• Banzai Wild Waves Water Park Box Picture Vs Reality
• Circuit City Orders All Stores To Destroy Issue Of Mad Magazine Parodying "Sucker City"
• Convicted Pedophile Sues AmEx For $4 Million, Says Creditor Violated His Privacy
• Comcast Offers You A $500 Credit After Digging Up Your Lawn
• Circuit City Sorry For Commanding Employees To Destroy Mad Mag's "Sucker City" Parody

Debt Slavery: Why Are Americans So Willing To Dig Themselves Deep Into Debt?"Despite not having a down payment or any assets, Diane was given a $135,000 mortgage...Recently an envelope arrived offering a “pre-qualified” Salute Visa Gold card issued by Urban Bank Trust. “We think you deserve more credit!” it said in bold type."

Worst Company In America Final Death Match: Comcast VS Countrywide Home Loans
"This one is for all the marbles and a beautiful lucky golden shit statue, suitable for display in the corporate headquarters of either Comcast or Countrywide (now Bank of America)."

Sorry, We Don't Know Why Our Pump Is Overcharging You
"Matt filed a report with the New Jersey Office of Weights And Measures (which he forwarded to the Consumerist), and, independently, Sunoco contacted us to confirm the location of the gas station so that they can conduct their own investigation."

7 Ways Your Public Library Can Help You During A Bad Economy"Reader MG is a fan of the site and a public librarian and has written a list of 7 ways that your library can help you during a bad economy. Libraries are an excellent resource and they're pretty easy to use. Don't worry if you're not a big reader, there's lots more stuff to do at the library besides just checking out books."

(Photo: BohPhoto)

10 Things You Might Not Know About Your Credit Card
"As you might imagine, we get a lot of questions about using credit cards. Based on those piles of emails we've put together a list of 10 things a lot of people don't know about credit cards."

10 Things You Might Not Know About Your Credit Card
"As you might imagine, we get a lot of questions about using credit cards. Based on those piles of emails we've put together a list of 10 things a lot of people don't know about credit cards."

The 10 Fattest States In The Country
"CalorieLab says that among the fattest states, those in the West and New England rank the lowest and that states in the South and the Rust Belt rank the highest."

6 Things You Should Never Say To A Car Salesman
"He is a master manipulator and has a PhD in messing with your head. Even if you have checked out some confessions of a car salesman and carefully studied the evil "four-square" technique, there are still some things you could say that tell a salesman you are a soft target."

This New Walmart Logo Looks AWFULLY Familiar
"Anyone who's read "Breakfast of Champions" remembers that Vonnegut peppered his writing with illustrations, one of which was a drawing of his own asshole."

(Photo: vidaarctique)

JPMorgan Chase Accidentally Breaks Into Your House And Steals Everything You Own
"After the Dickson's bought the house back in May, the foreclosure proceedings against the previous owners were supposed to have been stopped. They weren't."

Wal-Mart Fails To Change Your Oil And Lies About It
"she replied, "Yep, I know it was, cause I did it myself." He then went to go check the dipstick and discovered the oil hadn't been changed after all."

AT&T Turns That Whole Warrantless Wiretapping Thing Into A Hilarious Marketing Joke
"According to AT&T, Ms. Suspicious "has nothing to hide," so she certainly won't mind when AT&T and their traitorous telecom buddies trash the Constitution and violate her right to privacy!"

Car Stereo Company Tries To Install GPS, Causes $12,398.54 Damage To Your Car
"After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the car stereo installation shop to repair the damage they caused, Brandon took the car to some BMW experts and found out that the botched installation had caused over $10,000 in damage to his car."

(Photo: Matt McGee)

Powerpoint By Pissed Comcast Employee Reveals They Know Exactly How Much
They Suck
"A good way to describe Comcast customer service: "Don't care. Just sell.""

Sears Is Now Officially Too Incompetent To Even Take Your Money
"He's spent quite a lot of time lately trying to give them $1500 for a lawn tractor, but they just couldn't figure out how to complete the transaction. Yes, Sears has finally gotten to the point that they can't take your money even if you want to give it to them."

