd fix it and everything would be fine by the next bill.

May bill comes in and again the bill is for $320. So I called comcast again to find out what the issue was and they insisted that I had not fully paid my bill in past couple months. I told them the names of the people I spoke with and to look into the account notes in the system. Again we went through the whole song and dance and the lady said she'd fix it and I should call back in a couple days to verify that the problem had in fact been rectified in the system. She even gave me her extension and name and said I should ask to speak with her. Well I call back and when the comcast agent picks up the phone I asked to be transferred to Debbie. He responded that he couldn't and that he would help me with my problem today.

Well, we got in to a discussion on how I had already told this story a million times and didn't want to have to tell it a million and one times and that I had dealt with Debbie and that I wanted to speak directly with her cause she was familiar with my case. He informed me that their system was not capable of transferring people from one agent to another and that he didn't know who Debbie was, which was funny considering that the gentleman I had spoke with earlier that day said no problem but she wasn't at her desk and to call back. So I told him I wasn't talking to him and I wanted to speak with his manager. The agent again informed me that he couldn't transfer me to his manager cause the system wouldn't allow it without me telling him my problem first and that even if he did his manager was working with the same tools as him and couldn't transfer me back to Debbie. After this round robin of me say I wanted to speak with Debbie and him saying he couldn't transfer me cause the system wouldn't allow it, he said that he would go find his manager and see about what he could do. Upon returning he informed me that his manager said he could transfer me to Debbie if I told him what my issue was. Upon which the following discussion came out of.

Me: So you lied to me?
Comcast Agent: No sir I did not lie to you.
Me: You told me that there was no way to transfer me from one person to another in the system, that is what you said!
Comcast Agent: Yes sir I did say that but...
Me: So you lied to me then!!!
Comcast Agent: Ok sir I lied to you.
Me: Apologize to me!
Comcast Agent: Well sir it wasn't really lying.
Me: Apologize to me or else were going to wait here until you do.
Comcast Agent: Ok... Sorry.
Me: What are you sorry for?
Comcast Agent: I'm sorry I lied to you.
Me: What did you lie to me about.
Comcast Agent: I'm sorry I lied to you about being able to transfer you to another agent.

Normally I try to be a little more nicer to people but I can't stand people treating me like I'm 4 and lying to me. So I told him my issue and he said he would fix it. To which I got his name and told him if I found out he lied to me again by telling me he would fix it then I would be calling him back.

June comes around and I get a bill for $320, again its wrong but this month I'm moving so I make a payment for the amount I really owe and call up to get the rest taken care of. The lady tells me that she'll fix it but its going to take a day in the system cause its got to go up for approval. So, with boxes all around me, I tell her ok and that I just need to schedule a move and that it.

Now she informs me that they can't process a move until the account is corrected so I'm stuck without cable for a couple days but I should call back Monday and verify that everything is fine. So this morning I got onto Comcast's website to find out if the changes had been made, and talked with a gentleman by chat, who informed me that comcast had already credited me with $245 and that I should be grateful for that. I asked him to look at the notes for the account to which he said that he couldn't see any notes made by people who called in but only by instant online chat.

Needless to say my problem is not in act fixed and I don't know what to do. I've called and I've called they say its fixed and then the next month there a huge bill. My apartment building only allows comcast no DishTV, DirectTV or FIOS. I've had it up to here with Comcast but need internet and would like Cable TV.

-Christopher

You didn't mention where you lived, but from the sound of things, your community might have a franchise agreement of some kind with Comcast. Contact your local government and ask them how to file a formal complaint about Comcast and their inability to send you an accurate bill. If your email to us fails to impress, that might get their attention. If nothing else, it'll give your town hall some more ammo to throw Comcast's way when they're feeling annoyed, and we're in favor of that.

Nancy writes:

Time Warner is charging me for movie purchases which I have not ordered. My current bill is 1400.30. The overwhelming majority of these movies are pornographic. My bill informs me that among many others, 17 were ordered on May 8 and 14 were ordered on May 10. Time Warner says it is impossible (their word) that these movies were NOT ordered from inside my house using my remote control and my cable box. I am a 60-year old English teacher. I have never seen a porn movie in my life. I LIVE ALONE. No one else has access to my house when I am a work. My husband who works out of another state is helping me in an effort to rectify this mess.

So far, we have been through the telephone drill (on hold, rude customer service clerks), a 90-minute visit to my local cable company where I was told that "maybe your dog ordered them," a phone call to the Time Warner CEO's office in Connecticut (national, not district) where I talked with a Customer Relations rep, a call from a Customer Care rep at district level, etc. None of this has helped. I was told at every level that the only way known to man that these movies could have been ordered is from inside my house using my equipment. I am 100% certain that they haven't been ordered from my house.

