• walmart

    Walmart Shuts Down Music Store, Deactivates DRM-Protected Songs

    Last week, Walmart sent out emails to its online music store customers letting them know that on October 9th, 2008, they will no longer be able to play any DRM-crippled tracks. Unlike Yahoo, which did the right thing by offering free replacement downloads of unprotected songs when they killed their DRM program, Walmart simply brags about its new unlicensed model and tells you to burn your protected tracks to CD if you really want to listen to them in the future. Good job, Walmart, there goes another betrayed consumer into the welcoming arms of digital piracy. And another. And another... More »

    10:40 AM on Tue Sep 30 2008
    By Chris Walters
    7,327 views, 78 comments

    Most discussed joerdie: "Honestly, who buys music from Walmart?" That was my first thought after reading this. After a little research, I find that more »

  • renting

    Beware Of Apartment Scammers

    A reader writes,
    In the course of searching for a new place to live in Minneapolis, I found a great condo right in the area I was looking for, renting for $900/mo for a 1 bedroom which included electricity, gas, water, sewer, garbage, cable, and high speed internet! Sound too good to be true? You bet...it was a scam.
    More »

    9:01 PM on Tue Sep 23 2008
    By Chris Walters
    24,468 views, 58 comments

    Most discussed illtron: I found this listing for a very "specious" apartment on Craigslist a few months ago... [www.flickr.com] more »

  • bad consumer

    How "Serial Evictees" Game A System Meant To Protect Renters From Abuse

    There's nothing we dislike more than people who scam a system put in place to protect vulnerable consumers from abuse, but the sad fact is that they do exist. SF Weekly has an article that tracks the exploits of a serial evictee, a "renter" who leases apartments with no intention of paying rent, and then games the system in order to stay rent free for as long as possible. More »

    3:06 PM on Thu Aug 14 2008
    By Meg Marco
    28,410 views, 128 comments

    Latest by resonanteye: ought to be illegal to own a dozen properties in which you don't live and rent them to people who more »

  • call joe shoen

    Uhaul CEO Gave Out Cellphone Number On National TV, But Never Picks Up Or Returns Calls

    In what looked like a daring move, the CEO of Uhaul, Joe Shoen, gave out his "cellphone number" on national TV and invited customers to call him with their complaints. The problem is, when you call, he doesn't pick up. If you leave a message, it's not returned. You get to hear Joe's gruffly charming voicemail message, but can't leave one of your own. His mailbox is full.

    UPDATE: It seems this post may have had an effect. Commenters are reporting that Joe is now picking up. He even reportedly said to one of them, "Yes, this is Joe Shoen, are you calling about the internet?" Good on ya, Joe, now make sure that voicemail box is cleaned up. More »

    2:27 PM on Mon Jul 28 2008
    By Ben Popken
    8,744 views, 48 comments

    Latest by trujunglist: Let me get this straight. You are all pissed off at Joe for having a full mailbox, so you're all more »

  • landlords

    The Worst Landlords In The World

    If you thought your landlord was bad, check out this story. This San Francisco couple is facing several felony counts after conducting a campaign of terror against its tenants in an effort to get them to to leave the building. The crazy things they did include:
    • Cutting a giant hole in one renter's floor
    • Breaking into a tenant's apartment and pouring ammonia on their clothes, bedding, and electronics
    • Cutting the support beams to a renter's apartment
    • Illegally entering a renter's apartment and dismantling their furniture
    • Turning off the water,power, and electricity to tenant's apartments
    Suffice to say, landlords aren't allowed to do those sort of things just to get you to skedaddle. What's the worst landlord you ever had and how did you deal with them?

    S.F. landlords charged with tenant terror [SF Gate] (Thanks to Paul!)

    (Photo: Getty)

    4:00 PM on Mon Apr 28 2008
    By Ben Popken
    11,866 views, 148 comments

    Latest by kylo4: There's these two customers who keep coming in to buy stuff and told me about their landlord who is absolutely more »

  • ask the consumerists

    Landlord's Crappy Boiler Costs Us Big Time

    Marcie writes:
    I live in a 750 square foot apartment in Brooklyn, NY. Per the lease agreement, my roommate and I signed to pay the heat separate from the rent. The first gas bill we received was $750, and the following gas bill was roughly the same amount. We knew that the price of gas was expensive, but for two people who make great pains to use the heat only when absolutely necessary, and occasionally use the stove to boil a pot of water, this seemed ridiculous. For all of 2007, we owe roughly $2000 in gas costs.
    More »

    12:27 PM on Fri Apr 25 2008
    By Ben Popken
    10,853 views, 43 comments

    Latest by snidelywhiplash: @overbysara: I agree that Juggernaut's tone was needlessly harsh, but at the same time, I too had a similar thought. I more »

  • insiders

    Manager Defends Retail Renting As Valuable Sales Tool

    A former camera store manager came forward to defend retail renting as a common tactic that helps drive sales. Retail renting is when a customer buys a pricey item like a prom dress with the intention of returning it later. Our completely unscientific poll shows that 70% of you disapprove of retail renting, but our tipster insists that it is a victimless crime and a valuable sales tool. Our enlightening chat with the former manager, inside. More »

    11:15 AM on Sat Mar 29 2008
    By Carey
    14,460 views, 92 comments

    Latest by dj-anakin: @visualbowler: Ya, I don't know why they took part of his check away. The woman was 15 days over the more »

  • surcharges

    Budget's Free Frequent Flyer Miles Promos Will Cost You

    Michael writes, " I was just reserving a budget rental car, and for some reason decided to actually read some of the fine print." Buried in the text was something called an "FTP Surcharge," which basically amounts to a participation fee for any frequent flyer promotion they offer their customers. More »

    11:10 AM on Mon Mar 3 2008
    By Chris Walters
    3,858 views, 18 comments

    Latest by JustAGuy2: Reason the fee is there is that, for business renters, it's a non-issue (just pay the extra two bucks, it's more »

  • phone numbers

    Uhaul CEO's Cellphone Number

    The CEO of Uhaul gave out his cellphone number last night on an episode of Inside Edition, inviting consumers to call with complaints or questions. Joe Shoen explained saying, "People can't get this organization to behave, I can." That number is 602-390-6525.

    (Thanks to le-garce!)

    6:48 PM on Thu Feb 28 2008
    By Ben Popken
    7,419 views, 49 comments

    Latest by LorettaDuge: Wow! It is incredible to read the number of bad experiences that customers have had with Uhaul. Many of more »