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seating

Get The Best Seat When Flying Coach

Snagging the best plane seat doesn't always require an upgrade, thanks to a few handy tips from Condé Nast Traveler. Inside, how to avoid the dreaded middle seat and keep yourself entertained on the flight... More »

6:00 PM on Sat Jul 4 2009
By Carey
0 views, 61 comments

bureaucracy

Everyone Knows How To Handle A Stolen Checkbook Except For Verizon

Yesterday I was musing that Time Warner Cable was passing the cost of customer care off to other businesses, by requiring customers to take half-days or full days off of work just to wait for a cable repairman. Today I think I stumbled upon another hidden economic impact of bad customer service: it's responsible for generating a lot of the "free" content online. The next time you're reading an IMDB entry about "Damages" or "Big Love" for example, you can thank Verizon's collection of angry, confused, and possibly insane employees, and all the idle time they create for a customer who has to deal with them. More »

4:26 PM on Fri Jul 3 2009
By Chris Walters
0 views, 31 comments

Most discussed Muhammed T Prophet: Nt t blm th vctm, bt f Hrtt ws llwng Vrzn t t-dbt hr ccnt ths ws bnd t hppn. more »

cosmetics

Benefit Hopes You Buy More Of Their Defectively Packaged Product

Brianna has never been much for high-end makeup, but she bought a bottle of Benefit's Benetint blush/lip tint at Sephora and brought it with her on a business trip. The cap broke, and she had to dispose of the entire bottle. Benefit's response, paraphrased: "That sucks. We hope you buy more of our products!" More »

10:30 PM on Thu Jul 2 2009
By Laura Northrup
0 views, 73 comments

Most discussed bobert: "Laughter is the best cosmetic, so grin and wear it." WTF? That's how Benefit responds to an unhappy customer? Brianna is more »

consumer culture

Top 10 Ironic Ads From History

Remember when you could buy barbiturates for the baby? Cover your house with asbestos? Or get heroin from the doctor? Okay, probably not, but thanks to the immortal beauty of advertising, you can take a trip back in time. Here's our pick of some of the most ironic ads in American history.
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12:07 PM on Thu Jul 2 2009
By McLaren and Torchinsky
0 views, 132 comments

Most discussed Cant_stop_the_rock: Believe it or not, I don't think I'm ready to laugh about the World Trade Center attacks just yet. more »

fda

FDA May Take Vicodin And Percocet Off The Market

Bad news for Dr. Greg House and other, non-fictional chronic pain patients. The FDA advisory panel that met yesterday about the effects of excessive doses of acetaminophen made another recommendation to the FDA—to take popular painkillers Vicodin and Percocet (and their generic versions) off the market because of the effect both drugs can have on the liver when taken for extended periods. The FDA will most likely follow this recommendation. More »

8:00 AM on Wed Jul 1 2009
By Laura Northrup
0 views, 224 comments

Most discussed ekzachtly: Okay, they're not only manufactured together because of "convenience." I made this comment on a previous post: it's also to more »

food poisoning

How, Exactly, Did E. coli Get In Nestle's Cookie Dough?

The recent discovery of E. coli O157 bacteria in Nestlé refrigerated cookie dough and subsequent recall of 30,000 tubs of said dough raises an urgent scientific question: Uh, how did that much cow poop end up in cookie dough? More »

4:15 PM on Tue Jun 30 2009
By Laura Northrup
0 views, 64 comments

recession

Sears: Lose Your Job, Keep Your Purchase, Forget The Debt

Acknowledging that skittish consumers are still unwilling to buy big-ticket items, Sears tomorrow plans to unveil a bold new guarantee: if you lose your job after charging a purchase worth $399 or more to your Sears card, the retailer will credit 1/12th of the purchase price to your account for each month you are unemployed. If you stay jobless for one year, the debt is entirely forgiven, and the appliance is yours to keep. More »

5:10 PM on Mon Jun 29 2009
By Carey
0 views, 36 comments

Most discussed chris_d: NEVER TRUST SEARS -- ESPECIALLY WITH CREDIT CARDS. They defrauded my girl big time with the Sears card. more »

madoff

Madoff Eligible To Scam Again In Only 150 Years

A federal judge has sentenced Bernard L. Madoff to 150 years in prison, after which time we assume he'll drink the blood of the living, hang out a shingle, and start soliciting "investments." More »

