Victor gets it, Best Buy. He ordered a Vita memory card for in-store pickup, but the store is closed. He got the message the first time, but Best Buy decided to keep reminding him. Well, that, or their e-mail system has some kind of bug, but it’s fun to think about the system checking every five minutes or so to be sure: “nope, still closed.” [More]
Retail Services
BofA’s Customers Don’t Hate Bank As Much As Non-Customers (But They Aren’t Happy)
By 6.26.13
It’s no secret that Bank of America is the most-reviled of the nation’s large banks, mostly for its handling of the mortgage mess, including the most recent allegations that it deliberately deceived troubled borrowers in order to nudge them toward foreclosure. But even though BofA’s customers gave it the lowest marks in a new survey of banks’ reputations, those customers don’t hate the bank anywhere near as much as people who have no financial ties to it. [More]
Amazon Sends Ginormous Box Filled With Free Toys For Our Toddler, Sorta
By 6.26.13
A gigantic box arrived on Allison’s doorstep. It was from Amazon. What on earth had they ordered? The box was large enough to fit their young son inside. As it turned out, Mr. Allison had ordered only a few small items, which Amazon threw in a big box, filling the rest with air pillows. [More]
The Bank Of America Account That Refuses To Die
By 6.24.13
Reader David wants to close his Bank of America account and move on. He was in no hurry: he began the process last spring, and slowly moved regular payments over to an account at a local bank and stopped making deposits in his Bank of America account. He wanted to bring his relationship with the bank to a graceful, amicable close. BoA isn’t interested in an amicable breakup, though. This account simply refuses to close. [More]
Before You Buy That Gallon Of Whole Milk Your Heart Is Set On, Read These Amazon Reviews
By 6.21.13
Forgiveness, dear Consumerist readers, I beg it of you. Last week some kind of demonic being temporarily possessed my body right at the moment I usually gather the funniest Amazon reviews you all send us, and as such, failed to post them. That’s why I’ve worked extra hard — worked, as in, read lots of your emails — to pick some extra delicious, refreshing and wholesome reviews this week. Let’s pick up where we left off previously, shall we? With laughter. [More]
At Least Three People Shot By Gunman Outside North Carolina Walmart
By 6.21.13
There’s tragic news coming out of Greenville, NC, this afternoon. A man has been taken into custody after opening fire outside an area law firm and then in the parking lot of a nearby Walmart, shooting at least four people. [More]
Wisk And Costco Knock Tide From Top Detergent Greatness Spot
By 6.20.13
Tide might be the detergent of choice for criminals, but our stain-fighting cousins over at Consumer Reports tell us that in terms of actual quality, there’s a new champion in town. Products from Wisk and Kirkland (Costco’s house brand) took the top spots in their most recent detergent rankings. [More]
Walmart Has No One To Blame But Itself For Being An E-Commerce Also-Ran
By 6.20.13
Walmart is by far the nation’s largest retailer, with more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. alone and annual sales of nearly half a trillion dollars. And yet, when it somes to online retail, the company is only bringing in a fraction of what market leader Amazon earns. While it’s possible that this is all due to Amazon simply being better at e-tailing than Walmart, some say it’s because Big W continues to make boneheaded decisions about its online future. [More]
Amazon Marks The Passing Of James Gandolfini By Trying To Sell Sopranos DVDs
By 6.19.13
As you have probably already heard by now, actor James Gandolfini has sadly and suddenly passed away at the age of 51. And to add just the right hint of commercialism to this tragic news, Amazon’s Facebook feed was there to remind everyone they can remember the late actor by purchasing DVD collections of The Sopranos. [More]
17-Year-Old Portable Radio Model Isn’t A Retail Antiquity, Just A Classic
By 6.19.13
Reader Walter went out on a retail archaeology expedition, also known as “going to Kmart.” Searching the electronics section, he thought he hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary until he turned the artifact over, and discovered a copyright date of 1996. At least! A true ancient electronic find! Or was it? [More]
Woman Returns $20,000 Bag O’ Cash To Chase Bank, Gets $500 As Reward
By 6.19.13
When a currently out-of-work schoolteacher in Texas came across a bag containing enough cash to buy a car, she did what some other wouldn’t even think of — she took it to the nearest bank and returned it. [More]
Big Banks Failing To Comply With All The Rules For National Mortgage Settlement
By 6.19.13
Remember that massive $25 billion settlement between the nation’s largest mortgage servicers — Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, Citi, Ally — and attorneys general from around the nation? Well, it comes with a lot of rules for these institutions to follow. But the person in charge of monitoring the settlement says most of the banks are failing to comply fully. [More]
Best Buy Handing Out iPads Customers Didn’t Order Again
By 6.19.13
Ryan ordered an iPad camera connection kit from Best Buy for in-store pickup. The employees of his local Best Buy store apparently only read the first word of any order now, and instead packed up an iPad Mini. It sounds wacky, but Ryan says that he somehow missed this discrepancy, picked up his order, and went home. He sent an email and got a form letter in return. [More]
Amazon Cutting All Ties To Minnesota Business Before Online Sales Tax Law Kicks In
By 6.19.13
Amazon would rather not collect online sales tax in Minnesota — at least, it doesn’t want to do so because the state orders it to — so instead, by the end of the month it will cut all ties to its Minnesota-based affiliate websites. Those sites get a fee every time they refer shoppers to Minnesota, so they’ll be out of luck as of July 1. [More]
Walmart Employees Defy Own Coupon Policy, Basic Logic
By 6.19.13
Walmart has a coupon policy, but doesn’t do a very good job of educating its employees about it. That, or the employees don’t do a very good job of remembering how it’s supposed to work. Shelly has been at war with her local Walmart since January over four air fresheners and a relatively small amount of money, but it’s the principle. [More]
Want Only The Best Toilet Papers? Go To Walmart, Apparently
By 6.18.13
Toilet paper: almost everyone uses it, but do you put much thought into which brands you buy? Do you have a brand preference, or just pick up the biggest and cheapest package available at Walmart or Costco? Our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports put on their 2-ply lab coats and got to work stirring, pulling, and caressing various brands of toilet paper to find out which brands really are the best. [More]
Amazon Cancels My $6,000 Order Because It Doesn’t Know How To Use A Fax Machine
By 6.18.13
A few weeks back, Consumerist reader K. placed an order on Amazon for $6,000 worth of computer equipment. The online retailer was unable to immediately process her order because it needed additional documentation, which K. faxed over right away… and then re-faxed when Amazon requested a second time… and then eight additional times because Amazon kept asking for it, all before the company cancelled K’s order, claiming she never faxed the documents. [More]
Should I Also Be Picking Up Insurance And Mortgages When I Shop At Costco Or BJ’s?
By 6.18.13
Warehouse stores sell more than just huge sacks of flour, vats of ketchup, and enough toilet paper to clean an army. You can also use a membership at places like Costco or BJ’s to buy everything from auto insurance to credit cards to home mortgages. But should you? [More]
