Reader Phil is annoyed. He called Best Buy to see if they carried MiniSD memory cards. He was told that they did, but when he got to the store — all they had was MicroSD. Instead of just apologizing and letting Phil get on with his day — they tried to convince him that he was wrong, and his camera took MicroSD. It doesn’t.
Retail Services
Morning Deals
By 6.12.09
- Amazon: [Game] Call of Duty 4 Xbox Game for $29.99 w/ Free shipping
- Boston Market: [Restaurant] $3 Off $6 Purchase Coupon
- SteveMadden: [Shoes] Steve Madden Sale: Up to 67% off + free shipping
Former Best Buy Salesperson Says: Electronics Salespeople Are Useless
By 6.12.09
Over on CNET, blogger and former Best Buy salesperson Sharon Vaknin shares her acquired wisdom with the Internet, putting together a list of the “7 things electronics salespeople won’t tell you.” What are they?
Indie Music Retailer Wins Our Award For 'Most Delightful Shipping Confirmation'
By 6.11.09
A Consumerist reader (actually, several of you) e-mailed us the shipping confirmation message that is sent out by CDBaby, the ‘utopian’ online music site that promotes independent musicians (yet is partnered with Best Buy).
Bank Of America CEO: We Had To Acquire Merrill Lynch To Save The Economy
By 6.11.09
Are you a Bank of America shareholder who is angry at CEO, (and former chairman of the board) Ken Lewis for going ahead with the Merrill Lynch deal? Well, you’re just mean. It wasn’t his fault. At least, that’s what he’s just testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Morning Deals
By 6.11.09
- Amazon: [Blu-Ray] Terminator 2: Judgment Day (Skynet Edition) Blu-Ray for $14.99 + Shipping
- Staples: [Monitor] eMachines 19-inch Dual Input LCD Flat Panel Monitor $100 Shipped
- Sandals & Beaches Resorts: [Hotels] Sandals Resorts: Up to 65% off 3-night stays, more
Sprint Employee Changes Customer's Name To "Pain In The A$$"?
By 6.10.09
Update: Some of our readers who are Sprint customers say they don’t think the screenshots are legit. We asked Sprint for an opinion, and they responded, “We had noticed the post on sprintusers.com earlier today and are tracking down the answer. I’ll get back to you asap.” We’ll post further updates when they arrive.
Hey, Skype, Why Can't I Change My Billing Information?
By 6.9.09
Over the last 1-2 years Skype has gone from being a great alternative to the greedy phone companies, to being worse than AT&T, Time Warner Cable and Comcast combined. Skype’s shady business practices are unlike anything I have experienced with ANY phone or cable company before. And I am saying this as someone who spends $150/year on Skype subscriptions and at least another $50-$75/year on additional Skype out credits.
Think The iPhone 3G S Costs Too Much? Don't Buy It
By 6.9.09
Apple fans around the country are foaming at the mouths over the jacked-up pricing AT&T has announced for the upgraded iPhone. AT&T apparently can’t afford to subsidize the phones for existing customers, because if you currently have an iPhone and more than 6 months left on your contract, you’ll have to pay $417-$517 for the newer model (that includes an $18 “upgrade” fee).
Morning Deals
By 6.9.09
- Gamestop: [Video Games] HOT!!! Guitar Hero World Tour or Rock Band 2 Special Edition Bundles (PS3, Xbox 360) for $79.79
Free Shipping - Amazon: [Magazine] Popular Science (1 Year Subscription) for $5
- 1-800 Contacts: [Lenses] Save an Extra $10 off Contact Lens Orders
Hey, Don't Freak Out Or Anything But Your Cellphone Might Be Spying On You
By 6.8.09
Newsweek has an article that you should not read if you’re especially paranoid. Why? Because it says that according to a security consultant — the percentage of US cellphones that have been tapped with spyware could be as high as 3%.
Morning Deals
By 6.8.09
- Sears: [Apparel] Spend $50 On Pants or Jeans and Get $50 Sears Reward Cash
- OldNavy: [Men’s Apparel] Old Navy: Up to 50% off men’s items
- OfficeDepot: [PC Laptop] Toshiba Intel Dual Core 2.16GHz 15″ Laptop for $395 + free shipping
Well Hello There, New Bar Codes
By 6.8.09
Snazzy new bar codes are starting to adorn our fruit and vegetables to stop blurry-eyed cashiers from ringing up organic produce as the cheaper-priced regular stuff. They’re called GS1 DataBars, and they’re already appearing in select supermarkets to help consumers move faster through checkout lines.
Beware Credit Cards Charging Foreign Transaction Fees On Domestic Purchases
By 6.7.09
Banks are increasingly charging foreign transaction fees on domestic purchases, a dangerous practice that’s likely to expand as banks look for new ways to generate profit. Tripso tells us the story of Sunil, who bought tickets with Qatar airlines, which sounds ever so expensively foreign. Citi charged a 2% foreign transaction fee, even though the tickets were bought in U.S. dollars and processed by the airline’s central reservation system based in Washington D.C.
Man Causes Thousands In Fire Damage After Walmart Refuses Return
By 6.5.09
After Walmart wouldn’t let him make a return, Phillip R. Wright, 41, of Monroe, Louisiana, pictured, left, looking disgruntled and pretty “arsony,” set a men’s clothing rack inside the store on fire.
Would You Buy An iPhone That Fell In Urine?
By 6.5.09
Our ex-stepbrothers at Gizmodo found a craigslist ad for a barely used iPhone, selling for significantly below list price. There’s just one problem.
Bank of America Wins Right To Seize Social Security Benefits To Pay Overdraft Fees
By 6.5.09
The California Supreme Court has effectively reversed a 2004 San Francisco trial court decision that ordered BofA to pay $284.4 million in damages to more than 1.1 million customers. The California Supreme Court ruled that banks can tap Social Security benefits in bank accounts to cover bounced-check fees, a practice consumer advocates say is abusive because Federal law prohibits Social Security benefits from being seized to pay a debt. California law apparently doesn’t consider overdraft fees to be debt, so the fee party will be allowed to rock on indefinitely.
