Bank of America is making an 11th-hour push for inclusion in the upcoming Worst Company In America tournament. Starting in February, folks with BofA mortgages who don’t have BofA bank accounts will see their current 15-day grace period for making payments cut by 40%. [More]
Retail Services
Study: When New Walmarts Open, People Get Fatter
By 1.19.11
Walmart is now the largest grocery store chain in the country, and a new study says that the more supercenters the company opens, the heavier the people living nearby become. [More]
Chase Overcharged Over 4,000 Military Families On Mortgages, Improperly Foreclosed On 14
By 1.19.11
Chase has admitted that it overcharged over 4,000 military families on their home mortgages, as well as wrongly foreclosed on 14 of them. Some of these are families of troops that are fighting in Afghanistan. [More]
Suspected ID Thief Helps Police By Posing For Sam's Club Photo
By 1.19.11
If you’re going to use someone else’s identity to go on a shopping spree, you might as well go hog-wild and hit some upscale stores. At the very least, don’t go shopping at a discount warehouse store where you’ll need to have your picture taken for your membership card. [More]
Caption This Picture Of Four Shoppers
By 1.19.11
A group of young women, with purchases in tow, gather together on Broadway in Soho and ponder their move. Which store will the hone their collective shopping energies on next? [More]
In Wake Of Tragedy, Tucson Goes Wild For Gun Fair
By 1.18.11
Just days after a shooting rampage northwest of Tucson left six dead and 13 wounded, a gun show near the city drew 8,000 attendees. [More]
Let's Play "Is This A Flat Screen TV Or A Clipboard In This Box?"
By 1.17.11
Usually if you haven’t ordered a large flat-screen TV, one isn’t going to be delivered to you. But Amanda B. thought maybe someone messed up when a five-by-six foot flat box showed up at her place of employment with her name on it. [More]
Amazon Deals App For iPhone Launches
By 1.14.11
Amazon has put its Gold Box Deals into iPhone form with this week’s launch of its new Amazon Deals app. Buying things you don’t need while on the go just got easier! [More]
Letter To Home Depot CEO Gets Dishwasher Replaced In 12 Hours
By 1.13.11
Last August, Consumerist reader Dan bought an LG dishwasher from Home Depot. When the unit began to exhibit issues, his attempts to deal with LG were in vain. But a well-worded letter to the CEO of Home Depot got the ball rolling and had a replacement dishwasher ready for him the next day. [More]
3 Hours Before Delivery, Sears Notices Your Stove Is Out Of Stock And Discontinued
By 1.13.11
Oh, Sears. Why don’t you understand that the point of commerce is to sell merchandise to your customers? Chad tells Consumerist ordered a set of appliances for his new home from Sears, with a delivery time 8 days in the future. Three hours before his delivery window, Sears called to let Chad know–oh, yeah, the stove that he ordered was discontinued. [More]
Slash Your Restaurant Bill By Keeping An Eye Out For Upsells
By 1.12.11
If restaurant checks always seem to be a bit higher than you envision, it’s because the industry thrives on ways to trick you into giving up extra cash at every turn. Waiters can be upsell-happy con artists, and you are the mark. [More]
What's Your Magic Shirt Number?
By 1.12.11
Unless you’re blessed with a photographic memory, it’s tough to remember exactly which clothes you have, and thus too easy to over-buy when you’re out shopping. If you maintain such a program, you can end up with a closet full of stuff you didn’t even know you had, riddled with duplicates. [More]
People Of Georgia Freak Out Over Snow, Empty Walmart Shelves
By 1.11.11
Winter has not been kind to the states on the eastern seaboard, and the current snowstorm closing in on the mid-Atlantic has already wreaked havoc in the snow-averse state of Georgia, where three to five inches of the white stuff was enough to send people rushing to stock up at Walmart. [More]
Brain Cells In Fear And Rage Sector Change When You Shop
By 1.10.11
Single brain cells become altered in unison when you’re shopping, a new study finds. [More]
Sometimes, Rarely, Walmart Will Price-Match Itself
By 1.10.11
Retailers that have an online presence generally don’t price-match their own websites. As illogical as this seems (especially for big-box stores that have in-store pickup options) the policy is the policy. Except sometimes there is a way around it. That’s how John saved $8 at Walmart–by making the store price-match its own website. [More]
Tastykake Empire In Danger Of Crumbling
By 1.10.11
Tastykake, manufacturers of numerous kinds of prepackaged snack foods, could be forced to sell or merge after a newly opened factory failed to generate the hoped-for savings. Krimpets, Kandy Kakes, Koffee Kakes, and Kreamies could all be put on the chopping block. And I don’t know if you’re aware, but those kinds of snacks do better in your tummy than on a chopping block. [More]
Man Says Penis Enlarger Never Worked, Even After 500 Hours Of Use
By 1.10.11
What with all that free healthcare and those easygoing natures up north in Canada, there’s not much to get upset about. So why not sue over a penis enlarger to stir stuff up? [More]
Know Your Bank's New Checking Fees To Avoid Getting Slammed
By 1.10.11
The first reaction to your bank instituting new fees on your “free checking” account in 2011 might be sheer, overwhelming panic, or maybe rage, indignation, or some combination thereof. But don’t be afraid, fee-haters, there are ways around extra charges to your account. [More]
