Every year, when our Worst Company in America tournament rolls around, some yaysayers wonder why we can’t make it more positive. “Where’s the Best Company in America?” they ask. Things like “good customer service” and “corporate responsibility” are important and all, but no one else is asking the real hard-hitting question: how easy are companies’ chief executives on the eyes? [More]
The Dell Inspiron 2305 is a slick-looking all-in-one touchscreen desktop computer. The one Mike received wasn’t as fun to live with as it was to look at, though. He had his computer replaced once, but the replacement had video card problems that led it to freeze. Frustrated, he lobbed an executive e-mail carpet bomb at Dell higher-ups, and it was effective. Very effective. Soon, Dell overnighted a similar but more expensive computer to Mike’s house. [More]
Targeting executives who pay themselves too little in order to shield some of the money they make from taxes, the IRS is focusing its sunshine-concentrating magnifying glass on potential offenders. [More]
Apple CEO and pancreatic cancer survivor Steve Jobs announced he’s taking a medical leave of absence. He’ll retain his title and remain involved in major decisions, but the COO will take over day-to-day operations. [More]
General Motors Co. Chief Executive Daniel Akerson says he’d like a little more leeway on executive compensation from the Obama administration because the company is having trouble attracting quality executives. [More]
To tweak an old joke, how can you tell when a CEO is lying? A: When their mouth is moving. Or, you can look for certain key phrases, as researchers did in scrutinizing what was said in corporate earnings calls by executives who later had to restate earnings. They found a few patterns: [More]
Consumerist reader Tracy was flying JetBlue this Saturday when an announcement came over the intercom saying there was a “special guest” onboard. It was JetBlue CFO Ed Barnes! Big whoop, said the passengers, until the flight attendant added, “and the CFO is feeling really generous so we are going to have two people in the front row randomly pick a number and a letter and the person sitting in that seat will win a free JetBlue roundtrip ticket anywhere Jetblue flies.” [More]
Providing further proof that he’s part of an international ninja assassin squad made up of CEOs, Steve Jobs was reportedly detained at a Japanese airport for carrying a throwing star. [More]
Executives love to justify price increases or staff reductions by hauling out the customer service argument, because then any complaint you make can be framed as self-defeating. (“Don’t you want better service?”) On that note, Spirit’s CEO Ben Baldanza told travel blogger Christopher Elliott last week that the new carry-on bag fee is really intended to reduce gate delays. Remember to send a thank-you card to Baldanza. [More]
A man in Tennessee has been banned from ever entering any Regions Bank branch again, because the bank says he was so disruptive and hostile to their employees that they were forced to seek a restraining order. The cause of the dispute was a $29 late fee on an account where the bank had moved up the due date but hadn’t noted it on the online version of the account. [More]
The new book Money for Nothing looks at corporate boards: how they’re frequently hand-picked and ruled by the CEOs they’re supposed to keep in check, how they’re sidelined by various conflicts of interest and lack of accountability, and how the worst ones have massively screwed shareholders. [More]
Update your EECB contact lists: Bank of America has named their new CEO. The new man in charge will be Brian T. Moynihan, who has been the president of president of Consumer and Small Business Banking since August. According to BusinessWeek, the board chose Moynihan after an external candidate dropped out of contention. [More]
After reading Martin’s unaccompanied minor air travel horror story yesterday, Aaron sent us this updated list of Delta Air Lines executive contact information from Elliott.org. [More]
Having trouble with HSBC? Executive customer service no help? Here’s where to contact the president and CEO of HSBC Bank USA.
Earlier this week, I posted about a college student who couldn’t get Capital One’s Emergency Payment Protection Plan activated on his account because of missed deadlines. Andon wrote back today to say that after he sent an EECB to the credit card company’s executives, they apologized and activated the service.
This story combines two immutable laws of nature in a surprising twist: that executives don’t always know what their front-line employees are doing, and that airline employees don’t give a f*ck who you are and will call the police if you annoy them.
Are you struggling financially these days? You’re certainly not alone, and you even have something in common with Jim Press, one of Chrysler’s top executives. Press, hit hard by the housing market collapse and the lack of bonuses from Chrysler as the company failed, faces debts including a $800,000 unsecured personal loan and a $947,000 federal tax lien on his home.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office is gathering information in order to file fraud charges against some BoA executives over what they knew, and what they hid, when they acquired Merrill Lynch & Co. a year ago. Earlier this week, his office subpoenaed 5 board members to find out “what they knew regarding the mounting losses and bonus payments at Merrill before the deal closed on Jan. 1 and what role they played in deciding whether to disclose that information to shareholders,” according to the Associated Press.
