While Santa and his pointy-eared, non-union laborers toil away at the North Pole, the editors of our more famous sibling publication Consumer Reports have compared their notes on a wide variety of companies’ policies on everything from guarantees to fees to refunds and distilled it down to the best and worst of the lot in their first-ever Naughty & Nice Holiday Shopping List. [More]
buycom
![Amazon, Macy's, Buy.com Named Best Big E-tailers](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/macys.jpg?w=200&h=123&crop=1)
Amazon, Macy's, Buy.com Named Best Big E-tailers
ResellerRatings.com analyzed 350,000 online reviews of more than 10,000 online sellers and found that among big e-tailers, Amazon was the best place to buy cameras, Macy’s was the sweet spot to order fashion accessories and Buy.com was the top computer destination. [More]
Buy.com And Webloyalty Reservation Rewards – Say It Isn't So!
CNET has a great article today about sneak attack merchants Webloyalty/Webvertrue/Reservation Rewards. It focuses on the relationship between Buy.com and the company that is suspect enough that the federal government is now interested.
!["Buy.com" Is Apparently A Curse Word On Best Buy's Forums](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/4-14-2009_11-55-54_am.jpg?w=217&h=91&crop=1)
"Buy.com" Is Apparently A Curse Word On Best Buy's Forums
Reader Andrew was trying to post a question on Best Buy‘s forums, but he made the horrible, offensive mistake of putting a space between “Best” and “Buy.com.”
![Is Buy.com Friendlier To The Environment Than Brick And Mortar Stores?](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/040609-005-tree.png?w=158&h=158&crop=1)
Is Buy.com Friendlier To The Environment Than Brick And Mortar Stores?
A study by the Green Design Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh states that when comparing getting a flash drive from Buy.com versus a physical retailer, Buy.com ends up being about 30% less damaging to the environment. To reach their conclusion, the researchers compared transportation, packaging, warehousing, and energy usage both by the consumer and the retailer.
![Belkin Caught Paying For Positive Reviews](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/belkin_lies.jpg?w=300&h=121&crop=1)
Belkin Caught Paying For Positive Reviews
Belkin Business Development Representative Michael Bayard has been caught offering to pay anyone willing to leave perfect reviews of Belkin products on Amazon, Buy.com, and Newegg. Even worse, the highly unethical strategy seems to have worked—almost fifteen pages worth of Belkin products on Amazon have perfect five-star ratings.
![Buy.com Ships Four Hard Drives In Four Over-Sized Boxes](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/stupidboxes.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
Buy.com Ships Four Hard Drives In Four Over-Sized Boxes
Steven at The Jewish Channel ordered four hard drives from Buy.com, and got them, along with a packaging surprise. The packaging was very excessive. Each hard drive came in its a separate packing box 4591.75 cubic inches larger than the hard drive box it was meant to contain. In addition, that extra dead space was taken up by what amounted to a waterfall of brown packing paper. The containers, measuring 24″ x 18″ x 11.5″ could each have held six of the 10.75″ x 7″ x 5″ boxes. More pix inside. Steven writes:
![What Could Be In This Box?](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/wnfp4lawzw0_05.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
What Could Be In This Box?
A Camera, maybe. Some DVD’s? A Six-pack.Sadly, it is none of the above.
![Contact Buy.com Executive Customer Service](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/buydotcomlogo.jpg?w=158&h=100&crop=1)
Contact Buy.com Executive Customer Service
If you’re having a problem with Buy.com and regular customer service can’t or won’t help you, here’s a pack of escalated contact information to help kick your complaint to the top of the corporate pig-pile:
![Don't Assume That Rebate Will Be Redeemable For Cash](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/custom_1223073023861_debiteh.jpg?w=158&h=105&crop=1)
Don't Assume That Rebate Will Be Redeemable For Cash
Companies love rebates because they are difficult to redeem and easy to forget. But you clever shoppers are getting too good at their game, so instead of paying out your rebate in cash, you’ll get something different altogether. Take, for example, Buy.com’s supposed “$26 mail in rebate…”
![Ever Used A Gift Card At Buy.com? Surprise, You May Owe Them Money](../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/091508-002-moneyyoink158.jpg?w=158&h=158&crop=1)
Ever Used A Gift Card At Buy.com? Surprise, You May Owe Them Money
Seth was recently contacted by Buy.com and told that due to an error, an order he placed over a year ago had a balance due. They’ll be debiting his credit card “on or about 09/22/08.” Seth emailed them back to ask why they were just now settling the billing issue—surely it hadn’t taken them this long to notice it. Apparently, it had, and it’s not just Seth’s account that’s messed up.
