FinallyFast, one of those companies with the late-night infomercials promising to make your computer faster, has settled with the Washington AG for misleading and deceiving consumers, and making it hard to cancel or get refunds. One of their tactics was to make the free scan on their site falsely identify harmless files on your computer as being errors. Consumers can now get some of their money back. [More]
Government Policy
Awesome Holiday Gives You Until April 18 To Do Taxes
By 1.5.11
Tax Cat here. Yes, I’m sorry, it’s me again. What? You’re glad to see me? You’re going to itemize? Oh, I can’t stop purring. Well, I know Consumerist readers are already hard at work preparing their 2010 returns — and never, ever procrastinate — but I thought I’d pop in and mention that a little-known D.C. holiday that celebrates the freeing of slaves (called “Emancipation Day”) is being observed on April 15th. That means that since taxes can’t be due on Saturdays, Sundays or holidays — you get until April 18th this year to file your taxes! [More]
Ron Paul Wants Us To Use Gold And Silver Along With Paper Money
By 1.5.11
Ron Paul, career-long proponent of outmoded and discredited Austrian economic theory, went on Colbert last night to talk about how paper money sucks and he wants you you to be able to go into a store and buy a six-pack with some gold ingots. His proof? Paper money can rot and people have believed in the value of gold for centuries. So, gold is “better” because the collective hallucination around it is stronger. This wouldn’t be disturbing except for the fact that Ron Paul is the new Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy. Yeeeeeks. [More]
New Jersey Wants To Balance Budget With Your Gift Cards
By 1.5.11
What would be even worse than losing the entire stored value of your gift cards after a few years? Having the state seize it as unclaimed property and use your money to pay its bills. [More]
Stocks Up After Fed Releases Minutes
By 1.4.11
The Federal Reserve Board, which sets US national monetary policy, released minutes from its latest meeting today, striking a tone of temperate growth. [More]
Congrats, America, You're $14 Trillion In The Hole
By 1.4.11
The first step to get yourself out of a hole is to stop digging, but that’s a lesson the federal government refuses to acknowledge, allowing the national debt to soar past $14 trillion. [More]
Man Sues College After It Rejects Son Following $40K Donation
By 1.4.11
Assuming a $40,000 donation to his alma mater would grease the wheels enough to get his son an easy acceptance letter, the donor is suing because the college left his son hanging. [More]
Smuggled Phones Help Cons Play FarmVille From Behind Bars
By 1.3.11
Just because you’re locked up, you shouldn’t have to miss out on texting buddies, logging status updates and playing FarmVille. Thanks to smuggling channels and intense demand, cell phones have become as much a part of the prison experience as lunchtime brawls and toothbrush shanks. [More]
The House That Recall Built: Welcome To America's Most Dangerous Home!
By 12.31.10
Oh, hey there. I didn’t see you as I was just watching this improperly audio-synced Saving Private Ryan Blu-Ray on my overheating Vaio laptop. Welcome to our home, a top-to-bottom shining example of danger, stocked to the brim with 2010’s most infamous recalled products! Let’s take a little tour, shall we? [More]
Getting To Know You: All About The New Friends We Made In 2010
By 12.31.10
Behind every buzzworthy headline of the past year has been someone in charge, someone to blame, or just someone to laugh at and talk about. From the debacle of Toyota’s millions of recalled automobiles, to a fed-up flight attendant with a flair for drama, we’ve become familiar with a few new faces in 2010, for better or for worse. [More]
Judge: NYC Can't Make Cigarette Sellers Post Anti-Smoking Ads
By 12.30.10
While the FDA prepares to roll out graphic warning labels for cigarette packages, the city of New York had been hoping to get a head start on the agency by requiring stores that sell cigarettes to put up anti-smoking posters. However, a judge in U.S. District Court has ruled that the city doesn’t have the authority to enact such a regulation. [More]
FTC Wants To Ban Mortgage Mod Services From Charging Up-Front Fees
By 12.30.10
To combat mortgage relief fraud, the FTC would like to make a new rule that would ban mortgage modification services from charging up-front fees. “Homeowners facing foreclosure or struggling to make mortgage payments shouldn’t have to contend with fraudulent ‘companies’ that don’t provide what they promise,” FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said in a statement. “The proposed rule would outlaw up-front fees so companies can’t take the money and run.” Indeed, there are some shady operators in this area and consumers need to beware. [More]
Meat & Poultry To Get Detailed Nutritional Labels Starting In 2012
By 12.30.10
In what the USDA says is an attempt to better inform the meat-buying public about the products they buy, many popular cuts of meat and poultry will be required to carry labels with detailed nutritional information. [More]
NJ Couple Marries At Dunkin' Donuts
By 12.30.10
How much do you like Dunkin’ Donuts? Definitely not as much as the New Jersey couple who are so devoted to its drive-thru coffee that they decided to get married there. [More]
Calculate How Much Of A Raise You'll Get On January 1
By 12.28.10
As part of the extension of the Bush tax cuts, Social Security payroll tax will drop from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent. That means you’ll be taking home more money each paycheck, even if your stingy employer has frozen your wages. [More]
Ohio Supreme Court: State Sales Tax OK For Satellite, But Not Cable
By 12.28.10
Giving an odd boost to cable providers, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled the state could slap a sales tax on satellite TV services even though cable companies don’t need to tack the tax on to their packages. [More]
Hacking Your Spouse's Email Could Land You In Jail For Half A Decade
By 12.28.10
Before you consider snooping in your spouse’s email, you may want to pay close attention to a case unfolding in Michigan in which a man faces up to five years of prison for hacking into his wife’s messages. [More]
Cops Around The Country Getting Busted For Using Steroids
By 12.27.10
Steroids — they’re not just for linebackers anymore. Some police officers, presumably seeking to get any edge they can to survive on the streets, are getting busted for ‘roiding it up in increasing numbers. [More]