It looks like I'm going to have to swear to that under oath in court because my husband and I have agreed that we will not pay for these movies (52 movies since 4/21, most of them costing $11.99 —- I didn't even know there were on demand movies that cost $11.99). Though I have been researching this problem for hours and hours and have seen comments from others being charged for movies they say they didn't order, I have not seen anyone with a problem with Time Warner of this magnitude. Can you think of any possible way this could have happened?

17 porn flicks in one day? We're young. We're ambitious. But that's too much—by far—even for us.

Nancy's situation calls for a dose of common sense, which means executive customer support. Call Jeff Simmermon, Time Warner's Digital Communications Director, at (203) 351-2221, and see if he can't help wipe off those misfired charges.

(Photo: Getty)

I've always been a good customer for Compusa, even after their local stores here closed and they went to catalog and online sales only. I've ordered a full computer for my inlaws less than 3 months ago, and several parts from their online or catalog advertising they send me via mail or email.

This week I received a catalog in the mail from Compusa. The front says Vol. I Issue 6BE. I was paging through the catalog like I normally do to see what they have. I noticed a videocard that looked to be a good deal and I was interested in it. I tried to order this card yesterday morning.

The videocard is a Visiontek Radeon HD 3870 X2 Overclocked Edition which is advertised in the catalog on page 54 for $114.99 twice including a picture of the actual card. When I went to their website I saw the card was $399.99 at this link:

I thought, wow, what a good deal. I must have to call into the # on the catalog to get this pricing they are advertising. So I called into the # on the catalog (1-800-COMPUSA) and waited to talk to a sales rep. A guy answered the phone and I told him I received the catalog mailer and would like to order a video card. He asked for the part # and I said V261-3874. He said ok, and asked for the priority code listed on the back of the catalog I received. I told him that info was KFE-2801. He said ok, I see we have that card for $399.99, how many would you like? I said I am interested but the catalog pricing shows $114.99 not only once, but twice in the ad with a picture of the videocard.

I was put on hold for several minutes. He returned talking frantic and said that it was a misprint in the ad and that their cost for the card was much more than the advertised price. I said ok, but I want the advertised price, it wasn't an error in one spot, you show this card part # for $114.99 twice on the same page. He said they would not honor the mistake and that if I wanted one I would have to pay $399.99 for it. I said, what are you doing for those who got the mailer with this pricing. He became rude and told me I was one of about 600 people who tried to call in and get this deal and they are not helping anyone for that type of price. He immediately went on to ask me if there was anything else I would like to order instead. I asked again if they were honoring their advertised pricing and he said no and have a good day.

Typically, stores aren't required obvious misprints such as a car for $200.00, etc. Things get a little foggy when the misprint isn't obviously a typo. Usually what a reputable store will do in a situation like this is to post a notice informing their customers that there's been a misprint. For example, placing a notice on the CompUSA website would have been the appropriate thing to do in this case. What's not ok is to wait for their customers to call about the mistake and then offer to sell them the video card at a higher price. CompUSA should be making an effort to inform their customers that there's been a misprint in their catalog.

(Thanks to Clokeisgod!)

Here's what happened the second time around (emphasis ours):

In March 2008, I received my car insurance premium for six months and again paid the bill in full prior to the date it was due. Subsequently, I received another bill for $11.20 a month later. This time I thought “what is going on here? There is no way I made an error in my check writing again”. I called my agent and discovered the following:

Their system is supposed to charge an additional 2% when people pay only the minimum due for the six month billing cycle which I believe is half. Unfortunately, their system has a glitch which automatically is charging all customers this additional fee even when paying in full by the date due. Although I am sure that many people catch this problem, I am also sure there are a ton of people who simply pay the extra amount with the assumption that they made an error (as I did the first time). Even worse is that this extra payment was somehow slipped into the financial abyss of the Farmers Insurance agency pocket and not applied to any future premiums. The agent wasn’t even sure if they would be able to refund the erroneously paid $10.30. The agent admitted that this problem has existed for more than a year and a half and that they haven’t been “able” to fix it yet. Sounds like a very lucrative mistake to me, and that lots of unsuspecting people are probably paying a “late fee” that they are not required to.

At what point does an error evolve into a tidy little scam on your customers? How about after you let it go on for a year and a half?