Top 10 Best and Worst Reputations In Corporate America
"Google is tops and Halliburton is not."

Circuit City Calls The Cops On Customer Who Tried To Redeem $40 DTV Coupon
"Circuit City wouldn't let Larry redeem his $40 digital transition converter box coupon unless he signed a credit slip agreeing to pay $40. Larry refused, and asked to cancel the transaction. Circuit City's manager responded by calling the police before following Larry into the parking lot to write down his license plate number."

(Photo: fantasysage)

Five Sites That Will Help You Recession-Proof Your Life
"Although we are not technically in a recession, it's starting to feel like one. As gas prices and unemployment continue to rise, we've rounded up a collection of useful advice for the current period of economic austerity."

The New iPhone May Save You Money—If You Don't Buy One
"...impact on handset makers and carriers...it's going to force them to increase subsidies and reduce service fees.

Tony Roma's, Where 16oz = 14oz
"The glass was just as tall as a normal glass, but it had a thicker bottom, making it hold less. These glasses are known as "falsies.""

"So Apparently They Decided To Turn Our Apartment Complex Into A Nudist Colony"
"What really bothers me the most is the company that owns the property released the information to the public (news, etc.) before they even discussed it with the residents/apt. complex management.""

(Photo: airgap)

Wal-Mart Reports You To The Police For Not Allowing Them To Check Your Receipt
"About thirty minutes later my wife received a call from an officer of the local police department."

Six Flags Requires You To Check All Bags Before Each Rollercoaster For $1 Per Ride
"...all the major coasters in the park now require you to stow your bag, and charge you a buck a ride for the privilege."

Lawsuit: Comcast Leaked Customer's Banking Info After She Sent Check For "My Right Arm"
"Attached was a copy of my personal check with my name, my address, my phone number, My account numbers, my signature... nothing was blacked out...Nothing!"

Meet The Coupon-Throwing Papa John's Owner From Hell
"I pointed it out for the third time, and she typed in the code and then threw the page away. I asked for the remaining coupons back and she snapped, "I'm not your secretary!""

(Photo: Marike79)

America's Most Unhealthy Drinks Exposed
"...you should be aware that there are a lot of so-called "healthy" drinks out there that will do you more harm than good."

18-Year-Old Says He Hacked Comcast Because He's "Tired Of Their Shitty Service"
"The 18-year-old who recently hacked Comcast and took down the company's homepage and webmail told Wired that it was Comcast's own fault..."

The 10 Most Annoying Airline Fees
"8. Delta charges $50 to customers who still want a physical copy of their ticket."

5 Things You Should Never Say While Cellphone Shopping
"4) Yes, I would like a 2 year contact!. You ideally want no contract. If that's not possible, you'd like a one year contract."

Why Super-Cleaning Microfiber Has Never Caught On In The U.S.
"...a cleaning cloth introduced in Europe a decade ago that's never caught on in the U.S., despite its ability to clean all sorts of things without the use of cleaning chemicals."

(Photo: Gregg Sperling)

California Ford Dealership Radio Ad Tells Non-Christians To "Sit Down And Shut Up"
"Now, since we all know that 86 out of every 100 of us are Christians who believe in God, we at Kieffe & Sons Ford wonder why we don't just tell the other 14% to sit down and shut up."

Circuit City Calls The Cops On Customer Who Requests A Price Match
"He told me there was no way he was going to match the price and that I should leave. I said I would gladly leave once he proved to me that the club portion of the policy existed. His response: he called the police!"

Applebees Hot Fudge Sundae Menu Picture Vs. Reality
"Compare the menu's Hot Fudge Sundae shooter, which fills the glass and spills over the top, to the Sundae they served me, which barely fills half the cup."

Hey North America: Why Aren't You Buying 20 Oz Bottles Of Coke?
"Oh no! You know there's something wrong with the economy when people stop buying (comparatively) expensive 20 oz bottles of Coke."

(Photo: micah.d)

Burger King To Offer Huge Burger Meant To Feed 6 People?
"Supposedly, this item is going to help BK compete with "pizza.""

