Uber has already been accused of using a software tool dubbed “Greyball” to avoid sidestep law enforcement officers in cities where the service wasn’t yet authorized to operate. A new investigation has concluded that Greyball was also being used in at least one city to evade detection by more than a dozen local government officials. [More]
case closed
Former MoneyGram Executive To Pay Record Personal Fine To Settle Money Laundering Accusations
By 5.5.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
The former compliance officer for money transfer company MoneyGram must pay $250,000 — the largest such fine imposed — to settle allegations that he personally failed to stop consumers from becoming victims of fraud. [More]
Regulators Close Investigation Into Confusing Gear Shifter Linked To 68 Injuries, 266 Crashes
By 6.28.16
A week after the death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin was potentially linked to the confusing gear shifter in recalled Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler vehicles, federal safety regulators revealed they have closed an investigation into the issue following Fiat Chrysler’s recall of vehicles now tied to 68 injuries and hundreds of crashes. [More]
Investigation Into Honda’s Inaccurate Death And Injury Reports Closed
By 4.25.16
Eighteen months and $70 million later, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed a probe into Honda’s failure to report over 1700 injuries and deaths over a period of 11 years without further penalties against the carmaker. [More]
EOS Settles Lip Balm Lawsuit By Promising To Add More Info To Product Labels
By 2.3.16
The makers of EOS lip balm have resolved a federal lawsuit seeking class-action status that claimed the products give customers painful rashes and blisters. [More]
CDC Reportedly Set To Close Book On Chipotle’s 9-State E. Coli Outbreak
By 2.1.16
While federal investigators have yet to pinpoint the cause of an E. coli outbreak that sickened more than 50 Chipotle customers in nine different states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to announced today that the outbreak has come to an end. [More]
Yelp Says That The FTC Investigation Of Yelp Is Complete
By 1.6.15
The Federal Trade Commission has received a lot of complaints about Yelp––more than 2,000 from 2008 through last spring. These led to what Yelp calls “a deep inquiry into our business practices” by the FTC, which has lasted almost a year. Today, Yelp announced that the feds have closed their investigation, and won’t be taking any action against Yelp regarding its business practices. [More]
EPA Finds Soup Can From 1997 In Fridge (Which Means No One Stole Guy’s Lunch 16 Years Ago)
By 10.18.13
No one likes cleaning the refrigerator — all those weird coagulations of gunk and crusty debris at the bottom of a seemingly bottomless chasm in between drawers are enough to put off even the most stalwart cleaners. The Environmental Protection Agency is back to work cleaning up the world, but even it has realized it’s been avoiding a nearer cleaning task after finding a 16-year-old can of soup in a fridge at its D.C. headquarters.
[More]
Happy Ending To Best Buy Refuses To Honor 2 for $25 DVD Sale Story
By 1.31.08
A few days ago Jason’s story about Best Buy’s bait-and-switch shot to internet prominence (137,166 pageviews on Consumerist and 4668 diggs), and now he’s happy, has a $200 gift card to Best Buy, and a free copy of Saw IV. Let’s recap: Jason went to Best Buy and saw a tag in-store advertising 2 DVDs for $25. He chose to buy two copies of 3:10 to Yuma. At checkout, it rang up for $19.99 a piece. When contested, the clerk pulled out a different circular that said “Buy Saw IV with any of these 3 movies for $25.” Jason and a series of store employees disagreed for a long time about whether the circular applied to the tag, and Jason left the store with a $19.99 copy of 3:10 to Yuma, and a story, which he sent to The Consumerist. Then the internets happened. How did he go from screwed to elated? Find out in the exciting conclusion to his customer service misadventure, inside…
