If you have any lines of credit and you use them to manage your financial flow, you should evaluate your personal money matrix so you’re ready in case all of them get cut. They’re cutting lines of credit even for rocket scientists like reader Rocky. That’s right, he’s an engineer in the aerospace industry, has never overdrawn, never been late, never incurred NSF charges, and has 3 Masters and 2 MBAs. Overnight, they cut his four lines of credit. Apparently his only crime was simply having them. He called multiple times and got nowhere, only to be told to talk to a credit counselor. A credit counselor? Bank of America, he doesn’t have bad credit, he has no lines of credit because you just cut them all. His story, inside…
Retail Services
Citibank Launches iPhone Version Of Mobile App
By 3.4.09
Okay, all you iPhone dorks, Citi’s just released an easy way for you to keep track of your account balances while you’re running around pinching things bigger and smaller with your heavily patented gestures. Don’t worry, ugly phone owners, they’ve got other mobile versions too.
10 Human Teeth Found In Walmart Wallet
By 3.4.09
According to the Cape Cod Times an unidentified shopper was browsing through the wallets at a Falmouth, MA Walmart, when he unzipped one of the compartments and found a surprise — ten human teeth. One of them even had a filling.
Morning Deals
By 3.4.09
Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers, Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.
Watch Out For Payment Date Errors—And Related Finance Charges—From Chase
By 3.4.09
Mike used an Office Depot Visa card issued through Chase to take advantage of a pay-no-interest deal through 2008. He paid off the remaining balance a couple of days before the offer period ended, but Chase still slapped him with a nearly $40 interest charge. Why? Because they’ve been “having problems like that” with Office Depot cards.
Citibank Reinstates Credit Limits If You Ask
By 3.3.09
Like many credit cards, Citibank is cutting people’s credit limits left and right but apparently if you call up and ask to get your credit limit back to where it was, they’ll do it for you. Classic tactic: Conduct adverse action, easily fix it for the small amount of people who complain, profit from the difference. As ever, squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Morning Deals
By 3.3.09
Highlights From Dealhack
- Creative Labs: [MP3 Player] Refurbished 2GB Zen Portable Media Player $39
- Mwave: [LCD Monitor] Asus VW198T 19-inch Dual Input LCD Monitor $116
- Newegg: [All-in-One] Canon Pixma MX300 All-In-One Printer $65 Shipped
Highlights From Dealnews
- AT&T Wireless: [iPhone] Refurbished iPhone 3G 8GB for $99 + free shipping, 16GB for $199
- Dell Home: [2.1 Speakers] Harman Kardon Soundsticks II for $105 + free shipping
- Surplus Computers: [Hard Drives] Refurbished IDE Hard Drive Roundup: Maxtor 40GB for $13 + $11 s&h, more
Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers, Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.
T-Mobile Customers Can Take Advantage Of Cheaper Plans Starting Today
By 3.2.09
The rumor was true—T-Mobile has started offering cheaper unlimited voice plans to existing customers. Matthew wrote to us, “The TMO loyalty plans are showing up on the site as of today…we just moved to the Unlimited Loyalty Family Plan at $89.99, which is $10 cheaper than the 2000 minute Family Plan we’d been on.”
Circuit City Basically Totally Done By March 8th
By 3.2.09
Looks like March 8th will be the last day on earth for many Circuit City stores. A reader saw a sign in a liquidated Circuit City that said the final day would be March 8th. Also, an insider saw a memo that indicated the “bulk” of the stores, 500 or so, would be closed on March 8th. The memo said stores are closing so early because “sales are ahead of schedule.” At this point in the liquidation cycle, “It looks like whatever hasn’t been picked through is starting to be actually decent prices” writes reader Will. “I scored an XM radio unit for 85 vs. about 110-130 on the net, and a Harmony One remote for 125 vs. 170 on the net.” However, he noted, “TV prices were still not cheaper than the internet.” So, it’s now safe to shop at Circuit City, just make sure to bring your internet price-checking devices.
Amazon Allows Publishers To Kill Text To Speech Function On Kindle 2
By 3.2.09
The 8,000 member Authors Guild—the RIAA of the publishing world—has complained about the text to speech feature on the Amazon Kindle 2, which can read aloud your ebook in a computerized voice (something text to speech programs have been doing for years). The Guild says that’s equivalent to an audio book, and that Amazon can’t just allow it without paying extra, so last Friday Amazon caved in and announced they’ll let writers and publishers disable the feature on a title by title basis moving forward.
Morning Deals
By 3.2.09
Highlights From Buxr
- OfficeMax: [Digital Camera] Olympus FE-20 Digital Camera 8MP Black for $69.99 w/ Free shipping
- Sixth Avenue: [Headphones] Sennheiser CX300-B Headphones for $17.10 w/ coupon AFL5 w/ Free shipping
- Sixth Avenue: [Headphones] 30% off Skullcandy headphones w/ coupon AFLCANDY
Highlights From Dealhack
- Amazon: [DVDs] Two for $10 DVD Sale
- Dell Home: [Netbook] Extra $50 off Inspiron Mini 12 Intel Atom Netbook PC
- Geeks: [Camcorder] Refurbished VuPoint Multifunction Digital Camcorder for $40 with Coupon
Highlights From Dealnews
- Staples: [Desk] TechniMobili Mahogany L-Desk for $200 + free shipping
- Overstock.com: [Flatware] Oneida Azalea 45-Piece Stainless Steel Flatware Set for $44 + $3 s&h
- Abt Electronics: [HDTV] Samsung 32″ 720p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $499 + free shipping
Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers, Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.
Outcry Prompts Amazon To Stop Overcharging For Digital Edition
By 2.28.09
Kevin couldn’t understand why Amazon charged $29.95 for the digital version of Confessions of a Butcher when the paperback cost only $11.95. Amazon tried to gussy up the Kindle edition by offering what looked like a steep 45% discount, but the digital edition still cost $5 more than the print edition. Even the author’s wife chimed in to Amazon’s discussion forum to pan the discrepancy, adding, “what’s really ridiculous is that we sell more ebooks at $20 than we do new paperbacks for $11.95.”
Sears Chairman Unleashes 15-Page Manifesto About Um, Everything
By 2.27.09 — Updated: 12.9.16
Sears Holdings chairman Eddie Lampert has unleashed a 15-page manifesto about the current economic meltdown, short-selling rules, civil liberties, and even offers a suggested reading list that includes free-market Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek.
American Express Cancels Your Card Right Before You Were Supposed To Get Your $500 Rebate
By 2.27.09
Andrea, an American Express member for over 20 years, is upset because AmEx canceled her cash-back card two weeks before her $500 rebate check was supposed to arrive, and declared the rebate forfeit.
Smart Television Alliance Asks "Feature Films For Families" To Stop Using Its Name
By 2.27.09
Feature Films For Families—the company that’s been phone-spamming random people over the past few weeks—follows no man’s law! The nonprofit Smart Television Alliance, which works to educate parents on how to improve the television experience for kids*, discovered that the company was using its name without permission.
Illinois Couple Swindles Best Buy Out Of $31 Million
By 2.27.09
The Chicago Tribune says that Russell Cole calls his $2.75 million Deerfield, IL home “the house that Best Buy built,” but now investigators are claiming that the Best Buy money was obtained through fraud.
