Consumerist
travel
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Bank Error Not In Your Favor
Honey, Was That PotBelly's Sandwich $4.23 Or $858,432?
Sorry PotBelly Sandwich Works customers, you can't order the Chicken Salad Sandwich unless you qualify for a mortgage. Ashley's husband thought his usual lunchtime meal cost $4.23, but, as his wife discovered when trying to pay their credit card bill, the sandwich actually costs $858,432.06. More » -
Mental Illness
Good News: Compulsive Buying Is A Treatable Illness
Can't stop shopping? You're not alone. According to the L.A. Times, one in twenty Americans buy compulsively, a destructive yet treatable economy-propping impulse control disorder. More » -
jetblue
Updated: Whoa, That Airplane Is Really Close To Ours
Jon was freaked out when flying on Jetblue and his flight came in close proximity to another aircraft. He wonders if he should, and how he might, report such an incident. His story, and advice we got from an Air Force pilot, inside...
UPDATE: A former Air Force flight safety officer chimes in with some points to clarify about what our Air Force pilot had to say... More »
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Bye Bye Banana
Bananas Represent Everything That Is Wrong With Our Food System
Ever wonder why bananas are the cheapest fruit in the supermarket? It makes no sense. They're grown thousands of miles away by steely imperialist multinational corporations, and spoil within two weeks. A Times Op-Ed argues that bananas are on their way out, and may disappear entirely from store shelves in the next twenty years. More » -
customer service
Companies Don't Hate You... They Just Love Phone Trees More
Companies are slowly learning that those infuriating automated phone trees aren't the answer to their customer service problems. Some experts even claim that automated systems anger customers. The New York Times decided to trace the history of the hated trees, while wondering if things will ever change.
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taxes
Your Economic Stimulus Payment Questions Answered By The IRS
The IRS has a new and improved stimulus payment FAQ up and running on their website, so if you have additional questions you should check it out. Of note, the IRS has now definitively said that those who owe back taxes, or have delinquent child support payments or student loans will have their payments offset. More » -
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trust
eHarmony Doesn't Believe You're Really Divorced
eHarmony won't let Morgan's mom join until she proves that she's really divorced. She tried to join last year, but was rejected because she was only separated for seven years, and not divorced. Now that her divorce is final, she wants to register without spending another hour filling out eHarmony's "scientifically proven" matching questionnaire. More » -
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What's Apple's replacement policy for hardware failure? Our intern is having ongoing problems with his MacBook, and thought that after three large hardware failures in a row, Apple replaced the laptop—but "some dude at the genius bar just told me that was absolutely not true." Does anyone know the official Apple party line on this issue?
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money
Why Do You Hate The Dollar Coin?
Our beloved U.S. Mint has apparently redesigned the dollar coin to feature a rotating slate of Presidents. Each President gets a three-month stint on the coin. On Thursday, James Madison, our 4th Chief Executive, took his rightful place on the golden slab - but nobody seemed to care. Why? More »
