Charlotte is out and New Orleans is in, after the NBA made good on its threat to move the 2017 All-Star Game out of the state of North Carolina to protest a state law that went into effect earlier this year. Instead, the league is looking at perhaps New Orleans, and other cities are also vying for the game and the economic boost that comes with it. [More]
charlotte
Ritz-Carlton Investigated For Adding Surcharge During Basketball Tournament
In late February, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the oldest African-American athletic conference in the U.S., held its annual basketball tournament in Charlotte, where visitors to the Ritz-Carlton found that they were being subject to an automatic 15% “CIAA Service” surcharge on their bills at the lobby bar. [More]
3,250 Flights Canceled Today, Another 4,000 Delayed
As ice and snow once again socks the Southeast and makes its way northward, thousands of flights are being canceled or delayed, leaving travelers around the country stranded and unsure of when they will be able to fly again. [More]
Mayors Beg DOJ To Pretty Please Let US Airways/American Airlines Merger Happen
While US Airways and American Airlines have had to indefinitely postpone their nuptials because the Justice Dept. decided the union might result in problems for consumers and the airline industry, the mayors of those cities that would be most positively affected by the merger are now pleading with Attorney General Eric Holder to see that these two companies obviously love each other and should be allowed to be together. [More]
Best Buy Caught Using Sneaky Sneaky Tricks To Sell HDTV Calibration Service
I’ve read some bad Best Buy stories in my time here at The Consumerist, but this one really takes the asshole cake. To sell its special HDTV calibration service, this Best Buy in NC set up two identical model HDTVs, both showing ESPN. As seen in the picture tipster Robert took, the “calibrated” one is noticeably better. That’s because it’s showing ESPN HD and the one on the left is showing just regular ESPN. You can also see how a set of box have been placed in front of the non-calibrated tv on the left so you can’t see that’s it not ESPN HD. That, my friends, is quintessential deceptive marketing. Robert’s story of what he saw, and the rivers of bullshit and non-answer that came out of the Best Buy employees’ mouths when he confronted them about it, inside…
The Potentially Apocryphal, Yet Well-Worn, Story Of Ken Lewis' Personal Dedication To Customer Service
According to a tale, possibly apocryphal, we picked up while visiting Charlotte, Bank of America’s home base, BoA CEO Ken Lewis was once standing behind some customers having trouble with a malfunctioning BoA ATM.
Have You Been To The Bakery Thrift Store?
Bakery Thrift Stores offer past-dated baked goods at a fraction of the cost. You can get day-old bread for 50 cents. We learned this after asking our fellow passengers, “What the heck is a bakery thrift store,” visions of donated, somehow ironic loaves passing through our head.
Consumerist Rides Another Plane
Inside, our airplane travels today departing Charlotte. Highlights include: Popemobile, dangerous grandmas, and entertaining oneself in the lavatory….
TSA’s Multimillion Dollar Ion Sniffer Is “Out Of Order”
A sign on this multi-million dollar terrorism sniffing device reads, “Out of Order.” Spotted this morning in Charlotte’s airport. From the Smith’s website:
Does The TSA Consider Pie A Dangerous Liquid?
UPDATE: Cleavland confiscates traveler’s pies.