Our venerable sibling publication Consumer Reports gave a dehumidifier from Soleus Air their “Best Buy” rating. Now it’s off the list and off store shelves after the manufacturer sent a stop-sale notice to retailers. There’s no consumer recall yet, but Amazon did reach out to customers and let them know about the issue. [More]
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Amazon Sends Ginormous Box Filled With Free Toys For Our Toddler, Sorta
By 6.26.13
A gigantic box arrived on Allison’s doorstep. It was from Amazon. What on earth had they ordered? The box was large enough to fit their young son inside. As it turned out, Mr. Allison had ordered only a few small items, which Amazon threw in a big box, filling the rest with air pillows. [More]
Before You Buy That Gallon Of Whole Milk Your Heart Is Set On, Read These Amazon Reviews
By 6.21.13
Forgiveness, dear Consumerist readers, I beg it of you. Last week some kind of demonic being temporarily possessed my body right at the moment I usually gather the funniest Amazon reviews you all send us, and as such, failed to post them. That’s why I’ve worked extra hard — worked, as in, read lots of your emails — to pick some extra delicious, refreshing and wholesome reviews this week. Let’s pick up where we left off previously, shall we? With laughter. [More]
Walmart Has No One To Blame But Itself For Being An E-Commerce Also-Ran
By 6.20.13
Walmart is by far the nation’s largest retailer, with more than 4,000 stores in the U.S. alone and annual sales of nearly half a trillion dollars. And yet, when it somes to online retail, the company is only bringing in a fraction of what market leader Amazon earns. While it’s possible that this is all due to Amazon simply being better at e-tailing than Walmart, some say it’s because Big W continues to make boneheaded decisions about its online future. [More]
Amazon Marks The Passing Of James Gandolfini By Trying To Sell Sopranos DVDs
By 6.19.13
As you have probably already heard by now, actor James Gandolfini has sadly and suddenly passed away at the age of 51. And to add just the right hint of commercialism to this tragic news, Amazon’s Facebook feed was there to remind everyone they can remember the late actor by purchasing DVD collections of The Sopranos. [More]
Amazon Cutting All Ties To Minnesota Business Before Online Sales Tax Law Kicks In
By 6.19.13
Amazon would rather not collect online sales tax in Minnesota — at least, it doesn’t want to do so because the state orders it to — so instead, by the end of the month it will cut all ties to its Minnesota-based affiliate websites. Those sites get a fee every time they refer shoppers to Minnesota, so they’ll be out of luck as of July 1. [More]
Amazon Cancels My $6,000 Order Because It Doesn’t Know How To Use A Fax Machine
By 6.18.13
A few weeks back, Consumerist reader K. placed an order on Amazon for $6,000 worth of computer equipment. The online retailer was unable to immediately process her order because it needed additional documentation, which K. faxed over right away… and then re-faxed when Amazon requested a second time… and then eight additional times because Amazon kept asking for it, all before the company cancelled K’s order, claiming she never faxed the documents. [More]
Rude Amazon Vendor Calls Me ‘Stupid,’ Only Wants Good Feedback
By 6.14.13 — Updated: 6.25.13
Robert found a great deal on swimsuits on Amazon, so he ordered a half dozen. What he didn’t notice during the ordering process was that the vendor is in China, and his purchase wouldn’t show up for six weeks. Sigh. Oh, well. He could deal with that, but didn’t like the seller hounding him for good feedback before he even received the items, then when he was unhappy with them. [More]
Apple Exec: I Protected Consumers From High E-Book Prices By Letting Publishers Set High E-Book Prices
By 6.13.13
Earlier today, Apple executive Eddy Cue — the architect of the company’s iTunes and e-book business — took the stand in court to face questions about his company’s role in alleged price-fixing of the e-book market, where he admitted that Apple had actually mulled over an even worse idea than mere price-fixing. [More]