Haven writes (to Bloomingdale's):

May 27, 2008

Bloomingdale's
Customer Service
P.O. Box 8215
Mason, OH 45040

Dear Bloomingdale's Customer Service Department,

I have been a Bloomingdale's card holder for about two years. In my time as a cardholder, I have spent close to $2000.00 at your store. Recently, I paid a bill online and because I didn't have the bill in front of me, paid what I thought was due that month. To my error I had underpaid the minimum amount by $5.00. Two days ago, I received a notice from Bloomingdale's (the first and, apparently, last notice I was to receive) saying I would be sent to collections for failing to pay this $5.00 – I thought this was odd as I had used my Bloomingdale's card in the store about a week and a half prior. If my account had been in bad standing I would assume Bloomingdale's would put it on hold and not allow me to complete my purchase. At the very least I expected to receive timely notice of the pending sale of my account to a collection agency, so that I could have a chance to fix the problem. Although I did receive "notice" from Bloomingdale's, it appears this served only to let me know that I could expect to deal with a collection agency, and have no chance to rectify the situation with Bloomingdale's. Yesterday (on a Sunday over Memorial Day Weekend of all times!) I had the pleasure of getting four calls from your collection agency MCCS. How a customer who has spent a considerable amount in your store could be treated in this manner over a sum of $5.00 is appalling. I was not aware that I owed $5.00, and if Bloomingdale's had taken the time to notify me of this small error I would have happily paid it.

To think that Bloomingdale's is spending time notifying collections and using MCCS manpower for multiple hours over such a small amount of money is completely illogical. The cost to do this I'm sure is well over $5.00 and totally inefficient. To bully me by potentially negatively impacting my credit standing over something so small is a bad business practice and completely ridiculous. You have lost a customer who until now was a supporter of your store and I will be mentioning this to other customers of your Company's bullying tactics.

Sincerely,
H.

Ugh. It's completely unreasonable of Bloomingdale's to send your account to collections without giving you proper notice and a chance to fix the error. And into the open arms of Nordstrom you go...

MCSS is actually the collection wing of Macy's. Still, calling themselves MCSS rather than Bloomingdale's makes them sound like a scary collection agency, so it's understandable why there was that confusion, a confusion that Bloomie's/MCSS capitalizes on to get people to pay up. We don't know about you, but in all the times we've ever been behind on a bill, we would just get another bill. It would be months before we start getting calls from places with acronym names. Even if H is overacting, Bloomie's response to the $5 under-payment seems overblown.

(Photo: nfarley )

My company has a deal with USAir where we can go to the ticket counter in Boston and get discount tickets on the LaGuardia or Washington DC Shuttle. We're not supposed to book ahead; just go to the counter and show our IDs and get the discount fare.

It's Friday night last week, and it's 7:30 at night. I'm trying to get to New York. I go online, type in "us airways shuttle schedule" and am shown to a page on usairways.com (screen shot attached). Seeing that there's a 9:00 PM flight (the page indicates that flights are 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM hourly), I get in a cab and head to Logan Airport. [This 9:00 flight is to be the last Boston to NY flight of the night on any airline.]

When I arrive at 8:10 or so, the entire Shuttle ticketing counter is dark and there is a security gate pulled in front of it. I walk down the hall to the USAir main counter and a friendly but hapless fellow looks in his computer and tells me that the last Shuttle flight had left at 8:00. A supervisor joins him; both insist that my story about the phantom flight is either made up or a result of user error — I must have looked at LaGuardia to Boston, or on Sunday when there is a 9:00 flight, or whatever. With my handy iPhone, I show them the web page: Boston to LaGuardia, weekdays, 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM hourly. [Hey Apple, great commercial fodder there: use your iPhone to prove customer service agents wrong.]

They look up other flights, nothing. Offer a flight at 6:00 AM the next day, no thanks. I leave them as they tell me, "Sir, I know that our schedule indicates a 9:00 flight, but we haven't had a flight past 8:00 for at least the past five years."

In the end, I spent nearly $60 to get to and then from the airport. USAir would not give me a cab voucher, and the airport manager on duty, Cammy, was easily one of the rudest and least helpful airline types I've come across. I got to NY by Amtrak on a train that arrived late at 2:15 AM.

Remember when USAir began with "U"? The airline still sucked back then, but maybe it sucked just a little bit less.

Jon

It might be worth it to try escalating this complaint with US Airways, as your company has a (presumably) valuable business relationship with the airline. If nothing else, send your complaint to the Department of Transportation.

She took the drugs because she thought she'd been given a generic for her normal prescription, but when she started feeling ill, she called CVS and asked them about the strange new drug. They told her it wasn't a generic for her usual prescription, but they did offer to refill it for her. Finally, Dorothy looked up the drug on the internet. That's when she found out it was a powerful chemotherapy drug.

