David went online last night to pay his Chase VISA bill and was shocked to see a late fee. For 18 months, the bill has been due on the 31st. This month, Chase arbitrarily decided to change it to the 26th.
Retail Services
Woot Treats Its Customers Nicely
By 10.29.07
We’re already fond of Woot for consistently having the most entertaining ad copy around, but a reader has reported that when they recently screwed up a large number of Zune orders—and not even in a terrible way—they shipped free $100 accessory kits to everyone who was affected, then sent out a frank email that explained the situation and guaranteed a full refund to anyone who still wasn’t satisfied. They handled the situation quickly and in a way that will likely prevent many customers from complaining or feeling cheated. And best of all, they were up front about the snafu and treated their customers with respect.
AT&T To Stop Extending Contracts Due To Rate Plan Changes
By 10.29.07
Starting November, AT&T will begin pro-rating early termination fees, and stop extending your contract when you change your calling plan. The new policy comes on the heels of a similar move by Verizon. Could we be entering a new era where cellphone companies will compete on customer satisfaction, rather than Beyoncé ringtones? Don’t think they’re doing it out of kindness, Sprint was recently sued by the Minnesota Attorney General for extending customer contracts when they changed rate plans, and AT&T wants to stay ahead of similar litigation. See, cc’ing your complaints to the Attorney General really works!
Sprint Will Allow Departing Customers To Unlock Their Phones
By 10.28.07
Sprint will relinquish unlock codes to departing customers in good standing as part of proposed class action settlement.The class was formed last year by California consumers who argued that the locked phones bound them to Sprint by making it more expensive to switch carriers. Sprint claimed that releasing the codes was unnecessary since the service contract clearly informed consumers that phones would only work on Sprint’s network.
R.I.P. Free Cellphone Games
By 10.27.07
The age of free cellphone games is dead, killed by the greedy profit gluttons in charge of major cellphone companies. One ambitious Slate writer set out to find a phone with “a good selection of games.” He failed, even after visiting five carriers.
In the early part of this decade, cell phones started to become less about the phone call and more about the ring tone. Mobile-gaming types began to realize two things.
6 Photo Printers Reviewed
By 10.27.07
We don’t really print photographs much anymore—most of the time, there’s some display we can show them on, and for the rare times we want physical copies, it’s cheaper to order through an online service like Shutterfly than deal with the total cost of owning a photo printer. But maybe you’re more retro than that or need instant gratification with your pics, in which case you might want to read Slate’s side-by-side showdown of six different photo printers.
Tommy Hilfiger Only Available At Macy's
By 10.26.07
Macy’s and designer Tommy Hilfiger have reached a deal that will make the store Hilfiger’s exclusive “department store” retailer.
Reader Lowers Credit Card APR From 15.74% To 1.99% By Threatening To Cancel
By 10.26.07
After reading our posts about getting your credit card APR lowered by threatening to do a balance transfer to a lower rate credit card, Brandon got his Citibank Mastercard APR lowered from 15.74% to 1.99%. It’s an introductory rate that goes up to prime plus 4.99% after a year, but it’s definitely worth it for the time being. A factor that probably helped him was the $10,000 balance he was carrying, making his business more valuable to Citibank.
Best Buy Says Laptop Batteries Cost $500 To Replace
By 10.26.07
Sean writes:
I am “The Computer Guy” in my family and my mother needed a laptop for work. My wife and I went to Best Buy in Bel Air, MD with her to pick out one that would fit her budget and allowed her to work from home. I found a Compaq for a little more than $700 on sale without rebates. I signaled for an employee and told her the laptop we wanted. The employee got the laptop and went on about needing the service plan. I let her drone on because I wanted to see if it covered accidental breakage (it doesn’t). During the speech she talked about the battery, how it’s like a cell phone battery, and that they would replace it once a year for the length of the contract. She then mentioned that the battery would cost my Mother $500 if she had to buy it separately…
Walmart CEO Optimistic About Christmas Because Broke People Shop At Walmart
By 10.25.07
Walmart CEO, Lee Scott recently told analysts that he feels:
Best Buy Charges You $29 For A Restoration Disc You Don't Need
By 10.25.07
Best Buy has recently come under fire for selling people “restoration cds” at the ridiculous price of $29 dollars. PC World caught 3 of 5 Best Buy salespeople insisting that consumers couldn’t make the recovery discs themselves and would either need to buy them from Best Buy or the manufacturer (for more than Best Buy charges.) This just simply isn’t true.
What The Heck Is The "DC Cellular Surcharge Residential" Fee?
By 10.25.07
Kimberly writes:
My concern is over another fee that I get nailed with every month that I had never noticed… Not only do I have to pay a federal universal service charge, but the District of Columbia, where I live (obvs), charges me another time – to the tune of $8.90 a month. That seems exorbitant and arbitrary! Not a good combo! What the hell is this and who do we complain to?
While perhaps exorbitant, the fee isn’t arbitrary….
Liveblogging The Senate Commerce Committee Hearing On Toys, Children's Products, And The Chinese Sweatshops In Which They're Made
By 10.25.07
Starting today at 9:30 a.m., the Senate Commerce Committee will examine the lives of the young Chinese workers who assemble our Barbies and Tiggers without the workforce protections or social safety nets enjoyed by western workers.
Morning Deals
By 10.25.07
BoA Jacks Up Your Rates To 32.24% If You're Late With Two Payments
By 10.24.07
Bank of America gave Timothy a fun new “change in terms” yesterday that says if he pays late on his Visa at least twice in 12 months, they’re reserving the right to jack his rates up to a higher APR. It could go high as up as an effective APR of 32.24%. Hey, gotta make up for that 32% earnings drop somehow.
By 10.24.07
../../../..//2007/10/24/if-youre-doing-holiday/
If you’re doing holiday shopping online but want to know where your toys are made before you buy them, check out the list at FatBrainToys. They don’t sell things like Bratz or Hot Wheels, but if you’re in the market for unique (sometimes even “educational”) toys, it’s a good place to start. [FatBrainToys.com]
