In spite of their nickname, “robo-signers” — those hired to process the mountain of foreclosure documents during the recent recession — are flesh and blood human beings. And like many human beings, they also know very little about mortgages and foreclosures. [More]
Retail Services
Robo-Signer Confession: 'I Don't Know The Ins & Outs Of The Loan, I Just Sign Documents'
By 10.13.10
Walmart Shopper Fakes Labor Pains To Avoid Shoplifting Arrest
By 10.12.10
See if you can follow this: Two women were suspected of shoplifting at an Ohio Walmart. When confronted by Walmart security outside the store, it was determined that they hadn’t left the building with the allegedly purloined merchandise. Security was about to let them go when the women called the cops to complain about being unlawfully detained. The cops arrived and determined the women actually could be arrested for shoplifting. That’s when one woman faked labor pains to escape going to jail. [More]
Walmart Puts Defective Scooter I Returned Back On Shelf
By 10.12.10
After the electric scooter Eric bought for his son broke down three weeks after he bought it, he returned it to Walmart, only to see it pop back up on shelves for sale, ready to break another kid’s heart. [More]
Bank Of America's 5 Greatest Foreclosure F*#!-Ups
By 10.8.10
Earlier today, when Bank of America said it was halting foreclosure sales in all 50 states, we decided to take a stroll down memory lane to revisit the wide array of foreclosure disasters that BofA has perpetrated on the homeowning public in just the year or so. [More]
Bank Of America Puts Nationwide Freeze On Foreclosure Sales
By 10.8.10
Last week, Bank of America announced it was putting a freeze on foreclosures, foreclosure sales and evictions in 23 states. On Friday morning, the bank declared it has ordered a halt to those sales in all 50 states. [More]
Someone Bought Newsweek For $1, Probably Overpaid
By 10.8.10
An audio equipment magnate dug into his pockets, fished out some loose pocket change and bought Newsweek in August for $1. We’re not talking about a single issue at a news stand, but the entire magazine operation. [More]
How We Ended Up Running Away From Walmart Receipt Checkers
By 10.7.10
Mark is not a shoplifter, yet due to a combination of high-pressure doormen and bad weather, he found himself sprinting out of a Walmart to a receipt-checker’s dismay. [More]
Helpful Best Buy Employees Recycle Van Full Of Computers, Delight Customer
By 10.7.10
Mindy writes that she had all of the elements for a disastrous morning lined up: she visited Best Buy with a preschool child, an infant, and a van full of old electronics for recycling. However, she found herself in a parallel universe full of helpful Best Buy and Geek Squad employees willing to accept more electronics than the usual limit and give helpful advice. [More]
Citicard Thinks You Need To Pay Off $3,422 Credit Card Balance Twice
By 10.7.10
Jon tells Consumerist had things arranged very nicely with his credit card from Citi. He would use his credit card for purchases, then pay the balance off at the end of every month. He set up his account to auto-debit the credit card balance from his checking account every month. One month, he paid his balance of more than $3,000 early. The autopay from his checking account went through anyway. Jon would like his money back. [More]
Toddler Costume Tag Admits It's Dangerous To Toddlers
By 10.6.10
Remember those find-however-many-things-wrong-with-this picture puzzles? Well, here’s something that could easily pass for one of those. [More]
Walmart Beef Jerky Hit With Grocery Shrink Ray & Label Hyperbole Laser
By 10.6.10
Consumerist reader Joshua popped into his local Walmart the other morning to get his beef jerky fix, only to find that his snack of choice been hit with the Grocery Shrink Ray. Making matters worse, someone had tried to disguise that fact with a blast from the Label Hyperbole Laser. [More]
Unimpressed With Half-Baked Concession, Military Bases Still Won't Sell Medal Of Honor Game
By 10.6.10
Despite efforts by Electronic Arts to make Medal of Honor more palatable to military members and their families, bases still won’t sell the game when it releases next week. The game formerly allowed online gamers to play as Taliban members, but EA backed down to pressure and changed the squads’ names to “Opposing Force.” [More]
Putting Vacuum Cleaners To The Cat Hair Test
By 10.6.10
Among the seven different tests that our science-minded sibling publication Consumer Reports used for its most recent vacuum ratings, the one that seems to get the most attention is the fur test. Steven Colbert once accused CR — jokingly, we hope — of killing cats and tearing their fur off. Fortunately for everyone involved, that’s not how it works. [More]
Sorry, Your $80 Brooks Brothers Shirt Is Only Good For Two Years
By 10.6.10
The phrase “unconditional guarantee” gives the impression that a product has a guarantee, and that it’s unconditional. B. writes that at Brooks Brothers, “unconditional” seems to mean “as long as you don’t wash or wear articles of clothing.” Is he out of line to expect the company to stand behind frequently worn and laundered items like dress shirts? Or is Brooks Brothers’ use of the word “unconditional” in this situation misleading? [More]
College Kids Get Hooked On Debit Cards Connected To Student Loans Rather Than Credit Cards
By 10.5.10
Credit card reforms may have made it more difficult for banks to exploit college students, but it turns out there is more than one way to turn an unsuspecting post-adolescent into a debt monkey. The trick is to issue students debit cards that run up their student loans rather than over-regulated credit cards. [More]
Texas AG Calls For Statewide Foreclosure Freeze
By 10.5.10
Hot on the heels of foreclosure and eviction freezes by GMAC/Ally, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, the Attorney General for the state of Texas has become the latest AG to request that loan servicing companies put a temporary halt to foreclosures. [More]
Google TV Announces Underwhelming Roster Of Programming Partners
By 10.4.10
As Google TV readies to launch in the coming weeks, the company has finally announced its initial slate of programming partners — and it’s not exactly thrilling reading. [More]
VIDEO: How Consumer Reports Tests 3D TVs
By 10.4.10
Since 3D TVs are still a new and developing consumer technology, the testers at Consumer Reports have had to develop new ways to put the figure out which of these sets — if any — are worth recommending. [More]
