Highlights From Dealhack
Retail Services
Morning Deals
By 3.25.08
Walmart Calls You An Idiot, Tells You To Shut Up And Never Come Back
By 3.25.08
Greetings from Austin, Consumerist. I thought y’all might like to hear tale of a visit to a local Walmart (store 1185, for those keeping track).
Citibank Uses Sneaky Way To Keep Sending You Junk Mail Even After You "Opt Out"
By 3.25.08
After he continued to receive mailings for months from his bank after he thought he opted out of their mailings, reader Perre asked Citibank if they had honored his request. They said, “yes you’re opted out of Balance Transfer offers and Cash Convenience Checks.” Then he cleverly thought to ask which mailing lists he was still opted in. Citibank told him he was still on “Sales and Marketing” and “Third Party Sharing.” They explained this by saying when you call to opt-out, they only take you off “in-statement offers.” We’re not sure what that means, it sounds like they’re just agreeing to not put additional marketing offers in your billing statement envelope, which is definitely not what any normal person would have in mind when they call to opt-out. Sneaky. When you call a company to opt-out of their mailings, be sure to also ask which lists you’re opted in, and then ask to get off those as well.
Reach Helio Executives
By 3.25.08
Cellphone provider Helio’s business line is 310-445-7000. Press 4 to reach the company directory and then you can pull up all sorts of people, like the executives found on this page. Good for when Helio’s underwhelming and outsourced customer service droids fail.
The $10,000 EECB! Emailing Bank of America Saves You $120 A Month For 7 Years
By 3.24.08
Reader Chad writes:Yep, you read that right. Thanks to Consumerist, I was able to launch a successful EECB that will end up saving me over $10,000!
KidsStuff.com Silently Charges $18 Subscription Fee To Grandparent Who Shopped There Two Years Ago
By 3.24.08
C writes in with another lesson on why you should check your statements frequently:Two years ago I purchased items for my grandchildren at KidsStuff.com. This month (March 2008) I found an $18.00 charge from them on my American Express card.
Verizon Clerk Threatens Customers With Switchblade
By 3.24.08
A Verizon store employee in Monticello New York was charged with criminal possession of a weapon after threatening two customers with a switchblade knife after getting into an argument with them. The disagreement spilled out into the parking lot where the 27-year old employee, Shereem S. Burch, continued to wave his blade at the couple. Most likely they were probably trying to get out of contract without paying termination fee and Shereem decided to take matters into his own hands and exact a little termination fee of his own devising.
Round 9: Target Vs Best Buy
By 3.24.08
Best Buysells you boxes of bathroom tiles instead of products; lets Geek Squad steal your personal photos and pornography; sets their cellphones to record you showering while they’re supposed to be fixing your computer, and tries to turn “bad” customers into good ones by pushing you to buy expensive unnecessary extended warranties. They had a “secret website” that looked like BestBuy.com but displayed different prices.
Save Your Cellphone Battery
By 3.24.08
If you lose your charger or are in a situation where you’re away from an outlet, you might want to use some of these tricks to reduce your battery drain:
How To Haggle
By 3.24.08
The pricetag is no longer the final word, stores are playing “let’s make a deal,” and haggling is in. Consumer Reports Todd Marks tells The Today Show the secrets to haggling success:Be open and friendly in your discussion with the salesperson, ask for them to “work with you” on the priceBe…
Morning Deals
By 3.24.08
Highlights From Dealhack
Haggle With Chain Stores
By 3.23.08
The Times is reporting that recession-fearing chain stores like Best Buy, Home Depot, and Circuit City are increasingly more desperate to clinch sales by negotiating prices. Hit the jump to see how ordinary shoppers are wielding research and charisma to knock added savings out of retailers.
This E-Zip Comfort Electric Bike Cannot Be Purchased Anywhere
By 3.22.08
An affordable electric bike that can go 18 mph for over 20 miles, but isn’t sold online or in stores? Detroit, you clever fox, you’ve done it again!
Everything About This Sears Order Is Wrong
By 3.21.08
Half an hour of arguing on the phone with a Sears rep and I was able to get the discount credited back to my card, but no free shipping, and it could take 10-14 days for them to “trace” my $20 blow gun. I am filing a claim with my credit card issuer just to be safe. This is the same company that sends me a free ratchet in the mail every time I exchange one in the store, so I can’t complain too much.
This order is tragic. Just another reason customers avoid Sears like bird flu and the company can’t turn a profit. If Sears further bungles the response or fails to send a free ratchet, share the failure with Sears’ executive office—but don’t ask for Mr. Lewis. He was fired for gross incompetence.
Get Info On BPA-Free Baby Products Via Text Messaging
By 3.21.08
If you’ve got a baby and you’re concerned about buying unlabeled products that contain Bisphenol A or BPA—which some studies have indicated may lead to adverse health effects in humans—the website Z Recommends has just launched a free text messaging service that lets you query their database of companies while you’re standing in the store. They’ve also got a printable wallet-card you can carry with you, which serves as both a cheat-sheet for the text service and a quick reference source for major companies.
Amazon Offers Mail-In "Instant Rebate"
By 3.21.08
Two days ago, Shawn bought a video card from Amazon and was surprised when the advertised “Instant Rebate” 
wasn’t applied to his shopping cart. Turns out, it’s a mail-in rebate, sorry for the confusion. Unfortunately Amazon still hasn’t corrected the error as of the timestamp on this post, despite assuring him two days ago that they’d remove the icon. Remember to always click the “Rebate” link to see the actual details of the offer—it’s not listed on the main product page, and mistakes happen.
Use A Price Book To Save Money On Groceries
By 3.21.08
For the ultimate in pricing transparency when shopping for groceries, use a price book. Frugal bloggers everywhere write about it like it’s the GTD of grocery shopping, and our own reader marsneedsrabbits suggested it in a thread earlier this week:
The solution to all this is a price book. It costs whatever a cheap notebook costs you, and saves a surprising amount of money and starts saving you money immediately.
If you’re detail oriented and ready to start cutting costs at the supermarket, here’s more info along with links to downloadable forms, spreadsheets (for those spreadsheet junkies), and advice.
Best Buy Charges $2 Premium For Inferior Open-Box Mouse
By 3.21.08
The Best Buy in Champaign, Illinois wants Andrew to pay $2 extra for a used mouse covered with someone else’s hand gunk. We see plenty of these open-box pricing bloopers and Best Buy employees are always fast to rush to the comments screaming “But it’s policy!”
