USAA is like a unicorn in a pack of walruses: a financial services company that truly cares about its customers and really helps them out. Not as some kind of lucky exception, but as a matter of policy. Reader “Mary Marsala With Fries'” story, about how USAA opened up several cans of whoop-ass on an Enterprise facility that was trying to screw her over on charges, is yet further proof.
Retail Services
To Avoid Billions In Lawsuits, Cellphone Companies Propose Tepid Early Termination Fee Reform
By 5.22.08
We're Not Kidding, BoA Really Closes Your Account Just For Asking About Your Interest Rate
By 5.22.08
Reader Todd decided to call Bank of America up to test whether our story “BoA Closes Your Credit Cards If You Ask Why They Increased Your APR” was really true or not. Turns out, it is.
Best Buy's "Same As Cash" Credit Card Conceals Major Hidden Fees
By 5.22.08
Reader Jason just finished paying off his 0% Best Buy/HSBC credit card, or so he thought, because this devilish card just sucker-punched him with a load of hidden fees. He did some research and found out he was entered into a program that makes him pay for “debt cancellation,” something Best Buy never discussed with him. He also discovered that there are many other people who feel tricked into joining this strange program. To make matters worse, HSBC, the card issuing bank, is giving Jason the runaround about reversing the fees. Jason’s letter, inside…
5 Confessions Of A Bank Of America Personal Banker
By 5.22.08
We confess, we love confessions. We are fascinated that BOA can be the largest and the most despised bank chain in the country. We received a letter from a person who identifies himself as a former Bank Of America personal banker and he’s ready to talk. Have a seat in the Consumerist confessional. 5 confessions of a BOA personal banker, inside..
10 Confessions Of A Kmart Manager
By 5.21.08
Most people consider Kmart’s merger with Sears the marriage from hell. It should come as no surprise that this sinking chain is leaving thousands of upset customers and employees in its wake, which perhaps explains a letter we received marked “10 Confessions” from a person identifying his/her self as a Kmart manager. The confessions, inside…
Bring A Magnet When You Go Grill Shopping And Other Tips From Consumer Reports
By 5.20.08
Consumer Reports has some tips for those of you who are grill shopping this week. Our favorite? Bring a magnet! CR says some grills are made of crappy stainless steel that magnets will stick to.
Round 42: Home Depot vs Wellpoint
By 5.20.08
This is Round 42 in our Worst Company in America contest, Home Depot vs Wellpoint!
L.L. Bean Is Breaking Up With Bank Of America, Effective July 1, 2008
By 5.20.08
Reader Tim scanned a letter he got from Bank of America announcing that the bank and retailer L.L. Bean were breaking up.
Big Box Retailers Fight Back Against FCC's Recent Fines
By 5.20.08
Best Buy, Circuit City, and Sears are all contesting the FCC’s recent fines against them for not properly following analog transition rules in their stores, reports Ars Technica. Last week, Best Buy submitted a 41-page response (PDF) that claimed among other things that the FCC has no authority to fine them.
Round 41: Wal-Mart vs Citibank
By 5.19.08
This is Round 41 in our Worst Company in America contest, Wal-Mart vs Citibank!Here’s what readers said in previous rounds about why they hate these two companies…
Bank of America Suddenly Charges You $146 In Fees For Using Your Checking Account Too Much
By 5.19.08
Reader Ophelia has a problem. It seems that after 10 years of perfect customer service from Bank of America, they suddenly decided to treat her checking account like a savings account and are charging her hundreds of dollars in “over use” fees. Her apoplectic letter is inside.
Citibank Swears The Card Is In The Mail. Liars.
By 5.19.08
Tammy’s been trying to get a new Citibank card to replace her expired one since March. For two months Citibank has lied, stalled, and generally screwed around with her access to her money. For two months, a a series of increasingly senior people have told her her card is on the way. They even told her they’d overnight it, twice. Read her story,
Bank of America Mistakenly Shuts Down Access To Your Account, Charges You For The Pleasure
By 5.17.08
Poor Jacob. He only wanted to deposit a $2,019 check with Bank of America. Apparently, this was enough to provoke the bank into shutting down his account, leading to overdraft fees whenever Jacob tried to access his money.
