Due to potential problems in brake pedal pins and fuel-gauge components, Nissan is recalling 540,000 cars, 179,000 of which are in the US. [More]
Government Policy
AUDIO: Listen As A Kid Directs Air Traffic At JFK
By 3.2.10
We know that JFK is woefully understaffed in the air traffic control tower, but this is downright silly. The FAA has confirmed that a newly uncovered audio file is indeed that of a young child controlling air traffic over the radio to planes waiting to depart the busy NYC airport. [More]
Rent-A-Center Settles With Washington Attorney General Over Customer Abuse Claims
By 3.2.10
Rent-A-Center, the furniture/appliance rent-to-own company (“For When You Want to Piss Away Your Paycheck!”), has settled with the Washington Attorney General’s Office over charges that its employees harassed customers who were late on payments. Last year, the company’s employees in Washington were accused of trying to kick in one customer’s door and threatening another one with jail, among other things. [More]
FTC Shuts Down Multi-Million Dollar Cramming Business Inc21
By 3.2.10
Inc21 supposedly sells web hosting and other Internet-related services, but the FTC says that in reality it contracted with offshore telemarketers who helped it cram charges onto unsuspecting customers’ phone bills, earning $19 million over the past five years. Customers who complained about the charges said they were either never contacted in the first place, were promised a free trial, were told that the telemarketer was just verifying business information, or explicitly refused Inc21’s offer and were charged anyway. [More]
Obama Mulls Over Republican Tweaks To Health Care Plan
By 3.2.10
A week after unveiling the White House version of the proposed National Health Care Plan, President Obama says he’s opened his ears up to a handful of suggestions from the Republicans. [More]
Wanna Bring A Gun To Starbucks? They're Cool With That
By 3.2.10
In states like Virginia where it’s legal for gun owners to walk around in public displaying their heat, there are some firearms fans who go out to stores they assume will be unfriendly about their gun-toting ways. But, in spite of its left-leaning reputation, coffee colossus Starbucks has instituted a policy saying guns are A-OK with them. [More]
USPS Suggests Cutting Saturday Delivery And Increasing Rates
By 3.2.10
The United States Postal Service is continuing its long slide into suckage according to a new report delivered by Postmaster General John E. Potter this morning. People sent far less mail last year (“more than double any previous decline,” says the Washington Post) and labor costs continue to rise, which helped the USPS lose $3.8 billion in 2009. [More]
Data Shows Toyota Might Be Crashiest Cars On The Road
By 3.2.10
Toyota might be getting a pity party at home in Japan for the skewering the car company is receiving over their recall of 8 million vehicles, so this latest report will probably turn them into saints. A new look at almost 13,000 speed-related complaints over the last decade shows that Toyota led the pack in with the most complaints involving a crash. [More]
There's No Handicap Parking In PlayStation Network
By 3.2.10
A court in California recently tossed out a lawsuit filed against Sony claiming that their refusal to make their games more accessible to the visually impaired was in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. [More]
Credit Checks For Job Applicants May Be Illegal
By 3.2.10
According to a survey of human resource folks, 60% of them say they are now running credit checks on potential hires. But there’s a new movement in several states — and one bill stuck in Congress — to make it illegal for a company to run such checks, because detractors claim they are hurting people from getting jobs during the recession. [More]
Louis Vuitton Not Amused By Hyundai Ad, Wants Cash
By 3.2.10
If you were one of the millions of people who watched the Super Bowl in February, and you never got up for a potty and/or beverage break during the commercials, you might have seen a spot for Hyundai and you might have noticed a 1-second shot of someone holding a blinged-up basketball. And because of that, luxury thing maker Louis Vuitton has filed a lawsuit against the South Korean car company. [More]
Come September, Freecreditreport.com Must Come Clean In Ads
By 3.2.10
If you really love those Freecreditreport.com commercials just the way they are, take this next half year to pause and reflect on what they mean to you, because in September, the Huffington Post reports, owner Experian will have to start telling people their side business isn’t the real way to get free annual credit reports from the government. We had this story last year, but in the wake of CARD act reforms, it bears repeating. [More]
GM To Recall Chevy Cobalts, Various Pontiacs Due To Steering Problems
By 3.2.10
GM has announced that it is recalling 1.2 million vehicles to address a power steering problem that has been linked to 14 crashes and one injury. [More]
American "Overreaction" To Recall Is Winning Toyota Sympathy At Home
By 3.1.10
Apparently the Stateside uproar over the recall of 8 million Toyotas — and worries that the company may be attempting to conceal potential defects — has had the inverse effect in the car company’s homeland. According to a new report, the Japanese public thinks America is overreacting to the situation. [More]
Woman Who Lost Home Over $68 Dental Bill Might Get Another Chance
By 3.1.10
Almost a year ago, Sonya Capri Ramos was in the news because she’d lost her home over a $68 dental bill. Last week, the Utah Court of Appeals gave her some hope that she might be able to get it back from the title company that bought it at auction for $1,550. [More]
Court Dismisses Vista Downgrade Suit Against Microsoft
By 3.1.10
Upstart software company Microsoft managed to eke out a rare legal victory, as a U.S. District Court has thrown out a lawsuit alleging that Microsoft was forcing computer manufacturers to ship computers with their Vista operating system, compelling owners who want to use the earlier XP operating system to pay for the downgrade. [More]
How To File A Complaint With The FTC
By 3.1.10
Here at Consumerist, we’re constantly writing about online frauds, scams and misleading deals. But for all our writing, we’re not a federal agency. That’s where the Federal Trade Commission comes in. The good folks over at the FTC have just put together a short video demonstrating how easy it is for you to file a complaint with them on their site or over the phone. [More]
Apple Admits To Having Underage Labor In Factories
By 3.1.10
Apple has always positioned itself as the computer and electronics brand of the hip and young — and it looks like they extended that ethos to their overseas manufacturing. The iCompany has issued an “oops” on its Web site, admitting that underage workers were employed in three different Apple-affiliated plants last year. [More]