10 Confessions Of A Kmart Manager
"7. We hate Sears just as much as you do."

Are You A Sucker For Using Your Credit Card?
"I'm reasonably sure that many people do not make the same purchases when they pay with plastic. This isn't just a feeling or anecdotal evidence. Researchers have found that people's willingness to purchase more products or services increases with the use of plastic."

How Do The Detroit Lions Feel About Season Ticket Holders? "F—- 'Em"
"...it seems that Kevin didn't appreciate an email that the Lions inadvertently sent him concerning a problem with his tickets. The email read: "Lance...he is not talking about you here. Mark was asked to speak to these people and he said no. F... 'em until next year.""

Lawsuit: The Bank Told Me To Spend That Mysterious $280,276.76 They Put In My Account
"Now the bank is suing Herbert Starbird, claiming that he never contacted the bank. By the time the bank noticed the error, Mr. Starbird and his wife had spent $163,330.37."

"Gay" Player Name Banned By Xbox Live
"According to the supervisor, it wasn't that she found the name offensive, but it was the "greater Xbox community" that found it offensive."

Fake, Funny Poncho Ad Causes Outrage, Laughter
"He thinks the ad is hilarious, but we found at least one complaint from a Weekly Dig reader who thought the fake ad was "misogynist" and that the "potential hilarity was ruined by bad taste and poor judgment."

Charter To Begin Tracking Users' Searches And Inserting Targeted Ads
"Charter Communications is sending letters to its customers informing them of an "enhanced online experience" that involves Charter monitoring its users' searches and the websites they visit, and inserting targeted third-party ads based on their web activity."

Starbucks: Shut Up, I'm Recording The Celtics Game!
"Customers, please try not to talk about the Celtics game. I am recording it and watching it when I get home tonight. I would really prefer to not know the outcome ahead of time. Thanks."

Lazy Employees Lose Kohl's An Easy $300 Sale
"I am watching the counter person empty out and count up her drawer (It's about 6:55) and it turns out she can't hear me, or the other two gentlemen at the counter at that time."

(Photo: msmail)

Home Depot Won't Let You Buy Stuff Without Knowing What You Plan To Do With It
"I requested assistance from the employee assigned to the area because again I do not feel I need to report to Home Depot where I plan to use items I purchase. I was told my transaction would not be completed without providing the information requested. I left without my items."

9 Foods You're Not Allowed To Buy
"Fortune magazine has compiled a list of 9 "forbidden' foods that have been banned (for some reason or another) in the US."

Seagate Sends You A "Mavericks Suck" Hard Drive
"...either someone in the Seagate factory has too much time on their hands, or Seagate has a “Mavericks Suck” model drive now."

OfficeMax Calls You A Thief For Trying To Recycle
"Chris runs a computer repair business that leaves him flush with empty cartridges. According to one cashier, this makes Chris a thief."

(Photo: Paxton Holley)

10 Ways To Save Real Money
"The champagne is dry and crusty, and all the hundred-dollar bills used to light cigars have crumbled into ash. It's time to tighten our belts and get real about spending less and saving more."

Disney Upset About Risque Hannah Montana Pics, Underaged Girls On Their Billboards In China
"Staring down at the throngs of shoppers...was a white girl who looked all of 12, reclining in a matching bra-and-panties set adorned with Disney's signature mouse-ear design."

Sprint Sends You Bill For $32,669
"Had his cellphone been used as a call-home payphone for a neighborhood of Tajikistan émigrés? Or by NASA as a Space Station communications channel?"

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."

WaMu: Sorry We Don't Have Your $4200 In Cash, Want A Check?
"He told me (still across the room BTW) that they operated on some automatic withdrawal machines and that he couldn't authorize that much of a withdrawal because other people needed to use it and that the amount of capital wouldn't cover it."

Macy's Confiscates Your Item Because "Another Customer Wants It"
"...before she could pay for the item the store's manager stopped her and took the pot away because "another customer want[ed] it."