Ms. Enriquez ended up in the hospital, and CVS ended up in Fox 5, New York's "Hall of Shame." Fox 5 went to the CVS with their camera crew and tried to interview the pharmacist who made the mistake. He wasn't willing to talk, but they did notice that he was supervising more assistants than is allowed by law. When they asked him about the violation he smiled and answered, "You're good!"

Shame, Shame, Shame: Medication Mistake [Fox 5]

As far as mistakes go, the one Janet Gordon recently made didn't seem like a big deal. She booked an airline ticket from Toronto to London under the name "Jan." "It was a major hassle," remembers Gordon, a human resources director for a college in Swansea, England. At almost every turn, the couple had to explain why the name on Jan's ticket didn't match her passport. "The computers wouldn't allow us to check in and issue a boarding card," he says.

1. Wrong name on the ticket.
Before 9/11, a nickname or maiden name on your ticket would usually slide. Nowadays, it can leave you grounded unless pay a correction fee which can be up to $100. To avoid this error, make sure your browser doesn't auto-complete forms with incorrect or outdated information. Double check to make sure the name on your ticket matches exactly with your ID.

2. Booking the ticket on the wrong airline.
Believe it or not this happens, sometimes through the fault of the traveler or sometimes the travel agent. People also get confused about "codeshare" flights which is buying a ticket for one airline and then flying on a partner airline. To avoid this error, research your ticket and look for any codeshare designations. Also, try to use only experienced travel agents.

3. Selecting the wrong city on your ticket
People often select the wrong city pairs or sometimes they'll book a ticket for city B to city A when they really wanted city A to city B. How can this happen? People can get mixed up with the 3 letter airport identifiers. Also, every airline's web site is slightly different which can often lead to confusion. How to avoid it? You can use a qualified travel agent instead of doing it yourself. Read your travel agent's confirmation immediately so that you can quickly address any errors.

4. Buying a ticket that's too restrictive
Don't buy a non-refundable ticket if you think you may need to change your travel plans. This can happen because airline web sites usually assume you want the cheapest ticket possible, so the first tickets listed are usually the cheapest and the most restrictive. Typically, the more expensive tickets with refund options are hidden deeper in the site. How to avoid this? If you can't find a ticket with refund options, the right travel insurance might protect you if you need to change your plans.

5. Wrong date on your ticket
Whether you are distracted or just confused about which is the 6th month of year, many travelers have purchased tickets for the wrong date which often results in an added fee for a correction. How to avoid it? Pay careful attention to dates on the screen and consult with an old-fashioned calendar if all the different months confuse you. Always, carefully recheck all your information before you hit the "book" button.

Five common ticketing errors — and how to avoid them [CNN]
The Insurance Question [Elliot]
(Photo: Getty)

Yesterday, McDonald’s was giving away free southern-style chicken sandwiches if you purchased a medium or large drink. I went down to the location in my office building, where there were three lines. It was busy, but nowhere near riot status.

As I stood in line, I repeatedly heard the employees telling customers that purchasing a “Sweet Tea” didn’t count for the free sandwich. Some left, some rolled their eyes and ordered a “drink” instead, but all of them were pretty peeved about it.

As it happens, someone in the line ahead of me worked for the ad agency that McDonald’s uses and said she WROTE THE AD COPY. She asked to talk to the manager, because she said that Sweet Tea was part of the promotion.

They made her wait. By the time I had ordered and was waiting for my food, two managers came out from the back looking decidedly hostile. When the ad exec tried to explain the ad to them, they immediately cut her off and shouted “No, No, No” and pretty much told her to get lost.

My curiosity was piqued, so I called McDonald’s customer service hotline to find out who was right. Guess what? The managers were completely wrong. The CSR told me “you could buy a milk chug and get a free sandwich. Any drink!” She offered me free coupons for more chicken sandwiches, but I declined because I didn’t want to give my name and address, especially since I wasn’t directly involved.

So, BOO to the local franchise managers, but way to go Customer Service Rep.

Sincerely,

Thunderpants

Nice investigative reporting, Thunderpants. It's good to know that ad agency people are forces for justice, trying to keep McDonald's honest, but it's too bad they didn't listen to her.

(Photo: Paxton Holley )

"What happened was a human error that resulted in us taking off the fuel surcharge on all domestic flights," said Robin Urbanski, a spokeswoman for United.

Airlines file their fare levels three times a day in the U.S. to Airline Tariff Publishing Co., the U.S. air-fare clearing house. United's 12:30 p.m. eastern time filing was incorrect, the airline said. The next chance for Untied to file air fares was 8 p.m. eastern time.

Buy now! Tell a friend! Sorry, United!

