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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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 » -
walmart
Two Wisconsin Walmarts Evacuated Due To Mysterious Odors, FBI Investigates
The FBI is investigating an incident in which a mysterious chemical was released in a Wisconsin Walmart sending 47 people to the hospital — and is not investigating a Walmart in the same county that had to be evacuated the next day due to an odoriferous sewer problem. What an odd coincidence. More » -
recession watch
How Many Jobs Did We Lose In 2008? As Many As If We'd Fired The Entire State of Wisconsin
The numbers are in and we lost 2.6 million jobs in 2008, making it the worst year since 1945. How do you picture 2.6 million jobs? Well, by looking at Wisconsin. Or Missouri. Or Maryland. More » -
recession watch
Neighborhoods Propose Printing Their Own Currency To Encourage Local Shopping
Two neighborhoods in Milwaukee are considering printing their own currency, which could be bought with U.S. dollars, but would be only accepted at local businesses, in order to encourage people to shop at home instead of Walmart. More » -
recombobulation
All Airports Should Have A Recombobulation Area Like The One In Milwaukee
Today is a travel day for millions of Americans, so we thought we'd focus on the positive. Here's a good idea that needs to catch on. Milwaukee's Mitchell International Airport has a sign after their TSA check point that reads "Recombobulation Area." More » -
bad consumer
Seinfeldian: Some Consumers Really Do Drive Their Cans And Bottles To Michigan
Remember that episode of Seinfeld where Kramer and Newman attempted to drive a mail truck full of cans and bottles to Michigan in order to profit from the $0.10 bottle deposit? Well, apparently, people really do this. And it's no fun for Michigan. More » -
master spas
Small Claims Court Winners Having Trouble Collecting Money From Elusive "Spa Man"
The story of Craig Hueffner, a man who sold spas with hefty rebates that weren't honored, is a good reminder of the limits of small claims court: namely that if the defendent plays dirty, it may be a long, expensive task to make him pay up. More » -
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cable wars
NBC Stations Will Ditch Time Warner Cable Unless They See Some Cash
Cable companies compensate most of the channels they offer, sharing a portion of the money they get from subscribers with the individual stations— but apparently Time Warner Cable doesn't share the wealth with broadcast networks —- and Austin, TX NBC affiliate KXAN is having none of it. They want some money! More » -
time warner cable
Time Warner Adds Big Ten Network, College Football Fans Rejoice
Time Warner Cable has reached a deal to offer the Big Ten Network on expanded basic cable in Big Ten states, says the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
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bad consumer
Thieves Snatch Almost $20,000 Worth Of Fuel From Gas Station
Gas thieves have stolen over 5,000 gallons of fuel from the Open Pantry Citgo in Wauwatosa, WI according to WauwatosaNow.com. More » -
warranties
Man Shoots Lawnmower With Sawed-Off Shotgun, Voids Warranty
Not only is it illegal to shoot your lawnmower with a sawed-off shotgun, it's illegal to own a sawed-off shotgun. Apparently, no one bothered to share this information with Keith Walendowski of Milwaukee, WI. More » -
best buy
Best Buy Apologizes For Charging You Too Much Tax On Your DTV Converter Box
The way coupons are taxed is different in every state— and believe us — it gets really complicated. The general rule, in most (but not all) states is that consumers are taxed on the full amount of the transaction — including any reimbursement that the store gets. More » -
stubborn
Guy In Wisconsin Is Refusing To Buy Any More Damn Gasoline... For A Month
Brian LaFave of Sheboygan, WI has had enough of high gas prices, so he's parking his truck and biking to work... for a month. Brian used to put 300 miles a week on his trusty pickup truck, but no longer. He's biking to work, not accepting free rides unless his friends are already in his neighborhood, and taking the money he saves and donating it to charity. More » -
harsh
6 Days In Jail For Overdue Library Books
Beloit, Wisconsin does not f*&% around when it comes to library books. When your books aren't returned to the Beloit Public Library, three overdue notices are mailed out and then you may be issued a citation that could possibly include a court date. More » -
damage
Time Warner: A Tornado Destroyed
Ann Beam's Wheatland, WI home was destroyed by a tornado earlier this month. Then a snow storm hit and made clean up difficult. To top it off, she opened her Time Warner Cable bill and saw a $2,000 charge for the 5 (9-year-old) cable boxes and remotes that were destroyed in the tornado. More »Your HouseOur Cable Boxes? That'll Be $2,000 -
errors
Social Security Numbers Visible On Envelopes Mailed By Wisconsin... AGAIN
Look, Wisconsin. We weren't kidding around last time. We really did mean it when we said that it wasn't cool to print people's Social Security Numbers where anyone can see them. How can people who are smart enough to sell sausage shaped like beer (above) not able to figure out that the SSN is a secret? More » -
taking it seriously
Wisconsin Takes Printing Your SSN On Mailing Labels Twice Seriously
WHO: EDS Corp., a vendor hired by the State of Wisconsin More »
wisconsin
New York, 5:19 AM
Tue Nov 10
22 posts in the last 24 hours
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