EMI Says You Can't Store Your Music Files Online
"Today, MP3tunes' CEO Michael Robertson sent out an email to all users of the online music backup and place-shifting service MP3tunes.com, asking them to help publicize EMI's ridiculous and ignorant lawsuit against the company"

What Happens When You Pay Your $0.19 Amex Bill With 7 Origami Checks?
"I didn't want them to accidentally drop one, and I was still in a bad mood, so I folded the first check up. Then the second. Then I realized I could fold them all up... around each other."

PHOTO: Dell Breaks Your Laptop, Sends Replacement Full Of Pubes
"Reader K's call to Dell tech support for his laptop resulted in the tech helping him break a different computer, then sending him a replacement laptop full of human pubic hair."

Sears Refuses To Refund $1070 For TV They Never Delivered
"They were never able to deliver it, however, so finally Tom arranged for a similar discount on another TV and bought that one instead. Now it's four and half months later, and Sears still won't remove the charge for the original out-of-stock TV from Tom's Sears Card."

Wal-Mart Holds Your Credit Card and ID Hostage When You Complain
"When Steve said he'd call corporate about their ID checking policy, the cashier refused to hand back Steve's credit card or ID until Steve spoke to an in store CSM. That's right, after he complained, the cashier held his credit card hostage."

Confessions Of A Debt Settlement Company Worker
"My new job is at an all natural bakery, I no longer wish to swerve my truck into a tree on the way to work."

Circuit City Tries To Install Navigation System, Causes $12,119 Of Damage To Your Car
"Circuit City caused $12,119 worth of damage to VTECnical's 2007 Honda Civic while trying to install a Pioneer AVIC Z2 navigation system."

Comcast Degrades HD Quality To Make Room For More Channels
"The left is the FiOs. The right is the Comcast. As you can see, the Comcast signal looks like crap."

Credit Card Expert Disputes Erroneous Charge, Frustration Ensues
"Adam Levitin is having trouble disputing an erroneous $176.96 charge on his Citibank Amex card from PACER, the federal court's online docket system, which he accesses for free. The professor is a consumer credit expert and should have no problem understanding and fixing the error, right? Fat chance."

The Man Who Owns DoNotReply.com Knows All The Secrets Of The World
"...He blogs about the most interesting ones. Companies embarrassed by having their e-mails posted online can get him to pull the entries from his blog for a small payment. The normal fee to be removed from the site is proof of a donation to an animal protective league or humane society."

Best Buy Calls Cops On You For Telling Fellow Customer Jawbone Headset Is Overpriced, Sucks
"Best Buy called the cops on Alex because he told another shopper that the Jawbone headset he was considering was poor quality and marked up $30 from the manufacturer's price."

Qwest To Workers: Pee In A Urinal Bag
"Qwest ordered field workers to pee in urinal bags so they wouldn't waste time trying to find public bathrooms."

BMW Denies Test Drive Because You Are Not A "Serious Customer"
"We went inside the dealership and after waiting a few minutes the salesman came back and said the manager wanted to keep the miles down on the demo, therefore I wouldn't be able to drive the car unless I demonstrated I was "a serious customer". I'm not sure what could have indicated that we weren't serious, and the salesman wasn't clear on what we needed to do to demonstrate "seriousness"."

Woman Sues American Airlines Over Masturbating Passenger
"When the woman opened her eyes, she saw that an unknown man had moved into the seat next to her and was staring at her as he masturbated..."

RIAA Pockets Filesharing Settlement Money, Doesn't Pay Artists Whose Copyrights Were Infringed
"Lawyers who have represented artists such as The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, and Christina Aguilera say artists and managers are upset that they haven't seen any of the settlement money the RIAA received after suing the popular file-sharing services."

Should American Airlines Have Flown Five Overbooked Passengers Across The Atlantic In An Empty Plane?
"Friends of the Earth is outraged that American burned 22,000 gallons of fuel for five passengers. Great customer service or eco-scandal?"

Circuit City Will Access A Secret Panel In Your TV For $104.74
"...they have access to a service panel that your normal everyday consumer can't get to. They're supposed to tweak the settings according to ambient light in the room, and an end result is they also reduce power consumption making the TV last longer."