United Drops Fuel Charges, for a Day [Wall Street Journal]

Someone in Microsoft's fulfillment department needs to make a note that "Version Français" means, like, "this game is in French" or something:

My boyfriend bought Mass Effect for his Xbox 360, but within a month it was clear there was something wrong with the disc (frequent disc read errors occurred).  Microsoft readily agreed to replace it, but every replacement they have sent has been in French.  I’m writing to you 5 months and 4 French discs later!

At the beginning of January my boyfriend returned his faulty English version.  Over the next month and a half he made 4 calls to Microsoft, where the status of his replacement oscillated between “It’s in the mail” to “have you sent the original yet?”  His replacement finally arrived late February.  He popped it in the Xbox and was all ready to play, but all the text seemed to be in French.  Confused, he grabbed the case and found a green oval on the front that said, “Version Française.”

He phoned Microsoft and explained that he needed an English disc to replace the English disc he returned.  They assured him that wouldn’t be a problem.  The second replacement arrived quickly, but was also in French.

He phoned Miscrosoft again.  They apologized and assured him that a specific note was in his file saying all replacements should be in English and the 3rd replacement would definitely be in English.

In April a 3rd replacement arrives.  The case is damaged… and it’s also in French.

He phoned Microsoft.  Again.  They phoned back 3 or 4 times to say they were so sorry and that his issue would be escalated.  Then someone phoned saying she was the manager and was on top of the situation.  On May 11 they phoned to say the English replacement was on its way and should arrive in 3-5 days.  On May 12 a package from Microsoft arrived.  Inside: Mass Effect, Version Française.

I’ve attached a photo of our 4 French versions of Mass Effect.  Despite escalating the complaint and involving a manager, Microsoft still sent a French disc.   At this point we’re wondering if we’ll see an English version by mid-June, the half year anniversary of when he last got to play Mass Effect.  My boyfriend may be moving soon so it’s important they get an English version in the mail.  Any suggestions?

P.s. Anyone want a French copy of Mass Effect?

From KJRH:

It gives you a sinking feeling when the gas tank is on empty and filling up will cost more than fifty bucks. James Maddux was prepared for that when he pulled up to pump number six at Miller's Sinclair Station in Collinsville. He pumped $52.54 worth of gasoline into his tank. But he had to pay $502.55 for 17 and a half gallons of gasoline. He says "That's just the way it worked out and unfortunately I got zapped."

The receipt clearly shows the simple math mistake. 17 and a half gallons of gas at $2.999 a gallon came to a heart-stopping $502.55

Getting the charges reversed should have been as easy as faxing the receipt to Discover, but of course it wasn't. The charge kept getting reserved and then reassessed over and over again, until Mr. Maddux finally reported his issue to the president of the local BBB. The BBB president told the local media and Mr. Maddux finally got some answers after four months of arguing with Discover.

Beyond the proof in black and white we took a camera to pump number six at Miller's station. Brinkley begins to fill up, then, the pump automatically shuts off at 75-dollars. It's physically impossible to pump a drop, or a penny, more in without re-swiping the credit card. Brinkley says "So it's going to be really hard for anyone to justify a bill of $502."

Lowry [consumer reporter for KJRH] contacted both Sinclair Oil and Discover Card with the proof and Maddux says in less than a week "It happened pretty quick." He got a call from Mark Courtney, the owner of Miller's Sinclair station, asking him to come pick up a check, for $450.01

A Sinclair Oil spokesperson says the company was never told there was a dispute over the amount charged to Maddux's card, only whether his card was used at pump number six. That's what they confirmed to Discover.

Consumers should keep in mind that if they are ever overcharged or notice any irregularities at a gas station they can contact their state's Department of Weights and Measures. You'd be surprised at the consumer heroics that may ensue. Tell 'em The Consumerist sent you.

the $500 Fill Up [KJRH]
(Photo: beebo wallace )

Yesterday, I went into a downtown NY Chase branch. I went to the ATM, asked for $120 and the door that dispenses the money never opened.

I went into the bank and told a teller what had happened and was instructed to stand by the machine.

When no teller came out to meet me after standing there like an idiot for 10 minutes, I went back in and asked the teller when someone was coming out. She said, oh - the money didn't come out YET? She never mentioned me to anyone.

Now I'm instructed to go to the customer service counter where they told me the machine has been doing this all week. My question as to why it's still in service was met with blank stares until one person said they didn't have the authority to do take it offline.

Then I'm told that (even though they know it's a problem) I can't get the money back for 24 to 48 hours.

I asked to see a manager and was told the same story.

As she said that, another man came in and said that he lost $200 in the SAME atm.

I politely told the manager that if one more person comes in here with the same story, I would send an e-mail to the Attorney General, FDIC, Fed. Reserve, BBB and local news. It was astounding how quickly the proper motivation was able to get the machine turned off and the money back into my account.

