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Consumers promote boycott of Conoco and BP stations along I-80 that post low prices on their signs but then charge 25-50 cents higher on most of the actual pumps. Under state law, the practice is legal. [Lincoln Journal Star]
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.
So tonight, I was unpacking, I got the calculator out of the box, and – surprise – I find out that I’d applied for a Master Card with Barclays Bank. Not just any master card, this one had an APR of either 18.24% or 20.24%. What a deal – about double what any of our cards are right now…
I wanted to sign up for the Ocean on May 13th, but I noticed that on the web site, the only option for contracts was a 24 month agreement. Given that Helio is a new company, I wasn’t sure I wanted to commit to two years. I called Helio to find out if I could get a one-year agreement. The customer service rep that I spoke to was very accommodating and said I could have a one year deal. I mentioned a web promo code that would get me some other discounts, including the $30 activation fee waved, and $25 off the first four months of service, and she said that I could have all that, as well as a nice discount on the phone itself. I signed up then and there.
The Connecticut Attorney General has announced a lawsuit against Best Buy in regards to a secret internal website that is identical to their public website except for the prices. Consumerist has received reports of this website being used to attempt to trick our readers as recently as March 19, 2007.
[protected-iframe id="2023baf697453f549fdc372cb71a8c3d-40783744-40309798" info="http://digg.com/api/diggthis.php?u=http://digg.com/business_finance/What_Is_The_Bait_and_Switch_And_When_Is_It_Illegal " width="55" height="82" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"]We get a lot of people writing us about the “bait and switch.” Often the complaint is shady, but not really “bait and switch.”
Update: I’m an idiot. I forgot to include her email, then didn’t check. Apologies, guys!
In a classic bait-and-switch, customers allege that Best Buy tells people they get a free magazine subscription and then charges them for it.
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