Generally, any story that contains the phrase, “the salesperson talked me into…” is not going to end well. That was the case for personal finance blogger Michael Timmermann, who started out ready to buy a car in cash, ended up with a lease on a beautiful Audi A4. This wasn’t so bad until he moved to Washington, D.C., where he didn’t really need a car, but had to pay $300 per month to park his Audi. [More]
bad decisions
How Steve Jobs Blew $10 Billion
By 5.19.10
So, you bought a house right before the property bubble burst? Got out of gold a year ago? Invested in Pets.com back in the 90s? Well, guess what? No matter how many dumb investment decisions you’ve made, they likely pale next to a little mistake Steve Jobs made a few years ago, which cost him about $10 billion. Ain’t schadenfreude grand? [More]
What To Consider Before Buying An Extended Warranty
By 11.9.09
The New York Times has an article about why consumers buy extended warranties for electronic products and other appliances, especially since we rarely have enough information at the moment of sale to make an informed decision. Here are three things to watch out for the next time you’re buying some fun electronic device.
Weezer Introduces Weezer-Branded Snuggie, A Piece Of Us Dies Inside
By 6.3.09
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has decided to follow his rock heroes Kiss down the road of poor merchandising decisions and is partnering with everyone’s favorite wearable blanket to introduce The Wuggie. This is actually happening.
The Design, Purchase, Or Wearing Of This Dress Should Probably Be Rethought
By 4.9.09
We at Consumerist understand that there’s no accounting for taste, and we generally refrain from passing judgment on products for puerely aesthetic reasons. That said, we think this dress should probably never be worn by anyone, ever.
NYC Baker Sells 'Drunken Negro Head' Cookies, Doesn't See The Problem
By 1.23.09
Ted Kefalinos, the proprietor of a bakery in Greenwich Village (a neighborhood in New York City), can’t understand why the media is having such a field day over his Drunken Negro Head cookies. They’re fun! Nobody complained about his dead geese cookies last week! He’s got a Cuban brother-in-law! We’d be more willing to believe it was just a bad marketing decision if it weren’t for the follow-up comments a customer alleged he made.
By 1.15.08
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Don’t use an f-bomb in the memo section of your check when you pay for a parking ticket, at least not in Doylsetown, Pennsylvania—the man who did was charged with with disorderly conduct for the “obscene” word, but the charges were dropped after he wrote a formal apology to the offended…
1 in 3 Lottery Winners Broke Within 5 Years
By 10.29.07
The sad news is that 1 in 3 lottery winners are in serious financial trouble or even bankrupt within 5 years. Why? The suddenly wealthy often never learn to manage their money.
