Although a federal judge recently granted a temporary restraining order keeping pilots who fly Amazon shipments from striking, the union that represents them isn’t giving up on airing the workers’ grievances, Instead, they’re taking the issue straight to consumers, warning that Amazon won’t be able to meet the holiday demand. [More]
buyer beware
How To Avoid Shady Third-Party Apps Piggybacking On Popularity Of Pokémon Go
By 7.12.16
Amid the crowds of roving Pokémon Go players out there following virtual monsters around with their phones, there are likely some who might be interested in downloading third-party or ancillary apps to help you in your quest. But like with any popular tech phenomenon, there could be dark forces lurking out there, shady apps that you should avoid. [More]
How To Spot A Counterfeit Sports Jersey
By 2.4.16 — Updated: 1.30.17
All your bags are packed, you’re ready to go to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, CA this weekend, and already there are visions of NFL merchandise floating through your head. Maybe you’ve tucked away some money especially to buy the jersey of your favorite player — money you definitely don’t want to waste on a fake. [More]
Reminder: Don’t Fall For The Walmart Mystery Shopper Scam
By 6.11.15
Almost exactly four years ago, we first warned you about the Walmart Mystery Shopper Scam, in which con artists offer their potential victims employment as undercover quality assurance inspectors who get paid to shop. Yet scammers continue to try running this ruse, so we figured it was a good time for a reminder. [More]
FTC Handing Out $1.7M In Refunds To Victims Of “Free Government Grant” Scam
By 5.9.13
Reminder: Just because the President’s face is on a web site that’s offering products ostensibly related to the government, it doesn’t make it true. Way back in 2009 the Federal Trade Commission put the smackdown on a bunch of sites that were selling products that would help consumers get free government grant money. Thing is, the government had nothing to do with it, and didn’t much appreciate being used in such a way. Some 22,764 consumers are now set to get refunds in the case. [More]
Home Depot Sells Consumer Reports A Used Chainsaw, Refuses To Take It Back Because It’s Used
By 4.26.13 — Updated: 6.26.14
If you’ve ever questioned why our lab coat-loving cousins at Consumer Reports use secret shoppers to buy the things they test for the magazine, here’s a perfect example. [More]
Why Doesn’t The Teavana Tea I Brew At Home Taste Like It Does At The Store?
By 2.15.13
Although they might seem like free food stands to those of us roaming the grocery store or say, coffee chain, in search of a snack, any food industry business knows that setting up sample stations serves one key purposes: Get the customer hooked and get them to buy the product. But is it misleading if that taste experience isn’t replicated once you get the product home? [More]
California GameStops To Warn Used-Game Buyers That "Free DLC" Isn't Necessarily Free
By 4.10.12
While some experienced buyers of used video games may know that the “free additional content” burst on game’s packaging probably only applied to the original purchase of the game. But as part of a class-action settlement announced earlier today, GameStop stores in California will now alert buyers that any additional downloadable content (aka DLC) will likely have to be purchased separately. [More]
5 Ways To Avoid Getting Ripped Off On Super Bowl Tickets
By 2.3.11
The Better Business Bureau sent out an alert to warn fans about Super Bowl ticket cons. The advice is geared specifically toward Sunday’s big game, but rings true for most sporting events: [More]
Look Out For Hidden Resort Fees When Booking Rooms
By 11.3.10
Kevin is annoyed that Priceline’s “Name Your Price” feature fails to take resort fees into account. In his case, such extra charges tacked on $19 a night to the $45 he agreed to pay for his room. [More]
Couple Buys Dream Home For $300k, Get $900k Bill For Dam Maintenance
By 8.18.10
That’s “dam maintenance” not “damn maintenance. A Kansas couple scored what they thought was their dream home for $300,000: 20 acres with a beautiful view of the lush foilage-surrounded lake, bound in by a dam. A dam that has tree roots digging into it and could cost $900,000 to repair. And, under an agreement with the city from the 70’s that never turned up in the title search, is their responsibility to repair. And, title insurance will only cover the first $330,000. [More]
Make Sure You Know Which Version Of Android Is On That Phone Before Buying It
By 3.15.10
That brand new smartphone you want to buy may not be running the latest version of Android, reports Wired, and the manufacturer or cellular provider might like it that way. It costs money to push updates out to existing customers, assuming the hardware is compatible. Besides, carriers can charge extra fees for add-on services (like turn-by-turn navigation) that newer Android OS versions include free of charge. Check out Wired’s article for a comparison chart of the Android version on each handset. [More]
Buyer Says CarFax Report Didn't Let Him Know Car Was All Messed Up
By 9.22.09
CarFax provides a useful tool for used car buyers, tipping them off about the myriad abuses their prospective rides once suffered. But Gyorgy says the service failed him, failing to report a number of modifications and indignities that voided the ride’s warranty. He writes:
Pop Goes The Shoddy Refurbed Hitachi TV
By 7.7.09
Mark thought he’d save some money by buying a refurbished Hibachi HDTV off UEC Web, but was disturbed to discover the TV — as an under-fire politician, coach or CEO would put it — decided to spend more time with its family.
RadioShack Sells Defective Pre As New, Gets Caught
By 6.16.09
Eric bought a Palm Pre from RadioShack this past weekend, but maybe he shouldn’t have. Or maybe RadioShack should make sure that when a phone is returned as defective, it’s not sent back out to the first unsuspecting customer as a brand new device.
If You Use MyCorporation From Intuit, Will You Get Spammed?
By 1.19.09
Today we posted a Morning Deal for “free” LLC/corporation filing from MyCorporation, a company owned by Intuit (TurboTax, Quickbooks). A one-time “customer” from MyCorporation—he never actually went through with their free service, but filled out the initial forms—contacted us with his own story of how he’s been bugged by spam and free offers on a weekly basis ever since he dealt with them.
Amazon Offers Mail-In "Instant Rebate"
By 3.21.08
Two days ago, Shawn bought a video card from Amazon and was surprised when the advertised “Instant Rebate” 
wasn’t applied to his shopping cart. Turns out, it’s a mail-in rebate, sorry for the confusion. Unfortunately Amazon still hasn’t corrected the error as of the timestamp on this post, despite assuring him two days ago that they’d remove the icon. Remember to always click the “Rebate” link to see the actual details of the offer—it’s not listed on the main product page, and mistakes happen.
