Home Deport employees didn’t feel like using the saw, so they hung a sign that claimed: “saw not working.” This offended marketing guru Seth Godin:
When I noticed this sign on the big saw, I took a picture, intending to write about how important it was to have key customer service feat ures up and running. Then, a few minutes later, a guy in an orange smock walked over, took the sign down and asked what he could cut for us.
Savings accounts, they’re where you save money. You put money in and leave it there. That’s the whole point, right? Well, at Chase, if don’t deposit or withdraw money into it for 3 months, it becomes “inactive,” blogs Tom Drapeau. That means you can’t make a wire transfer out of it. Annoying, but you can change to “active” by depositing or withdrawing money, and if you want to avoid “inactive” status, you could set up an automated transfer to put in $1 and take out $1 of it.
AT&T yesterday decided to stop raping forests and stop sending customers several hundred-page long iPhone bills itemizing every single photo they accessed while web-browsing. The change was announced In a text message sent out to subscribers that read:
AT&T free msg: We are simplifying you paper bill, removing itemized detail. To view all detail go to att.com/mywirelesss. Still need full paper bill? Call 611
Tasty Blog Snack blogger Justine Ezarik, whose video of opening the box containing her 300 page bill received several million views, curtly thanked AT&T for the shift in a new video, above. She all but places her hands on her hips, bucks her head and says, “Thass right, girlfriend,” but we’re sure that’s only because she doesn’t want to damage the iPhone she’s holding.
The maker of Thomas the Tank Engines recalled for lead poisoning promised to send a replacement toy and refund parents the full cost of shipping back the recalled toys, but several parents are angry after receiving less-than-full reimbursement checks.
Rebutting “Ideas For Living Without Credit Or Debt,” Blueprint For Financial Prosperity came up with 10 reasons why credit and debt can be great. Here’s a good one (and one that we ourselves have made in the past):
Ever notice how freaking long it takes to get to your messages? You’re told three times in a row that a message is about to play. “You have one unheard message. The following message has not been heard. First unheard message.”
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Spirals cost 37 cents more per box than regular Elbow variety, despite the former weighing 1.75 oz less than the latter, reports the thoughts on technology blog. This breaks down to a difference of $.06/oz, vs $.14/oz. That’s 24% fewer noodles, with a 133% price increase.
Consumer Reports has five things parents can do to avoid poisoning their children with leadly toys:
Some say that airfare goes up on the weekends, but FareCompare’s Rick Seany, says this is a flight of fancy:
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Parking in New York is such a hassle that NYPD cops have no choice but to park in front of hydrants when they patronize Victoria’s Secret and get sandwiches from the bodega. [The Red Tape Chronicles]
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Mandatory binding arbitration is so bullshit that the opposing attorneys don’t even show up to the hearings. [Credit Slips]
Under the current system, telephone companies allow 3rd party companies to submit charges which the phone company then includes in your bill, with no verification other than a list of names and numbers. The phone company keeps a cut and blithely bills away. Scammers have figured this out and will sometimes submit bogus charges, disguised under vague names. [More]
Rick Seaney has a great post about the “tweak,” a move used by airlines to piss off competitors by offering discount airfares from their rival’s hubs. The spurned airline will often retaliate by tweaking the offender back in return. Rick Seany explains:
Elizabeth Warren, the doyenne of consumer debt, received a frank email from a lawyer that shows the anti-consumer bias of binding arbitration. The lawyer was attempting to arbitrate a dispute with MBNA, a difficult task complicated by the bank’s refusal to participate.
Willie wasn’t sure why U-Haul told him to park his rental truck in a poorly lit, fenced-off gas station lot that was clearly under construction, but he figured he had the right place when he saw several other U-Haul trucks in a closed pen nearby; Willie parked next to the pen, locked his rental, and got the hell out of there; when Willie told U-Haul he returned their truck as per their instructions, “they try to tell us it is our fault and we would be charged for this….for what? For doing exactly what they said. Exactly.” Now U-Haul wants $1,700:
Personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly breaks down the costs, savings, and investment gains associated with both renting and buying similar homes in the same market and finds that renting is a much better financial move. How much better?
If you buy a ticket on Spirit Airlines’ website, the purchase screen has the nasty habit of prefilling options to buy travel insurance and join the Spirit Airlines fare club. And those fees? Nonrefundable, even if you cancel your membership. How nice.
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