Apple Still Won't Sell You A Computer Because You've Got Too Many Gift Cards
"I have 7 gift cards totaling $1250. Apple refuses to sell me a computer despite having $1250 upfront."

7 Confessions Of A Verizon DSL Tech Support Rep
"5. In order to meet their 15 min handle time, agents have simply transferred the customer back into the queue to talk to another agent and tried to make it look like it was a phone problem."

Complaint Remover Gets Rid Of "Negative Links," Including LOLCats
"CLIENT: So you like make new internets and push the bad internets down
Kelly: yes
CLIENT: My keywords are lolcats
CLIENT: I have a cat breeding business and people keep making pictures of cats with derogatory phrases on them
CLIENT: It's hampering my ability to attract new clients"

AT&T Won't Sell You iPhone Because "You're Going To Unlock It"
"No" "What?!!? Why not!?" "Because you are going to unlock the phone and we can't allow that. Go buy one on eBay."

Staples Tries To Charge Senior Citizen $390 For Basic Computer Repair
"Reader Michael watched incredulously as a Staples tech tried to convince a senior citizen that his computer wouldn't work properly without repairs costing almost $400."

Complaint Remover Gets Rid Of "Negative Links," Including LOLCats
"CLIENT: So you like make new internets and push the bad internets down
Kelly: yes"

Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash: "I Woke Up With Brown Spots On My Teeth"
"Crest Pro-Health Mouthwash turned my teeth brown! And on top of that, I can't taste anything!"

Detained And Harassed At Walmart For Not Showing A Receipt
"Appalled that the Wal-mart employee had just touched me, I said "excuse me", but Bob refused to budge, demanding again to see my receipt. I attempted to walk around him, but he kept stepping in front of me, and I would bounce off of him."

Man Records Phishing Call
"Scammer: I'm just coming within two days with two FBI agents, OK.
Howard: Well, you bring 'em here. I've got a 357. I'll put your name on it."

Unlawfully Detained At Home Depot For Not Showing Receipt
"According to his police report, the officer stopped Matt without reasonable cause and forced him to comply with "store policy." Matt feels that this was a violation of his 4th amendment rights."

This Sports Authority Coupon For 20% Off Cannot Be Used For Anything
"Sports Authority misses you so much that they sent out a 20% off coupon that doesn't apply to sports equipment or 68 named brands. You might, might be able to get 20% off a pair of socks."

We're Too Pretty For Southwest!
"I think they were just discriminating against because we were young decent-looking girls. I mean, nobody else on the plane looked like us except us," she said. "[The flight attendants] were like older ladies...Who knows, they could have been just jealous of us because we were younger."

Microsoft Has No Answer For Their Broken XBOX Live DRM
"Reader Kevin's XBOX 360 suffered the usual Red Ring of Death, so he sent it in to be repaired. He got back a different XBOX 360 with a different serial number. That would be no big deal, except Kevin has purchased a bunch of content through XBOX Live... content that is no longer fully functional due to Microsoft's broken DRM."

The "Hawaii Chair" Freaks Us Out
"We don't really know what else to say about the Hawaii Chair. Watching people fidget suggestively on what looks like an office desk chair makes us uncomfortable for some reason."

America's 10 Most Miserable Cities
"Forbes has collected America's 10 Most Miserable Cities. True, it may suck to live in these cities, but at least you can take pride in knowing that you're tough enough."

Dinged For Enterprise Car Rental Dent
"Do I have any recourse besides paying? Will they attack my credit, or go after the employer's credit card first?"

The "Hawaii Chair" Freaks Us Out
"Watching people fidget suggestively on what looks like an office desk chair makes us uncomfortable for some reason."

Mind F*ck Used To Get Debt Collector To Stop Calling Wrong Number
"When I read him his address and phone number he was soo confused. Then he got pissed and said they will stop calling and hung up."

Walmart Ignores Widow's Letter Asking Why It Took Employees 9 Hours To Find Her Husband's Body In A Bathroom Stall
"One of the first places they checked was the bathroom. She said that a custodian had the door blocked for cleaning and told her the room was empty."

Your Account Is Never Really Closed At Bank Of America
"While checks that come in for a closed account will "bounce," any electronic credit or debit will automatically reopen the account."