Best Buy To Merge Reward Zone Site With BestBuy.com In Attempt To Gain Online Customers
By 6.13.13
As things stand now, members of Best Buy’s Reward Zone loyalty program who want to shop online have to do so through a dedicated section of BestBuy.com, which is probably not a good idea for a retailer that is having trouble converting in-store looky-loos into online buyers. And so, as part of a major overhaul of its website, Best Buy will finally be integrating the two sides of BestBuy.com. [More]
Stupid Shipping Gang Seals Dog Food Bag With Stickers, Hopes You Won’t Notice
By 6.11.13
Unlike most efforts of the Stupid Shipping Gang, Cheryl’s bag of dog food that came from Amazon wasn’t comically over- or under-packaged. It was comically over-stickered. At some point, the top of the bag split, and someone sealed it off with “TEAM LIFT” stickers, thinking…the customer wouldn’t notice? Yeah, we don’t know. [More]
Amazon Expands Grocery Delivery Service, To Offer $299 ‘Prime Fresh’ Subscriptions
By 6.10.13
After several years of testing grocery delivery service in Seattle, the online retailer has expanded its AmazonFresh program to Los Angeles. Customers in the L.A. area will also be able to try out Amazon’s new “Prime Fresh” plan that offers same-day or overnight service of groceries and other items. [More]
Here’s Another Dose Of Chuckleworthy Amazon Reviews From The Reader Hall Of Fame
By 6.7.13
If there’s one thing we know about or Consumerist readers, it’s that you like to make yourselves laugh, and by extension, the rest of us. Last week’s call for more hilarious Amazon product reviews was more than heeded — our cup basically overfloweth and by cup of course we mean the tipline. Keep’em coming, and enjoy this fresh round of chuckles for the time being. [More]
OnTrac Claims They Delivered Another Phantom Package
By 6.6.13 — Updated: 6.7.13
Our readers generally love Amazon Prime, but complain about the regional delivery services that Amazon contracts with in some areas in order to make that fabulous free two-day delivery possible. Carriers that include Ontrac and Ensenda seem to get the job done okay most of the time. When things go wrong, though, customers who had the wacky assumption that “out for delivery” meant their packages would actually be delivered get upset. [More]
Survey: Best Buy And Walmart Are Most Popular Stores For Showrooming
By 6.4.13
For the two of you unfamiliar with the term, “showrooming” is the practice of going to a bricks-and-mortar retailer to get an eyes-on experience with a product before ultimately buying it online. A new study confirms what many of us had already assumed — that the practice isn’t relegated to holiday shopping, that price-matching is probably the only way to curb it, and that many showroomers just don’t like dealing with retail employees. [More]
Viacom Goes Running Into Amazon’s Streaming Arms After Split With Netflix
By 6.4.13
Now that Viacom and Netflix are over, done with, broken up, splitskies, never ever getting back together, don’t think the cable programming giant is crying into its pillow every night, soaking it with the desperate tears of the unloved. No, it’s moving on — straight into the loving arms of Amazon’s streaming video service with a new, multiyear licensing deal. [More]
Amazon Sends Pre-Smushed LEGO Set In Intact Box
By 6.3.13
Marc’s son likes to build LEGO worlds with his grandfather, who got him a super amazing Batman Arkham Asylum set for his birthday this week. It seems that the Stupid Shipping Gang got hold of the box, but not in a way that we might expect. Somehow, the box that the set came in had been stomped on, but the box that it shipped in was intact. [More]
These Amazon Reviews Might Not Sell Any Products But They Sure Make Us Giggle
By 5.31.13 — Updated: 5.30.13
A few weeks ago we had a couple chuckles over a round-up of hilarious Amazon product reviews, those bits of tongue-in-cheek humor and working of words through the medium of comedy are, in most cases, more of a reward than whatever the product being sold is. We asked you, dear readers, to rustle up a few of your favorites, and hoooo boy, did you come through. [More]