I have to wonder, if I didn't stand up for myself - just how many people would be out $$$ for 48 hours (and possible more)?

Good for you, Keith. It's a good thing you came along. All the customers who didn't get screwed by that ATM because you took the time to stand up to Chase owe you a hug.

(Photo: epicharmus )

I am looking into a new Virgin Mobile prepaid phone after my old one broke awhile ago. While browsing their site, I noticed an ad for one of their services, "Studio V," claiming that if you design a phone background and people download it you can make money. Naturally, I looked into it.

After not finding anything major referring to it, I referred to their help pages. I located its file, and, well let's just say someone fell asleep at the wheel. I got enough information, but I certainly got a kick out of some of their FAQ responses on the page...Virgin Mobile has no idea how to use their own product!

Whoops.

Virgin Mobile Help

After another battle with a branch manager today—who insisted that money couldn't be returned and that I needed to fill out a fraud report—I went over her head.  After a heated, uh, discussion, the main downtown Seattle branch put the $1,500 back in my business checking account.  The $7 fee was refunded a few hours later.
 
Some bad PR in Consumerist no doubt helped. Thank you!

We're not sure we posted the story in time to have an effect on the outcome, but we'll take it.

RELATED
"WaMu Presents Random $1500 Check On Someone Else's Account, Then Calls It Fraud"

[Update: WaMu has returned the money.] Bill's small business account was hit with a $1500 check written by an unrelated third party to another third party—both completely unconnected with his account. He was also penalized with an insufficient funds fee, although the money was debited from his account. Now WaMu's saying they have to investigate for fraud before they can return Bill's fees.

I received a returned check notice from Washington Mutual last week. Not unusual for a small business — until I opened it.

The check in question was a $1,500 private party check written to another private party. The check wasn't written by, or issued to, my business.

Simple mistake? I visited the WaMu branch across the street from my office and got the stunning response from the branch manager that they'd have to do a fraud investigation. I raised hell again today, and the money, plus a $7 returned check fee, still hasn't been returned to my account.

I'm considering going to go to small claims court — or swear out a theft complaint against WaMu — to get my money back. The only fraud is that WaMu or KeyBank (the check in question was written on a KeyBank account) screwed up and they're taking it out of my hide. I'm the innocent bystander.

Maybe WaMu is trying to cover its losses by randomly reassigning bounced checks to accounts that have money in them and hope no one notices.

Why can't WaMu assume the $1500 loss while they investigate what was probably a clerical error, instead of forcing the problem onto their customer? Maybe WaMu should amend their new ad slogan to "We've got your back... unless we're covering our own asses."

Here in Chicagoland, Bank of America bought LaSalle Bank, so May 5, all LaSalle banks made the switch to BofA. So yesterday I went into an old LaSalle bank in Matteson, IL, deposited a check which should post by the next day.

Well, now my check is nowhere on the system and customer care told me their having problems with deposits made at old LaSalle banks not showing up, and no eta for a fix. So i said "apply the check manually or give me a credit?" They won't do anything... so now i deposited a check that dosen't exist and i have a receipt.

Are there any other LaSalle Bank customers out there who are having this problem? Have you had any luck in getting it resolved? Let us know in the comments or at tips@consumerist.com.

(Photo: RcktmanIL )

Yes, I know it sounds improbable, but CVS stole $11.78 from me and refuses to give it back.

I went to CVS today, the one on Pleasant Ridge in Arlington, Texas. I purchased two items, decongestant spray for my nose and a pseudophedrine cold product. The pharmacy tech rang me up, then I ran my debit card like usual. The debit card went through, the card reader said $0 due, and then all of a sudden the computer decided to reboot before the receipt printed.

I told him that I clearly saw that my card went through before his computer crashed, and I didn't want to be charged twice. I saw that my card went through, even though no receipt printed. He called the manager, Adam. The manager told him on the phone that since no receipt printed out, my card hadn't gone through, and I wouldn't be charged twice. I asked him how he knew that for sure, and he said that no receipt means no charge.

I didn't really have a choice but to run my card again, since he wasn't going to give me my items unless I did. So I ran it again, and everything went through. I asked him what to do when I got home and found two charges went through, and he said he didn't know. I pressed the issue, and the real pharmacist chimed in and said it wouldn't be a problem, just come back and talk to the manager.

So, sure enough, I got home and checked online and saw I was charged twice. I went back up to the store and talked to the manager, Adam, in person, and he said there was nothing he could do. He suggested maybe calling 800-SHOP-CVS. I said that it was pretty obvious that someone in some call center somewhere isn't going to be able to refund my money, and he said there was nothing he could do. No apology, nothing, just wouldn't help me.

