Now it’s getting tough. Two giants compete for the battle of the biggest. Will it be our biggest retailer? Or our biggest bank? [More]
Retail Services
Lose Your Receipt? Walmart Has A Hotline For You
By 4.5.10
Need a copy of your receipt from Walmart? Do what reader Casey did. Call the hotline. If you paid by debit or credit card, they will look up your receipt and fax it to you. [More]
Florida Urologist Won't Touch You If You Support Obamacare
By 4.5.10
A Florida urologist hoisted a sign outside his practice that reads “If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years,” the Miami Herald reports. [More]
Insane PC Game DRM Drove Me To Piracy
By 4.5.10
An anonymous gamer wrote in to tell us why he felt justified to illegally download a copy of Red Faction: Guerilla: He bought it on one computer but found the DRM locked him out of re-activating the game on his new computer. When customer service couldn’t help him, he went rogue. [More]
The Most Reasonable Letter We've Ever Received From A Guy Whose Bank Misplaced $14,000
By 4.4.10
Meet Matt. He’s is the writer of the most reasonable, calm, thoughtful letter we’ve ever gotten from someone whose bank misplaced a check for $14,000. That bank is Bank of America, and they’ve lost a customer. Was it because their ATM ate the check? Not really. It was because they couldn’t even bother to act concerned about it. Matt is ready for a bank that thinks $14,000 is important. [More]
Boxing iPad Takes On The Kindle
By 4.3.10
You don’t have to go very far to find plenty of videos of iPads being unboxed. But if you want to see an iPad in a boxing match with an Amazon Kindle, there’s only one place to go: the streets of New York, where these two dudes battled it out to entertain the masses waiting outside the Apple Store (and promote electronics recycling business YouRenew). The winner? The guy in the Pink Floyd shirt, who managed to get himself into every shot. [More]
Rub-A-Dub-Dub, The Tummy Tub Is A $95 Piece Of Junk
By 4.2.10
Our more scholarly sister Consumer Reports recently took a look at the Tummy Tub, which “looks like something out of a chemical-mixing laboratory,” but is supposed to recreate a feeling of being in the womb for your baby while you give it a bath. Because there’s nothing more womb-like than being scrubbed with soap and water in a loud, brightly lit bathroom. [More]
They Make All The Best Bacony Toys For Dogs
By 4.2.10
What a week for technology. Not only is it bringing us a giant iPod Touch and a pocket to go along with it, but it also marks the discovery of bacon-scented bubbles and toys with which to project them in your face. Chicken and peanut butter smells are also available. The drawback, as with Snausages, is they’re meant for dogs, so if you’re a human and you partake in their wonders then you’re seen as slummin’ it. [More]
Pregnant? Get Your Folic Acid For Free At Kmart
By 4.2.10
Kmart has teamed up with March of Dimes for a pretty unique giveaway program. Through May 1, the retailer will be giving away a free month’s supply of folic acid to pregnant mothers. [More]
Remember, Authorizations May Cause You To Overdraft
By 4.2.10
Consumerist reader Patrick wrote in to express his dismay with Bank of America. He had purchased two items online that wouldn’t be shipping until a later date, but the authorizations placed on both items by the vendors caused him to overdraft (and be charged $35 overdraft fees) for his subsequent purchases. [More]
Watch Out For Phone Companies Cramming Charges Onto Your Bill
By 4.1.10
Some phone companies will take every opportunity to sneak ludicrous, unjustified charges onto your bill. The Boston Globe highlights the “cramming” practice in this story: [More]
Rite-Aid Puts Aspirin On Sale For $3 More Than Regular Price
By 3.31.10
Consumerist reader Uriah was shopping at his local Rite-Aid when he spotted something strange about the big yellow sale tag on this bottle of aspirin. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the huge sale price of $9.99 wasn’t such a good deal… because it’s $3 higher than the $6.99 the aspirin usually goes for. [More]
GameStop Employee: Bosses Didn't Care We Were Selling Games Stolen From Best Buy
By 3.31.10
A former GameStop employee and Consumerist reader wrote in to share her story of why she decided to quit her gig as a “Game Advisor” after learning that her store was knowingly reselling video games heisted from the local Best Buy store. [More]
Kohl's Sends Me Random Door Parts, Empty Box, With My Order
By 3.31.10
Consumerist reader Mike was recently enticed by a clothing sale on Kohls.com, so he ordered, in his words, “a ton of shirts.” What he didn’t know was that, in addition to his shirts, Kohl’s was also going to send him several random pieces for a door lock assembly and a second box of free air. [More]
Executive Emails For Victoria's Secret
By 3.30.10
Got an issue with Victoria’s Secret that regular customer service can’t or won’t handle? Try escalating it to the top of the laundry heap with these email addresses for senior executives. [More]
Survey: Everyone's Shopping At Walmart, Even If They Don't Want To
By 3.30.10
With the economy continuing to circle the bowl, it’s not surprising that customers are turning to Walmart’s cheaper prices for just about everything. A new survey has the box store biggie as the most frequently shopped-at store in all U.S. regions, even though consumers don’t necessarily consider themselves loyal to Big W. [More]
Blockbuster Doesn't Have Game I Want In Stock, Sends It To Me Instead
By 3.30.10
Blockbuster and other brick-and-mortal rental stores seemingly give you fewer reasons to patronize them all the time, but Christopher discovered a step in the positive direction by the company: He says if the store doesn’t have what you’re looking for, it will send it to you and let you keep it longer than a normal rental. [More]
Print Edition Of TV Guide Tells Me To Go Online To Read Most Of Cover Story
By 3.30.10
Scott bought a copy of TV Guide — yes, apparently that still exists — because he was intrigued by the TV’s Top 50 Families story. He was dismayed to page through the magazine and discover the list stopped at 20. The article prompted him to go online to discover the remaining 30 families on the list. [More]
