Consumerist
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children
Frontier's Computer System Lands Unaccompanied Minor In Security Room For An Hour
Ok, here's a crazy idea: if you're an airline, and you have a form with room to list two adults who are authorized to pick up an unaccompanied minor, wouldn't it make sense to have room for both names in your computer system? Because whoever is running Frontier Airline's system doesn't seem to think so! Kayla's mother spent a frantic hour, IDs in hand, trying to prove that she was authorized to meet her 13-year-old daughter at the gate. The form accompanying her daughter clearly had both her and Kayla's father listed, but the computer listed only the father's name. While Frontier sorted out the confusion, Kayla spent an hour waiting in Denver Airport's security room. More » -
whoops
This Harry Potter Blu-Ray Set Requires A HD-DVD Player
Best Buy is still selling a defective Harry Potter Blu-Ray set that contains a HD-DVD version of the Goblet of Fire. The bumbled bundles were first discovered in 2007, but reader Bill found one sitting on a Best Buy shelf in Grand Junction, CO. More » -
whoops
Lawsuit: Lowe's Cabinet Installers Drill Into Water Lines Three Times
Here's an interesting little lawsuit from West Virginia. A customer is suing Lowe's, claiming that installers contracted by the hardware giant drilled into his water lines. Not once. Not twice. Three times. More » -
whoops
The IRS Isn't Sure Who They Hired Or Why Your Sensitive Tax Documents Are Filed In Dumpsters
Here are three things you didn't want to know: 1) The IRS doesn't always conduct background checks on the employees contracted to handle your sensitive tax documents; 2) Those contracted employees regularly toss your sensitive tax documents into dumpsters without first shedding them; 3) The IRS doesn't really know who's in charge of conducting background checks on contracted employees, or who's responsible for keeping your sensitive tax documents shredded and out of dumpsters. At least that's what the Treasury Inspector General's office uncovered when it audited everyone's favorite auditors. More » -
retail
Returning These Games To Best Buy Could Get A Little Awkward
Reader Charlton went to Best Buy to buy some games. He successfully accomplished his task, only to find that opening his purchase was going to be a little difficult. More » -
whoops
Greyhound Accidentally Charges $1,000 For A $70 Bus Ticket
Greyhound tickets from Raleigh to Asheville cost $67.50, unless you're Meg Stivison. Then they cost over $1,000. Greyhound repeatedly charged Stivison's debit card while insisting that she didn't know the address on her bank statement. Meg ended up driving down to the bus terminal to buy a ticket, but that was just the start of her nightmarish journey... More » -
terms and conditions
This Office Depot Coupon Apparently Applies To Everything
Tipster Paul quips, "perhaps they should invest in a 'techonology' like spell check..." [Office Depot]
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whoops
Private Food Safety Inspectors Routinely Give Seal Of Approval To Dangerous Food
Large companies routinely rely on private audits to prove that their food is safe even though private auditors are dangerously incompetent, according to a New York Times investigation. The private auditor who inspected the Peanut Corporation of America plant responsible for unleashing the massive salmonella contamination was trained to audit bakeries and repeatedly gave the plant a "SUPERIOR" rating, partly because he "never thought that [salmonella] would survive in the peanut butter type environment." More » -
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whoops
PayPal Charges $81,400,836,908 For $26 Tank Of Gas
Juan Zamora fed his 1994 Chevy Camaro $26 worth of gas, a transaction for which PayPal charged his debit card $81,400,836,908. Unsurprisingly, PayPal saw nothing wrong with the charge and demanded that Juan prove that he didn't actually buy $81.4 billion worth of gas. More » -
Helpful Reminders
No, You Should Not Launch An E.E.C.B. Against Your Own Employer
Do not launch an Executive Email Carpet Bomb against your own company or it will explode in your face. Reader E discovered this the hard way when he tried to use an E.E.C.B. to convince the bank where he worked to reverse $300 worth of overdraft fees. More » -
whoops
Citibank Sends Nigerian Scammer $27 Million
37-year-old Nigerian scammer Paul Gabriel Amos convinced Citibank officials to wire him $27 million belonging to Ethiopia. Rather than go with the usual Nigerian nom de plumes like prince or will executor, Famous Amos pretended to be an official with the National Bank of Ethiopia. Amos forged "official-looking" documents that confirmed his status with the central bank and instructed Citibank to await faxes telling them where to send the country's cash. More » -
Harvard University's endowment, the largest of any university, has lost 22% of its value in the past year — or approximately $8 billion. Ouch. [MarketWatch]
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whoops
US Airways Loses Your 83-Year-Old Mother
It's bad enough when they lose your luggage, but what do you do when the airline loses your 83-year-old mother? File a claim? Poor Vera Kuemmel had to answer this very question as she waited in vain at the baggage claim of the Tampa airport. More » -
whoops
JetBlue Addresses Your Email To "Dear Mr. Soandso"
JetBlue can be so cute sometimes. Apparently, they recently sent out and email addressed to Mr. Soandso explaining how much they missed all the Mr. Soandsos who had not flown with them in a year.
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whoops
Tales Of Consumer Reports Employees Injuring Themselves With Products
Nobody is perfect, it seems, not even the folks at safety-conscious Consumer Reports. They've put together a group of stories from employees who managed to injure themselves with various products. More » -
charter
Charter Publishes Unlisted Numbers In The Phone Book
Tim enjoyed his unlisted phone number for over thirty years until Charter published it in the local phone book. Now he has two options: ditch his long-time number, or lose his cherished anonymity. Inside, Charter's apology letter. More » -
premier black
Best Buy: We're Sorry We Accidentally Said You Were An "Elite" Customer
Not that it's any big surprise, but Best Buy has now gotten around to taking back that "elite" status that they accidentally gave all of their Rewards Zone members yesterday. We knew that 45 day return policy was too good to be true... Best Buy's "whoops" email inside: More » -
hsbc
Computer Glitch Renders Thousands Of HSBC Accounts Inaccessible
HSBC's core banking system has been hosed for almost a week, preventing thousands of customers from knowing how much money is stashed in their accounts. The widespread problem is limiting access to HSBCDirect accounts, and at least 8,000 Catholic Health System employees up in Buffalo are still waiting for their direct deposit payments to materialize. More »
whoops
New York, 2:22 AM
Mon Jul 6
6 posts in the last 24 hours
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