Some people think the BBB doesn’t work. They do, but only if the company cares about keeping a clean record. See when you look up a company in the BBB database it shows you how many complaints have been filed against the company, how many were answered, how many did the consumer report as being satisfactorily resolved, etc. So if you have a valid complaint, file it with the BBB, and the company cares about its BBB record, you have a decent chance of getting a solution. You might not believe it, but it turns out Sprint is one of those companies. Here’s Kevin’s story of how the BBB got his erroneous text message charges refunded and let him leave contract early without early termination fee…
Retail Services
Chase: Thanks For Depositing $3,193, Here's $200 In Non-Sufficient Funds Fees
By 5.27.08
Johanna deposited a financial aid check from her university into her Chase checking account. She’d done this before without incident, but this time something went wrong.
Don't Use Target's Wedding Registry If You Think Asking Your Wedding Guests For Receipts Is Rude
By 5.27.08
As we’ve mentioned before, Target doesn’t accept returns or exchanges of gifts bought through their wedding registry unless you have a receipt. Got two of the same thing? You’re out of luck unless you’re willing to call your wedding guests and ask them if they kept the receipt.
Warning: There Are Scorpions In The Walmart Produce Department
By 5.27.08
12-year-old Megan Templeton was shopping with her father for some watermelons and hamburgers for their Memorial Day cook-out when she was stung by a stowaway scorpion that had made a home in the produce section of her local Walmart.
Borders Launches A Website With A "Magic Shelf"
By 5.27.08
Borders has finally decided to launch its own website (previously, its online business had been handled by Amazon.com). CEO George Jones says:
ATT Begins Reducing ETF Charges Month By Month
By 5.27.08
AT&T has started having early termination fees go down each month for new contracts (old customers are still screwed). The $175 fee for canceling AT&T service before the end of your two-year contract will go down $5 every month. This means that even by month 23 out of the total 24 you will still pay a $60 fee. While the other providers have announced their intention to do the same, Verizon and AT&T are the only companies to actually have ETFs go down over the course of the contract. This should not be confused with “pro-rating,” however, as the fee is not being divided proportionally. If it was, the fee would go down $7.30 each month and by month 23 you would only pay a $7.30 penalty.
Morning Deals
By 5.27.08
Highlights From Dealhack
- Amazon: Save up to 50% off Two Hundred DVD Titles
- Geeks: Altec Lansing Surround Sound Speaker System $40
- Apple Store: Save $200 off Refurb 1.6GHz Apple MacBook Air
Target To 80-Year-Old: Yeah, We Sold You The Wrong Watch Battery, But We Won't Take It Back
By 5.26.08
My mother in law, recently went to Target to get a battery installed for her watch. The watch was a common Timex model and the associate told her that she would have to buy the battery first. So she purchased that battery, and the associate attempted to install it in the watch. The battery did not fit the watch, so the associate said “sorry, we don’t have the right battery” and then refused to take the battery back and refund her money. She was told they don’t take back opened battery packages.
Home Depot's Extraordinary Service Leads To Free $800 Appliance Upgrade
By 5.25.08
Michael launched an Executive Email Carpet Bomb after Home Depot twice failed to deliver an undamaged washer and dryer. Home Depot’s CEO Frank Blake quickly thanked Michael for his even-handed letter, and promised that the local store manager would make him a happy customer…
Round 45: Bank of America vs Monster Cable
By 5.23.08
This is Round 45 in our Worst Company in America contest, Bank of America vs Monster Cable!Here’s what readers said in previous rounds about why they hate these two companies…
By 5.23.08
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After a successful pilot program, Macy’s is putting fancy Japanese-style vending machines in 400 of its stores. They’ll sell things like iPods and cameras. Looks like Macy’s will have to add another list of things excluded from its not-very-valuable coupons. [Reuters]
Bank of America Calls Your Dad, Asks If He'd Like To Pay Your Bill For You
By 5.23.08
Reader Dan says Bank of America called his old address and gave out his account details to the person who answered the phone. Luckily, that person turned out to be his father, though Bank of America didn’t know that. Once they did know they were speaking to a relative, they asked Dan’s dad to pay his bill for him.
UPDATE: Best Buy EECB Scores A Direct Hit
By 5.23.08
If you read yesterday’s article Best Buy’s “Same As Cash” Credit Card Conceals Major Hidden Fees, you should remember Jason who got socked with some serious fees on his Best Buy/HSBC credit card. Jason wrote back to us to say that within a mere 3 hours after the deployment of his EECB, Best Buy reversed all of his fees. Jason’s and Best Buy’s letter, inside…
Morning Deals
By 5.23.08
Highlights From Dealhack
- Musician’s Friend: Art Tube MP Studio Mic Pre-amp $30
- Oneida: Save at least 20% off Store-Wide This Weekend
- Dell Business: Vostro 200 Desktop PC & 19-inch LCD $429 Shipped
Highlights From Bargainist
- Amazon: $10 off $29 order of Folgers, Millstone, & Pringles products
- H&M: Friends & Family Event: 20% off $60 purchases coupon
- Hasbro Toy Shop: Memorial Day Sale: Up to 50% off select toys & games
Contact Information For Chase CEOs
By 5.22.08
Here’s the contact info for the CEOs of major Chase divisions:
