Kevin’s mom is the executor of a family friend’s estate. Chase, the company that holds this family friend’s mortgage somehow got hold of her phone number, and is now calling her incessantly, looking for…. the dead person? Chase reps claim that they’re not allowed to speak with the executor of the estate, yet they keep calling back despite pleas to leave her alone. [More]
Retail Services
Georgia Woman Plans To Win Foreclosed House Back With Cornbread
By 7.29.10
Many people, facing underemployment and foreclosure on their home, would despair. Not reader Bev. She’s determined to win her house back when it’s sold at auction, and is fighting back with… cornbread. Wait, cornbread? [More]
Man Demonstrates His Superior Walmart Shopping Technique
By 7.28.10
There should be more of this sort of thing going on. [More]
GameStop Buys Pre-Owned Website Kongregate
By 7.28.10
If you play games on the website Kongregate–its founders say 10 million players stop by every month–then congratulations, you’re about to become GameStop’s new BFF. There’s no word yet on how this will affect the Kongregate community; the site lets people play online games for free, and GameStop says that the its founders will continue to run things for now. If we start seeing offers to pre-order an upcoming online free game, I guess we’ll know the takeover is complete. [More]
Target Angers Some Gay Customers With Support Of Conservative Politician
By 7.28.10
For years, Target has made a significant effort to reach out to the gay and lesbian community, sponsoring pride marches and AIDS walks, as well as offering domestic partner benefits to its homosexual employees. But the retail chain now finds itself in hot water after it donated $150,000 toward the election campaign of a anti-same-sex marriage gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota. [More]
Sears Still Has Customers, Can't Manage To Sell Them Actual Merchandise
By 7.28.10
Freddy tells Consumerist that his girlfriend tried to buy a vacuum cleaner from Sears, but the self-destructive retailer stopped her at every turn. After waiting through six weeks of delays and broken promises, she finally asked for a refund and bought the same item at a lower price at Walmart. [More]
Report Says The Poor Subsidize Credit Card Reward Programs
By 7.27.10
A new study from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston says that credit card reward programs have a sneaky hidden cost that the card holder doesn’t have to bear. This occurs because the fee that a retailer pays to run a credit card varies with every card, and reward cards cost more to process–in other words, the card issuer passes the cost of the rewards program on to the retailer. The retailer adapts by raising prices across the board, which distributes the cost of the reward program among all shoppers. [More]
Pop Tunes Bastardized For Your Kid's Pleasure
By 7.27.10
Since 2001 Kidz Bop has cranked out albums of pop hit covers with children singing inelegantly sanitized version of the originals. The discs provide the soundtrack to little kids’ birthday parties everywhere. They’re also the official soundtrack of hell. [More]
Buy This Twin-Pack Of Deodorant And Save… Negative $.97
By 7.26.10
If you’re shopping for Right Guard deodorant at Walmart, be careful before you pick up that twin-pack thinking that, like the packaging says, you’ll “Buy 2 and Save.” Because if you do the math, you’ll realize you’ve just saved yourself out of $.97. [More]
How To Talk Yourself Out Of Unnecessary Buys
By 7.26.10
The moment before you make the final decision on whether or not to make a questionable purchase, your money makes one last plea to stay in your wallet rather than be traded for something superfluous. [More]
E-Readers Getting Rolled Under Tablet Juggernaut
By 7.25.10
Remember when e-readers like the Kindle came out and everyone got all excited and companies jumped in to copy them and make their own e-readers? Yeah, turns out that wasn’t such a good idea. Seems if you’re not Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Sony, your e-reader model won’t survive the onslaught of tablets like the iPad.
Wired.com has assembled a list of a few of those e-reader manufacturers struggling against the tide of tablets. Those in trouble include Audiovox’s RCA Lexi e-reader, iRex, Plastic Logic and Cool-er. [More]
Walmart To Put RFID Tags In Your Undies
By 7.23.10
In an effort to better track inventory of its clothing items, Walmart is planning to start placing removable RFID tags on individual pairs of jeans and underwear. But some privacy advocates worry that the tags may allow unscrupulous types to learn more about your purchasing habits than you’d generally care to share. [More]
Sears Has Your Mower And Doesn't Feel Like Answering The Phone
By 7.22.10
Jeff Pearlman is a columnist for SportsIllustrated.com, and his lawn probably looks like crap because Sears has had his mower for five weeks. Do they ever intend to return it? It’s hard to know for sure, because they won’t answer the phone. [More]
Coupon Use At Record High
By 7.22.10
According to a new report from coupon marketing company NCH, the volume of coupons redeemed rose about 8% from a year ago, and marked the seventh consecutive quarter of growth. The report also indicates that manufacturers are increasing the value of coupons but moving up the expiration dates. [More]
Williams-Sonoma's Registry Policies Are Top Secret, Unless You Can Use The Internet
By 7.22.10
One would think that a luxury kitchen goods retailer like Williams-Sonoma would be absurdly friendly to couples preparing to set up a gift registry before their wedding. How difficult is it to discover the store’s policies for registry completion discounts, returns without a receipt, and other relevant things? Dan writes that at his local Williams-Sonoma, customers aren’t permitted access to that information until they sign up for their registry. Even though it’s on the store’s website. Huh? [More]
3 Reasons You Might Not Always Save Money At Costco
By 7.21.10
Shopping at Costco is pretty cheap, at least when you consider unit pricing. But over at Helium.com, writer Suzanne Rose has come up with a handful of things to think about before clearing out the back of your minivan in preparation for a trip to the warehouse store. [More]
Why Did Walmart Add A $3 Warranty To This DVD Purchase Without Asking?
By 7.21.10
Would you buy an extended warranty for a DVD? We can’t imagine that most people would…and if they did, it would last longer than a year. John, however, sent in this receipt from a Texas Walmart store. He writes that the store tried to sneak a $3 “protection” plan along with his ex’s purchase of a $15 DVD. And not just any old warranty: it’s an extended warranty that, as far as we can determine, Walmart doesn’t even sell for DVDs. [More]
