Bank of America finds itself the target of a new lawsuit filed by a woman in Pittsburgh who alleges that the bank not only improperly seized her home and damaged her other property, but also kept her parrot hostage even after they admitted making a mistake. [More]
Retail Services
BBB: You Complain A Lot, Especially Against Cell Phone Companies, Banks
By 3.9.10
People stood up for themselves and went to the Business Bureau 10 percent more often in 2009 than they did in 2008, according to BBB’s figures, which also say complainers focused their ire on cell phone companies and banks. [More]
Amazon Cut Ties With Affiliates In Yet Another State Over Taxes
By 3.9.10
The ongoing debate about whether or not to levy sales tax on online purchases got another talking point yesterday, as Amazon.com reacted to one such law in Colorado by completely dropping all of its affiliates in the state. [More]
Watch Your Weight By Gorging On Chicken Nuggets
By 3.8.10
For every ounce of common sense inside of you that knows the last thing you should eat when trying to watch your weight is a deep-fried, battered piece of processed chicken “meat.” But don’t tell that to the folks at Weight Watchers who have actually given their seal of approval to three separate meals available at McDonald’s in New Zealand and Australia. [More]
Crazy Cruise Line Telemarketer Pulls Out Every Trick In The Book
By 3.8.10
John Tedesco of the San Antonio Express-News was badgered last week by a telemarketer who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He decided to keep her talking for a while to see how many ways she’d try to get him to hand over his credit card number for a “free” cruise. Here were all the tricks she used during her sales pitch. [More]
Sale At Target Means You Pay $2 Extra
By 3.8.10
Consumerist readers are on to you, Target. After reading the site for awhile, people are moving the sale cards over to see what the price used to be before it went “on sale.” [More]
Maybe People Are Stealing From Your Drugstore Because You Only Have One Employee
By 3.8.10
I’ve stopped shopping at the two large drugstores in my neighborhood because they’ve put all the antiperspirant behind plastic flaps, like bagels at a supermarket. When you lift the flap to grab a Right Guard or Speed Stick, an alarm goes off that makes it clear to everyone in the store that you’re a potential criminal with stinky pits. My guess has been that this embarrassing anti-theft deterrent is needed because there’s almost no staff at either store anymore, and a new retail survey and a couple of loss prevention experts seem to back that up. [More]
Will You Wear A $600 Disney Dress Based On One Of Its Movies? How About In 5 Years?
By 3.8.10
The future of Disney merchandising will hit a lot more demographics than the mostly kid-oriented stuff of today, if Disney has any say over it. Disney has already angered theater chains by shortening the theatrical release window on its new movie-like product Alice in Wonderland, cutting into theaters’ profit models in order to bump up the DVD release date. But CNBC notes that it’s also launching the “most wide-ranging array of consumer products ever” for a Disney flick–and that includes thousand dollar necklaces, nail polish, and dresses that cost as much as $600. [More]
Panasonic & Best Buy Really Want To Sell You A 3-D TV
By 3.8.10
Okay, so Avatar was a big blue dud at the Oscars last night. But that still doesn’t change the fact that the 3-D spectacle has made more money than some small countries. And with Alice In Wonderland raking in over $100 million in its opening weekend, the U.S. movie audience has shown it’s willing to embrace 3-D. That’s why Panasonic has teamed up with Best Buy to push its new line of 3-D TVs. [More]
Eddie Bauer Outlet Destroys Unsold Clothing, Throws It Away
By 3.7.10
Reader W.J. is a dumpster diver. During the controversy over H&M and Walmart destroying unsold clothing in Manhattan a few months ago, experienced dumpster divers pointed out that this is nothing new. W.J. e-mailed Consumerist about her recent find in the trash of an unnamed Eddie Bauer outlet store, and also made a video of her finds and how they were rendered unusable before throwing away. [More]
If You Have Difficulty Operating Eggs, Try An EZ Cracker
By 3.7.10
You know what piece of technology confuses a lot of people? Eggs. At least that’s the impression I get from the existence of the EZ Cracker, a device which cracks and separates eggs for people who are probably too helpless to be allowed near a stove. Oh, and their commercial has–why not–Wendy from the old Snapple commercials. [More]
Best Buy Doesn't Really Want To Sell Any $300 Headphones
By 3.6.10
Chris tells Consumerist that he wanted to exchange $300 for a pair of headphones, but Best Buy was uninterested in actually selling them to him. Which is odd, since we thought that was the point of this whole “retail” thing. [More]
Having A Problem With Chase Bank? Here's Where To Turn
By 3.6.10
We have a lot of executive customer service contact information for Chase credit cards, but not as much for Chase bank. That’s all about to change, my friends. Here’s someone you can turn to if you have problems with the banking side of Chase. Remember, only pester executive customer service contacts once you’ve exhausted all other options. [More]
Judge Sues Sam's Club, Walmart, Alleging Bad Customer Service Led Him To Be Committed
By 3.5.10
It’s a story that sounds too odd to be true, but a judge in Brownsville, Texas, has filed a lawsuit against his local Sam’s Club, the store’s manager and the store’s parent company Walmart Stores Inc., alleging that a bad customer service experience led to his arrest and involuntary commitment to two mental health facilities. [More]
Why Was I Banned From Walmart For Not Showing My Receipt?
By 3.5.10
Consumerist reader Jeremy says he’s recently been barred from entering any Walmart store in the country. Why? Because he politely declined to show his receipt to a greeter. [More]
BoA So Messed They're Incapable Of Taking Your Money
By 3.5.10
It’s a real junkyard over there at Bank of America. We have yet another complaint about their online system being so jacked up that it won’t even take your money. That’s the last thing you want to happen when you’re trying to pay your mortgage in these foreclosure-happy times. Jason has already escalated to the executive office, and they still suck. [More]
Use A $5 Bill To Buy Five Detroit Houses
By 3.5.10
How can you tell when the housing market has truly bottomed out? When you can buy a home for a buck. A Guardian story says such deals actually exist in beleaguered Detroit. [More]
VIDEO: Stores Caught Restocking Used Underwear & Lingerie
By 3.4.10
We try not to be too paranoid about the cleanliness of things we purchase. We’ll purchase used books, buy vintage clothing, drive pre-owned cars. But the “Ick Factor,” as it’s known in the world of science, jumps off the charts when it comes to used undies. But that’s exactly what NBC claims to have discovered at several retail stores. [More]
