Discounting or pro-rating the early termination fees that cellphone companies love to tack on to their contracts is becoming more common, so we thought we’d make some graphs that show the strengths and weaknesses of the different policies. As you can see, T-Mobile 2-year ETF doesn’t make any discounts until fairly late in the contract period — and their ETF of $200 is higher than either of the other two companies that offer discounts. (Sprint does not pro-rate or discount its ETF.) T-Mobile’s ETF does, however, reach a point where their discounts are steeper than Verizon and AT&T’s pro-rating.
Retail Services
Worst Company In America "Final Four" Bracket!
By 6.27.08
It’s down to the final four worst companies in America, folks. The bracket has been updated and the next round will begin on Monday. Congratulations to the four companies that made it this far. You’ve really achieved something! Who do you think will win it all?
How To Cancel An Order You've Placed On Walmart.com
By 6.27.08
As we noted in this earlier post, it’s technically not possible to cancel an order after you’ve placed it on Wal-Mart’s website. A helpful reader says there are a couple of ways around this, although neither option will immediately free up any hold on your funds.
Morning Deals
By 6.27.08
- PerryEllis.com: Up to 80% off + extra 50% off coupon
- Puma: Men’s Drift Cat Shoes for $31.50 + $8 s&h (down from $80)
- Home Depot: $5 off 1 / $20 off 5 Gallons Behr Paint
Highlights From Dealhack
- Dell Outlet: Save an Extra 20% off Refurbished Latitude XT Tablet PCs
- eBags: Save up to 50% off Tumi Bags, Brief Cases & Luggage
- Buy.com: Garmin nuvi 200 Portable GPS with 3.5-inch LCD $160 Shipped
Highlights From Bargainist
Walmart.com Holds $550 Hostage For PS3 Bundle It Won't Ship
By 6.26.08
Consumerist reader The Unicorn has $550 tied up in some strange Wal-Mart purgatory for a PlayStation 3 bundle that they won’t ship to her, even though it clearly states in their online terms that they won’t charge you for your order until it’s shipped. Her customer service queries are being met with content-free scripted CSR-bot responses. She writes, “Here’s the thing: don’t ever buy anything from Walmart, ever. I knew this, and ignored it, and now I’m paying the price.”
By 6.26.08
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Chrysler announces WiFi-enabled cars: “We want to make the radio itself a WiFi port,” a spokesperson said. The service will require a subscription to a wireless phone carrier. [Washington Post]
Worst Company In America "Elite 8": Countrywide VS Bank of America
By 6.26.08
ATTENTION: Bank of America is currently in the process of purchasing Countrywide, but the transaction is not yet complete. For the purposes of this contest we ask that you evaluate their track record with consumers separately. Thank you.
Help! Sears Is Charging Me Interest On A "0% For 24 Months" Deal And They Won't Stop!
By 6.26.08
Reader Mike asks:
Countrywide CEO: "Countrywide Has Made A Positive Impact On The Country"
By 6.26.08
Countywide CEO Angelo Mozilo thinks his company being treated unfairly by the media according to a article in BusinessWeek. At the Countrywide annual shareholders meeting, Mr. Mozilo said:
How To Cancel T-Mobile Without ETF
By 6.26.08
Want to get out of your T-mobile cellphone contract without paying a $200 early termination fee? Now you can. T-mobile is raising its text message rates August 29th to 20 cents per message. This counts as what is known as a “materially adverse change of contract.” Under standard contract law, if one party changes the terms of the agreement in a way that financially harms the other party, then the contract is void. If the contract is void, so is any stipulation that you be charged a fee for breaking it (especially as technically they broke it first). You will have much better success arguing its a materially adverse change of contract if you are not currently in an unlimited text message plan. You don’t have to wait until August to escape, members of the Slickdeals forums are already reporting success escaping without penalty. Stay tuned to The Consumerist for more information and tips on using this money-saving tactic.
Afternoon Deals
By 6.26.08
- Au Bon Pain: Free iced coffee today from 2pm onwards.
- Woot: Refurbished Gateway AMD Phenom 9600 Quad Core Media Center with 1TB Hard Drive and Blu-ray for $649.99
- Amazon: Morrissey Greatest Hits MP3 Album download for $4
- Chick-Fil-A: Cow Appreciation Day 7/11 Free Meal with Cow attire
Highlights From Dealhack
- Old Navy: Up to 50% off: Summer Apparel on Sale Store-Wide
- MacMall: MacBooks from $1005 + Free Parallels 3, Printer, and Shipping
- Geeks.com: Sale: Save up to 90% off Computers & Electronics
Highlights From Bargainist
- Banana Republic: Summer Sale: Up to 50% off
- Armani Exchange: Semi-Annual Sale: Up to 70% off + 15% off coupon
- Game Stop: Game Days Sale: Up to 50% off
After One Error Too Many Man Places "I Hate Bank Of America" Banner On His House
By 6.26.08
Avi Oslick is obviously a fan of the movie Network: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore,” Avi Oslick told NBC 10 in Philadelphia. Rather than going to his window and yelling, Avi has placed a huge banner on the side of his house telling the world how he feels about Bank of America.
Here's What The World Of ATM Hacking Looks Like
By 6.26.08
Wired has been covering the ongoing investigation into recurring ATM pin thefts from Citibank accounts, and their latest article tracks how Ukrainian immigrants, a ringleader back in Russia, a hacked company named Fiserv that runs Citibank-branded ATMs in 7-Elevens, and an online payment service that also offers money laundering for a small fee all come together to steal your money. It’s an amazing look at how the U.S. tries to combat the threat of ATM-related theft.
By 6.25.08
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Home Depot has started a nationwide compact flourescent light bulb recycling program. “At each The Home Depot store, customers can simply bring in any expired, unbroken CFL bulbs, and give them to the store associate behind the returns desk.” CFL bulbs contain mercury and can be damaging to the environment if thrown into regular landfills. [New York Times]
Bank Of America Treats Parking Meter Payments As Cash Advances, Charges $10 Fee
By 6.25.08
Reader Gary used his Bank of America credit card to pay $2 on a parking meter in Washington, DC. Bank of America treated it as a cash advance and slapped him with a $10 fee, as well as a higher APR. When Gary called to complain, he learned that it wasn’t an error: Bank of America has started treating payments to parking meters as cash advances and may even treat all payments to government entities as cash advances.
Western Digital HD Ships With Super Secret Asian Lady Porn!
By 6.25.08
A reader wrote in to tell us that the Western Digital hard drive he recently bought new from Best Buy had hidden dirty pics buried on it. He was running a program to retrieve some accidentally deleted images when he discovered the secret files. Read his story below. [Update: our tipster has written back in to clarify that the HD was not necessarily “brand new.”]
Citigroup May Reinstate Universal Default
By 6.25.08
Last year Citigroup pledged to abandon the customer-screwing policy of universal default, where an unrelated late payment or credit score change can trigger an interest rate increase on your Citibank card. They even used a marketing phrase to promote their promise: “a deal is a deal.” According to the New York Times, Citigroup is “quietly reconsidering its pledge” and may decide to reinstate universal default as early as this week.
Chase Bank Teller Allegedly Fleeces 86-Year-Old Out Of More Than $300,000 In Savings
By 6.24.08
A Chase Bank teller who befriended an 86-year-old senior allegedly fleeced the women out of most of her $400,000 in savings, says the Chicago Sun-Times, and even though the bank caught the teller and fired her… they’re taking a long time to repay the stolen money.
