Earlier this week, we brought you the tale of a Consumerist reader who was stymied by the presence of what appeared to be an employee ID badge in a bag of beef jerky she’d purchased. After our story ran, the company reached out to our reader with apologies for her “very negative experience” and something of an explanation about what happened. [More]
better late than never
Man Admits He Helped Steal 94,000 Credit, Debit Card Numbers From Michaels Stores
By 6.20.17
If you can stretch your memory all the way back to the spring of 2011, before data breaches seemed commonplace, perhaps you will recall when Michaels warned customers that PIN pad information at some of its stores might have been exposed. Now, a California man has admitted his role in a conspiracy to swipe 94,000 credit and debit card numbers from customers at around 80 Michaels stores. [More]
We Won’t Get Estimate On Cost Of Obamacare Repeal Bill Until At Least May 22
By 5.10.17
It’s already been nearly a week since the House of Representatives narrowly approved a controversial budget resolution that guts much of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, and we still don’t have any estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office of what this massive change to the insurance system might cost. Now the CBO says it may be another two weeks until we get that estimate. [More]
Google Fiber Finally Coming To At Least Some People In San Francisco
By 2.24.16
While Google is based in the San Francisco Bay area, the closest the Internet biggie has come to bringing Google Fiber to the region is listing San Jose as a “potential” Fiber market for the future. But today, Google announced that at least some people in San Francisco will be able to get its high-speed data service. [More]
Traveler Gets Luggage Back From Airport’s Lost & Found 20 Years After Plane Trip
By 12.18.14
We’ve all been there — the airline has lost your luggage and it’s probably never going to show up again. But maybe if you wait 20 years, your missing property will find its way back to you. [More]
Letter Mailed In 1931 Turns Up At Post Office, Gets Delivered 83 Years Late
By 7.2.14
Like a message in a bottle, tossed up on the shore by the tide after sailing the oceans of time (It’s summer, it’s hot and water sounds awesome), sometimes misdirected mail shows up to remind us of the past. And when it takes 83 years to show up from wherever lost letters go, it’s bound to make for a good story. [More]
Senate To Finally Consider Bill To Make Cellphone Unlocking Legal Again
By 6.24.14
Four months after the House of Representatives passed a bill that would override the Librarian of Congress’s industry-backed decision to make it illegal for consumers to unlock cellphones and take them to other carriers, members of the U.S. Senate will finally get around to considering a similar piece of legislation, giving some hope that the bill might pass in our lifetime. [More]
Library Waives $7,600 Fee For Book 91-Year-Old Man Returned 61 Years Late
By 6.16.14
Youth is wasted on the young, some might say, but not everyone tries to make up for the wastefulness of their earlier days when they’re all grown up. One 91-year-old man wasn’t about to let the capriciousness of his 30-year-old self go unanswered forever, however, turning in a library book that was 61 years late. [More]
AT&T Confirms Some Wireless Customers’ Phone Records, SSNs Accessed In April Security Breach
By 6.16.14
Check your mail, AT&T wireless customers — you might have an announcement from the company disclosing a data security breach that happened two months ago. Snail, mail indeed. AT&T confirmed over the weekend that three workers at one of the company’s vendors accessed an undisclosed amount of AT&T Mobility customers’ records. [More]
Microsoft Finally Releases Security Update For Internet Explorer; XP Users Not Left Out
By 5.1.14
After nearly a week, Microsoft has begun releasing a security update intended to patch a security flaw in Internet Explorer that could give hackers access to a user’s computer. [More]
GM Shipping Kits To Finally Repair Ignition Defect Responsible For 13 Deaths
By 4.23.14
Amid probes from legislators, regulators, lawyers and criminal investigators into how General Motors managed to get away with allowing more than a million vehicles to hit the road with defective ignition switches tied to at least 13 deaths, the car maker has finally begun shipping out kits to its dealerships so they can start fixing the problem. [More]
EA Finally Decides You Don’t Need To Be Online To Play SimCity
By 1.13.14
When reigning two-time Worst Company In America champ Electronic Arts released the hugely anticipated SimCity game in April 2013, it unleashed a hornets’ nest of bad publicity by not only requiring that players be online in order to use the game but also grossly underestimating its ability to deal with all of those users trying to play the game at the same time. Many owners of the game were unable to play for weeks until EA resolved the issue, but the company stood by the ill-advised decision to require an Internet connection. Now, ten months and ten updates later, it’s finally relenting. [More]
Landscaper Finally Collects $1M From Lottery Ticket He Found Raking Leaves A Year Ago
By 12.30.13
As the saying goes, good things come to those who rake. Well, maybe it’s “wait” but in this case either one works for a guy who found a lottery ticket worth $1 million while cleaning up leaves in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy a year ago. [More]
Penitent Burglars Return Loot To Scene Of The Crime, Along With Apology Note
By 8.8.13
What in the world would compel a suspected criminal to return to the scene of the crime — beyond a total lack of common sense? In the case of one recent burglary, after a thief realized who he or she had been stealing from, an overwhelming sense of regret appeared to prompt a return of all of the victim’s stolen goods. [More]
Reader Returns Overdue Library Book After 41 Years, Pays $299 Fine
By 7.23.13
Some people need a little more time than others to read a book, like the person who had been holding on to an overdue library book for 41 years but recently decided to turn it in, along with hundreds of dollars in fines. [More]
Senate Reaches Tentative Deal On Student Loan Interest Rates
By 7.11.13
One day after failing to move forward on a one-year extension of low interest rates on federal Stafford student loans, the U.S. Senate has reportedly reached a tentative agreement that tie interest rates to the 10-year Treasury bond, thus resulting in a moderate increase in interest rates for students taking out their first loan this fall. [More]
ABC To Begin Streaming Its Entire Broadcast Schedule Online (But You’ll Still Need To Have Cable)
By 5.13.13
Starting tomorrow, people in New York City and Philadelphia with iOS devices will be able to access ABC’s entire network schedule live online, as the broadcaster tests out a new cloud-based service intended to compete with Aereo and others. [More]
Social Security Goes After Man For Overpayment To His Mom… From 42 Years Ago
By 5.2.13
Back in 1971, someone at the Social Security Administration goofed and overpaid a woman to the amount of $895. This past January, 42 years after the fact, that woman’s son says he received a letter from the SSA telling him to pay up or have that money docked from his tax refund. [More]
