Welcome, Comcast, to Houston, TX, where you’ve already managed to irritate your brand new customers. Laura Gill is perhaps the most irritated of them all.
Marvin Zindler, Consumer Reporter, Dies at 85
By July 30, 2007
Join the Consumerist in remembering Marvin Zindler, consumer reporter from Houston, TX. Zindler delivered the weekly “rat and roach” reports and famous catch phrase “all together now, SLIIIME in the ice machine,” on Houston’s channel 13 for nearly 35 years.
New Texas Law Guarantees Access To Restrooms
By July 23, 2007
Under a new law signed by Texas Governor Rick Perry, retailers can’t deny restroom access to any consumer with a valid medical condition. Stores with less than two employees on duty are exempt, and mistrustful employees can ask to see a doctors note. The Texas Retailers Association had no objection to the law, which for some consumers, is a godsend:
By July 12, 2007
Hot on the heels of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s announcement that consumers are now much safer from identity thieves because they’re making stores shred instead of merely toss customer records out the back door, id theft watchdog Steven Peisner showed how easy it was to steal Abott’s identity through the incredibly insecure Secretary of State Online Access database. [Freakonomics]
Mom And Toddler Kicked Off Continental Flight For Talking Too Much
By July 12, 2007
A passenger on a Continental ExpressJet flight from Houston to Oklahoma City says she was removed from the flight because her toddler would not stop repeating the phrase, “Bye, bye plane.”
Poll: Has Rooms To Go Honored Their Warranty?
By June 29, 2007
Cratin ordered a micro-fiber living room set from Rooms To Go after being taken by an all-encompassing warranty. Five months later, Cratin began to notice stains on the fabric. Rooms To Go attempted to remove the stains on three separate visits, and then offered to re-upholster the marred piece. Cratin also noticed that the velcro attaching his couch cushion to the couch was coming undone. Rooms To Go again dispatched three technicians who could not resolve the problem, and then offered to reimburse Cratin if he decided to purchase additional velcro from a hardware store. Cratin is furious and wants to raise bloody hell, but to us, it looks like the Rooms To Go is doing their best. We ask you, The Consumerists, to decide who is right, after the jump:
4 Days Until "Juicy Raspberry!"
By June 23, 2007
Emily from Houston brings us breaking news of the Starbucks raspberry syrup situation:
I went to Starbucks today and read their countdown message board – 4 days to raspberry mochas and frappa-wappa-who-whatsits.
Help Catch "The Leprechaun Bandit" Before He Robs A 6th Bank
By May 1, 2007
Lt. Dean Sullivan, police spokesman, said the freckled bank robber with reddish-brown hair earned his nickname because of the “Luck of the Irish” green and white baseball cap that he sometimes wears featuring a shamrock and leprechaun.
Anybody Wanna Buy An Enron CEO's Desk?
By March 22, 2007
Lay and Skilling, who also served as CEO, were convicted in May 2006 for their role in the accounting fraud that led to the collapse of Enron in 2001. The bankruptcy erased billions in investors’ money and wiped out the pensions of thousands of Enron employees.
Above And Beyond: Home Warranty of America
By March 18, 2007
We didn’t know homes had warranties, but according to Brad, they do, and they rock. Brad’s house came with a warranty provided by Home Warranty of America. He has used them three times, “and they’ve blown me away each time.” Brad’s heater “decided that heating just wasn’t its bag anymore.” A serviceman examined the heater and warned it would soon break. When it did finally quit, the serviceman wasn’t available, so Brad called Home Warranty of America.
[The] lady I spoke to not only sympathized with my plight, but actually had me hold on the phone while she looked up and called another service company to verify they could take care of me right away. Not 10 minutes after I got off the phone with HWA, I received a callback from the A/C service company, and they were at my house within the hour.
We might not caution against warranties if they all provided this level of exemplary service.
Raw Video: Former McDonald's Manager Robs 3 Burger Kings, Leads Police On High Speed Chase
By March 16, 2007
Ex-McDonald's Franchisee Dumps Sensitive Documents On Someone's Farmland
By March 8, 2007
Lubbock County farmer, Kelly Kelsey contacted the Lubbock County Sheriff’s office, when he discovered this pile of boxes on his land Tuesday evening while he was working in the field.
Texas Sues Sprint For Deceptive Billing Practices
By February 8, 2007
The Texas Attorney General today filed suit against Sprint over their false and misleading billing practices.
True Tales From The Inside: "I Used To Do Collections For USAA"
By January 29, 2007
Yesterday’s post “USAA Lets You Remotely Deposit Checks” provoked a reader comment from a former USAA collections agent so interesting that we gave it its own post.
Boy, 9, Sneaks On A Plane to Texas
By January 18, 2007
- Police in Lakewood, Washington, say the boy (Semaj Booker) has a history of stealing cars and running away from home. He was apparently trying to get to Dallas, where his grandfather lives, and where the boy himself used to live. But he came up short, only getting as far as San Antonio after hopping two separate flights.
Lost Luggage Found In Dumpster
By December 27, 2006
The dumpster near the George Bush Intercontinental Airport contained dozens upon dozens of suitcases. Many were rifled through and missing valuables, including presents, camcorders and computers.
McDonald’s Re-Gifts A Burger
By December 27, 2006
Yes, they handed Joel some cheese in a box. Joel, being a sane person, refused cheese in a box. “I handed her the box of cheese, and the one bite missing burger, and asked if you could please remake it…Another minute passes, the lady comes back and hands me a very very hot box with a Home style burger in it, I hand it to the girlfriend and …She opened the box and guess what! It’s her exact same burger! With the bite missing. What they did was take the spare piece of cheese, slap it on the burger, and nuke it for about a minute.”
