For some reason that no one has been able to figure out yet, on Thursday night, all 911 calls that AT&T Wireless customers in the Salt Lake City, Utah made area ended up routed to dispatchers in Seattle. [More]
9/11
California Town To Start Charging Up To $400 For 911 Calls
By 2.19.10
The town of Tracy, California has come up with a new plan to make money: you’ll have to pay between $48-400 to call 911. I wonder if Tracy is planning on giving the caller the bill over the phone–they might be able to chain 911 calls together by giving the first caller a heart attack, thereby prompting someone else to call, and so on. Money! [More]
Another Angry McDonald's Customer Calls 911; Angry Employee Also Calls 911
By 5.29.09
A 20-year-old in Aloha, Oregon, called 911 on Memorial Day to complain that he wasn’t given the orange juice he ordered. While he was on the phone describing this emergency, a McDonald’s employee also called 911 to complain that the 20-year-old was blocking the drive-thru. And somewhere in the city, a kitten died in a tree fire because the emergency lines were all tied up. UPDATE: We’ve located the audio of both calls.
Samsung Recalling Some Jitterbug Cell Phones; Potential Failure To Connect To 911
By 5.26.09
Samsung and the CPSC are recalling some “Jitterbug” cell phones because the pay-as-you-go phones, which come with a “Live Nurse” option and are marketed to older Americans, might not be able to reach 911 when in a no-service area.
REI Says ATM Photographer Is Welcome In Their Store Any Time
By 5.15.09
REI’s Director of Corporate Communications contacted us with an official statement about the recent showdown between two Loomis security guards and a customer with an iPhone at one of their Seattle stores. She says despite the document Shane says he was forced to sign at the police station, he is not banned from their stores. Below is REI’s official statement.
By 5.13.09
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Are Disconnected Landlines Just As Useful In Emergencies As Connected Ones? Responding to comments on our post and on CRO, Consumer Reports posts a follow-up on the debate over the value of landlines in emergencies. [Consumer Reports Electronics]
Loomis Rent-A-Cops Have Shopper Cuffed, Hauled Away Over ATM Photo
By 5.11.09
While Shane was standing in the customer service line at a Seattle REI, he watched two Loomis employees open and change out the cash in an ATM machine. Shane took a photo of them with his iPhone. This apparently freaked out the Loomis guards, the REI security staff, and then the Seattle police, who put handcuffs on Shane, drove him to the police station, and then made him sign a statement that he wouldn’t return to a REI store for a year. You might have noticed in that summary that they didn’t actually bring any charges against him, which should make it clear to anyone who wants to side with the faux Po-Po that what Shane did wasn’t illegal, that the rent-a-cops should be fired, and that REI and Loomis owe Shane a big apology.
By 5.11.09
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Using a cell phone as your home phone comes with a risk Although consumers can save money by canceling their land lines, they risk dropped calls and difficulty being located if they ever need to call 911. What do you think: are the savings worth the risk? [Consumer Reports Electronics]
McDonald's Apologizes To 911 Nugget Lady
By 3.4.09
We’ve made it pretty clear that we don’t condone Latreasa Goodman’s attempt to use 911 to report a McNugget Emergency, but in all fairness to Goodman, she was being shafted by the lying, uncooperative McDonald’s employee who said “all sales final” and refused to refund her money. McDonald’s has released a statement where they own up to their role in escalating things in the first place, and they’re sending her a free meal gift card as well as the refund she originally requested. Now she can enjoy a complimentary lunch on the day she goes to plead “no contest” to the judge for abuse of 911.
Woman Calls 911 Three Times Because McDonald's Is Out of McNuggets
By 3.3.09
A Florida woman called 911 three times because the McDonald’s where she was dining ran out of McNuggets.
Verizon, Will You Please Fix Our Phone So We Can Use It To Dial 911?
By 2.10.09
Leigh’s father has a heart condition, and has had three heart attacks. Because of this, Leigh’s family would really appreciate it if Verizon would fix their landline so that they can call 911 in the event of an emergency. Unfortunately, Verizon can’t seem to keep an appointment.
Shoney's Commemorates 9-11 With Free Bowl Of Soup
By 9.12.08
To the fallen, the office workers, the families; to the firemen, the first responders, the workers; to the the hole in the ground, the empty space in the sky, to the the gray miasma—here’s a free bowl of soup. Thanks Shoney’s. I can’t tell whether that’s incredibly tacky or deeply poetic. Either way, it’s free soup.
Charges Filed Against Bed, Bath & Beyond Manager Who Refused To Allow 911 Call
By 9.11.08
Police have charged Elizabeth Miller, the manager of the Bed, Bath & Beyond in Lexington, Kentucky, who refused to let a couple use the store’s phone to call 911 to report a three-year-old locked in a van, and refused to make an announcement over the store’s PA system. The charge is “failure to report dependency, neglect and abuse, a Class B misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of 90 days and a maximum fine of $250.”
Want Safe Skies? Strap This Remote-Controlled Stun Device To Yourself!
By 7.7.08
Make of this what you will, as the story comes from the Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s church-owned Washington Times and may be more fiction than fact, but “a senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expressed great interest in a so-called safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a police Taser.” Yes, the EMD Safety Bracelet from Lamperd Less Lethal is designed to make flying a fun experience once again. Just check out everything it can do:
- Take the place of an airline boarding pass.
- Contain personal information about the traveler.
- Be able to monitor the whereabouts of each passenger and his/her luggage.
- Shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing him/her for several minutes.
Does Comast Check To See If 911 Works On Your Digital Phone?
By 1.30.08
A Comcast insider warns us that Comcast does no checks to make sure 911 is working on your Comcast digital phone:
Airports Are Being Transformed Into Shopping Malls
By 11.5.07
9/11 had an unforeseen consequence that likely annoys anti-Americans and cheers President “Shop For Freedom” Bush: it triggered an explosion of self-contained shopping malls at airports across the country. One airport consultant says, “All of the sudden, any airport … can be a retail opportunity. It really has turned into a very different environment than it was 10 or 20 years ago,” which is why so many large airports today look like compressed shopping malls instead of travel hubs.
Don't Dial 911 In Missouri
By 8.7.07
Dialing 911 in Missouri is like a game of Russian Roulette. The state’s public safety director recently warned that most Missouri counties can’t track a caller’s location and that 16% of counties can’t access 911 from any landline. The solution? Higher cellphone taxes:
