Yesterday, we told you about the California man who said he lost his house to foreclosure but who is being held responsible for the squatters who have moved into his former house because Bank of America has yet to assume the title to the property. Today, we bring you the bank’s side of the story. [More]
Retail Services
Best Buy To Cut 400 Jobs, But No Store Closures Right Now
By 2.26.13
With only days to go until company founder Richard Schulze makes his case to the board for buying the company back, Best Buy’s new-ish CEO Hubert Joly is moving full-steam-ahead with his plan to restructure the company, announcing that 400 employees will soon no longer be employees. [More]
FTD Thinks ‘A Different Vase Is OK’ And ‘Change The Flowers Entirely’ Mean The Same Thing
By 2.25.13
At high-volume times like Valentine’s Day, and at any other time, really, flower-delivery services like FTD reserve the right to substitute something similar if they don’t have the exact item in stock that you want. Mark was upset shortly after Valentine’s Day because he ordered an arrangement that had a purple container, purple flowers, and some white lilies in it. Purple is her favorite color, you see, and lilies are her favorite flower. Isn’t Mark thoughtful? Speaking for the ladies of America, he is. He’s also really mad. [More]
Foreclosed-Upon Homeowner On The Hook For Squatters Because BofA Won’t Assume Title To House
By 2.25.13 — Updated: 2.26.13
Walmart Features Pick A Price, Any Price For Pop Up Bowl Microwave Popcorn
By 2.22.13
Good afternoon, class. It’s time for yet another lesson in “Do The Math Before You Pick Which Package Of A Product To Buy.” Today’s example comes from Consumerist reader Brian, who spotted various price options at his local Walmart for microwave popcorn. Three identical products in three different options, but which one to buy? [More]
It Is Our Journalistic Duty To Ask You If People Are Seriously Peeing On Stolen Pregnancy Tests Right There In The Aisle
By 2.21.13
We came across something today on the ever-surprising Internets that has our brains doing whatnows and ohnotheydidnts all over the place, and we need your help to get a handle on the situation. Specifically — ahem — are people really stealing pregnancy tests and peeing on them right there in the aisle? [More]
GE Wants To Spend $836 For Repairs On My $500 Washer That Does The Harlem Shake
By 2.21.13
Reader Philip bought a new washer and dryer on sale last year after Black Friday. They were finally delivered when the family moved into a new house last week. When the time came for the inaugural wash, the machine made a loud banging sound and hopped around the room. GE sent a repairman who, on orders from GE, thought that gutting the washer was an ideal solution. Philip disagreed, pointing out that he would constantly fear a dryer motor fire and would prefer a new replacement, what with the washer/dryer set being newly delivered and all. GE would much rather spend more than the replacement value of the appliance. [More]
All I Want Is A Candy Bar But Target’s System Would Rather Charge Me For A Laptop
By 2.21.13
We’ve seen our share of fuzzy math at Target, from purported deals to fuzzy math coupons. But in what world does a candy bar get confused with a laptop? Only in the increasingly muddled world of Target, folks. [More]
You Think You Can Just Scoot Into Walmart & Set It On Fire While You Shoplift? Nope.
By 2.20.13
Apologies for the headline because of course you are physically able to ride a motorized shopping cart into Walmart and set stuff on fire as a diversion tactic while boosting items, but you should not do so and will likely be caught. Just like the guy who is accused of trying that same stunt in Ohio. [More]
Sears Saves The Day When Self-Cleaning Oven Fails And Whirlpool Shrugs
By 2.20.13
A few weeks ago, we shared some photos that reader Susan sent us of her new Kitchenaid oven. Its new-fangled self-cleaning system was pretty terrible at a key function: actually self-cleaning. “So… every time you want to clean your cool new oven, you’ll be scrubbing it yourself!” she wrote. That’s not a very good feature. [More]
More Valentine’s Day Mishaps From Proflowers
By 2.20.13
Mykel picked out a lovely bouquet for his fiancée from Proflowers, but the lovely and lush bouquet isn’t what showed up on her desk. What she got had a lot fewer flowers than it had looked like on the site. [More]
Walmart Worker Treated Store Shelves As Personal Snack Pantry For 4 Years
By 2.20.13
Most workers like to take a break in the middle of their work day and have a meal or a snack. That’s a nice idea, as long as it’s your break time. You’re not supposed to help yourself to snack food from the shelves of the retailer where you work, but a woman who has worked in maintenance at Walmart stores in two different states has been caught after a seven-year on-the-job crime spree. Now she’s been charged with a felony after getting caught on camera munching Oreos. [More]
How I Turned A Walmart Gift Card Into An EA Game Preorder By Way Of A Kitchen Appliance
By 2.20.13
Reader O. wanted to preorder a new game from 2012 Worst Company in America champ EA, and he wanted to use some money that he had on a Walmart gift card. Fair enough. What he did have was a $50 Walmart gift card and some cash. Walmart theoretically carries EA gift cards, so he should have been able to visit his nearest Wally World, pick up a card, take it home, and pre-order a delicious Crysis 3 download. Indeed, he was able to do that, but only after he took a pocketful of cash across the street and bought his desired EA gift card at GameStop. You can use a Walmart gift card for anything that the store sells…except prepaid debit cards. [More]
Man Smashes Wells Fargo Window, Arrested When He Tries To Pay For Damage
By 2.20.13
It’s a fact: Some people do stupid things when they are drunk. Some of those same people also have the decency to try to atone for their mistakes when they realize they screwed up (and will probably get caught). [More]
Homeowner Tries To Get Mortgage Adjustment, Ends Up Owing $14,500 More On Her House
By 2.19.13 — Updated: 2.20.13
When a retired Michigan homeowner applied for a mortgage adjustment back in 2009, little did she know that it would result in years of ongoing legal wranglings, a sizable increase in the amount of her mortgage and possible eviction. [More]
Even Bestselling Authors Aren’t Immune From Shoddy Home Depot Warranty Repair Work
By 2.19.13 — Updated: 6.26.14
In spite of the completely nonexistent rumor that making the NY Times bestseller list grants an author access to a level of customer service reserved for elite celebrities, it turns out that no one is immune to a bad repair job that can ultimately result in $20,000 worth of damage. [More]
Why Does Chase Keep E-Mailing Me About My Closed Non-Zombie Account?
By 2.19.13
Elizabeth wishes that Chase would stop sending her emails. They’re not spam, exactly: she used to be a customer. But she’s getting e-mails as if she still had accounts there, and she closed hers more than a year ago. She was afraid that it has gone zombie: that is, that it’s been mysteriously re-opened without her permission to make unwanted payments and devour her credit score. [More]
Florists Hate FTD And Teleflora Even More Than Disappointed Girlfriends Do
By 2.15.13
As a customer, you see ads from the ancient florist wire services like FTD and Teleflora. Readers write in and complain to us about those specific brands, since that’s the website they visit and the brand name that’s familiar. When you order up some flowers, though, that’s not who brings them to your door. It’s locally-owned florists, small business owners, who actually arrange and deliver your gifts. They might receive orders from the wire services, but often earn no profit or even take a loss on putting it together. [More]
