Three years after it began looking into allegations that Wells Fargo had systematically discriminated against minority loan applicants by pushing them into risky, high-cost subprime loans — regardless of their qualifications — the U.S. Dept. of Justice has come to a $175 million settlement with the bank. [More]
Retail Services
Target’s Furniture Quality Control Department: You
By 7.12.12
Steve bought a patio set from Target, and discovered when he went to assemble it that a part was missing. No problem, he thought: either Target or the manufacturer, Smith and Hawken, would have more parts available. Well….no. As it turns out, Target bought the Smith and Hawken brand, and products under that name are now contract manufactured for Target. The products seem all right…until something goes wrong. Then, like Steve, you learn that customers are apparently Target’s quality control department for this furniture, and when something goes wrong, there are no spare parts. [More]
NYC Morphing Practically Unused Pay Phone Kiosks Into Wi-Fi Hotspots
By 7.11.12
When New York City’s Mayor Mike Bloomberg isn’t too busy on his crusade to downsize sugary drinks or rebrand super tiny studio apartments as “micro-units” it turns out he’s been working on a way to turn the city’s practically unused pay phone kiosks into something useful — Wi-Fi hotspots. [More]
Digging Around In Attic Unearths $3M In Rare 1910 Baseball Cards
By 7.11.12
It’s one thing when you know for certain that your carefully curated collection could be worth a lot of money, but what we all really dream about is that elusive surprise find hiding right under our noses. An Ohio man was rummaging around in a box from his grandfather’s attic when he dug up just such a rare score — a collection of baseball cards from 1910 that could be worth millions. [More]
Home Depot Sells Defective Grill, Reacts Exactly Unlike Stereotypical Big Box Store
By 7.11.12
Having rented a truck to transport his new grill home from Home Depot, R. had every reason to expect all kinds of inconvenience when the new appliance wouldn’t light. At all. But that wasn’t so. When he called to report the problem, the store reacted with all of the efficiency and great customer service that we’ve come to never expect from the big-box stores on every street corner. [More]
Target & Neiman Marcus Jumping Into Bed Together For Holiday Designer Hullabaloo
By 7.10.12
If you’re into getting designer goods at decidedly un-designer prices, you might be familiar with the crazed rush that inevitably ensues at Target stores across the country when the retailer offers a special line of designer products. Starting in December, you can expect that stampede to turn into a full-on riot parade, as Target and luxury retailer Neiman Marcus have announced a new partnership to offer 24 designers in a limited holiday collection. [More]
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Rite Aid Retail Archaeologist Uncovers Full-Price VHS Movie
By 7.10.12 — Updated: 8.15.13
It’s not out of the question that someone might want to purchase a copy of the film version of “A Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s not difficult to imagine that they might even pick it up at Rite-Aid, and that they might be willing to pay $20 for an eight-year-old movie. What caught reader Jay’s attention, though, was that the film was in his local pharmacy’s discount DVD bin, at full price––and on VHS. [More]
Pepsi Wants You To Try New Yogurt Flavors Like “Choco Balls”
By 7.9.12
Not enough chocolate balls for you in the yogurt aisle? Pepsi is embarking on a dairy adventure in an attempt to lure health-conscious consumers with a new line of yogurt flavors. Along with traditional flavors like strawberry, blueberry and Greek styles, there will also be “Choco Balls” and “Chocolate Flakes.” One can never get too much chocolate in one’s yogurt, after all. [More]
Time For A Refresher: What Is Tare Weight & Why Should I Care About It?
By 7.9.12
What you don’t know can hurt you — at least when it comes to feeling the pain in your wallet. So if you’re not savvy when it comes to tare weight, you could be leaking money at places like the grocery store salad bar. It’s been awhile since we’ve discussed tare weight, so let’s have a little refresher course, shall we? [More]
Since We’re Bad At Paying Online Sales Taxes On Our Own, States Want Retailers To Take Charge
By 7.9.12
If the ongoing battle between online retail giant Amazon and individual states has taught us anything, it’s that there’s a lot of money to be made from e-sales taxes. And since we as customers aren’t so great when it comes to paying those on our own, states across the country are ramping up efforts to have those taxes levied by the retailers themselves. [More]
How Can I Prevent My Wells Fargo Account From Going Zombie?
By 7.9.12
Aaron is ditching Wells Fargo. Not out of any animosity toward megabanks or dissatisfaction with their policies, though. He’s just moving to an area where they don’t have any branches. He did what you do when breaking up with a bank: withdrew his money and closed out the account. Well, he tried to. He wanted to. Perhaps he did. But the employee who helped him couldn’t guarantee that a stray old check or a recurring charge he failed to change over wouldn’t bring the closed account back to life, resulting in overdraft charges and a zombie account lumbering around. [More]
Best Buy Layoffs Larger Than Expected; 1,700 Additional Employees To Get The Axe
By 7.6.12
UPDATE: Yet another Best Buy tipster has come forward to share details and confirm/clarify information regarding the recent staffing changes. [More]
Bank Of America Tries To Undo Foreclosure On Home It Didn’t Hold Mortgage For, Fails
By 7.6.12
Seems like it’s just so darn easy for banks to accidentally foreclose on a home and force the residents to move out, but when it comes to making it right everything gets quite difficult. Bank of America has tried to rescind a foreclosure from April 2010 on a home it didn’t hold the mortgage for, but turning back the clock isn’t possible for the family that used to live there. [More]
Lawsuit: I Listened To Chase About My Mortgage And Ended Up With No House And A Dead Husband
By 7.6.12
A Texas widow and her family have filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase and others, alleging that their efforts to refinance their mortgage with the bank only resulted in foreclosure, heartache and her husband’s fatal heart attack. [More]
Apartment Rents Rising Nationwide To Highest Average In Five Years
By 7.6.12
Grumbling over the rising price of rent? You’re not the only one — across the country, it’s becoming more expensive to rent, with rates rising at a pace that hasn’t been seen since before the financial crisis. Fear of even higher rents might be keeping tenants in their apartments as well, as the vacancy rate was the lowest it’s been since 2001. [More]
Sears Can’t Accept Your Return Because They Just Can’t
By 7.6.12 — Updated: 9.18.14
The Ooma Telo is a voice over IP device that looks like a spaceship and lets you connect up your home broadband connection, your existing landline handsets, and the Ooma service. Francesca ordered one of these devices last week from Sears.com while visiting family, and used in-store pickup to fetch it from a Sears store near where she was staying. She didn’t open or use the Telo, and decided not to keep it. But that’s the point of visiting large chain retailers, right? You can buy an item from one place, or online, and return it anywhere. That’s true in theory, but not at Sears. [More]
Layoffs To Leave Best Buy’s Geek Squad Short Several Hundred Geeks
By 7.6.12
UPDATE The Wall Street Journal has confirmed some of what our tipsters have already told us, and adds that 1,800 Best Buy retail employees are also set to be dismissed in the near future.
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In the big media push that started with its most recent Super Bowl ads, Best Buy had been trying to position itself as a store that provided the one thing its online competitors couldn’t — knowledgeable, tech-savvy employees that can deal with customers on a face-to-face basis. Well, forget all about that hogwash, because the company has told its employees that it is laying off at least 650 Geek Squad staffers in the coming weeks. [More]
I Want To Reunite Lost Kindle And Its Owner, But Amazon Won’t Help
By 7.6.12
Matt is trying to do a nice thing. The previous occupant of his seat on a plane left a Kindle behind in the seatback pocket. He took it with him, planning to reunite the device with its owner. But that person has a very common name, and Amazon has no interest in being a go-between to help reunite lost Kindles with their owners. [More]