12:19 PM on Mon Jun 29 2009
By Meg Marco
0 views, 95 comments

pet store redux

This Just In: Pet Stores Are Ripoffs

If there's something dogs really, really don't give a feces about, it's brands. And cleanliness, and newness, and price. Same goes for cats. But keeping your pets happy and healthy is way cheaper than pet stores want you to think. To prove it, and help out, we've made this handy chart:
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8:29 AM on Mon Jun 29 2009
By McLaren and Torchinsky
0 views, 215 comments

Most discussed lintacious: Vets are ripoffs, too. Mine told me that I needed to start brushing my cat's teeth and that I could more »

deaths

Billy Mays Dead At 50

You have to wonder if before going to sleep last night, pitchman Billy Mays thought of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon, and said to himself one last time, "but wait, there's more!" More »

1:00 PM on Sun Jun 28 2009
By Carey
0 views, 204 comments

babies

Four Financial Tools All New Parents Need

The baby's on the way! You've got a crib, toys, and a rapidly approaching delivery date. So what else you do need? Kiplinger shares the four must-have financial tools that no new parent should go without... More »

2:00 PM on Sat Jun 27 2009
By Carey
0 views, 37 comments

advice

Be Your Own Financial Regulator

Any sort of federal agency to protect consumers from abuse from the financial industry is months, or possibly years, away, notes Linda Stern of Reuters. That's why you shouldn't depend on such an agency to protect you in the meantime. In fact, you can take her advice and use it no matter what happens at the federal level. More »

7:52 PM on Fri Jun 26 2009
By Chris Walters
0 views, 9 comments

Most discussed econobiker: "-- Use old-fashioned letters when applying for a new account. Credit card issuers don't exactly show you all of the more »

cash for clunkers

Trade Your Clunker For These Sweet Fuel-Sipping Rides

The Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), popularly known as the "cash for clunkers" program, starts next month. Need help picking a suitably fuel-efficient car? More »

7:19 PM on Thu Jun 25 2009
By Laura Northrup
0 views, 57 comments

privacy concerns

Facebook, Where Are You Getting These Crazy Friend Suggestions From?

This morning, I woke up to find an inbox full of readers freaked out about Facebook friend suggestions. What's the big deal about that? Privacy-minded Facebook users can't figure out where these suggestions are coming from, and aren't happy with the possibilities. More »

3:21 PM on Tue Jun 23 2009
By Laura Northrup
0 views, 100 comments

Most discussed Pibbs: Can I get that picture above on a t-shirt? more »

poll

Should GM Cut Back On Advertising During Bankruptcy? They Don't Think So

Up until its recent plunge into bankruptcy, GM had been our nation's second-largest advertiser — behind only Procter & Gamble. The company spent $2 billion dollars annually for the past few years — and though they've recently cut back and fallen into third place behind Verizon, the company apparently plans to continue to spend their pre-bankruptcy budget of $40-50 million a month on ads. More »

1:27 PM on Tue Jun 23 2009
By Meg Marco
0 views, 141 comments

Most discussed vincedia: Advertising is NOT a waste of money! It is the only way to keep business rolling in, and as much more »

banks

Ally Bank Delivers Lower CD Rates Than Promised; Also No Pony

A few weeks ago, we posted about the rebranding of and promising new start for Ally Bank, formerly GMAC. But one new customer isn't very enthusiastic about their services. More »

3:07 PM on Mon Jun 22 2009
By Laura Northrup
0 views, 33 comments

aig

AIG's WCIA 2009 Award Mailed

We put AIG's Worst Company in American 2009 award in the mail today. Here is the congratulatory letter that accompanied their prize: More »

9:04 AM on Mon Jun 22 2009
By Ben Popken
0 views, 84 comments

Most discussed Kevin Dzierwinski: Did you guys purposefully leave out a 0 in the ZIP up there? more »

error not in your favor

Utility Claims 99-Year-Old Used 139,876 Gallons Of Water In 1 Month

Meet 99-year-old Jeanette Cohen, a Washington resident who either lives in her shower or is the recipient of the more bizarre bills spat out by the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. Cohen normally pays $30 to use about 3,000 gallons per month, but the utility insists that she used 139,876 gallons of water last month and now owes almost $1,200. More »

2:00 PM on Sat Jun 20 2009
By Carey
0 views, 128 comments

Most discussed henwy: So this isn't a case of it usually running on estimates and someone finally checking the meter for the first more »

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