Sarek tells the story of how he was able finally get a “certificate of creditable coverage” from his COBRA administrators. After many moons of pleas, what it finally took was writing a physical letter to the presidents of each four companies at the same time. At the top of the letter was the address of each of the other companies so that all knew that he was showing off their unsightly bits to the other. [More]
Getting HIPAA Certificate Of Creditable Coverage Like Pulling Tooth From Dragon's Maw
By July 28, 2011
Complaint Contact Info For Most Major Companies
By July 28, 2011
If you have a complaint and want to know where to put it, besides the place where the sun has not been seen for a while, the Federal government’s Consumer Action Handbook’s has an online address book to help point you in the right direction. [More]
Contractor Tears Siding Off Wrong House
By July 27, 2011
An Iowa homeowner was surprised when he looked at his house and half the siding on it was gone, leaving an exposed underbelly of bare white plastic. No other nearby houses were affected. Had a highly localized tornado swept through and targeted just the side of his house? Nope. A local contractor got the address wrong and taken the siding off the wrong abode. The timing was pretty poor, too, as the homeowner had just put it up for sale. And because of insurance bureaucracy, it may be a while before the siding goes back up. [More]
Banzai Slide 'N Splash Whale Pool Box Vs. Reality
By July 27, 2011
Three years after we first started pointing it out, Banzai continues to make kiddie pools that are disproportionately smaller than they appear on the box. The latest to enrage the internet is their “Slip ‘N Splash Whale Pool.” On the box it shows four children frolicking. In real life, those would have to be tiny munchkin children. [More]
Wells Fargo Denies Mortgage 1 Day Before Closing To 800 Credit Score Buyer With 20% Down
By July 26, 2011
After years of anything goes loans-writing, the pendulum has swung far, far, in the other direction. Patrick tells the story of how his loan with Wells Fargo was denied, 1 day before he was set to close on a new condo. Even though he has an 800 credit score and was putting 20% down, this hiccup was enough to make Wells Fargo back up. And because of it, he and his five-month pregnant wife now have one week to find a new place to live. [More]
Fraudsters Already Exploiting Google+
By July 26, 2011
It was inevitable. With the creation of Google+, a new social network already boasting over 20 million users, the scammers were sure to follow. Here’s a note a probable fraudster sent to reader Geoff through his Google+ profile, informing him that someone died in Africa and he needs to be contacted about a “business transaction” of “magnitude.” [More]
How A Wall Street Lobbyist Is "Reforming The Reform"
By July 25, 2011
Banks are none too happy about how the passage of Dodd-Frank has been crimping their style. So they hired a Wall Street lobbyist, former Congressman Steve Bartlett, to lead the well-funded rearguard action by the ” Financial Services Roundtable” to neuter the laws. And darned if those cocktail parties aren’t working. [More]
Not Just Hair Dye: An Older Guy's Guide To Getting A Job
By July 25, 2011
It’s not just a matter of putting on a few doses of “Touch of Gray.” John shares his strategies for getting a job as an older guy in the youth-obsessed technology field. While the last story we wrote about this focused on the power of personal connections to open doors, John makes sure that his resume is very nice and Google-friendly. [More]
Fighting For A Working HP Laptop For 8 Months
By July 25, 2011
Try as they might, HP just seems to be incapable of getting David’s repair right. When repairing his wireless card that was damaged in a previous repair, they broke the motherboard. Fixing the motherboard, they broke the screen connector. And so on. Even the replacement computer they gave him started to fail, and then they failed at fixing that correctly. This ridiculous dance has been going on for 8 months. [More]
China Shuts Down Two Fake Apple stores
By July 25, 2011
Chinese officials moved to shut down two detailed fake Apple stores in Kumnmig after a blogger’s post exposing the counterfeits went viral. [More]
Thieves Decide They Want Zipcars' Wheels Right Now
By July 22, 2011
Looks like some thieves took Zipcar’s slogan, “Wheels when you want them,” too literally. [More]
Counterfeit World Of Warcraft Theme Park Opens In China
By July 22, 2011
The Chinese may have been the first to invent gunpowder and delicious pork-filled fried dumplings, but they have not caught up to the rest of the world when it comes to respecting intellectual property rights. Case in point, the recent opening of an entire themepark dedicated to World of Warcraft and Starcraft, two of the most popular online games in the world, in the Changzhou, Jiangsu province. It’s a sprawling $30 million megaplex spanning 600,000 square meters that aspires to compete with Disney and Universal Studios as a global theme park destination. And it’s a total knockoff. They didn’t pay Blizzard, the company behind those two games, a dime. [More]
Frustrating Chat With A Comcast Rep Impersonating A Robot
By July 22, 2011
Is it a man or a robot? A robot impersonating a man? A man impersonating a robot? Such are the questions that flitted through bobbymac’s head as he engaged in text-based dialogue with a Comcast customer service rep. [More]
Best Buy Replaces Deaf Bed-Bound Girl's Laptop After Holding It Hostage
By July 22, 2011
After the story of a deaf and bed-bound girl whose laptop had been bouncing back and forth between Best Buy Geek Squad repair for 3 months went up on Consumerist, the ambassador for Geek Squad City, Randy Ratliff, reached out to help. “The buck stops here!” he said in his email. And of all the many who say that, he’s one of the few to mean it. He investigated the issue and now Jenni’s sister has a new laptop. [More]
Upset At Being Sold A Lemon, Man Crashes It Into Six Cars At Dealership
By July 21, 2011
A man who upset over getting sold a lemon by a dealership decided to vent his rage in an unusual fashion. After the salesman wouldn’t accept a return, the man waited until midnight and then drove back to the dealership. Then he revved the engine and began smashing it into the cars on the lot. [More]
Audio: Fan Begs Comcast "Executive Customer Relations" For Fox Soccer HD
By July 21, 2011
The clock is running out. English Premier League soccer kicks off on August 12th. Many satellite and cable providers have added the Fox Soccer Channel in HD, but Comcast still has not in the Bay Area. Soccer fans who want to see the beautiful game in HD are looking to switch providers if Comcast doesn’t add FSCHD pronto. This is an audio recording one of the fans made to Comcast “executive customer relations.” My favorite part is how at first the rep says one of the holdups is bandwidth issues and then after the fan proves that wrong and says “The bandwidth argument doesn’t hold up either,” the rep agrees and says, “I know, I know.” [More]
Steakhouse Compensates For Initially Crappy Service With Stellar Service, Free Meal
By July 21, 2011
Jeff and his wife had been sitting for 20 minutes, waiting for their order to be taken at their local steakhouse. Nauseated on eating only peanuts and only having their drink orders filled, they finally got up to pay for their drinks and skedaddle. But when they threatened to walk off, probably never to return again, all of a sudden the restaurant swung the pendulum and started giving them incredible customer service. [More]
Applebee's Gives Free Meal To Man With Terminal Brain Cancer
By July 20, 2011
Tashi has an incredible above and beyond letter of accolades for Applebee’s. Her husband has terminal brain cancer and they don’t have much money. How would they celebrate him being alive 500 days after being diagnosed? A 3rd party who knew about their situation contacted the local Applebee’s and arranged for part of their meal to be comped. But then the manager went above and beyond even this fantastic gesture and really made their night special. Here’s the letter she sent Applebee’s headquarters: [More]