Morning Deals
- 6PM.com: DC Brand Shoes $20 + S/H, all sizes/styles, 856 to choose from
- Nicorette: free pack of Nicorette White Ice Mint (warning, site is slow)
- Circuit City: Panasonic SH-FX85 Wireless Multi-Room Speaker Kit for $44.96, requires in-store pickup
Highlights From Buxr
- Hewlett Packard: $400 Off $999 or more for Desktop Purchase w/ coupon code: DT1158 (Good for 2250 uses)
- NewEgg: Targus Notebook Wireless Optical Mouse for $8.99 w/ Free shipping after $20 off coupon code: EMCAKAKAK
- Buy.com: Av Lab Solar Backpack Charger for $29.99 w/ Free shipping after rebate
Highlights From Dealhack
- Best Buy: Toshiba Satellite Dual Core Notebook PC $500
- Geeks.com: Canon Pixma iP6210D Color Inkjet Photo Printer $35 with Coupon
- Musicnotes.com: 20% or 30% off Guitar Guru Interactive Lessons with Coupons
Morning Deals
- WarCry: Free Warhammer Online Beta 10 days
- Amazon: Kitchen deals for under $7, all eligible for 4 for 3 promotion
- Buy.com: Logitech G51 Gaming Speakers for $71.99 Shipped After Rebate
Highlights From Buxr
- Deal Extreme: Rechargeable Digital Pin-hole Spy Camera + USB Drive Disgused as Working Pen for $35.53 w/ Free shipping
- HP Home : New stackable Laptop coupon, up to $350 off $999 w/ coupon code NB3325
- OfficeMax: Oscillating 16″ Pedestal Fan for $7.99 + $7.95 Shipping
Highlights From Dealhack
- OfficeMax: Olympus FE-320 8MP Digital Camera $120 Shipped
- Shoebuy: Pay via PayPal & Save $20 off Shoe Orders of $50+ and get Free Shipping
- Bike Nashbar: Save 10%, 15%, or 20% off Entire Order with Coupon Discounts
Morning Deals
- Lenovo: Employee Pricing on ThinkPad and IdeaPad Notebooks, up to 42% off (login with passcode 536686)
- Woot: Sandisk Clip 2GB MP3 Player for $19.99
- Newegg: ESET NOD32 Antivirus Home Edition v3 for $14.99 (Best antivirus around, won’t slow down your computer)
Highlights From Dealhack
- Buy.com: Kingston 4GB USB 2.0 Portable Flash Drive $14 Shipped
- Hanes.com: Save 15% off Complete Order on All Clothing
- Vann’s: Sony FX820 Portable 8-inch DVD Player $150 Shipped
Highlights From Bargainist
- Amazon: Kitchen & Home Labor Day Sale: Save up to 65%
- Linens ‘n Things: BOGO 50% off bath furniture, more + 20% off coupon
- American Eagle: 40% off purchases coupon
Morning Deals
- Threadless: All shirts $12
- Amazon: Tonka Sand Force Dump Truck & Loader $4-$5 each, squirting trucks $6 & up
- Steep And Cheap:
Black Diamond Momentum AL Climbing Harness for $22Sold out, but they have other deals on outdoor gear.
Highlights From Dealhack
- Tiger Direct: Refurb NEC VT590 XGA LCD Projector $400
- Brooks Brothers: Summer Clearance: Save up to 60% off Men’s & Women’s Fashion
- Buy.com: Fantom GreenDrive 1TB Low Power USB Drive $150 & Free Shipping
Morning Deals
Highlights From Dealhack
- REI: Labor Day Clearance: Save up to 30% off Clothing & Gear
- Meritline: PQI 8GB SDHC Card now $25 Shipped & Other Discount
- Buy.com: Dynex DX-LCD32 32-inch LCD HDTV $480 Shipped
Highlights From Bargainist
- Kmart: Jeans, all apparel BOGO 50% off
- Hoover: Summer Canister Sale: Save up to 56%
- JC Whitney: Up to $40 off purchases coupon