Not content to let the unmarrieds of the world have all the free frequent flier miles, a veritable flood of married travelers overwhelmed a pair of British Airways promotions on dating sites Match.com and eHarmony. [More]
this is why we can’t have nice things
Married People Ruin British Airways Promos By Flooding Dating Sites For Singles
By 3.23.17 — Updated: 3.24.17
No More Web Browsing On Tablets In NYC’s Free WiFi Hubs Because People Can’t Behave
By 9.14.16
Remember how New York City was replacing old pay-phone booths and installing free WiFi kiosks? Eight months into the project, residents will no longer be able to browse the web on the tablets in those hubs because people have been monopolizing them, and “using them inappropriately.” We all know what that means. [More]
Appeals Court: Municipal Internet Is Great, But States Can Still Restrict Access
By 8.10.16 — Updated: 1.25.17
More than a dozen states have laws that either prohibit counties and cities from operating their own broadband internet networks, selling service directly to consumers, or expanding their service behind a prescribed footprint. In 2015, the FCC voted to preempt two of these laws — in Tennessee and North Carolina — but this morning a federal appeals court says the FCC lacks the legal authority to do so. [More]
10 Questionable Movie & TV Tie-Ins That No One Asked For
By 8.3.16
No cultural phenomenon would be a complete success without its own line of merchandise attached to it, and it makes sense: fans of popular TV shows, comic books, and movies will often seek out products that tie-in with those franchises, providing a great way for a lot of people to make a bunch of money. But when it comes to some infamous product tie-ins, we’ve got to wonder if it all that effort was worth it. [More]
Selfie Stick Shuts Down Disneyland Roller Coaster For An Hour
By 5.3.16
Is a selfie stick convenient? Sure, it works great for snapping self-portraits and means you don’t have to ask strangers to take your picture. But it sure as heck isn’t a good thing to use on a roller coaster while it’s in motion. Yeah, we’re looking at you, person who whipped out one of the gadgets on a ride at Disneyland. [More]
Why These 5 Pro-Consumer Bills Won’t Become Law In 2014
By 7.3.14
Back in January, at the dawn of the year, we gazed into our not-quite-crystal ball and took a look at some pieces of pending legislation that could help consumers this year. Now, in July, we’re at the halfway point of the year, and so it’s a good time to take a look at those bills and see how the wheels of government have turned in 2014. [More]
L.A. Schools Now Taking Back iPads From Students Who Dare To Use Them For Purposes Of Fun
By 10.2.13
We mentioned last week that the Los Angeles Unified School District somehow thought it could hand out hobbled iPads to thousands of students without any of these kids figuring out a way to use the device as something other than a really expensive, incredibly fragile textbook. But now that it’s realizing that the temptation to use iPads the way they are intended (and marketed) can be too great for some students, the school district is taking them back. [More]
Man Who Stole $624,000 From Walmart Is Ruining It For The Rest Of Us
By 5.21.13
Ever wonder why stores are so strict about receipt-checking and returns? It’s not simply because they hate consumers — they might, but it’s not the sole reason — it’s because there are people out there like the South Carolina man accused of using forged receipts and counterfeit goods to steal at least $624,000 from Walmart over the last few years. [More]
Best Buy Posts 50% Off Coupon On Internet, Forgets How Internet Works
By 1.22.13 — Updated: 7.15.15
It’s happened over and over again, and retailers never learn their lesson. A big-box store e-mails a coupon to their customers, then freaks out and backpedals when customers actually show up at the cash register and try to use it, withdrawing the coupon and accusing customers of trying to scam the store. This time, the retailer was Best Buy, which offered a coupon for $50 off a purchase of $100 or more as long as the customer used a Mastercard. The coupon excluded most of the items you’d expect it to exclude: prepaid cell phones, iPods, certain brands of TVs and cameras. One very key thing that it didn’t exclude: gift cards. [More]
Reclining Your Airplane Seat During Mealtime Could Ruin The Flight For Everyone
By 9.6.12
You’re several thousand feet above the ground, squeezed into an uncomfortable seat and sitting between people who reek of cheap aftershave and airport concession nachos. And though everyone else on the plane is now enjoying — or at least eating — their in-flight meals, you just want to relax, so you hit the button on the armrest and recline your seat back a bit. Little do you know that these actions are about to ruin everyone’s day. [More]
Theater Owner: I Charge So Much For Popcorn Because You Spill It All Over The Place
By 3.20.12
Earlier this month, a man in Michigan attained minor Internet folk hero status when he sued his local movie theater for charging sky-high prices at the concession stand while refusing to let customers bring in their own grub. But now one theater owner has tried to explain just why he and others charge the so much. [More]
Robber Steals Man's iPad & Part Of His Finger
By 4.20.10
A Colorado man has suffered permanent damage to his hand after a robber made off with the victim’s new iPad, and a good chunk of his pinky finger. [More]
