Emailing a company about a product problem via their front-facing email address usually has about as much effect as wishing your way out of debt (just don’t tell the producers of The Secret). But Steve emailed Panasonic and instead of getting nothing or a generic response back, he actually ended up sending a series of emails back and forth with a product engineer who solved his consumer conundrum. Amazing! Here’s his story.
Retail Services
The Circuit City Liquidation Has The Worst Laptop Deal Of All Time
By 1.28.09
Reader TJ says he’s found the worst laptop deal of all time, and it’s at a Circuit City liquidation sale in Florida.
Family Receives 23 Pounds Of Credit Card Applications In A Year
By 1.28.09
I guess on some level we were all wondering just how many credit card offers we get in a year, but one Chicagoland family decided to count them. And weigh them.
Morning Deals
By 1.28.09
- [Roses] Sam’s Club: 100 Red roses for $90.88
- [Robes] Blair: Men’s Flannel Robes $3.99 or $4.99
- [Textbook] MotionMountain: Free Physics ebook (PDF)
Highlights From Buxr
- [Coffee] Panera Bread: Free Coffee at Panera Bread Today Only
[Camera] Adorama: Refurbished Nikon D60 Digital SLR Camera Body for $299.95 w/ Free shipping- [Book] UbuntuPocketGuide.com: FREE Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference Download
Highlights From Dealhack
- [Laptop] Staples: HP Mini 1010NR Atom Netbook PC $300 Shipped
- [Headphones] Buy.com: Plantronics Pulsar 260 Stereo Bluetooth Headphones $30 Shipped
- [Bike Computer] REI Outlet: Extra 20% off: Serfas SI4 Bike Computer $16
Highlights From Dealnews
- [HDTV] B&H Photo Video: Samsung 40″ 1080p Widescreen LCD HDTV for $815 + free shipping
- [Memory Card] Buy.com: Kingston 8GB microSDHC Card for $18 + free shipping
- [Mouse] Amazon.com: Microsoft Bluetooth Laptop Mouse 5000 for $30 + free shipping
Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers, Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.
Helpful Information For Those About To Impulse Buy A TV For The Superbowl
By 1.27.09
We know you just can’t handle the thought of watching the magnificent Arizona Cardinals in standard def, so before you run out and buy the biggest TV at the store — here is some information from Consumer Reports that will help you be set up and ready to go by the time your Larry-Fitzgerald-jersey-wearing friends show up.
White House To Citi: Don't Even Think About Buying Luxury Jets With Taxpayer Money
By 1.27.09
Yesterday, we wrote that Citigroup had decided to spend $50 million of its bailout money on a French luxury jet to ferry execs around town. The White House was not pleased about this.
9 In 10 Executives At Bailed-Out Banks Kept Their Jobs
By 1.27.09
Over 100,000 people have been laid off by banks, but 9 in 10 executives at banks that accepted bailout money are still working says the Associated Press.
Nearly 30% Of Books Sold For The Kindle Are Now Above $9.99
By 1.27.09
It’s been a little over a year since Amazon released the Kindle, and now publishers are finally getting the chance to set their own pricing on ebook editions. The result has been a slow creep in pricing on some titles—in some cases to levels above the price of a paper edition of the same book—for a digital edition that you can’t resell, give away to someone else, or read on any other device. Kindle owners have started to notice, and now some of them are complaining that Amazon overpromised the $9.99 bookstore concept to move Kindles.
Morning Deals
By 1.27.09
Highlights From Buxr
- Meritline: [Scale] Home-Use Tempered Glass Weight Scale with Large LCD Digital Display for $19 after coupon:M24805135POFF w/ Free shipping
- Best Buy: [DVD] Free DVD When You Buy TaxCut
- Aeropostale: [Jeans] Trade in old jeans and get an additional 25 % off a new pair
Highlights From Dealhack
- Buy.com: [Monitor] Samsung SyncMaster 19-inch Widescreen LCD $110 & Free Shipping
- Best Buy: [HDTV] Price Drop: Dynex 37-inch LCD HDTV $500
- REI Outlet: [Sale] Save an Extra 20% off Entire Order Store Wide
Highlights From Dealnews
- Cell Hut: [Cellphone] Unlocked NEC E132 Bluetooth Camera Phone for $50 + free shipping
- Newegg: [Laptop] HP Pavilion dv4 AMD Dual Core 2.1GHz 14″ Laptop for $550 after rebate + $17 s&h
- Pacific Geek: [Desktop] Refurbished Dell GX280 Pentium 4 2.8GHz Desktop PC for $99 + $5 s&h
Increase Your Citibank Grace Period By 5 Days Just By Asking
By 1.26.09
Martin discovered he was able to get Citibank to extend his grace period from 20 to 25 days. It seems all you have to do is ask! Here’s how he found out.
