Consumerist

BLOGS

AAA: The Number One Waste Of Gas Is…

By consumeristcarey 6.3.07

Running the air conditioner on full blast, keeping the trunk full, and idling excessively are all great ways to waste gas; but, the number one waste of gas may surprise you:

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that the average driver can improve mileage by 3.3 percent simply by inflating their vehicle’s tires regularly. In fact, according to the AAA, under-inflated tires are the No. 1 way we waste gas. One out of every four cars and one out of every three pickups, vans, and SUVs have at least one extremely low tire.

Next time you pull into a gas station, whip out the old tire gauge and see if your tires need some air. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

witches

Is "Pure Honey" Really Pure?

By consumeristcarey 6.3.07

Honey can be labeled “pure” even if contains additives like high fructose corn syrup. Most people prefer the taste of 100% pure bee’s honey, but how can you test to be sure you are getting the good stuff? Testing the purity of honey is remarkably like testing the purity of a villager. To wit:

electricity

Six Tips To Cool Your Energy Bill

By consumeristcarey 6.2.07

FreeMoneyFinance has six tips to keep your energy bill from overheating this summer:

BLOGS

Harness The Power Of Terra Cotta To Keep Brown Sugar Soft And Granulated

By consumeristcarey 6.2.07

We hate getting halfway through a recipe only to find our brown sugar solid as a rock. Thankfully, Curbly has discovered a way to keep us rolling in lusciously soft brown sugar.

So, some genius Canadians came up with this adorable option: a bear-shaped chunk of terra cotta that keeps your brown sugar pliable and granulated. And at the best price of three dollars (plus shipping), it’s a pretty good deal. But three dollars is three dollars, and when you can DIY one for 29 cents, you could better spend the remaining $2.70 on postage to send me the delicious goods you’ve baked with your eternally soft brown sugar.

We never knew terra cotta soaked in water for 30 minutes could suppress brown sugar’s petrifying urges. Check out Curbly for the full instructions. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

SCAMS

Casey Serin Shutters Foreclosure Blog

By consumerist.com 6.1.07

IAmFacingForeclosure.com got foreclosed.

roundups

Personal Finance Roundup

By consumerist.com 5.31.07

How can I raise my credit score? [MSNBC] “…the first step in raising your score is to make sure the information used to calculate it is correct and up-to-date.”

BLOGS

What Happens When A Reporter Breaks A Press Embargo

By consumerist.com 5.31.07

Hardware reviewer Dan Rutter linked to our bit about press embargoes, “which in the computer world manifests itself in those sudden snowstorms of online reviews that show up for each new piece of PC gear, all on the same day and nearly on the same hour.” He writes:

airlines

Skybus Review: Worth No More Than $10

By consumerist.com 5.31.07

A member of the Jaunted travel blog flew Skybus, the new ultra-no-frills airline where you can get a $10 ticket, and said it was, “[w]orth the $10 and not a penny more.“

retail

Sears.com Repeatedly Delivers Wrong Dryer, Doesn't Correct Website

By consumeristcarey 5.26.07

All Ian wanted was a dryer. Ian tried ordering a GE DWSR463GGW dryer from Sears.com. The dryer that arrived at his door was labeled DWSR, but was in fact the smaller, less desirable DBXR463GGW. Ian called Sears.com and told them to fix their mistake. Sears.com delivered another DBXR labeled as a DWSR; when Ian pointed out the repeated error, they inexplicably offered him yet another DBXR.

BLOGS

CPSC Still Unable To Form Voltron

By consumerist.com 5.24.07

For those who resent government interference in industry’s ability to make baby strollers that don’t fit through doorways, Baroody’s withdrawal of his nomination as CPSC commissioner has an ancillary benefit.

rebates

For Nearly Free, Man Eats Almost Only "Satisfied Or Your Money Back" Food For 8 Years

By consumerist.com 5.23.07

Have you heard of Matthieu Laurette? From 1993 to 2001, he fed and cleaned himself by buying almost only products with “Satisfied or your money back” or “Money back on first purchase” items, then filing the rebates or writing to the companies and saying he wasn’t satisfied.

money

Comparing Index ETFs and Mutual Funds

By consumerist.com 5.22.07

We understand that investing in index exchange trade funds (ETF) can be a good option for beginning investors, but what if you’re also looking at mutual funds, and you want to compare purchase costs between the two?

BLOGS

Get More Repeat Business With Better Customer Service. Duh.

By consumerist.com 5.22.07

Were you sleeping off a hangover during Intro To Fundamental Business Principles?

money

Sell Your Old Cellphone Online

By consumerist.com 5.21.07

Here’s an alternative to throwing away your old cellphone, selling it on ebay or craigslist, or donating it to charity.

retail

Introducing Jezebel

By consumerist.com 5.21.07

The razor-fingered Valkyries seen above are the editors of the newest addition to the Gawker stable, Jezebel. They’ll be delivering an unvarnished excoriation of women’s magazines, celebrities, sex and fashion.

fees

Banks Make $50 Billion A Year From Fees

By consumerist.com 5.21.07

Things seems to have gotten out of hand when banks are raking in $50 billion a year just from service charges, MSN reports. Consider how banks maximize over-draft charges:

In recent years, changes in federal laws have all but eliminated “float” — the time it takes for a check to clear from the writer’s bank account. What used to take days now often takes hours or less. What hasn’t been speeded up is the time it takes for deposits to clear and be available for your withdrawal.

In other words, your money goes out faster than ever, but comes in as slow as ever. Which leads to… overdrawn checks. Which leads to… nice, juicy bank fees.

airlines

United Downgrades Frequent Flyer Program Just Another Smidge

By consumerist.com 5.21.07

United tightened the screws on its frequent flyer program another turn, writes Upgrade: Travel Better:

For years, Premier members of the Mileage Plus program have received “500-mile” coupons…that upgraded your North American flights from coach to first class. …If you couldn’t use your 500-milers, they’d expire after one year, but all was not lost: They converted to 500 redeemable frequent flyer miles in your account.

capital one

Oh, Your Mom Might Know Your PIN? Then You're Not Getting Your $300 Back

By consumerist.com 5.18.07

Samantha, pictured holding a log more customer friendly than Capital One, had $300 stolen from her Capital One account, even though her debit card was still in her pocket. When she filed a claim with CapOne, not only did it take numerous contradictory phone calls with employees not knowing their ass from their elbow, her claim was denied. Why? Because she said on her claim form that her mother might know her PIN. Oops.

Welcome to the Consumerist Archives

BLOGS