Consumerist reader Jonathan recently received a box set of CDs from his brother for Christmas. Unfortunately, one of the CDs that was supposed to be in the box was nowhere to be found. Compounding the problem, his brother had lost the receipt. Oh, and did we mention he made the mistake of buying the box set at Best Buy? [More]
Retail Services
Amazon Does Me A Solid, Pays International Shipping Fees & Gives Full Refund
By 1.3.12
In a world where mega-retailers trying to make a buck anywhere they can will resort to terrible tactics (say it in a movie trailer voice and it sounds cooler), any examples of companies going above and beyond to serve the customer warms the cockles of our very cold and jaded hearts. Michael wrote in to shed light on one such positive experience with Amazon. [More]
Bank Of America Won't Let New Bride Deposit Wedding Gift Checks Because She Didn't Change Her Last Name
By 1.3.12
While a large majority of women in the U.S. choose to take their husband’s last name when they get married, it’s certainly not some unheard-of practice that should wreak havoc at a national bank. But Bank of America employees in Albany decided they could not possibly recognize a new bride as her husband’s spouse since she hadn’t changed her name to match his. [More]
Starbucks Hikes Prices By About 1 Percent In Certain Parts Of U.S.
By 1.3.12
If you live in the Northeast or the Sunbelt, expect to be doling out just a little bit more for your Starbucks double-shot-no-whip-extra-foam-vanilla latte, as the company is raising prices in those areas by about 1 percent. [More]
Tests Show No Connection Between Enfamil Baby Formula & Child Deaths
By 1.3.12
Late last month, Walmart and a handful of other other retailers decided to pull certain lots of Enfamil powdered baby food formula from shelves following the death of an infant in Missouri who had recently consumed the product. But tests by authorities at the Enfamil plant now show no link between the formula and this child’s death. [More]
Streamline Your Grocery Shopping Routine
By 1.3.12
While one way to be more efficient when grocery shopping is to pick up what you need every day, it’s tough to find the time or patience to do that. Another way to simplify your routine is to go the opposite direction, minimizing trips to the store with careful planning. [More]
Budget-Breaking Add-Ons That Accompany Big-Ticket Buys
By 1.3.12
The excitement of buying something big and expensive can drain quickly when you find out you’ll have to buy a lot of other stuff to go with it. Before you buy a big-ticket item, you should make sure you’ve accounted for its full expense by researching the accessories you’ll need to get the most out of your product. [More]
Best Buy Screws Up Gift Return, Causes Family Awkwardness
By 1.3.12
Whenever we post a Best Buy story, commenters scold the tipster: don’t they read the site? They should have known better than to shop at Best Buy in the first place! It’s impossible (I hope) to blame Todd, though–his mother-in-law bought him a gadget gift there. A car dock for the wrong type of smartphone, along with a gift receipt. This should have been a smooth and simple transaction, right? Of course not. [More]
Powerball Makes It "Two Dollars And A Dream"
By 1.3.12
Those whose retirement strategy is to buy a Powerball ticket and pray will have to double down on their investments. Starting Jan. 15, the multi-state mega-lottery will increase its ticket prices from $1 to $2. The price bump follows the lead of scratch-off tickets, many of which come in much larger denominations. [More]
Spanish Shoppers Strip Down To Skivvies To Score Free Clothes
By 1.2.12
Shoppers will go to great lengths to score a good sale, and one Spanish store took that idea one step further for a recent promotion: Desigual in Madrid celebrated their January sale by handing out a free outfit to the first 100 shoppers to enter the store sporting only underwear. [More]
Are Women Going To Malls To Shop And Socialize While Men Stay Online?
By 1.2.12
As online shopping grows in popularity, those with an eye on the industry are trying to figure out if brick-and-mortar stores will eventually go away forever. One opinion posited by a writer — women love the social aspect of shopping, and they’ll be the ones to save malls. [More]
My Ex-Husband Wasn't Too Happy When Chase Used His Money To Pay My Credit Card Bill
By 1.2.12
Amanda might not be married to her ex any more, but that doesn’t mean she wants to be in hot water with him for using his money to pay her credit card bill. Unfortunately, Chase seemed to want her to have a belated Christmas present and did just that. [More]
Buying Into History: Artifacts From The Titanic To Go Up For Auction
By 1.2.12
The sinking of the “unsinkable” Titanic continues to captivate Americans, as one of the most famous tragedies in our history. And now devotees of the ship’s story and those who perished on it can bid on a large piece of that history, as more than 5,000 items are going up for sale. [More]
Your $1 Million Bills Are No Good At Walmart, Or Anywhere Else
By 1.2.12
If you happen to have a $1 million bill handy, you’ll probably want to limit its use to wall display or gags. Trying to use the obviously counterfeit piece of paper to buy stuff will probably get you in trouble with authorities. [More]
Here Are Consumerist’s 10 Most-Read Stories For 2011
By 12.30.11 — Updated: 10.25.12
In the last twelve months, we’ve posted more than 6,000 stories on Consumerist, some of which have garnered a bit more attention than others. [More]
Car Seat Sensors Scan Your Butt To Protect Vehicle From Theft
By 12.30.11
Some backsides are already alarming, but if new anti-theft technology takes off, the wrong rear really could set off alarms. Researchers in Japan have come up with a car seat that scans a driver’s posterior to verify identity before a car starts. [More]
Why I'll Never Shop At Kay Jewelers Again
By 12.30.11
David bought a charm bracelet from Kay Jewelers last Christmas, and allowed an employee to upsell him to a different type of clasp for an extra $20. After the second time it broke, they tried to exchange the bracelet for one with a sturdier lobster claw clasp, but were denied–Kay would have to refund the difference in price, which they weren’t about to do. A few months later, assuming the bracelet issue was a fluke, David bought his girlfriend a ring at the same Kay store. He presented it to her this Christmas, and one of the diamonds fell out within days. And the charm bracelet broke again. He made another trip to the store to get these two items replaced. Likely his last trip to a Kay store ever. [More]
Staples Recycles Laptop By Cracking Its Screen
By 12.30.11
When you trade in your old electronic device for “recycling” while buying a new one, does that device have to work? Staples offered a $100 rebate this holiday season to customers who sent in their old computers after purchasing a new one. “Recycling” is in quotes because computers traded in had to be running, and include the charger, so they were bound for re-use rather than recycling. That was no problem for George, though — he traded in a working computer. Only the screen was cracked when it reached the center, and he didn’t get the full rebate. [More]