Chase Eats All WaMu Credit Cards In March, What Happens?
By 1.26.09
When Chase completely takes over the old WaMu credit card division in March, a new super-power will be granted to WaMu credit card customers who also have a Chase credit card, reports CreditMattersBlog. As long as you have a zero balance on one of the cards, the two cards will be combined and your Chase’s credit limit will now be the sum of the two credit limits. WaMu cardholders without a Chase card will get to convert their cards into Chase cards.
Bailed Out Citigroup Stimulates French Economy By Purchasing $50 Million Corporate Jet
By 1.26.09
With $45 billion in taxpayer funds burning a hole in its pocket, Citigroup is purchasing a $50 million Dassault Falcon 7X, according to the New York Post. Apparently none of the existing jets that ferried execs to Washington to ask for bailout funds was ironic enough.
Bid Adieu To Home Depot's Expo Stores
By 1.26.09
Home Depot will close 34 “Expo Design Center” stores as the demand for massively overpriced toilets and light fixtures appears to be waning. Actually, never mind… Home Depot says that Expo was always a failure. “Even during the recent housing boom, it was not a strong business,” they said.
Scammed Lawyer Sues Citibank For Verifying Fraudulent Check
By 1.26.09
Banks usually avoid having to deal with the consequences of advance fee fraud, since they make the depositor responsible for coming up with the missing money when a check turns out to be fake. But a lawyer who just got scammed is taking Citibank to court, because he says their “unconditional” guarantee that the check was legit led directly to his loss of $182,500.
Morning Deals
By 1.26.09
- Woot: Recertified Philips 42” 1080p LCD HDTV for $649.99 + $5 shipping
- Jamba Juice: Oatmeal Cup for $1 /w Coupon Until 01/31/09
- Amazon: Up to 74% off Nautica Women’s Sleepwear
Highlights From Buxr
- Canon USA: 150 sheets of Canon Glossy 4 x 6 Photo Paper for $6.25 + Shipping
- H&R Block: TaxCut Premium Federal + State + e-file for $24.97
- NewEgg: A-Data 16GB SD Memory Card (SDHC) for $24.45 w/ Free shipping
Highlights From Dealhack
- Sony Style: Save 50% off: Sony NV-U74T GPS Navigator $150 Shipped
- Ice.com: Valentine’s Day Sale: 20% off Jewelry + Free Shipping
- B&H Photo: Archos 605 30GB Wi-Fi Media Player $200 Shipped
Highlights From Dealnews
- Amazon.com: Kenneth Cole New York Men’s Down Coat for $55 + free shipping
- GoldenGadgets: AA Emergency Cell Phone Charger for $4 + $2 s&h
- Amazon.com: HD DVD movie sale at Amazon.com, titles for $6 + $3 s&h
Morning Deals are purely an informational service for the readers, Consumerist receives nothing in exchange for their posting.
Sears Calls Several Days After Purchase To Upsell Unnecessary Protection Plan With Lies
By 1.25.09
Sears tried to scare Anthony into buying an unnecessary protection plan several days after he purchased a new plasma tv. The sales rep who called explained that Anthony’s new plasma would need to be recharged every five years, which isn’t true. According to Consumer Reports: “There is no such thing as recharging a plasma TV with new gas. It is sealed at the factory.”
Bank Of American Puts Congresswoman On Hold For Two Hours
By 1.25.09
Don’t take it personally if you can’t reach Bank of America to renegotiate your mortgage payments. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) tried calling the bank on behalf of two constituents, only to be “repeatedly put on hold for long stretches, disconnected, transferred to extensions that did not work, and ultimately switched to a recording which directed her to the bank’s website.”
By 1.25.09
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Rumor confirmed: AT&T has indeed dropped the price of its unlimited data and messaging plan by $5—the new cost is $30/mo, and $10/mo to add a second phone under their shared family plan. Unless you plan on texting more than 200 messages a month, however, it’s not worth it (you can get unlimited data + 200 messages for $20). [Engadget Mobile]