Walmart Nazi Tshirt Watch: Week 62
"Just when you thought all of the Walmart tshirts bearing the exact replica of an infamous Nazi symbol were recalled, or sold to a discount store and burned, a Walmart in Palmdale, California has them on sale for $3.00 a pop."

Gibson Screws Musician Out Of $10,000 Worth Of Equipment
"A musician named Tonedeff won the Lolapalooza Last Band Standing contest in 2006. Part of the prize package was "$10,000 worth of equipment from our friends at Gibson. (yes, believe it!)." Well, Tonedeff believed it, and he's spent the last year and a half trying to get Gibson to make good on their promise"

Move To Japan So You Can Eat Strawberry Cheetos
"Apparently, a "Strawberry Cheeto" is a plain cheeto dipped in some sort of strawberry frosting and is "actually very good," according to one brave soul who tried them."

Home Depot Lets You Keep $199 Power Tool That Rang Up For $0.01
"Now, it would have been more ethical to tell the store about the error and to ask for an additional discount, but since Johnny already paid for the item, it was his."

Why Does My Cable Company Force Me To Subscribe To All These Stupid Channels?
"You're probably convinced that there's a huge conspiracy going on to get you to pay for a bunch of crap you don't want. You might be right."

5 Most Complained About Airlines In November
"Wow, you guys really hated airlines in November. Complaints against airlines jumped 37% in November as compared to last year."

Xbox 360 Breaks Down 5 Times In A Row, But Microsoft Refuses To Replace It
"In the past year, it's been out of commission for over 12 weeks total. He's now asking for a new or refurbished unit, or else a refund, but Microsoft is determined to keep him in an extended warranty repair cycle indefinitely and won't negotiate."

Shank Found Inside Mattel Polly Pocket Toy
"A "shank" (a blade wrapped in electrical tape, to be exact) was found inside a sealed Polly Pocket toy purchased at Walmart."

Microsoft Customer Service Calls Back 10 Years Later
"On 1/8/08, 10 years after he placed a call to Microsoft tech support, they called Brian back to see if his problem had been resolved."

Nobody Knows What This Pillow Is Made Of
"I had a pillow that says 'contains textiles of 100% unknown kind' on that tag... Used underpants? Human hair?"

6 Confessions Of A Former RadioShack Employee
"Just stay away from the parts drawer, the cell phone display, the satellite radio counter, the iPod accessories area, and the cable/ battery row , and you might even have a good time."

Someone From Arkansas Is Selling Wiis For Only $99!!!
"Quick, type in all of your credit card information before he runs out of inventory! Omgwtf $99 Wiis!"

Geeks.com Website Hacked, Customer Data Stolen
"...they "recently discovered on December 5, 2007 that customer information, including Visa credit card information, may have been compromised.""

Countrywide Invents Evidence In Foreclosure Hearing
"...the homeowner's lawyer noticed that the ones addressed to him didn't have the address of his office at the time; they had the address of the office he had moved to AFTER the dates on which the letters were said to have been sent."

How To Mind Control Customer Service Reps
"I have a situation that you are going to fix for me today. I appreciate your patience."

Macy's Doesn't Care If You Want To Save The Planet, Forces You To Take A Plastic Bag
"She told me that she had to give me a bag, that I wouldn't be allowed out of the store without one."

Walmart: Santa Brings A MP3 Player Full Of Porn To A 10-Year-Old Girl
"The Hills want to know why Wal-Mart would sell used merchandise as new in the first place, which is in violation of its own policies."

82-Year-Old Woman Sues Chase To Recover Life Savings
"Chase is refusing to honor a cashiers check for $19.700.22...she was told that the check expired after five years, and that her life savings now belonged to the state."

Sprint's Special Low Price For One Month Of Mobile Broadband: $14,062.27
"Krystyl signed up for Sprint's $59.99 unlimited Mobile Broadband plan and isn't sure why she just received a bill for $14,062.27."

Capital One Pockets Traveler's $6000, Ruins Vacation
"As a consequence, he's "pre-paid" $6,000 onto a Capital One card that has been red-flagged and frozen, and Capital One refuses to budge..."

