Consumerist
-
warnings
You Can't Use A Barnes & Noble Gift Card For Ebooks
If you or someone you know is getting a nook, Barnes & Noble's version of the Kindle, this year and you want to use a gift card to fill it with books, forget it. For mysterious reasons, the retailer won't allow it. (By contrast, Amazon does.) More » -
above and beyond
Citibank Shocks Reader With Consumer-Friendly Policy
Anthony received a Newegg rebate in the form of a prepaid debit card. When he went to use the $15 card for a $15.93 purchase, he received an unexpected and wonderful surprise. More » -
gift cards
No Visa Or MasterCard Gift Cards This Year, Please
If you want to spread some fiscally sound good cheer this year, consider asking your friends, relatives, and coworkers not to give gift cards backed by the major credit card companies. Why am I making such a sour suggestion? Because a new study from two consumer advocacy groups indicates that most of the population still doesn't recognize what a money trap those little plastic cards can be. More » -
text messaging
Customer Gets Payless To Compensate Him For Text Message Spam
Peter was pretty frustrated when Payless Shoesource ignored his two opt-out texts and continued to pester him with SMS spam. His complained via email and got taken off their list, but then he decided to see if he could get back the money those texts cost him. More » -
officemax
OfficeMax Won't Send Customer A Refund Gift Card That Works
When Dave bought a monitor from OfficeMax he opted for the MaxAssurance insurance plan. His bet that the monitor would break paid off, but he's been unable to cash out because OfficeMax keeps sending him gift cards that won't work. He writes: More » -
fees
Amex Ditches Monthly Gift Card Fees, Keeps Upfront Charges
Consumer advocates have long been critical of gift cards that carry hefty fees and expire without warning, leaving you with a worthless hunk of plastic when you find a card in your sock drawer two years after receiving it. American Express, until now a culprit when it comes to fees, has just ditched the $2 monthly charge recipients had to pay for the privilege of keeping a card for more than a year. Unfortunately, buyers of Amex gift cards will still be saddled with upfront fees ranging from $2.95 to $5.95 per card. More » -
cons
Beware Fake Theme Park Passes
Everyone knows that you should never purchase gift cards on eBay or Craigslist, but it turns out that theme park passes in the form of gift cards are just as likely to be fake. More » -
security holes
Another Sears.com Security Hole Discovered
That Sears website exploit we posted about a couple of weeks ago was funny, mainly because it seemed more embarrassing for Sears than a true security risk. However, an independent security researcher had also discovered a more significant issue with the site—it allowed for an unlimited number of gift card verification attempts via an external script, so a criminal could use the site as a brute force method to identify valid gift cards for Sears and Kmart. More » -
-
recycling
Recycle Your Sex Toys, Get A New One For Free
You recycle your other used electronics, so why not recycle your unwanted sex toys, too? Dreamscapes, LLC is providing an incentive for consumers to do just that. As long as they wash them really, really well first. More » -
warnings
Beware Fake Gift Card Balance Websites
A reader just ran into a gift card scam while trying to unload an Apple gift card via CraigsList. If you're directed to a website that asks you to put in your gift card information in order to show the balance as "proof" that you're legit, you're being conned. More » -
promotions
Turns Out Buying Furniture Is Not A Good Way To Get Free Grocery Gift Cards
Thousands of St. Louis furniture buyers are clamoring for the free $25 grocery gift cards they were promised in exchange for buying more than $500 worth of furniture and then spending more than $100 per month at a grocery store. The complicated if not weird promotion was managed by BBZ Resource Management, an Arizona-based company that doesn't seem to have any intention of sending out the promised gift cards. More » -
follow ups
Best Buy Accepts 12 Year Old Gift Certificate Without Complaint
Jon wrote back with the results of his attempt to redeem a gift certificate that's over a decade old. More » -
gift certificates
Will Best Buy Accept A Gift Certificate That's 12 Years Old?
Jon writes:
More »While digging through a box of old books, I came across a Best Buy Gift Certificate my brother had given me several Christmases ago. It's for $40, and is dated 20-Dec-1996. I can't say if I've even bought anything from BB since then, but I'm certain I haven't thought about that gift certificate.
-
stupid shipping gang
Continuing Adventures Of The Stupid Shipping Gang
Today's "Toothpaste For Dinner" Web comic features a visit from the Stupid Shipping Gang. A bigger version of the comic, and more adventures of the Stupid Shipping Gang, inside. More » -
the gift that never stops taking
Your Visa Gift Card Will Self-Destruct If Used Within 24 Hours
Stephanie bought a $100 Vanilla Visa gift card at her local CVS in Richmond, VA. She went right home and tried to use it to make some purchases online. When the card was declined, she studied the fine print that came with the card: "Funds may not be available for 24 hours after purchase." So she waited the 24 hours and tried it again the next day. Still no luck. When she called the customer service number she was told to go back to CVS. At CVS, a manager told Stephanie (and apparently many others before her) that by using the card within 24 hours she had rendered her card agreement invalid. Bang, there goes $100. More » -
gift cards
CARD Act Will Also Prevent Gift Cards From Expiring For Five Years
One unexpected benefit of the CARD Act, if it passes the Senate vote, is that Senator Charles Schumer of New York has included a provision that prevents abusive gift card practices. More » -
where's my money
RadioShack Electronics Trade-In Program Not The Fastest Way To Get Cash
A Dallas Morning News blogger decided to test out RadioShack's new trade-in program, where you mail them your unwanted cellphone, for example, and they mail you a gift card, which you can then turn around and use to buy 7,000 house brand AAA batteries. As you might expect, RadioShack didn't offer him as much money for his Blackberry Storm as he saw them going for on eBay, but the real problem came from the missed deadlines and delays in getting his gift card: what they said would take one week ended up taking 5 1/2 weeks, and might have taken longer had he not emailed them.
"DMN reporter tests RadioShack's gadget trade-in program; RadioShack tests reporter's patience" [Dallas Morning News] (Thanks to Trevor!)
(Photo: Robbert van der Steeg) -
bankruptcies
What Can I Do With My KB Toys Gift Card?
We've been hearing from a growing number of readers who still have balances on their KB Toys gift cards and want to know what to do. KB filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and liquidated in December 2008, and stopped accepting gift cards on December 31, 2008. Gift card holders have only one option left, and not a very good one. More »
gift cards
New York, 11:01 AM
Sat Nov 14
20 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip Your Editors:
tips@consumerist.com
tipline: 347-42C-ON95
Co-Managing Editor:
Ben Popken
Email | AIM | Twitter
Co-Managing Editor:
Meghann Marco
Email | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Chris Walters
Email | Twitter
Weekend Editor:
Laura Northrup
Email | AIM | Twitter
Associate Editor:
Alex Chasick | Email
Associate Editor:
Phil Villarreal
Email
