It all started out as a good-natured, if ill-advised Best Buy promotion to encourage employees to entice customers into signing up for store credit cards. But it ended up in a fracas of verbal and physical assaults. Allow Best Buy employee “X” to tell a tale of mayhem at what was supposed to be a pleasant evening at Best Buy.
Retail Services
Morning Deals
By 9.3.09
- Highlights From Buxr
- ZipZoomFly : [Keyboard] OCZ Wired Keyboard w/ Programmable Keys for $7.99 after $20 rebate w/ Free shipping
- Boston Market : [Restaurant] 50% Off Family Meal or Market Feast (Starts Sept 5th)
- Peterbilt : [Automotive] Free Peterbilt Keychain
Walmart Responds, Fixes Ruined Transmission
By 9.2.09
We’re not entirely sure Consumerist is responsible for Walmart finally getting back to Jeff on his ruined transmission—and frankly, because of the length of time between the incident and his complaint, as well as Walmart’s reputation for silence on consumer complaints like this, we didn’t expect much to happen at all. We were wrong, and we tip our hats to Walmart for making good on a very expensive mistake. Read Jeff’s update below.
Bank Of America Forces Man To Pay $11,000 In Fraudulent Credit Card Charges
By 9.2.09
It’s important to note that the Fair Credit Billing Act caps your liability at $50 for unauthorized credit card charges — but you have to notify the bank in a timely fashion that someone is using your card. (You should notify your bank in writing within 60 days of the first incorrect bill.) One Colorado man is finding out the hard way that not noticing an $11,000 charge to your account for months is really, really bad.
Another Sears.com Security Hole Discovered
By 9.2.09
That Sears website exploit we posted about a couple of weeks ago was funny, mainly because it seemed more embarrassing for Sears than a true security risk. However, an independent security researcher had also discovered a more significant issue with the site—it allowed for an unlimited number of gift card verification attempts via an external script, so a criminal could use the site as a brute force method to identify valid gift cards for Sears and Kmart.
Morning Deals
By 9.2.09
- Amazon: [Coupon Codes] Amazon coupon codes for September
- Newegg: [Bluetooth Headset] Samsung WEP700 Bluetooth Headset w/ Noise Cancelling $14.99 Free Shipping
- Amazon: [HDTV, Blu-ray] Samsung LN32B460 32″ 720p LCD HDTV + Blu-ray player $500 w/ coupon ($210 off sale prices) + free shipping
- Dell Home: [Print/Copy/Scan] Dell V105 All-in-one printer $30 + free shipping
Mysterious Oil Change Ruins Transmission, But Walmart Won't Respond
By 9.2.09
Update: Walmart has responded!
Bank Of America Asks Armless Man For Thumbprint
By 9.1.09
A Florida man was unable to cash a Bank of America check because the bank required a thumbprint, and he had no arms.
Bank Of America Wants To Begin Paying Back Bailout Money, Avoid Government "Fee"
By 9.1.09
The Wall Street Journal says that Bank of America is interested in paying back a portion of the bailout money it received, with the goal of getting out from under the purview of the salary czar and reduce a “layer of federal involvement in its affairs.”
Amazon Replaces Delivered, Stolen Package
By 9.1.09
Sarah ordered a book on Amazon, but the package was stolen before she could get to it. She called Amazon and was pleasantly surprised with the results. She writes:
Morning Deals
By 9.1.09
- Amazon: [HDTV combo] Buy select Samsung 46″ or 52″ HDTV, get Free Nintendo Wii or Asus 1000HA 10″ Netbook, up to $566 savings w/ coupon + free shipping
- Victoria’s Secret : [Apparel] 2 Free VS Undies w/ Any Purchase (In-Store – Printable)
- SmileBooks: [Photo Book] use coupon code SALE50 for 50% off all photobooks ordered from 9/4/09 to 11:59pm 9/6/09 (Thanks to Jaron!)
Tmobile Raising Overage Rates 9/01 – Cancel Without Fee
By 8.31.09
Tmobile will be raising overage rates September 1st, and customers can use it to cancel without early termination fee.
Bank Of America's Confusing Advice Shortchanges You On Savings Bonds
By 8.31.09
Daniel thought his government savings bonds would help pay his tuition, wasn’t sure whether they had matured after 15 years, and headed to his Bank of America branch to see if they had and cash them out. He said the bank gave him confusing advice that wound up in his cashing his bonds for less than full price. He writes:
Morning Deals
By 8.31.09
- Amazon: [Smartphone] T-Mobile Blackberry Curve 8900 Phone 1 Cent Shipped
- Barnes & Noble: [Books] Free Backpack with Book & Media Orders of $100+
- Dell Home: [Camera] Canon EOS Rebel XSi SLR Digital Camera w/ 18-55mm Lens for $569.00 plus free shipping
- VisionDirect: [Medical] 8 Boxes of Acuvue Oasys Contact Lenses for $61 after rebate + free shipping
Target Charges $1.50 For Free Nalgene Bottle
By 8.30.09
Regular Consumerist readers are familiar with our exposure of Target’s absurdist pricing policies, and this is a particularly confusing example. Reader Rob in Minnesota noticed a nice promotion on a 3-pack of Brita water filters, which came with a free small Nalgene water bottle and a few packets of drink mix. Nice deal, but he couldn’t help noticing that the identical 3-pack of filters without the “free” water bottle cost $1.50 less. See a bigger picture and a twist to the story, inside.
Banks Once "Too Big To Fail" Now Even Bigger After Meltdown
By 8.30.09
Remember those banks that the federal government bailed out because they were “too big to fail?” Well…after mergers and bank takeovers (some encouraged by the government) those banks bailed out because they were “too big to fail” now are much bigger. JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America combined now control more than 20% of all bank deposits in the United States.
Deep HDTV Discounts From Best Buy This Week
By 8.29.09
People just aren’t buying ginormous TVs like they used to. At least not from Best Buy. That’s why there’s going to be some great deals this week at Best Buy on large-screen HDTVs. HDGuru got an advance copy of their Sunday circular, which advertises discounts that bring the big TVs down to an almost reasonable price!
FCC Launches Large Scale Investigation Of Cellular Industry
By 8.28.09
Uh-oh, the FCC is getting serious about doing its job, which probably means more memos like the one Apple posted last week from companies like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. Yesterday the FCC announced three “Notices of Inquiry”—all unanimously voted for by a full, bi-partisan commission—that will look at different aspects of the cellular industry.
