Threatening to stalk, rape, mutilate, and kill your customers over a $150 chargeback is not a sustainable business model. We could have told you that, but it took a New York Times investigation, a Google algorithm change, and federal prosecution to stop the Brooklyn entrepreneur who built his eyewear business on the idea that online, there is no such thing as bad publicity. He allegedly sent out counterfeit designer eyewear, or no merchandise at all, then harassed and threatened customers who wanted their money back. When customers complained online, it boosted the profile of his brand. Now a federal judge has revoked the man’s bail ahead of sentencing after listening to testimony from some of those customers. [More]
bullies
3 Tips For Fighting Bullies
By 10.19.11
People are talking more about bullying these days. It can happen at school, in the workplace, or online. How do you combat it? Educator and author Natasha Deen offers these three tips. [More]
Samsung Sues Journalist For Satirically Pointing Out That Its Chairman Keeps Getting Convicted Of Crimes
By 5.11.10
Did you know that the chairman of Samsung, Lee Kun-hee, was convicted in 2008 for tax evasion in South Korea? Or that he was convicted in the 90s for bribing politicians? A British journalist, Michael Breen, wrote a satirical column in a South Korean newspaper last December, and now the electronics giant is suing him for libel. If found guilty, Breen could face jail time. [More]
Towing Company Sues Student Over Facebook Page
By 4.13.10
T&J Towing of Kalamazoo, MI wants to send a message to anyone in the town who feels like complaining about the company online. They’ve filed a $750,000 defamation lawsuit against a Western Michigan University student for starting a Facebook page about them. [More]
HSBC Really, Really Doesn't Want Reader To Cancel Best Buy Credit Card
By 10.18.09
James applied for a Best Buy Mastercard from HSBC. The initial application was easy enough, but the three separate confusing calls from outsourced customer service reps, and the low limit and annual fee on the card he eventually received led him to cancel his account. This should have been a straightforward transaction, but company representatives tried to bully James into keeping the credit card.
Monster Energy Threatens Actual Movie Monster (We're Not Kidding)
By 10.16.09
We’re back to thinking Hansen Beverage Company is being taken for a ride by its legal counsel, Continental Enterprises, with this latest chapter in their trademark bullying saga. An actor named Trygve Lode has been contacted by Continental Enterprises on behalf of Hansen and told to remove all advertising and sales of Monster Energy from his site. The only reference to Monster Energy is the photo above.
Monster Cable Awakens From Slumber, Sues Another Company
By 4.9.09
Well, that didn’t last long. Back in January, we were hopeful that Monster Cable had seen the error of its stupid ways and stopped suing everyone but the dictionary for using the word “monster” in their title. They were just hibernating, it seems, and now they’re back and bullying another company—this time a family-owned transmission manufacturer in Florida named Monster Transmission.
By 1.6.09
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Monster Cable has agreed to drop a heavily mocked (by us, anyway) trademark lawsuit against Monster Mini Golf after a private phone call between the founders of the two companies. Great, now you won’t be able to tell if you’re playing mini golf or being gouged by a cable manufacturer. [News10.net] (Thanks to Trever!)
Donning Copyright Cloak, DirectBuy Forbids Posting Of Cease And Desist Letter Sent To Consumer Opinion Site
By 10.9.07
DirectBuy got more pushback than they expected after sending a cease-and-desist to InfomercialScams.com over the site’s users calling the direct to consumer seller of furniture and home supplies a “scam” and a “nightmare.” Absurdly, DirectBuy even tried to threaten legal action if their cease and desist was published, saying it was copyrighted!
