Consumerist
tributes
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infomercials
Can Billy Mays Move Product From Beyond The Grave?
Next week, direct-response marketing juggernaut Telebrands will roll out a new ad campaign for Jupiter Jack, a tiny gadget intended to turn your car radio into a giant cell phone speakerphone. The star of the spot is recently deceased pitchman Billy Mays.
Why run the spot? For starters, both Telebrands and the Mays family know that Billy would have wanted it that way. More »
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Ticket holders for the late Michael Jackson's planned 50-concert series in London will receive either full refunds or "souvenir tickets." We're not sure what the latter means. Maybe they're bronzed? Laminated? Holograms? [New York Times]
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tragic
Billy Mays Likely Died Of Heart Disease
A Florida medical examiner says that beloved pitchman Billy Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease and likely died of a heart attack. A day earlier, Mays bumped his head during a rough landing on a US Airways flight — but the autopsy showed no head trauma. More » -
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tragic
Man Dies Trying To Stop Verizon Van
The Washington Post says that a 79-year-old widower died after trying to stop a Verizon technician from pulling out of his drive way. The man was apparently extremely frustrated with his service, in addition to being quite lonely since his wife passed away from a stroke. More » -
tragic
Continental Pilot Dies Midflight, Crew Lands Jet Safely
CNN is reporting that the pilot of Continental Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark died midflight, forcing a relief pilot to take over the controls of the Boeing 777. More » -
tragic
GPS Blamed After Crew Demolishes The Wrong House
One Georgia family is understandably distraught after the house their father built by hand was demolished without warning by a crew that says they were given GPS coordinates rather than an address. The home was currently empty — but contained irreplaceable heirlooms. More » -
cellphones
In A Tight Spot, A Prepaid Phone Can Replace A Broken One
Reader Brandi's expensive T-Mobile Dash broke after only 7 months, leaving her phoneless and sad. The T-Mobile store was unhelpful — as she'd already used her phone discount to buy the now-broken Dash. What to do? More » -
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oh my god
Attention: Your Insurance Doesn't Cover Damage From Corpse Fluid
Let's say you have an apartment. One night, you wake up to find that a liquid is dripping from the ceiling onto your face. When it turns out that the liquid was bodily fluids from a decomposing corpse, your insurance lets you know that the damage to your belongings will not be covered by your policy. Yes, this happened to someone. More » -
early termination fees
Landlord Asks Mother To Pay "Early Termination Fee" After Son Fails To Honor Lease By Dying
Debbie Eckert cleaned out her son's apartment after he died in a February fight, but the landlord, CCRT Properties of Brookfield Wisconsin, thinks she should pay several months rent and an early termination fee. The Wisconsin Department of Consumer Protection says that CCRT can pursue the 24-year-old teacher's estate, but that they have no right to heartlessly badger his mother. More » -
tragic
Hewlett Packard Wipes Your Hard Drive To Fix A Broken Key On Your Keyboard
Here's a story that should help to remind you to back up all your data — even if you're just getting a key replaced on your keyboard. More » -
tragic
Wal-Mart Employee Trampled To Death As Mob Tears Doors Off Hinges
The New York Times is reporting that a temporary employee of a suburban New York Walmart was trampled to death when a throng of shoppers tore down the front doors of the store and surged inside. More » -
advertising
Greyhound Pulls "Bus Rage" Ad After Passenger Beheaded, Cannibalized
Here's some unfortunate news from our neighbor to the north. In case you haven't heard, there was a violent and unprovoked attack on a Greyhound bus in Canada recently in which on passenger stabbed, beheaded, and cannibalized another passenger. In the wake of this horrific incident, Greyhound is pulling their latest ad campaign. More » -
tragic
Man Sets Himself On Fire At Rent-A-Center After Receiving Too Many Late Payment Notices
There are lots of good ways to escalate your complaints. Going to the store, dousing yourself with lighter fluid and setting yourself on fire is not one of them. Unfortunately, that's exactly what one Newark, NJ man did after becoming frustrated with the amount of late payment notices and collection calls he was receiving from Rent-A-Center. More » -
Tragic: A woman facing foreclosure commits suicide, faxes note to her mortgage company that said "by the time they foreclosed on the house today she'd be dead." [Boston]
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tragic
Amazon, Newegg Begin Collecting Sales Tax From Residents Of New York
Despite filing a lawsuit to challenge a new law requiring websites that use affiliates based in NY (like Amazon) to collect sales tax from their NY customers, Amazon has registered with the state and is now collecting sales tax. Electronics retailer Newegg also began collecting tax from NY customers. More » -
tragic
Comcast DVR Cuts Off American Idol Results, Sopranos Finale Style
Reader Bill, who sends in this video of what his DVR recorded during last night's American Idol finale, says: More » -
free stuff
Two Carvel Locations in NYC Say "No Free Ice Cream Drinks For You"
