Remember the dog treats that Walmart quietly pulled from its shelves instead of recalling? Walmart’s own tests have shown they were tainted with melamine, the same chemical that killed all those pets back in March. Fun.
Retail Services
Morning Deals
By 8.22.07
What Retail Slump? Target And Lowe's Are Doing Just Fine
By 8.21.07
Target and Lowe’s cheered everyone up by announcing that they’re doing just fine in the “tough selling market” that Home Depot was so worried about.
Former Rep Kvetches About Sprint's Lax Identity Theft Protection
By 8.21.07
“We took pride in shredding all information of the customers and being as mindful as possible to their security. Something that always blew my mind was that right on the computer screen, available for anyone to see (depending on the store layout), was the customer’s social security number, date of birth, license number and more. Incredible! I never understood that. My store had two registers in the front and two in the back. A customer could stand behind us at the front register and get a full peak at everything we were doing. Where is the protection?”
How To Build A Shopping Cart Bike
By 8.21.07
Instructables user Zieak has built the ultimate shopping bike. Trouble is, it doesn’t really corner that well. Maybe you can help him improve it?
Walmart Offers Owner $2,000 For Killing Her Chihuahua With Toxic Chicken Bestro Jerky Strips It Would Rather Quietly Pull Than Officially Recall
By 8.21.07
Walmart pulls Chinese-made Chicken Bestro Jerky Strips from shelves after customers complain about their pets getting sick. No full recall announced, but they put a transaction block on the item. Then a woman’s Chihuahua dies from a toxic bacteria after eating the strips. Now another woman says her dog died from eating the strips.
Why Does It Take So Long To Get To The Voicemail Message?
By 8.21.07
Ever notice how freaking long it takes to get to your messages? You’re told three times in a row that a message is about to play. “You have one unheard message. The following message has not been heard. First unheard message.”
Morning Deals
By 8.21.07
Bank Of America's ATMs With Envelopeless Deposists Are Great
By 8.20.07
Bank of America has rolled out over the past yearATMs that don’t require you to put your money or checks in an envelope when you deposit. Just shove the bills and checks in the slot. Vincent Ferrari saw the new ATMs in Queens and sent us the scan of the flyer that was sitting next to them, writing, “I know you aren’t huge fans of Bank of America, but the new ATMs are undeniably cool…”
Got An Inactive Macy's Store Account? Here's Your New Citibank Mastercard
By 8.20.07
Recently, a Consumerist tipster sent in an internal memo from Macy’s explaining that the store was “flipping” 3.5 million inactive store accounts into Citibank Mastercards. The memo reads:
“Approximately 3.5 million inactive (24-48 months) Macy’s accounts have been selected to “flip” to the Citibank Mastercard. That means the customer will be sent a Citibank Mastercard to replace their inactive Macy’s card. “
Hey Bank Of America, Before Locking Up For The Day, Make Sure There Aren't Any 73 Year-Old Ladies In The Basement
By 8.19.07
Bank of America employees in California forgot that Marian Prescher, a 73 year-old diabetic woman, was looking her through her safe deposit box when they closed the bank last Friday. Prescher did not expect to be in the bank long, and had not taken her diabetes medication. Sometime between 6pm and midnight – when she was discovered by a cleaning woman and taken to a hospital – she passed out, bruising her right cheek when she hit the floor.
And This Is Your $4190.76 iPhone Bill
By 8.18.07
Like others, Pierre had found out the hard way just how extremely expensive international data transfer rates are…
Cingular's Class Arbitration Waiver Ruled "Unconscionable" By 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals
By 8.17.07
Like many many companies, Cingular has a little thing in their contracts saying that if you use their service, you void your right to a class action lawsuit and instead have to go through “mandatory binding arbitration,” which is basically an extra-judicial corporate court exempt from many of the basic rules and laws and procedures and rights of real court. Well, today, that clause was ruled “unconscionable” by the 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals. Therefore, lawsuits can proceed against Cingular and go to real court, not monkey court. Hooray!
Buy.com Offers $15 Off Anything Coupon, Changes Mind, Charges Recipients Extra $15
By 8.17.07
The online electronics site Buy.com mistakenly offered a $15 off *any* item coupon, a deal that was picked up by online deal forums like Slickdeals and customers rushed to place thousands of orders. Buy.com tried to stop the orders but couldn’t stop them all. Those who did receive their products also received a surprise on their next credit card bill: an additional $15 charge.
It's A Myth That Airfares Goes Up On Weekends
By 8.17.07
Some say that airfare goes up on the weekends, but FareCompare’s Rick Seany, says this is a flight of fancy:
Morning Deals
By 8.17.07
Is AT&T Crippling The Blackberry So It Doesn't Make The iPhone Look Bad?
By 8.16.07
Over at Blackberry Cool they’re claiming that an AT&T insider told them AT&T had bullied RIM into crippling the Blackberry’s GPS features so it wouldn’t make the iPhone look bad in comparison.