I called 800-SHOP-CVS, and, of course, there are no operators available. It just so happens that this is the worst timing ever — I can't call during business hours tomorrow, because I will be on flights all day. Unfortunately there was a death in my family, so I will be dealing with that, funeral arrangements, being out of town, family, wills, insurance, etc., and I really won't have any time or energy to call this number and deal with this in the upcoming week.

So what do I do? It isn't right that I'm out $11.78. Yeah, it isn't a whole lot of money, but it is MY money, and I want it back!

Don't worry, Julie. You don't have to wait for CVS to "give" your money back. You can take it back by calling your bank and explaining that you were charged twice. They should be able to handle this situation for you quickly and easily. If they can't, you might want to consider switching banks.

Don't wait to call your bank, however. Report the fraudulent charge as soon as you can.

After calling The Consumerist Sprint Executive Customer Service number (703-433-4401), it turns out that Sprint misprinted the bill for lots of people, accidentally moving the decimal two places to the right. The error has now been fixed and Jessie only owes $326.69. "One question remains though," asks Jessie, "will debt collectors be knocking at my door for this mistake?"

Richard writes:

I went and purchased me an iPhone, then went home to activate my service. I was then advised that I needed to go to one of the retail locations to pay a deposit. So I drive 15 miles to the nearest retail store to have my services activated. I was told that I had to pay a $750.00 deposit....wow did not know that deposits could be that high. Anyway I paid it because I wanted the service. I took the activation receipt back home and attempted to activate the service. The registry kept rejecting me stating the my information was wrong and the address did not match. I contacted ATT customer service and spoke with Tasha who told me that the representative at the ATT store ran my credit in the wrong market because the address was not matching the activation code that was given after the deposit was made.

I returned to the store that same day and spent 2 hours while the two representatives were trying to figure out the problem. I felt like I worked there after being there for so long. The store closed and I was still trying to get the problem resolved. After 3 days of problem solving, phone call to customer service and making the same 15 mile drive back and forth to the ATT store and the problem not being resolved, I lost interest in having the service.

I asked the store for a refund of my 750.00. I was told that the money they demanded on the same day that I was supposed to get service, I was going to have to wait 7-10 business days to get in the mail. This was on February 12, here it is March 5 and I still have not received any refund. I was then told by store managers Karen and Joe that the check was in the mail and the hold up was address information, which was how all this started because someone was not doing there job and making sure information was entered in correctly. I was not even notified that there was an address error. I gave them a contact number for that reason. I called again today March 5 and was told the check was in the mail and I should receive it in 7 days. Are you serious! Why should I be required to wait for something that was taken, yes taken and nothing was bought. As far as I'm concerned that's stealing. So now I don't have a iPhone because I could not get service and I don't have my 750.00.

Yes, I know. Trust me thats the same thing that I said. I know my credit is not great. I believe it is somewhere around 560 - 580. My thing was that as all this was going on I could not even get an explanation as to why the deposit was so high. Most are 500.00 tops. But I just want people to know that this kind of service should not go on. I have reported them to the BBB and the Attorney Generals Office as well.

After another 2-3 weeks I received my monies back but no compensation for time off work and inconveince that all that has caused me. ATT stated that they have no control over the deposit and cant offer me any service because I dont have an account with them. Well thats obvious, the reason that I dont have an account is because they were screwing things up when I gave them the money to set it up.

PREVIOUSLY: Contact AT&T CEO, Randall Stephenson
Reach AT&T Wireless Executive Customer Service
(Photo: afagen)

On March 15, my dad had triple-bypass heart surgery at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. My mother immediately started planning for his aftercare. My mother is disabled and uses a walker to get around; my father normally takes care of her.

My father's doctors, along with the hospital's case worker and my mother tried to get their health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield to approve off-site cardiac rehab. They initially approved the request and made arrangements at an approved facility. The day before checkout, March 19, Anthem changed it's mind. My father's doctors kept him another day to execute an emergency appeal. But to no avail, Anthem determined my father was "too healthy" and would have to go home (and basically perform self-care). It pushed my mother to the verge of a nervous breakdown, but thanks to friends and neighbors they made it work. Anthem was kind enough to provide a visiting nurse, three times a week, even though daily care was recommended by the doctors.

Yesterday, they received the attached letter, approving the rehab stay. Well, great, right? Let's go to rehab! Well, no-no-no. The approval was only good until 3/24. So, he'll have to re-apply.

