Retail Services

T-Mobile Sells New Phone Loaded With Porn

T-Mobile Sells New Phone Loaded With Porn

Taking a page from Comcast, T-Mobile sold Shelby Hinds a phone containing 60 images from an online porn gallery associated with another user’s account. Shelby purchased the phone from a T-Mobile kiosk at Walmart, where she “watched the salesman take the wrapping off two new phones and program them. ” T-Mobile said the porn was Shelby’s fault:

…the representative on the phone told her the only way the phone could have those images was if she took the photos herself or if the pictures were sent to her in a text message.

Shelby brought the smut phone to a T-Mobile store, where the employees said they had “never seen a problem like this before.” T-Mobile is now attributing the porn to a “technical glitch,” and will replace the phone free of charge and waive Shelby’s activation fees. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Returning Gifts At Best Buy Is A Big Pain In The Butt

Returning Gifts At Best Buy Is A Big Pain In The Butt

Let me state clearly what they are having us do: I had to return the camera at the store, the cost of which will be refunded to my brother’s card. Then I have to call my brother and explain to him why I am exchanging his gift and ask him to please go back online and purchase a different camera for me. Talk about a pain for my brother who was just trying to get me a nice wedding gift!

Smashing Pumpkins: Title Track Of New CD Is Target Exclusive

Smashing Pumpkins: Title Track Of New CD Is Target Exclusive

Here’s something of a “eff you” to consumers, according to Pitchfork Media.

Cancel U.S. Cellular Over Text Message Rate Change Without Early Termination Fee?

Cancel U.S. Cellular Over Text Message Rate Change Without Early Termination Fee?

US Cellular is changing its pay-as-you-go text message rates from $.15-$.20 July 1st, potentially giving customers a chance to exit contract without early termination fee.

Morning Deals

Dell: Inspiron 6400 1.86GHz Core DUO, 256MB ATI X1400, DVDRW 15″ Laptop $619 with XP or Vista

Target's Everyday Ineptitude Reminds Me Why I Like Online Shopping

Target's Everyday Ineptitude Reminds Me Why I Like Online Shopping

I wanted to buy a softball glove for a game today. I called my nearest Target to find out if they had any in stock. The operator tried transferring me to the sports area three times but no one picked up. She asked me to call back. I asked if she had a fancy device for looking up the in-store stock. She said to do that she needed a specific item number. Online, Target’s wares have 3 numbers: a category #, an ASIN, and a DPCI. She needed a DCPI. I gave her one for this glove. She said they didn’t have any in stock. I then tried to look at other gloves, but the two or three that I tried didn’t have DCPI numbers…

UPDATE: Sears.com Repeatedly Delivers Wrong Dryer, Doesn't Correct Website

UPDATE: Sears.com Repeatedly Delivers Wrong Dryer, Doesn't Correct Website

We posted about how Ian started blogging his quest to get Sears to make up for delivering the wrong dryer, repeatedly. Now, the executive customer service types are ignoring his requests for a refund, despite their promises to do so in full. Ian has vowed to take Sears to small claims court-the last recourse for aggrieved customers.

Jury Awards Walmart Pharmacist $2 Million In Sex-Discrimination Suit

Jury Awards Walmart Pharmacist $2 Million In Sex-Discrimination Suit

A Massachusetts jury has awarded a former Walmart employee almost $2 million dollars after finding that the company underpaid her, then fired her as a result of gender discrimination, according to Reuters.

“We respect the jury’s decision but we feel that it did not reflect the facts in the case, so we are studying the decision and have not ruled out an appeal,” said Wal-Mart spokesman John Simley, in a phone interview on Wednesday. “Ms. Haddad was dismissed because of numerous violations of company policy.”

Morning Deals

Proporta: Free Replacement Earbuds for Sony Ericsson In-Ear Headphones with Coupon Code EARBUD

Payday Lenders Funded By Bank Of America, Chase, WellsFargo, U.S. Bancorp, Wachovia

Payday Lenders Funded By Bank Of America, Chase, WellsFargo, U.S. Bancorp, Wachovia

Seven big payday loan chains are extensively bankrolled by brand name banks. Bank Of America, Chase, WellsFargo, U.S. Bancorp, and Wachovia all extend tens to hundreds of million dollars in lines of credit to these predatory lenders who charge several hundred percent interest on cash advances, often made to the poor and uneducated.

Home Depot To Sell Business Supply Division, Focus On Retail

Home Depot To Sell Business Supply Division, Focus On Retail

Home Depot has agreed to sell its Home Depot Supply Unit to three private equity firms — Bain Capital, the Carlyle Group and Clayton Dubilier & Rice for $10.3 billion, the buyers announced this afternoon, confirming a report by DealBook.

Yay! Home Depot’s troubled supply division has long been fingered as the cause of their notoriously crappy customer service. One can only assume that resources once diverted to the business supply division can now be refocused on consumers. Let’s hope that’s how it goes. —MEGHANN MARCO

Morning Deals

Woot: Jabra BT150 Bluetooth Headset for $9.99

Teaser For Our Forthcoming Sting Operation Video

Teaser For Our Forthcoming Sting Operation Video

Still working on the video. Here’s a small taste of what’s to come…

Consumerist's Shopping Game: You Pick The Deals

Consumerist's Shopping Game: You Pick The Deals

We’ve partnered again with Jellyfish’s Smack Deal of the Day to offer our readers a chance at up to 80% off on products of their choice.

How To Fix Online Retail

We’ve got an idea. On Sunday, NYT wrote about how the increase in online sales has gone from 25% to 10%. They wondered whether shoppers were getting tired of online commerce. A Harvard professor said that etailers were giving shopping a “blase” experience that felt too much like work. The solution seems simple to us. Hire more game designers to help design online shopping sites. Find ways to introduce “leveling” concepts. Let us become 34th level BattleShoppers who can shoot 20% off coupon fireballs from our clenched fists. — BEN POPKEN

Morning Deals

Target: 140W 2 Outlet Car Power Inverter for $29.99

Kmart Pays $15,000 Fine For Not Putting Price Tags On Merchandise

Kmart Pays $15,000 Fine For Not Putting Price Tags On Merchandise

Kmart has paid a $15,000 fine to Westchester County, NY for not putting price tags on its merchandise. “Westchester’s law is clear: Items on store shelves must be clearly marked with a price tag, so consumers can verify how much an item costs and be sure that they are being charged the correct price at the checkout register,” County Executive Andy Spano told Lower Hudson Online.

This Walmart Birthday Cake Shows Excellent Craftmanship

This Walmart Birthday Cake Shows Excellent Craftmanship

Hey consumerist just thought I’d let you and every other customer out there know that Wal-mart sucks at making cakes! It was my daughter’s 3rd birthday yesterday (06.17.07) and my wife ordered a cake a week ago to be made for this date. When we picked it up with a little less than an hour until the party started, we were extremely disappointed to say the least. We complained and they gave us 20% off but that wasn’t enough as far as we were concerned. I told customer service “We shouldn’t have to pay more than half for a half-assed cake” (I just couldn’t resist making a pun haha). All they said was “twenty percent is the most we can give you”. We didn’t have time to get another cake and just went ahead and bought it but we will never buy another cake from Wal-Mart again that’s for damn sure. I mean look at at it, it looks hardly anything like the advertisement! That strip with black lines on it, yeah that’s supposed to look like a film strip. Oh and to boot my wife ordered butter cream filling and they put strawberry instead. Is it really that hard to follow directions and deliver a worthy product? Apparently.

Indeed, that cake is pretty weak. They should probably get rid of the picture if they can’t actually make that cake.