Consumerist
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aquafina
Misplaced Letter Costs PepsiCo $1.26 Billion In Bottled Water Lawsuit
It's easy to joke about PepsiCo's Aquafina. After all, it's purified municipal tap water, bottled and sold at prices comparable to juices and soda. But the product is no joke to two men in Wisconsin. In 1981, they discussed their idea to bottle and sell purified tap water with some of PepsiCo's regional bottlers. Allegedly, the idea made its way back to PepsiCo and eventually became Aquafina.
This year, they sued PepsiCo. But the paperwork was lost in layers of corporate bureaucracy, and PepsiCo failed to send a representative, winning the men a default judgment of $1.26 billion. Yes, with a B. More »
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take action
How To Get Clean Tap Water
Following up on our post about toxic tap water, it behooves us to provide you, the conscious consumer, with a few tips on how to secure safe tap water. More » -
scams
Beware Scammers Installing City-Mandated "Whole House Water Systems"
A city in Florida has just warned its residents of a weird scam: someone's been hanging pink notices on doors around town that say, "Due to the water quality in this area, we will be installing whole-house water treatment systems." You're supposed to fill out the back of the notice and leave it out for further contact. Remember, don't let anyone remodel your home on behalf of the city. It probably goes without saying, but still.
"Volusia city: Our water is fine; beware of impostors" [Orlando Sentinel] (Thanks to Ed!)
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bottled water
Consumers Finally Growing Some Damned Sense, Not Buying Bottled Water
We're not always pessimists on Consumerist. Why, sometimes we actually like silver linings, if only because it gives us a chance to complain about argyria. (Don't take colloidal silver, people!) Today's silver lining is that sales of bottled water "have fallen for the first time in at least five years," says the Los Angeles Times. We're apparently showing common sense and opting for tap water over branded and labeled water, proving that in a tough economy it's hard to compete with (nearly) free. More » -
activism
Facebook Members Go After Coca-Cola
How long will it take for Coke to give up on its Facebook page? That depends how long its PR machine can keep deleting the "fun facts" on its Wall: More » -
money saving tips
Bail Yourself Out By Draining Water Costs
If Kevin Costner's epic cinematic vision is to be trusted, water will only continue to get more rare and pricey, even as we move closer to a world of melted polar ice caps. More » -
science says
Is Bottled Water Safer Than Tap Water? Please...
Bottled water isn't any safer than tap water, and could actually be more dangerous, according to a report from the Government Accounting Office. The big difference lies in the government regulator: tap water is covered by the Safe Water Drinking Act, administered by the aggressive and powerful Environmental Protection Agency, while bottled water falls under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act overseen by the powerless anything-goes industry-lovers over at the Food and Drug Administration. More » -
your health
100% All Natural Plumped Chickens Are Stuffed With Water And Salt
Do you like overpaying for salt and water? Then "100% All Natural" chicken breasts might be for you! Just look for the labels that boast "enhanced with up to 15% chicken broth," and you can be sure you're overpaying for the saltiest, most water-logged chicken that industrial food processors can design. So how does all that chicken water get into the chickens, you ask? Hit the jump for the delightfully graphic description... More » -
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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 » -
fuel
Watered-Down Gasoline Damages Cars Near Baltimore
Rain water, not fraud or sabotage, is behind the bad gasoline sold at stations near Baltimore early this week. Hess, the supplier, is covering any damage to customers' cars caused by the diluted fuel. So, how does this happen? More » -
freebies
This Complimentary Bottle Of Water From Best Western Costs $3. Huh?
Best Western knows that hotel customers hate trumped up fees for minor perks, which is why they kindly offer this complimentary bottle of Poland Spring for only $3.
More »
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dirty tricks
This Taco Bell Lies About Water In Order To Sell The Bottled Kind
Seriously, has it come to this? Now we have to resort to fountain drink station sleuthing to figure out whether our local fast food restaurant is lying to us? Nathan used his knowledge of drink machine buttonry to figure out that the machine does indeed offer up plain municipal water. The "water" button has been colored black with a marker, however, to help it blend in with the machine. More » -
surprise!
Village Sends Woman $3600 Water Bill
Here's another good reason to monitor your utility bills. A woman in Illinois saw her quarterly water bill shoot from $150 on average to $3600, after the village where she lives finally fixed a broken outside meter that for 25 years misreported her home's water usage. More » -
howto
How To Read A Water Meter
To make sure you're paying the right amount on your monthly water bill, you should know how to read your water meter and compare it to the amount your utility company thinks it should charge you. As several readers pointed out previously, in some cities you can even do your own meter reading and call in the number each month. "But how do I read my water meter?" Here's how. More » -
health
Study: There Is All Kinds Of Nasty Crap In Your Bottled Water
A new study challenging the idea that bottled water is "purer" than tap water found a laundry list of nasty substances in major brand name water, and named two brands that exceeded California's health standards. More » -
privacy
How To Get Utilities And Phone Service Without Giving Up Your SSN
As several readers discussed in yesterday's post, utility, phone, and cable companies usually require your Social Security number in order to perform a credit check before activating service. You don't have to provide it, but they don't have to extend their services to you either. Here's one reader's explanation of how he was able to turn on water, electricity, gas, and an AT&T land line without turning over his SSN. More » -
drinking water
Update:
If you weren't one of the 41 million Americans drinking water contaminated with sex hormones and pharmaceutical waste, welcome to the club! Testing prompted by the AP's damning investigation has revealed that another five million people, including residents of Reno, Colorado Springs, and Chicago, now sip the potentially dangerous pharmaceutical soup. More »4146 Million Americans Drink Pharmaceutical Waste -
Gothamist says that there's a company (in NYC) selling purified New York City tap water in bottles. We can vouch for the goodness of NYC tap water, but really, all you need is a cup, or as Consumerist readers recommend to me, a stainless steel canteen. [Gothamist] (Thanks, Avi!)
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water
New York, 8:22 AM
Mon Nov 9
6 posts in the last 24 hours
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