According to a new report, Wells Fargo is the latest big-name bank to be scrutinized as part of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s ongoing investigation into student loan servicing practices.
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Retail Services
Wells Fargo Reportedly Under Federal Investigation Related To Student Loan Servicing
By 10.9.15
Is Giving Up Your Right To Sue Fiat Chrysler Worth $200?
By 10.8.15
Companies that don’t want their customers to sue have a special weapon: they slip mandatory arbitration agreements into new contracts and service agreements, requiring customers to opt out if they would prefer to retain their right to sue. Yet Fiat Chrysler is trying an interesting tactic: they’ll give you a $200 discount if you sign a piece of paper agreeing to arbitration. [More]
No, Sears Does Not Owe You A $700 Play House For $12
By 10.8.15
Shoppers noticed something amazing on Sears.com yesterday: kids’ accessories, toys, and play sets that cost hundreds of dollars were available for only $11.95 for no obvious reason. Parents, deal-hunters, and people who are both flocked to the website to fill up their carts with deeply discounted goodies. What happened next should be familiar to Consumerist readers: the amazing deal was a website glitch, and the orders were canceled. [More]
Amazon Reportedly In Talks To Create Live Pay-TV Service
By 10.8.15
Amazon already offers users a variety of ways to get on-demand television programing: Amazon Prime Video allows Prime subscription members the ability to download or stream a number of shows and movies for free. Now, the company is reportedly in talks to expand its video offerings with a live online pay-TV service. [More]
Lumber Liquidators Settles With Federal Government
By 10.8.15
Discount flooring superstore Lumber Liquidators has found itself under two separate federal investigations this year: one alleging that some of their products give off potentially dangerous chemicals, and another alleging that the company illegally imported hardwoods. They’ve now settled the latter charge by pleading guilty, and will pay $10 million to the federal government and a wildlife charity. [More]
Amazon Launches Marketplace Dedicated To Handcrafted, “Factory-Free” Products
By 10.8.15
Back in May, we reported that Amazon was dipping its toes into yet another marketplace venture, this one centered on handcrafted goods. At the time, the e-commerce behemoth was prepping for a showdown with the top site in the craft world, Etsy, by attempting to lure away its vendors. Fast-forward four months, and the launch of “Handmade at Amazon” is upon us. [More]
Amazon Shuts Down Music Importer Program
By 10.7.15
Now that Amazon’s music streaming service – Prime Music – has been up and running for more than a year, the e-commerce giant is apparently cleaning house in the music department by ditching a three-year-old application that allowed users to upload previously purchased music into their Amazon Music library. [More]
Best Buy Testing Robot Customer Service Employees
By 10.7.15
In an era where retail is increasingly moving online, some shoppers still prefer to deal with actual human beings when they go to the store. But the folks at Best Buy believe that some in-store customer service tasks may be best done by automatons. [More]
ModCloth Is Integrating Its Separate Plus-Size Section
By 10.6.15
Like other women who wear sizes over 12, I briefly panicked when I read headlines earlier today: clothing retailer ModCloth was getting rid of its “Plus Sizes.” What?! One of the world’s few sources for cute outfits for a wide range of sizes was giving its plus-size customers the boot? No, it turns out: they’re getting rid of a separate “plus” section on the website. [More]
Man Recruited Homeless To Help Him Steal As Much As $800K From Home Depot
By 10.6.15
There’s shoplifting, and then there’s organizing a network of people help you pull off illegal activities: law enforcement in Detroit said a man who recruited homeless people and others on the streets to steal from Home Depot made as much as $800,000 over a few years, by returning those shoplifted items for store credit. [More]
Amazon Prime Packages Reportedly Overwhelming College Campuses
By 10.6.15
If you think Amazon Prime is a reasonable deal at $99/year, imagine being a college student who only has to pay half that amount. Apparently, so many college students are using the service that school mailrooms are being overwhelmed with smiling cardboard boxes. [More]
Walmart Moving Protein Bars To More Highly-Trafficked Areas In Health Push
By 10.6.15
Walmart wants its customers to know it’s thinking about their health, so it’s moving things around a bit in its stores: instead of leaving health and protein bars to languish amidst dietary supplements and vitamins, in January the big box store is shifting those products to aisles that see more grocery traffic. [More]
Costco Executive Points To Record Sales Of Cage-Free Eggs As Evidence Of Progress
By 10.6.15
In another round of the ongoing tug-of-war between Costco and its customers, one executive at the wholesale store is holding up its sales numbers as evidence that it’s making progress toward selling entirely cage-free eggs. [More]
Chevron And Visa Try Out Mobile Payments At The Gas Pump
By 10.6.15
Mobile payment at the gas pump using NFC technology like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Android Pay? What is this technological wizardry? Yes, Chevron is starting to experiment with making the hottest technology of 2014 available at the pumps in its gas stations, starting with 20 stations in California. [More]
GameStop To Sell Steam Hardware Even Though It Can’t Sell You Games To Play On It
By 10.6.15
Why would a store want to sell you something that could mean you will not need to walk through its doors again? We don’t know, but GameStop is doing it anyway: the brick-and-mortar retailer will be selling Steam hardware next month — game consoles that are designed for digital video games purchased on the Steam marketplace… the exact kind of games you won’t find at GameStop. [More]
Printer Ink Sale At Staples Excludes Ink For Most Printers
By 10.6.15
You can’t use this Staples coupon anymore, because it’s expired since reader Chris sent it to us. That probably doesn’t matter in the long run, because you can’t use the coupon on ink cartridges from HP or Epson. “I’m guessing HP and Epson account for 85% of all printers out there,” writes Chris. That seems high, but those are two major brands in the industry. [More]
Costco Shrink Rays Bins Of Detergent Pods Ever So Slightly
By 10.5.15
The Grocery Shrink Ray stealthily takes away small portions of all kinds of consumer products: food, beverages, personal care items, and cleaning supplies. Even the super-sized containers at Costco aren’t immune: 130 loads of laundry since his last purchase, Ed noticed that his newest container has fewer detergent pods in it than the last one. Update: Actually, Costco increased the quantity of pods! [More]
Retailers Prepare To Fight Holiday Shoppers And Each Other To Not Offer Discounts
By 10.5.15
Retailers really, really want to wean American shoppers off our recession-era addiction to discounts. Will it be possible for them to resist the temptation to slap “40% off” signs everywhere to attract customers? Retail forecasts for this holiday season show that retailers want to avoid selling products at a discount, while consumers plan to make their shopping decisions according to price. [More]
