Last week, Hurricane Sandy flooded and took out power in many areas of the Northeast. Compared to the devastation in other areas, damage in Philadelphia was pretty minimal. Dorothy is lucky, considering. What she can’t understand, though, is why her mobile broadband device from Virgin Mobile will be down until Saturday, November 10. [More]
Why Did Hurricane Sandy Knock Out My Virgin Mobile Broadband For Almost 2 Weeks?
By November 6, 2012
New Jersey Drivers Relieved To Fill Up On Gas Until They Realize It’s Mixed With Diesel Fuel
By November 6, 2012
If you’ve been following the news at all in the last week, you know that gas has been a coveted product on the East Coast in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Storm survivors have been dependent on it to power their generators and drivers have been lining up for hours to fill their vehicles. One New Jersey gas station was happy to serve fuel-hungry customers, but made the unfortunate mistake of serving up gasoline mixed with diesel fuel. Total buzzkill. [More]
NY Attorney General Tells Retailers They Can’t Just Go Around Inflating Prices Post-Sandy
By November 5, 2012
As hundreds of thousands of East Coast residents pull together to offer up goods and services to those devastated by Hurricane Sandy, there are still plenty of businesses and individuals who are willing to make a buck off someone else’s misfortune. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says his office has launched an investigation into claims of price gouging to go after anyone hiking prices on essential items like food, water, gas, batteries, accommodations and more. [More]
Homeowners Impacted By Hurricane Sandy Could Get Some Mortgage Relief Soon
By November 2, 2012
While one major problem facing many homeowners is dealing with insurance claims in the aftermath of Superstorm/Hurricane Sandy, there’s another long-term issue causing trouble for people whose homes have been damaged by the natural disaster — simply paying the mortgage. Relief is in sight for some borrowers as government agencies and other major lenders begin implementing programs to offer breaks on mortgage payments, among other forms of assistance. [More]
Expedia Books Me Into 4 Hotels I Can’t Stay In
By November 2, 2012
Like many New Yorkers in low-lying areas, Consumerist reader Jacob’s home was evacuated. Without a place to stay, he used his phone to book a room at a Manhattan hotel. Little did he know that he wouldn’t be staying at that hotel, or the one after that, or the one after that. [More]
Should The NYC Marathon Go On As Planned This Sunday?
By November 2, 2012
Update: The New York Times is reporting that the marathon will not be held Sunday.
Original Text: In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy New York City (and its fellow East Coast cities) is struggling to recover from the devastation the storm wrought. And now a battle is brewing between two camps, both of which want to see the city’s hurricane victims helped wherever they need it most. The fight is centered on Mayor Bloomberg and the city’s announcement that the NYC Marathon will go on as planned this Sunday. [More]
Cablevision To Offer Credit For Customers Without Power After Hurricane
By November 2, 2012
With lots of people in New Jersey and New York still waiting for power to be turned back on in their homes, the last thing they should have to worry about is the cable bill. Thus, the folks at Cablevision have announced they will be offering account to customers whose cable and Internet are out, even if the outage is due to lack of power to the home. [More]
With Planes And Trains Out Of Service, Dr. Pays $750 For Cab Ride From Philly To Boston
By November 2, 2012
We’ve heard a number of stories in recent days of people whose flights or train trips between various cities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were canceled or delayed for days as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Many of them stuck it out, while others rented cars to get to their destinations. But one UK doctor chose to hail a cab to make the 300+ mile trip from Philadelphia to Boston. [More]
Beware Of Power Company Scammers In Hurricane-Hit Areas
By November 1, 2012
In addition to all the home-repair and charity scams that pop up in the wake of hurricanes, there appear to be several people out there trying to take advantage of consumers’ displeasure with their local utility companies. [More]
Comcast Knows Your Storm-Ravaged House Might Explode, Would Really Like Its Cable Box Back
By November 1, 2012
It seems like every time there is a major natural disaster, there are inevitably cable company customer service reps who place a higher level of importance on their employer’s equipment than on their customers’ homes and lives. [More]
AT&T And T-Mobile Briefly Reuniting In New York, New Jersey To Help Storm Victims
By October 31, 2012
It’s been almost a year since the FCC and Justice Dept. ripped AT&T and T-Mobile apart, ending the lovers’ foolish hopes of a life of marital bliss. But regulators can only keep true love down for so long, as the two telecoms have announced they will share their networks in storm-damaged areas of New York and New Jersey where customers have been left without bars on their phone. [More]
How To Figure Out If A Charity Might Be A Scam
By October 31, 2012
It’s not just home-repair scams that pop up in the wake of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy. There will also be grade-A-holes out there trying to trick consumers out of money by pretending to be raising money to help those hurt by the storm. [More]
5 Warning Signs That You’re Buying A Flood-Damaged Car
By October 30, 2012
As happens just about every time there is large-scale flooding in a region, you can expect that the car market will be, well… flooded (sorry) with vehicles that have been damaged by soaking in too-high water. Thankfully there are some indicators to look out for if you go car shopping. [More]
Did The Hurricane Keep You From Your Free Taco Bell? Don’t Fret
By October 30, 2012
While the rest of the country is currently chowing down on free Taco Bell thanks to San Franciso Giants outfielder Angel Pagan’s stolen base in the World Series, many of us in the Mid-Atlantic are more focused on things like saving our homes and wondering where our cars drifted off to. Thankfully, Taco Bell says y’all can still eat up at a later date. [More]
NYC Hotels Double Rates On Some Guests, But Is It Gouging?
By October 30, 2012
All over Manhattan today, there are hotel guests who were supposed to have checked out but who are forced to stay at least one more night because their flights are canceled — and they couldn’t get to the airport anyway. Making matters worse, a lot of these people are paying higher room rates then they have been. [More]
Will Hurricane Sandy Leave Higher Insurance Rates In Its Path?
By October 30, 2012
People from the DC area to New England woke up this morning and began to check around their homes and property to see if they made it through Hurricane Sandy without being pummeled. But even if you’re not one of the ones wondering how your patio grill ended up in your attic, you might still be paying the price in higher insurance premiums. [More]
Travelers Could Be Grounded Until The Weekend In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Sandy
By October 29, 2012
The trouble with Sandy started yesterday when airlines began canceling flights out of East Coast cities for today and even tomorrow, and the problems won’t stop there. More cancellations are likely to be announced in the coming days, which is a bummer. On the upside — it’s a slow travel season right now so that means less of a hassle. [More]
Cosi Manager Wins Over Customers By Opening During Storm, Not Gouging
By October 29, 2012
With Hurricane Sandy about to hop on the Atlantic City Expressway toward Philadelphia, many area stores opted for the better safe than sorry route and closed for the day. But one Cosi eatery in Center City won over some hospital employees by not only opening just for them, but by also not charging. [More]