What Is The Most Expensive Drink At Starbucks?
"Billy wanted to maximize the value of his coupon for one free drink at Starbucks. But which tongue-twisting truffle-invoking concoction to request?"

Whole Foods Computer Crash Results In $4,000 Grocery Giveaway
"After realizing that the registers were down for the count, Donoghue issued simple instructions to his cashiers: bag the customer's groceries and wish them a happy holidays."

Woman Asked To Leave After Shopping At Walmart For 72 Hours
"When asked by employees at the end why she stayed for so long, she said, "I'm shopping."

People Who Buy First-Class Tickets On Discount Airlines Are Like...
"benpopken: A guy buys a first-class ticket on discount airliner AirTran, is he an asshole?"

Dillard's Boots Disabled Iraq War Vet And His Service Dog, Too
"The store manager did not believe that Gonzalez is disabled because he is neither blind nor deaf. Gonzalez uses Mason—who wore a vest reading: "SERVICE DOG - DO NOT PET"—to help keep his balance."

Odd Gadget Turns Man Blue
"The drink is supposed to be a universal cure-all, but the one thing it can't cure, it seems, is being completely blue-colored."

Hey Continental Airlines, North Korea Isn't The Same As South Korea
"Instead of an expected, "we apologize for the confusion and we'll look into it", we received a lecture on how the PASSENGERS are usually wrong in cases like this and that we should just go home."

Personal Finance Columnist Loses $10,000
"I ran through the numbers again with my husband, and he reached the same conclusion: approximately $10,000 was missing in action."

CompUSA's Going-Out-Of Business Discount List
"Looks like for now they're using the same close-out strategy as when they closed down most of their stores before: offer crappy deals and advertise the heck out of it."

Walmart "Junior" Panties Suggest That Your Genitals Are Better Than Credit Cards
"The whole prostitution angle is clouding the message of fiscal responsibility."

"Why I Never Want Anything To Do With Verizon Ever Ever Again"
"Looking at the pending transactions, a charge of $435.03 had been debited from my account the day before. I was stunned."

Confessions Of A Wii, PS3, iPhone Reseller
"I want to come clean and confess my consumer sins. I am a reseller."

Amazon Cancels Black Friday Orders, CSRs Trick Customer Into Buying $90 Mouse
"Amazon either ran out of inventory or didn't catch several pricing errors on their Black Friday sale until after they'd already begun to ship products, but either way a lot of customers just had their orders canceled."

This Boneless Spiral Ham Is "Delicious For Chanukah"
"NancyKay Shapiro attributed the signs to the "Department of Monumental Cluelessness, Well-Meaning Division."

Landlord-Tenant Law For Every State
"Good for renters to bookmark in case you're ever in a dispute with your landlord, or just because you're a smart person who likes to have useful information relevant to your life on hand."

Dialing 911 Could Be Dangerous
"She grabbed her new Casio G'zOne phone from Verizon Wireless, which to her horror made an audible alarm when she called 911. Fearing vandals were still on the property, she hung up and hid, then put her hand over the earpiece and dialed again to muffle the sounds."

Why I'm Never Shopping At Sears Again
"Dear Mr. Lewis, We are writing to you to document the abysmal experience we recently had with Sears following break-down of our Kenmore refrigerator/freezer."

Homeowners Fined $347,000 For Trimming Trees Without A Permit
"Ann points out that White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby was fined $250,000 for perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in the case of CIA operative Valerie Plame. She adds, with appropriate exasperation, that Glendale Memorial Hospital drew a $25,000 fine in October for a medical error in which "a person was killed."

Google Thinks Spammers Might Be Giving Up
"Google won't disclose numbers, but the company says that spam attempts, as a percentage of e-mail that's transmitted through its Gmail system, have waned over the last year."

Dust Voids PS3 Warranty
I just got off the phone With PS3 customer support who kindly informed me that my PS3 is "too dusty" to be replaced under warranty. But won't provide pictures unless they are subpoenaed."