My girlfriend is Swedish and lives in Sweden, while I am here in the States. She recently booked a ticket through Gold Medal Travel to come see me later in April for a fairly decent price, but soon after received a call from the Travel Agency stating that her name was incorrect on the ticket and she would have to pay over $200 to correct it. Now, in this day and age I can understand your ticketed name needing to match your passport, however, her name isn't misspelled, her last name was simply repeated. Just to be clear here, in the "first name" box she entered her full name and in the "last name" box she put only her last name. Obviously this didn't seem like a $200 mistake to me so I tried to get to the root of the problem. I called Northwest, who was INCREDIBLY helpful, and was told that not only should she not be charged for a simple name change, but that as her name reads now she shouldn't have any problems. Finding no resolution I managed to find the number for Gold Medal Travel to try my luck with them. Now according to them, under the contract they have with the airlines (Northwest and KLM) they are forced to charge the exorbitant fee and will not even issue her the ticket until she pays this extra fee.
 
This is unacceptable. She paid for the ticket over 2 weeks ago and was just told this week about this "name mistake." Now we have to come up with $200 or else the entire ticket is forfeited. Please help us, what recourse do we have?
 

Dear Xbox,
 
On Easter Sunday of all days my xbox elite died. (I wish it would rise from the dead) It would power on but never boot. No red ring stuff? just nothing. The green light in the middle turns for about 5 minutes then turns off. This is my second one, my first died 1 month before they announced the 3 year red ring warranty.
 
All I'm asking is for a little help to get a repair shipping box. I've called every few days for the past week and every time I call there's a issue and they have to recreate the order. I just want a shipping box. I not mad or a some crazy blogger (just sad) about this I just know overseas support is broken and I just need a little local help. I do have admit now I worried that if/when they get xbox to the repair depot it if I will ever see it again.
 
The worst part is I convinced all my friends four of them fresh out of school and poor to buy Vegas 2. (one friend just had his first child and the other just married I cant get them to buy anything, but I got them to buy this game so we can all "Jump in") I had to find the hard way that easter night when they were all playing together that I can't "Jump In" anymore.
 
Thank you
 
David

I bought a small but overpriced postal scale at Staples ($22). When I took it home and opened the box, there was a broken, not-for-sale scale in it. I took it back and exchanged it for another one without any problem. But it's a crappy scale even when it's functional: it's not set at 0 and I don't see a way to resetit.

Let's first check out the professor's relevant credentials:

Professor Levitin's research focuses on financial institutions and their role in the consumer and business credit economy, including credit card regulatory and competition issues, mortgage lending, identity theft, DIP financing, and bankruptcy claims trading.

I called Citi and disputed the charge. The charge is a billing error under 15 CFR part 226.113(a)(1). Unfortunately my dispute did not compute in the Citi system. Because I was contesting an unliquidated amount of the charges, however, my case didn't fit into one of their eight dispute check boxes. (Note that Reg Z does not require that I know the amount of the error. See 15 C.F.R. Part 226.113(b)(3).) Finally, after speaking to a supervisor, I just decided to dispute the entire amount because that was the only way I could go forward with a dispute given the unbending parameters of Citi's computer system. I also contacted PACER to make sure that they had processed all my fee exemptions.

Fast forward to earlier this week. I still hadn't heard anything from Citi or PACER about the dispute's resolution. But, to my great surprise this month's Citi statement arrived. It says that I owe the full PACER balance and there's a finance charge tacked on for the disputed amount.

When I called Citi to inquire, I was told that I hadn't disputed the charge the previous month. This was in spite of fact that there were numerous notes about the nature of the dispute in my file. In other words, Citi had taken down all sorts of details about my dispute, but never actually processed that I was disputing the charge. Citi entered the dispute a month late, and only after I called to check up on it.

Well, Citi has now (supposedly) removed the finance charge and recorded the charge as contested. But Citi tells me that I need to submit documentation about the dispute or the charge will be reinstated. That means I have to send some 50 pages of court orders to Citi at my own time and expense for a merchant's mistake. The duty to investigate a billing error is Citi's. Nothing in Reg Z requires that the cardholder submit written documentation to the card issuer at my own expense. So why am I footing the bill? (Maybe there's language to that extent buried in my cardholder agreement...)

1. His credit report may take a ding from the late payment, something he has no control over and Citibank's CSRs are too incompetent to fix.
2. The surprise rate on the finance charge was 101.211%
3. After futzing with a compound interest calculator for half an hour, the professor couldn't figure out how Citibank was calculating the finance charge.
4. The late payment could trigger universal default provisions with his other creditors, causing a world of financial pain from Citi's mistake.
5. He can't close the account without losing his rewards or further dinging his credit score.

We take away one very simple lesson that every policymaker should appreciate: a renowned expert on credit cards is being harmed by his creditor and is practically powerless to fight back. Does this seem fair or reasonable to anyone?

My