Consumerist
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fish
A Global Conservation Controversy Inside Your Fried Fish Sandwich
Here's the problem with fish: it's delicious. So delicious that we humans like to eat some species until they're nearly endangered. (Mmm...sea bass.) "Sustainable" isn't just an environmental concern when it comes to fish—it's good business, too. Which leads us to the problem of the hoki. The what? More » -
The Worlds Local Bank
HSBC Cancels Traveler's Credit Card, Pays For Their Mistake
Bank of America isn't the only bank that enjoys canceling their traveling customer's credit cards. HSBC canceled my card while I was living in New Zealand, and as part of their "continuing efforts to fight fraud," sent an active replacement card to my address 9,000 miles away. More » -
privacy
Bank's Fix For Erroneous Charges: Disclose Personal Information To Other Customers!
Taking outsourcing to an extreme, Bank of New Zealand decided that instead of figuring out why one woman's charges ended up on another customer's account, they would just give the customer the woman's name, home address, work address, email address and cellphone number so they could settle things for themselves. More » -
biting back
Man Withdraws $190,000 in $20 Bills After Being Denied A Mortgage
A New Zealand bank irritated the wrong customer by declining his application for a mortgage. After hearing the reason for his rejection, Roger Griffiths decided to make life difficult for the bank and withdrew his savings — $190,000 in $20 bills. More » -
Looking for updates in the New Zealand bank error fugitives case? According to various news reports. the couple have split up to evade capture, the sister who posted the fateful Facebook message is back in New Zealand, and the couple face seven years in jail once they are caught.
Meanwhile, the bank has started legal action against the Macau casino where the couple had what was presumably a very, very nice time. [The Sun] [NZ Herald} [Sydney Morning Herald]
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stupid criminals
New Zealand Bank Error Fugitives Foiled By Facebook Status Update
You know how it goes. You go out and have too many beers, then post a Facebook update with a bit too much information about your evening. Maybe you take it down once you sober up the next day, but not before the damage is done.
Then, if you're Aroha Hurring of New Zealand, Interpol uses your status update to track down you, your sister, her boyfriend, and the millions of dollars his bank mistakenly deposited in his account. More »
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bank error in your favor
$10 Million Bank Error In New Zealand Leads To International Manhunt
Leo Gao, the co-owner of a BP station in Rotorua, New Zealand, applied for a $10,000 NZD ($6,142 USD) overdraft line from Westpac bank. An error by a bank staff member somehow put $10,000,000 NZD ($6,139,614 USD) in his account. He and his business partner haven't been heard from since. More » -
Milk Powder
10,000 Babies May Have Consumed Poison Milk
Remember melamine, last year's pet-killing poison? It's back with a vengeance, and this year it wants Chinese babies. As many as 10,000 may have consumed melamine-laced milk powder, according to authorities. Even worse, a New Zealand company detected the poison weeks ago but couldn't convince local officials to issue a recall. Only after New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark demanded action did the Chinese recall the death milk. More » -
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morton van lines
Movers Turns Musicians' New Zealand Adventure Into Fiasco
Ah, New Zealand, the land of kiwis and hobbits. Daniel and his girlfriend went there to set up a studio and get paid to do recording sessions. They're musicians. They hired Morton Van Lines to ship their equipment from LA to NZ, but after over seven months of struggle, they got it, or their money back.Turns out the equipment was shipped to the wrong country and then returned to the USA. Maybe if Morton Van Lines ever returned a phone call or an email it could have been straightened out. But nay. Here's Daniel's story... More » -
health
Teenager Discovers Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria In Chicken
A 17-year-old student in New Zealand has discovered antibiotic resistant bacteria that could be difficult to treat in humans... in a bunch of grocery store chickens. More » -
chinese poison train
New Zealand And Australia Recall Chinese-Made Formaldehyde Tainted Blankets
The formaldehyde-tainting scandal over in New Zealand and Australia continues today with a recall of Chinese-made blankets that are so full of formaldehyde that they could cause skin or respiratory irritation, according to the Associated Press.Wholesale firm Charles Parsons said the level of formaldehyde in the Superlux brand of blankets 'may cause short-term skin or respiratory irritation.'
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chinese poison train
Boy Catches Fire After Wearing Pajamas With 500 Times The Safe Level Of Formaldehyde
A New Zealand boy suffered third-degree burns after his Chinese-made pajamas, a brand recalled for containing 500-900 times the safe levels of formaldehyde, caught fire after he sat near a gas heater.
3-year-old Jack Livingston's jammies, which had already been washed at least 10 times, bore a label proclaiming they had a "low fire danger." More »
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chinese poison train
New Zealand TV Program Says Chinese-Made Children's Clothes Are Contaminated With Formaldehyde
The New Zealand Ministry of Consumer Affairs is investigating claims made by a New Zealand television program that Chinese-made children's clothes are contaminated with formaldehyde. The consumer watchdog program tested woolen and cotton clothes after receiving a complaint that a child had suffered an allergic reaction. More » -
stuff
Millions Donated by Gareth Morgan, Benevolent Kiwi
A New Zealand investment banker has donated $47 mil to charity. More » -
shopping
Purplos: Disgusting New Zealand Purple Sausage
Did you know carrots used to be purple? It's true — their distinctive fluorescent oranginess was bred into them by Dutch carrot breeders in the 18th century. Likewise, did you know sausages are initially purple? Drive your fist through the loins of a squealing sow, then pull out a steaming spool. See? Gross, but truth is stranger than fiction. More »
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