Consumerist
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don't be a hero
Grocery Store Manager Loses Job For Recovering Stolen Purse
It's all well and good to be a hero. Just, if you're an employee of a Randalls grocery store, do it on your own time. That's what an employee at their Round Rock, Texas store learned when he was fired for recovering a customer's stolen purse. More » -
covenant
Help, Baggage Screeners Stole My Underwear!
Careful travelers, there's a panty-stealing baggage screener lurking in San Francisco's international airport, according to reader Ari, whose girlfriend lost eight days worth of underwear on a recent trip. More » -
traveling
Never Pack Your Jewelry In Checked Baggage
This past February, a Delta customer had her expensive heirloom jewelry stolen from her checked bag on a trip from Rochester through Atlanta to Las Vegas:
More »My suitcase had been opened, my jewelry bag unzipped, and my fine jewelry (gold, diamonds, sapphires) had been hand picked out of the jewelry bag and the inexpensive jewelry (plastic, glass, metal) left strewn across my belongings inside my suitcase.
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travel
8 Ways To Ward Off Thieves While Traveling
The summer travel season might be winding down, but that won't stop thieves from trying to paw your precious valuables. Keep them at bay with the following eight tips... More » -
tax cheaters
Disgruntled Computer Technician Outs Super-Rich Tax Cheaters To The IRS
U.S. law allows whistleblowers to collect 30 percent of any taxes recovered as a result of their information, and it seems that one disgruntled computer technician is taking advantage of the program. Meet Heinrich Kieber, a nefarious criminal-type turned "good guy" who will be testifying in front of the "Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Thursday via a video statement from a secret location," according to ABC News. Mr. Keiber is from Liechtenstein, a tiny country with very secretive banking laws. He stole banking information that showed how the world's super-rich were skirting their countries tax laws. Keiber then sold the information to tax authorities in 12 countries, including the U.S, hence the whole "secret location" thing. More » -
Here's a new excuse for bad service: AT&T is being plagued by copper thieves in Tennessee. The thefts of copper cables "has caused disruptions to voice and data communications, as well as emergency calls, company officials said." [The Tennessean]
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complaints
Microsoft Keeps Your Repaired XBox For 4 Months, Calls You A Thief For Wanting It Back
Microsoft hasn't returned Tiffany's XBox 360 for four months because they think she is a thief, even though she has her original receipt and a credit card statement proving that she is the console's rightful owner. Microsoft repaired the XBox back in January and tried to return it via FedEx, but a shipping snafu landed the box back at Microsoft's service center. Tiffany has called repeatedly. She even sent a letter to Microsoft's legal department, after sending her receipt and statement, asking how else she could prove ownership. That was 22 days ago. She has yet to receive a response. More » -
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thieves
Recover Stolen Purchases Without Breaking A Sweat
Lars writes:Something pretty bad happened to me the other week that ended up being pretty cool, and speaks well to the quality of customer service at my local Burlington Coat Factory.
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thieves
All Saints Apparel Plagiarizes Shirt Design From Gaming Site 4 Color Rebellion
Posh London retailer All Saints Apparel plagiarized a shirt design from the gaming site 4 color rebellion. The site originally unveiled the 'You Complete Me' tetris-heart figure for Valentine's Day in 2006. Designer Mitch was surprised to find that All Saints had plastered the exact same design on a shirt selling for £40—that's like, $90! Mitch asked All Saints for an explanation, which was enough to prompt a decent resolution. More » -
bad employers
Court Rules "World Yacht" Can Be Sued For Not Distributing Gratuities To Its Servers
"Hold on," you say to yourself—"If it's a gratuity, doesn't that by definition mean it goes to the wait staff?" Not if you're a server for World Yacht, a "luxury dining fleet" in Manhattan that will now be sued by its employees for slapping automatic gratuities on diners' bills, then keeping the extra money for itself. New York labor laws require "employers to pass on to workers any payments that customers understand to be tips," but World Yacht argued that the banquet industry was exempt, and its servers should get nothing. Thanks to last week's ruling, the employees can move forward with their suit. More » -
advice
Minimize Your Risk Of Theft While Shopping
The Seattle PI has a report on car prowls at malls while victims are inside shopping, and some advice on how to minimize your risk. Never leave anything of value in your car, and don't assume that by throwing a coat over it you'll disguise it. Instead, put it in the trunk. More » -
identity theft
Safeway DVD Kiosk Comes With Credit Card Skimming Device
Crafty identity thieves attached a credit card skimming device to a DVD kiosk at a Colorado Safeway. The 2-inch skimming device was discovered only after a customer asked a Safeway employee for help after his card wouldn't scan. More » -
clever
Use Rust Stickers To Make Your Stuff Seem Like Junk?
Here's a clever idea: Rust stickers that you can apply to your car or bike to make it seem crappy... even though it's secretly awesome. More » -
shrinkage
CellHut Can't Understand That You Didn't Order The iPhone, Thieves Did
UPDATE: CellHut disagrees with this version of the events, writing, "Mr. Laurence has played this dirty game to cheat small businesses and to get away from a sudden price drop on the iPhone, which are sold as final sale at Cellhut.com." They threaten various legal hijinx. More » -
paris hilton
Thieves Snatch Hilton's Mother's Day Goodies
Leave it to Paris Hilton to teach us the value of handmade gifts for Mother's Day. More » -
alerts
Depth and Breadth of ATM Scam Continues to Astound
Would you like to see something scary? More » -
the russian connection
The Office Hax 'Guarantee'
Oh ho ho reaalllllllllly? And how exactly will you back that up, pray tell? More »
thieves
New York, 12:31 PM
Sat Nov 14
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