That crisp, fresh smell on your laundry and lack of static cling provided by dryer sheets apparently comes at a price. Many online sources, including a Snopes message board, are filled with authorities who say dryer sheets can clog your lint filter, potentially creating a fire hazard. [More]
Retail Services
Worst Company In America Sweet 16: Bank Of America Vs. DirecTV
By 3.25.11
Round One is officially in the books, meaning it’s time for this blood-soaked train to keep charging forward with our first Round Two match-up! [More]
Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread
By 3.25.11
- Here’s Your Lineup For Worst Company In America 2011!
- Worst Company In America Round One: Comcast Vs. Charter
- Comcast Begs Employees To Vote For Charter In Worst Company In America Poll
- Tell Us About Your “Never Again” Moments
- Theater Owners Don’t Want You To Know A Large Popcorn Is Like Eating 3 Big Macs
Meet Your Worst Company In America Sweet 16!
By 3.25.11
After eight days and 16 first round battles, the WCIA steel cage is littered with the bones of those companies not crappy enough to continue on in the tournament. But the thrill of victory is fleeting for the remaining combatants, all of whom must square off again if they hope of crowning themselves the Worst Company In America! [More]
TripAdvisor E-Mail List Hacked
By 3.24.11
A lot of TripAdvisor users have received a somewhat alarming message from the company’s CEO advising that part of its e-mail list was compromised over the weekend. [More]
Video Of Home Depot Easy Button Ripoff In Action
By 3.24.11
Reader Ed went back to Home Depot and took a video of that Home Depot ripoff of the Staple’s “Easy Button” getting pressed. The mechanized voice released from inside says, “Don’t see the product you want you want on our displays? The Home Depot can still provide it! Ask an associate to set up a CFP to locate the product you want!” That’s a lot more words than when you push the original button, which says, “That was Easy.” Nice job, big orange, you steal someone else’s idea and then totally ruin the whole concept by adding a bunch of extra marketing language. [More]
Zappos Stops Shipping To Canada
By 3.24.11
Sorry canucks, your shoe options just shrunk a little bit. Starting April 1st, Zappos is no longer going to ship to Canada. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: RadioShack Vs. Best Buy
By 3.23.11
Here are two companies that have been rumored to be talking merger. But for now, all those discussions are put to the side in favor of slugging it out in the WCIA steel cage. [More]
Chase Punishes You For Not Earning Enough Money
By 3.23.11
Since they can’t extract money from our pockets with cascading overdrafts anymore, banks have to get creative. Bradley learned that these indignities add up when the bank deems you insufficiently profitable, and charges a fee on your no-longer-free checking account. Never mind that Bradley is a college student. He doesn’t have a lot of money on hand, and from Chase’s point of view, not nibbling away at his patience and his money now could lead to another 60 years of business from him. Theoretically. [More]
Apple Sues Amazon For Using The Phrase "App Store"
By 3.22.11
Earlier this year we wrote about Microsoft’s bid to block Apple from trademarking the phrase “app store,” and now comes news that Apple has filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com for using those words. [More]
California May Go After Online Shoppers For Unpaid Taxes
By 3.22.11
While most of the country don’t pay sales tax to online retailers like Amazon, most customers are still supposed to pay those taxes to the state. No one does, of course, which is why the California State Board of Equalization is looking into the prospect of going after residents who have made more than $5,000 in online purchases in the hope of getting paid. [More]
Chase Killing Debit Card Rewards In July
By 3.22.11
With new regulations coming that will limit interchange fees, the amount of money banks charge retailers for debit card transactions, Chase has already begun testing $5 ATM fees and is considering putting a $50-$100 cap on debit card purchases. Now comes the news that the bank is going to pull the plug on most debit card rewards programs starting in July. [More]
Is Charging $17 For A Pint Of Ice Cream Ever Justified?
By 3.21.11
If you’re a one-woman ice cream company (chef, delivery gal, publicist, and more), there’s nothing stopping you from charging whatever you want for your product. And if there’s a 1,500-person waiting list of customers, you can probably get them for a lot of money. [More]
Even Best Buy Employees Hate Best Buy Employees
By 3.18.11
Turns out that even some Best Buy employees can’t put up with other blue and black shirts at their store. Recently my wife and I were in a Best Buy to procure a last-minute rechargeable battery for my wife’s Flip camera. It was suitably impromptu as it was to tape an improv show. Anywho, we wanted to make sure the battery pack we found on the shelf was compatible with the generation of device we had and after bouncing around from employee to employee we were eventually directed to a fellow in the camera department who seemed out of place. [More]
Big Box Stores Pushing To Tax Amazon Sales Nationwide
By 3.18.11
In recent years, retailers have been successful in getting a handful of states, including Illinois and New York, to pass laws requiring Amazon.com and similar e-tailers to collect sales tax on products shipped to those states. Now, with the backing of super-sized chains, there is a full-on push to get these laws on the books in every state that collects sales tax. [More]
Day 7 With No Heat Or Hot Water: Thanks, Sears
By 3.18.11
Jim’s boiler from Sears broke, and he’s been without heat or hot water since. It’s not the middle of winter, but he lives in New England, where it still gets friggin’ wicked cold at night. How long ago did the boiler break down? It’s been more than a week. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: Wells Fargo Vs. Chase
By 3.18.11
Get ready for some more financial fisticuffs as Chase tries to avoid getting run over by the Wells Fargo wagon. [More]
Target Sells Your Reserved iPad, Then Promises Imaginary Discount
By 3.18.11
It seemed reasonable enough to Mark: his local Target gave out more tickets to purchase 16 GB iPads than they had iPads, and he was the last person to reserve a ticket. The store had plenty of 64 GB models left, though, but Mark didn’t want to pay that much and tried to leverage the situation into a discount on one of those. Some employees agreed that the company should make this happen, and others claimed that it wasn’t physically possible. Mark began a quest to get his promised discount, but it looks like he’ll be running Flash on his iPad before that ever happens. [More]
