Last week, we explained why we think that the “suspended coffee” movement that allegedly began in Naples, spread all over Bulgaria, and exploded on Facebook isn’t such a hot idea. But don’t just take it from us: the owner of an independent London coffee shop weighed in on the movement. Her take: it’s insulting that people think independent coffee shops don’t already help people who look like they could use a warm cup of coffee, and you should support your local indie shop. Well, that second part was predictable. [More]
Coffee Shop Owner: Quit Asking Me To Offer Suspended Coffees Already
By April 2, 2013
B2B Telemarketer Rage: A Perspective From The Other End Of The Phone Line
By January 29, 2013
Usually, the people who write to us are besieged with calls from telemarketers or companies they’ve done business with, and want us to help make it stop. Brett is on the other side of the phone line. He’s not the traditional telemarketer you might think of, calling ordinary citizens during dinner: his company is just business-to-business, and he was doing some cold calling to drum up business. The person who answered the phone was anything but businesslike. [More]
The Slightly Ridiculous Multiple License Pricing Of QuickBooks
By September 27, 2012
When Brett’s dad bought a new computer with a shinier operating system, he had to purchase a new version of the accounting software Quickbooks for use on more than one computer. No big deal: Quickbooks comes with multiple licenses so users can install it on more than one computer after buying only one copy. There was no mention of needing multiple licenses for multiple computers in the sales documentation. That’s when Brett learned that you can’t make purchases based on how a product’s specifications used to be. A second license actually costs more than a single copy of Quickbooks. [More]
PayPal Leaves Small Business Out $500 And A Snake
By March 30, 2012
Shawn runs a small reptile business, selling habitats, supplies, and animals. A customer’s purchase of a $500 snake went smoothly, with payment via PayPal and a critter off to a happy new home. Then the buyer reported the transaction to PayPal as fraudulent. They ruled in the buyer’s favor after an “investigation” that didn’t include talking to Shawn, and took back the $500. Voil√† – free snake. [More]
Chicago Restaurant Owes $118K In Overdraft Fees, May Have To Close
By October 8, 2010
If you’ve felt the burn of a $35 overdraft charge, just be thankful you’re not Chicago’s Heartland Cafe, which has had to shell out $118,000 in cascading overdraft charges. [More]
Treasury Dept. To Give States $1.5 Billion To Help Small Businesses
By October 8, 2010
Less than two weeks after the passing of the $30 billion small business lending bill, the Treasury Department has announced an additional $1.5 billion it will distribute to the states with the intent of seeing ten times that dollar amount ultimately injected into the economy. [More]
Rogue Wallet Replaces Entire Batch Of Bad Wallets, Stuns Customer
By September 15, 2010
Michael writes that his wallet, which he purchased over a year ago, was starting to fall apart a bit. He recently received a new wallet in the mail from Rogue Wallet, the small company that manufactured his, but…. he had never contacted the company. He wasn’t dealing with a psychic wallet maker. (That would be awesome.) Instead, he discovered a company that very candidly owned its mistake and wanted to please customers even if nothing had gone wrong with their personal wallets yet. [More]
Business Credit Cards Not Protected By CARD Act
By September 3, 2010
Sorry, small businesses, the much ballyhooed protections of the CARD Act do not cover your credit cards. Only consumer credit cards get safeguarded against the most punitive of the old interest rate and fee policies. No wonder credit card solicitations to small business owners have increased 256%, vs 29% for consumer credit cards – they’re more profitable now. [More]
Has Your Office Encountered The Online Yellow Pages Scam?
By July 24, 2009
Patten seriously wants the purported “Online Yellow Pages” to stop calling his office. They call once per day, looking for information on the company, but Patten is suspicious. Rightly so, as it turns out—this is a scam, and companies who respond receive a hefty invoice for “advertising” that they never authorized.
Crisis At The Florist: When Cooler Heads Prevail
By June 19, 2009
After weeks of trying to get our floral cooler fixed, it has been fixed as of 2:00pm today! The issue was with the dryer valve and not the compressor. The valve was completely clogged and we had a new one soldiered on. It went from 85 degrees to 44 degrees in 15 minutes. It is the best $324.45 I have ever spent!
Ask The Consumerists: These Flowers Just Need To Chill
By June 11, 2009
Billy’s wife owns a small flower shop near Austin, Texas. The shop’s floral cooler broke down recently. They can’t afford a new one, and can’t find a used one for sale in the area. A misunderstanding when taking out an insurance policy means that the business’s insurance won’t cover the cooler malfunction.
Ask The Consumerists: Small Business Credit Cards
By May 28, 2009
We’ve heard from many, many readers who are Advanta cardholders since bringing the impending account freeze to their attention before the company did. Some people are just annoyed. Others don’t know what to do to keep their businesses afloat.
Sprint Gouges Business Customer For Over $30,000 In Inflated Fees
By March 17, 2008
Allen Harkleroad of GMP Services writes, “A warning to all Sprint corporate customers that have dedicated access (T1′s, etc.) if you are out of contract Sprint may be gouging you and claiming outrageously high local loop charges as the cause.”
Please Wait Until Restroom Is Unoccupied To Use Microwave. Don't Ask…
By February 29, 2008
With this homespun sign, Shapiro Hardware in SoHo New York politely asks that you please wait until the restroom is unoccupied before using the microwave. Huh? A commenter on the Copyranter blog where we found this notes that he used to work in a jewelry store where the electrical box was installed in the bathroom. “we got shocked when we washed our hands.” says Anonymous, “25 year old owner’s son didn’t care. I hope his balls fry some day. There are many small businesses like this I bet.”
Coffee Shop Installs Fake Security Camera In Bathroom
By February 5, 2008
A coffee shop in Montreal has removed a “dud” security camera from its bathroom after news of it hit the local papers. Corporate headquarters asked the franchise owner to take it down, and apologized/avoided blame in a press release that said they were “not consulted in advance.” The franchise owner had installed it as a sort of junkie scarecrow, to frighten away heroin users who were leaving dirty needles in the bathroom stall.
