For the third quarter in a row, the Treasury Dept. has released its report card detailing how the country’s largest mortgage servicers are doing with processing loan modifications. And for the third consecutive quarter, both Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase will not receive incentive payments from the Treasury because the banks are doing such a craptastic job at complying. [More]
Retail Services
Don't Be Mad At The NFL For Rising Broadcast Fees, Cable Is The Bad Guy
By 12.7.11
Cable companies would have you worked up into a fury, basically foaming at the mouth over hikes in broadcasting fees the NFL is instituting. But should you be blaming the NFL, or your TV providers? [More]
Chase CEO Wants Everyone To Lay Off On Hating Rich People
By 12.7.11
In case you’ve been asleep for the last few months, there are more than a handful of people out there who aren’t too happy about the fact that executives at bailed-out banks are reaping huge salaries while none of them have been called to account for the actions that required them to be bailed out in the first place. But thank heavens that one ultra-wealthy CEO is willing to stand up for his fellow bullied bankers. [More]
Secret Santa Picks Up Kmart Customers' Layaway Tabs
By 12.7.11
This time of year, it’s not out of this world to hear about generous folks going around and dropping coins in parking meters or picking up a round of drinks for strangers at the bar. But some truly secret Santa has helped out three Michigan Kmart customers by picking up their layaway tabs. [More]
Christmas Trees Sales Perk Up To Pre-Recession Levels
By 12.7.11
Tis the season to throw down some cash on Christmas trees, and this year the U.S. is finally back to pre-recession levels of spending on the festive firs and spruces. [More]
Target Demands Extra $189 To Exchange Camera No Longer On Sale
By 12.7.11
Coco took advantage of a great deal at Target, buying a digital camera on sale for $189 below list price, with a $75 Target gift card on the side. Neat! Trouble was, he didn’t open or test out the camera until a week later, once the sale was over and the gift card had been spent. Photos taken with the camera didn’t come out, so he took the camera back to Target to exchange it for a working one. The trouble was, they couldn’t exchange it for him unless he paid an extra $189 and return the $75 gift card. [More]
Designated Theater Tweet Seats Allow Audience To Chronicle Shows In Real Time
By 12.6.11
Sitting behind a person at the opera who is busily tweeting away during a performance is totally unacceptable, which is why certain theaters are now designating “tweet seats” for those who want to live-tweet a show. Put’em all in one area so they can’t bug anyone else, right? [More]
Drugstore.com Named In Lawsuit Over Knock-Off Sex Toys
By 12.6.11
Opting not to buy into name brand hype can be cheaper, but in the case of one company that manufactures vibrators, knockoffs might mean a legal battle. A Canadian company claims that Walgreen’s online-only entity Drugstore.com is importing knockoff sex toys and selling them in the U.S. [More]
Bank Of America: A Stop-Payment Isn't A Guarantee We Won't Process The Check Anyway
By 12.6.11
There’s a funny little thing about putting a “stop payment” order on a check that most banks don’t tell you about until it’s too late: They often only last six months and the only way to guarantee that check never gets deposited is to close the associated checking account. This is a lesson being learned the hard way by a Bank of America customer who saw her account drained of its last few dollars after an old landlord cashed a 16-month-old check. [More]
Walmart Charges A Dollar More For Weaker Shampoo In A Smaller Amount
By 12.6.11
This makes sense! Why buy the cheaper bottle of stronger dandruff shampoo, when you can buy a smaller, pricier version of the same shampoo in a weaker strength? Such is the reasoning at Walmart, as witnessed by Consumerist reader Steve. [More]
Bank Of America Settles For $315 Million Over Bad Merrill Lynch Investments
By 12.6.11
Another day, another settlement for reigning Worst Company In America runner-up Bank of America. This time, BofA has agreed to pay $315 to plaintiffs in a class-action suit over mortgage-backed investments sold by Merrill Lynch, the once-great financial institution that BofA swooped in to save when it collapsed in 2008. [More]
Buying A Kindle Fire Might Make You More Likely To Own An iPad Eventually
By 12.5.11
The attractive lower price tag of Amazon’s Kindle Fire might be luring in plenty of customers, but according to some analysts, owning the Fire is akin to a “soap box derby” car and eventually, customers will upgrade to an iPad. Burn! [More]
Reasons Not To Fear Buying Engagement Rings Online
By 12.5.11
Christmas is a popular time to pop the question, and many of those who go through with it will have to suffer agonizing trips to the jewelry store to pick out a rock that will cost so much it could make them rethink the entire endeavor. One way to save time is to buy it online, but there’s still a stigma about buying jewelry that way. [More]
Video Game Online Pass Codes Can Expire
By 12.5.11
Game publishers have been competing against used game sales by restricting online play or adding bonus contest that is only acceptable through unique codes packaged with new copies. But according to game publishing giant Electronic Arts, those codes that provide the backhanded bonuses could potentially expire, although they’re usually not expected to. [More]
Sony Will Make "Moneyball" Downloadable Before Offering It On Disc
By 12.5.11
As watching movies online — legally — becomes more popular, discs are gradually moving to the wayside. Sony is helping things along in this direction by announcing it will offer Moneyball online Dec. 22, 19 days before it hits shelves on Blu-ray and DVD. Indie films often get this sort of treatment, but it’s rare that you see a major studio film take the increasingly popular distribution plan. [More]
In Tight Times, Parents Can Use New Site To Rent Toys For Kids
By 12.2.11
As many parents know, plenty of toys is still never enough — there always seems to be some must-have gadget out there your kids will clamor for. A few readers have called our attention to a new toy-renting website that could help parents with their kids’ neophyte tendencies. [More]
Home Depot Staff Makes 8-Hour Trip To Find Me A Snow Blower
By 12.2.11
Consumerist reader Matt and his wife recently went to Home Depot to try to purchase a snow blower for the coming winter. But that Halloween weekend snow storm apparently caused an early run on the machines and no one could give them a clear answer on exactly when they would be back in stock. [More]
Man Builds A Hobbit House To House His Tolkien Collectibles
By 12.2.11
Collectors who go to great lengths to seek out rare items also want to make sure those pieces are not only protected from damage, but also displayed in such a way to show off that specialness. One man has taken that collector’s sensibility to a neat, albeit expensive, extreme, building an actual hobbit home for his J.R.R. Tolkien treasures. [More]