Qwest Can't Get Wireless Working Because Macs Are "Practically An Obsolete System"
"During one call to Qwest, an employee told me that he could get it up and running in 30 seconds if my computer were a PC. When I asked him if any of his colleagues were trained for Macs, he told me that hardly anyone uses macs and Qwest should not have to train its employees in a practically obsolete system. He then transferred me, against my will, to the apple support line."

Secret Camera Investigation: Every Single Hotel Failed To Wash Your Cups And Glasses
"One hotel employee rinsed the glasses after cleaning the toilet—using the same gloves. Another one sprayed the glasses with blue cleaning fluid that was marked "Do not drink.""

Verizon FiOS Sets Another House On Fire
"What will the Verizon Policy Blog have to say about this incident? Probably something along the lines of, "while the smoke at the Sammler house may be gone, the desire of customers still clamoring for the blazing hot speeds of FiOS is yet to be quenched!""

Debt Collector Addresses Notice To "SHIT FACE"
"The letter begins, "Dear SHIT..." Below a line where the debtor is supposed to sign, the pejorative again appears. Best of all, the debt is only $16.39, for Columbia House (purveyors of fine 1cent for 624,215 CD offers)."

UPDATE: Amex Slaps Best Buy, Obtains Refund For Reader's Box Of Tile Hard Drive
"I was contacted by American Express and they were able to resolve the situation and they obtained a refund from Best Buy"

The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back (Revised Edition)
"A one-stop-stop for figuring out what you need to do to start a customer complaint, or how to escalate a stalled one so that it can be resolved."

Top 10 Consumer Frauds
"An estimated 30.2 million Americans were victims of fraud last year, which is about 13.5% of the adult population."

California Police Seize 375 Pounds Of Bathtub Cheese
"Bathtub cheese, otherwise known as "illegal soft cheese," can cause a range of maladies including listeria, salmonella, and everybody's favorite gut goblin, E. coli."

Is This Fashion Ad Promoting Gang Rape?
"The folks at NOW Foundation have it at the top of their list of offensive ads, describing it as "a scene evoking a gang rape and reeking of violence against women."

5 Expenses You Can't Afford If You Have Credit Card Debt
"I am what I drive! I love this car! This car is who I am!"

Taco Bell To Give Away Free Tacos If A Base Is Stolen In The World Series
"The promotion is called "Steal a base, steal a taco," though Reuters assures us: "Despite the promotion's name, stealing the taco will not be required.""

Walgreens Substituted Chemo Drug For Prenatal Vitamins
"A woman who suffered a miscarriage after taking chemo drugs that were supposed to be prenatal vitamins is suing Walgreens."

13,000 People Are Getting A Surprise Audit!
"13,000 lucky Americans will soon receive letters from the IRS explaining that they've been selected for a random audit."

Walmart Sanctifies The Toy Aisle With Talking Jesus Action Figures
"He's wearing a simple tunic with that Kenny Loggins haircut. Push the button on his back and he says this: "I am Jesus. I am the son of God."

Empty Room? Bijou Theater Screens Movie For One Couple
"Instead of canceling the show due to low attendance (or establishing a house minimum) the owner, Jerry, greeted us and talked about how he'll run the shows for just one person."

Ralph Nader Doesn't Read The Consumerist
"I now find out that he has never heard of Consumerist, so in essence he sucks all around. Right after I left the Fest the first thing I did was pick up an over-priced Carmel Mocha at Starbucks. Suck it Nader!"

ATA Tries To Have You Arrested For Using Your iPhone In "Airplane Mode"
"He has no answer for that, but to now yells at me "You have to do anything I say, I am going to have you arrested..."

The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back
"If you're ready to stop getting mad and start getting results, check out these posts..."

Target Won't Refund New iPod Box Found Full Of Rocks...Twice
"Melanie Ritter thought she was buying a video iPod from Target for her daughter's birthday, only to open the box and find rocks inside. Imagine how much more disappointed she was the second time this happened."

Walmart's Total Retail Space Is Larger Than Manhattan
"The latest issue of GOOD Magazine has a sweet graphic showing the comparative landmass taken up by the world's largest retail chains."