Consumerist
followups
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disney world
Ways To Keep Mickey's Damn Dirty Hands Off Your Wallet At Disney World
Writing in the USA Weekend Sunday newspaper supplement, travel columnist Everett Potter provides some tips on how to save money on a vacation to Disney World. More » -
unemployment
Out-Of-Work Adults Try To Nab Summer Lifeguard Positions
Some adults who are out of work are now going after classic teen jobs, says ABC News. In Florida, which has the fourth-highest unemployment rate of the nation, men in their 30s and 40s "have pulled on swim trunks in hopes of beating out the teenagers for a few choice positions as $9.37 an hour lifeguards." The report also says adults are trying out for jobs at places like Six Flags. All of this reminds us a little of this Kids In The Hall Sketch (see below) where a young boy finds a stray businessman and brings him home. More » -
HOAs
Man May Lose Home Over Refusal To Pay Dog-Walking Fine
A Florida man who won't walk his dog on a leash now seems set to lose his $380,000 home, all because he refuses to pay a $1,000 'leash violation' fine to his Homeowners Association. And he's ready to kill over it. More » -
accidental porn
Mom! My "New" PSP Is Full Of Porn!
When a 6-year-old Tampa Bay boy turned on his "new" PSP from Walmart there was a little something extra included. Lots and lots of porn! More » -
obama
Chia Obama Pulled From Walgreens Shelves
Sorry, folks, you'll have to go elsewhere than Walgreens to purchase your "Chia Obamas," as headquarters has asked local stores to remove the item, saying they felt it was bad for their corporate image. This perhaps marks the first time anyone has said, yeah, that's probably not a good way to commodify the Barackster. The Chia Obama comes in two formats, "Happy Chia Obama," and "Determined Chia Obama," sporting either a smile, or steely resolve, respectively.
'Chia Obama' booted from local stores [FOX 13] (Thanks to Chester!)
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shamwow
ShamWow Guy Arrested For Beating Up Prostitute
Slap chop to the face! Vince Shlomi, aka the ShamWow Guy, aka You're Gonna Love My Nuts, was "arrested last month on a felony battery charge following a violent confrontation with a prostitute in his South Beach hotel room," reports the Smoking Gun. More » -
bees
Giant Bee Swarm Overtakes Foreclosure
A shit-ton of bees have infested this foreclosed home in Florida, creating a hive the size of a small child on the exterior, and chasing and harassing the neighbor's daughter. See, that's them in this picture. According to the article, bees and raccoons are infesting foreclosures across Florida. Nobody can find the owners or banks that are supposed to own and take care care of them.
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attacks
Man Sues Walmart After Being Bitten By Snake, But Keeps Going Back For The Deals
Ah, the irresistable pull of bargains! A man in Florida is suing Walmart because he was bitten by a pygmy rattler while shopping in the garden center in 2008. His is the third such attack in a Walmart in Florida since 2006, and he's claiming the retailer should have taken better steps to prevent rattler bites after the first two attacks. Our favorite detail, though, is that he won't stop going to Walmart, because "their prices are too good to shop elsewhere." More » -
receipt checking
Walmart Steals Your Cart Because You Won't Let Them Check Your Receipt
Lisa says a Walmart greeter grabbed onto her cart and and wouldn't let her leave because she refused to let the greeter check her receipt. That, my friends, is not legal. Sure, it would make life a lot easier if people just acquiesced to the receipt-checking, but it's not the law. It is against the law, however, to unlawfully detain a customer. Here's Lisa's account:
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cash4gold
Florida AG Examining Cash4Gold Complaints
The Florida Attorney General's office is looking into nearly 60 complaints they've received about Cash4Gold.com. A number of them complain about sending in valuable jewelry and getting pennies back, and then the company not sending their stuff back as promised.
Beneath Cash4Gold's shiny veneer, a dull reality [LAT] (Thanks to Anthony!)
PREVIOUSLY: 10 Confessions Of A Cash4Gold Employee -
scams
Scammed In The Home Depot Parking Lot: Jerks Convince Elderly Man To Hand Over $9,000
According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel two scammers convinced an elderly man that they'd found a bag of money in a Home Depot parking lot — and that they'd split it with him if he gave them a "good faith cash payment." More » -
whoops
US Airways Loses Your 83-Year-Old Mother
It's bad enough when they lose your luggage, but what do you do when the airline loses your 83-year-old mother? File a claim? Poor Vera Kuemmel had to answer this very question as she waited in vain at the baggage claim of the Tampa airport. More » -
elder abuse
She-Grifters Scam Granddad For $10,000+ A Month
Shaun says his 80+-year old grandfather, Steve, is being scammed out of over $10,000 a month. It seems Steve recently hired a female gardener who introduced him to a "wealthy friend," and now he's loaning them money to pay for groceries, cable, home upkeep, and, get this, bodyguards to protect her from an ex-husband and son who to want to kill her. When the family tries to intervene, Steve says the family is trying to put him in a nursing home and steal his money. Shaun is at a loss. How can he help his grandfather, who doesn't want to be helped? Shaun's story, inside... More » -
walmart
Central Florida TV News Accuses Walmart Of Price Gouging Poor People
Local 6 news in Central Florida is accusing Walmart of setting their prices for sugar and other "staples" by demographic — charging more in stores where the population isn't as wealthy as other neighborhoods. Walmart's spokesperson claims to be offended by this accusation. More » -
disney
Disney Reneges On Ride Injury Payment Promise, Reader Wins With EECB
Disney, inventors of childhood itself, told Daniel they would foot the bill after he got injured on their California Adventure ride. Then when Daniel and his wife Jane tried to collect, they got strung along for months by Garth Steever in guest claims. When they finally locked him down 11 months after the incident, Garth told them Disney changed its mind. By this time, the medical bills had already been sent to collections. Then Jane read about how to send an EECB on The Consumerist, and stormed the ramparts of Cinderella Castle. Here's her letter, and success story...
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Contractually speaking, a cruise doesn't even have to go to where you paid it to go. The Kings paid $2000 and drove from New York to Florida to find this out, and all the got was a $25 "we're so sorry but not really" on-board credit for their troubles. [
