When you spend the better part of a thousand dollars on a new phone, it’s pretty reasonable to expect that it will actually work. But Google says that a small number of its Pixel phones contain a hardware issue resulting in broken microphones. [More]
broken
System For Recalling Defective Tires Is “Broken,” Says Federal Safety Agency
By 10.27.15
When a manufacturer recalls a vehicle for a safety defect, they’re required to contact owners of the affected models and provide a remedy for the issue free of charge. But federal investigators say this sort of smooth recall just isn’t possible for tires because the current tire recall system is “completely broken.” [More]
What’s The Point Of A Salad Spinner That Can’t Spin?
By 9.27.12
While shopping at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Avi noticed an OXO salad spinner on the “as-is” clearance rack. Those are great products, so he investigated further. The $29.99 item was marked down to half off, $14.98, and then to half off that amount, $7.48. What a deal! There was, however, a catch. The spinning mechanism is broken. That makes it more of a colander with a weird lid. [More]
You Can Get Any 42" Samsung Plasma TV From Target, As Long As It's Smashed
By 9.14.10
Steve’s TV buying experience with Target has not gone well. If he wants to try this a third time, the store is more than willing to let him, but they say he has to pay full price now and there’s still no guarantee a broken TV won’t show up on his doorstep. [More]
Amazon's Frustration Free Packaging Still Not Quite Working Out For Electronics
By 2.24.10
Tom wishes Amazon would use better packaging when it comes to shipping things like hard drives. Their “frustration-free packaging” is meant to save shoppers from dealing with blister packs and unnecessary boxes. For the Western Digital hard drive Tom was trying to buy, it meant bouncing around a half-empty box from the fulfillment facility to his doorstep, where it arrived broken. Twice. [More]
Without Proof Of Purchase, Your Warranty Options May Be Limited
By 2.10.10
Rob’s digital photo frame stopped working a few days ago, so he contacted Kodak to see whether they could help him. He writes that he knew it was at least one month out of warranty because the warranty is for one year, and he’d been given it as a gift a year ago on Christmas. Still, he was hoping Kodak would cut him a deal or do some sort of above-and-beyond thing.
Instead, he found out that as far as Kodak was concerned, it had been out of warranty for over two years
Best Buy Sells Shattered TV In Time For Super Bowl Party
By 2.7.10
On this, the holiest of all American TV-watching days, we’d like to share with you the horrific story of a Florida family whose Super Bowl viewing party will be a lot less intense than they had planned. The new, expensive HDTV they purchased from Best Buy was somehow shattered inside its box, and the retailer claims that it’s the family’s fault. [More]
US Airways Takes Parts Out Of Xbox To Make Flying Safer
By 1.19.10
Adam writes, “I was flying out of Logan Airport and I checked my XBOX 360 in my baggage. The agent assured me that there would be no problem with it. When I got home my I found that they had put a little ziploc bag on top of my things, and the bag was filled with tiny metal components that used to be in the XBOX. It’s broken now and they’re telling me tough luck. Any advice?” [More]
Customer Waits Six Weeks For Best Buy To Not Fix His TV
By 1.12.10
A Best Buy customer has posted his ongoing TV repair saga over at Best Buy’s own forums, and it’s quite a read. Green blotches! Smoke! Parts were ordered! No parts were ordered! The wrong parts were ordered! Botched repairs! This all started back in November and his $3,000 TV still isn’t fixed–although the last time a Geek Squad tech came out, he handed the customer a sheet that said Best Buy had already spent $1,500 on repairs. [More]
Sony Asks Customer For Her Reader, Breaks It, Then Sends It Back
By 12.28.09
I’m not usually amused at the customer service horror stories that arrive in our in box, but this one is just so over the top that I can’t help but laugh incredulously. The lesson here, which Kate sadly learned for all of us, is if Sony ever asks you out of nowhere to send in your Reader for an update, run away. [More]
Firmware Update Borks Man's Samsung Blu-ray Player, Samsung Says Too Bad
By 12.18.09
Maybe manufacturers need to rethink how warranties work when it comes to firmware updates. Justin’s Samsung Blu-ray player recently alerted him that there was an update available, so he told it to proceed. What he ended up with was a dead player. Now Samsung says because it’s out of warranty for repairs he has to pay them $90 to get it working again. [More]
Nokia Breaks Customer's Phone, Wants Money To Fix It
By 11.24.09
A couple of months ago, Nokia ruined the Wifi capabilities on Chris’s phone, and now he can’t get them to fix it. Well, actually they told him they will fix, but only if he pays for the “repair.” Ah, I see–this is a good secondary revenue strategy, Nokia. Sort of a protection racket! Well played! [More]
Dell Lies About Repairs, Ruins Vacation
By 10.20.09
Michael emailed us, and Dell, from a loaner computer while he’s on a trip. His own laptop isn’t working, and thanks to a steady stream of broken promises and incorrect information, now he’s stuck without access to the software and development files he needs for his work.
HSN Breaks TV, Showing Need To Firmly Attach Your Wii Accessories
By 10.19.09
This HSN presenter remembered to use his wrist strap when playing with a Wiimote, so good for him! Unfortunately, it turns out you also have to make sure any attachments are firmly attached.
iPhone 3G Owners, Beware The New 3.1 OS Upgrade
By 9.10.09
If you’re a gadgetophile like me, you love firmware updates because it’s like giving your smartphone, camera, or other mp3 player a mini-makeover. If you’re normal, however, don’t rush into it—the best thing to do is wait a bit and see what problems are reported from the front line. Take for instance this issue between 3G iPhones and Exchange servers, which no longer play well with each other after yesterday’s 3.1 iPhone OS upgrade.
Amazon Answers My Questions, Sort Of, About Kindle Licenses
By 8.27.09
Let’s get straight to the bad news: although Amazon did answer my questions, their answers included “we’re working on that,” “I don’t know,” and “I don’t know (but it’s the publishers’ fault).” To be fair to the “Kindle Specialist” I spoke with this morning, he has promised to talk to the Kindle marketing department—why marketing? these are DRM issues!—and get back to me with better answers. Until then, this is what the average consumer can expect from a Kindle ebook license.
What Should I Do When Redbox Has Indigestion?
By 8.14.09
John, like many people, enjoys renting movies from Redbox kiosks and does so frequently. Recently, the machine wouldn’t accept his disc back. It’s not a huge inconvenience, but he started to wonder why he, the customer, needs to go out of his way due to a problem on the company’s end.
This Burger King Must Look Awesome To The Corporate Office
By 6.2.09
If we worked in fast food, we’d want to work at this Burger King, because you don’t have to provide good service to score a perfect survey. You just have to give away food! Now take your free Whopper and get the hell out of here!
