Murder Me Elmo Update! Turns out this story was just another cock tease, as Elmo is really just saying “Who has to go?” not “Who wants to die?” Or so the company insists:
complaints
Hipsters Speak: Stupid Rent!
By 1.27.06
basically i’m considering blowing off my rent for the last two months on my lease and saving the money on a new, nicer place. i’m just trying to cover the stupid broker fee that i would otherwise not be able to come up with in time.
Consumers Speak: Bank of America’s Missing Envelope
By 1.27.06
ve been rejected and subsequently sent to another account. My money, as of this writing, is still being held and I am waiting for it to be released to me.
Everyone Hates Google.cn
By 1.26.06
Apparently, we weren’t the only ones upset by what Consumerist commenter Hawkins described as Google’s “capitulation to the commie bastards”… although he followed it up with: “But I submit that a constant reminder, every time you search, that you’re being dicked again by your government is better than nothing.” Which are the exact words that Google themselves should have used at the press conference. You might want to submit your C.V. to Google P.R., Hawkins.
Apple Powerbook Audio Flaw: One Month and Counting
By 1.26.06
Owners of the last generation of ‘high-resolution’ Apple Powerbooks are reporting major audio issues that cause an echo or looping effect to occur when playing sound. That’s a real problem for a platform used heavily by musicians and video artists, so one would expect Apple to fix the problem as soon as possible.
Trembicky.com: The Bad Landlord Story Site
By 1.26.06
There’s not yet many stories on Trembicky.com, a site that chronicles “bad landlords we have known,” but we see a kindred spirit. You might remember the name ‘Trembicky’ from the story “‘Gloria Trembicky is a Bad Landlord.’” Inspired by the success of that complaint, Trembicky.com takes its name from the landlord who first terrorized the site’s creators.
MPAA Pirates Documentary In The Name Of The Children
By 1.25.06
In a delicious turn of events that could only be matched by Microsoft discovering it was using warezed copies of Windows on its office computers, the MPAA has been busted for pirating a film submitted to them for rating—called, appropriately enough, ‘This Film Is Not Yet Rated.’ The film’s a documentary currently debuting at Sundance, investigating the unaccountability of the MPAA’s rating board, the inscrutability of its unpublished ratings guidelines and the hypocrisy of Hollywood’s preference for sadistic violence over soft-core sex. Apparently, the film was worrying enough for the MPAA to secretly distribute unauthorized copies to many of its employees. The problem? By the MPAA’s own definition, “ALL forms of piracy are illegal and carry serious legal consequences.”
Who Has More Authority: Stores or Customer Service?
By 1.25.06
A complaint about a bad customer service experience with Sprint from Adam H. (which we will reproduced after the jump) got us to thinking: Do customer service employees who work in the ‘billing’ offices of phone companies like Sprint have more authority to fix payment issues than the person at your local carrier-owned phone retail store? We have a inclination that one needs to call into the service centers to get any sort of billing resolution, but wouldn’t it make sense for at least the managers at the retail operations to have the authority to fix errors, as well? Perhaps it is a trust issue—makes it too easy to tweak bills for friends when you can work with them face-to-face.
Consumers Speak: Bad Waitress Prompts Epic Tale
By 1.25.06
We arrived and were shown to our table. No complaints there. We look over the menu, decide what we want to get, look over the menu some more, and discuss how my boyfriend has only been to Macaroni Grill one other time in his life (in Phoenix, Arizona; oddly enough, the service was memorably sub-par there as well, although it pales in comparison to this). After about 10-15 minutes, we realize that no waiter has come to our table, and that no one has even gotten us water. My boyfriend, thinking that maybe our waiter just doesn’t know that we’re there, goes up to speak with the host. He sits back down. Another 5 minutes pass.
And another 10 minutes will pass before you read everything after the jump.
Starbucks Contest: The Winner!
By 1.24.06
First, Congratulations to Gregg Schultz, whose ‘Clash of the Titans’ story has been overwhelmingly selected by readers as the winner of the Starbucks contest. He’ll be getting a $500 gift certificate to Starbucks, with which he will be able to purchase as many large coffees as he desired. As as a commentor noted, his story of triumph is certain to be optioned into an uplifting Hollywood movie at nearly at time. (We’ll expect to be your date to the Golden Globes, Gregg.)
Consumers Speak: OrbitzMisunderstanding Sends Pop on Wedding Day Adventure
By 1.24.06
Update: A couple of you have written in to criticize our framing of this complaint, pointing out that this was not an error on the part of Orbitz or America West so much as a failure of planning on the part of those involved. You’re right. We do read every complaint before posting them, but we didn’t think this one through. Apologies. (We still enjoyed the story, however.)
Consumers Speak: Jimmy John’s Jimmies with Coupons
By 1.23.06
John B. writes:
I recently went in to Jimmy John’s (http://www.jimmyjohns.com/) in downtown Indianapolis. While some might consider them YASC (Yet Another Sandwich Chain), my wife and I love them. Their #6 is one of the few vegetarian items at a fast-food place I can order without changing the order. It is a delectable sandwich, and quite affordable. I walked in a few weeks ago to pick up dinner, greeted by the familiar wafting bread smell, anxiously awaiting my precious #6.
Pick the Winner of the Starbucks Complaints Contest
By 1.23.06
The voting for the Starbucks Contest is in place after the jump. Read the entries then make your choice. The winner will be forced to go to Starbucks to redeem their $500 Starbucks gift certificate. Voting ends upon our waking tomorrow morning!
Victoria’s Secret to Customers: “Your Breasts Are Too Large To Shop Here”
By 1.23.06
This just in. Victoria’s Secret is launching a systematic attack of intimidation, isolation and humiliation… on women with enormous cans.
Reminder: We Want Your Complaints
By 1.23.06
While we’re constantly scouring the web to pick the plum complaints—Craig “‘slist” Newmark is looking for some Dell 2405 drivers for Fedora, we’ve been told—we also want to know what problems our readers have subjected themselves to in the name of procurement. The best stories always come from our readers.
Starbucks Contest Entries
By 1.23.06
We’re finally getting off our asses to post up the entrants to the Starbucks $500 Gift Certificate Contest. We’ve selected our favorites out of the entries and have posted them after the jump.
Starbucks Contest: Monday!
By 1.20.06
So yeah, yeah, we said we’d run the voting today, but we’re having a heck of a time getting the polling software to work (not to mention, you know, getting any work done at all.) We’ll get it all straightened out Monday, promise.
Commentors Speak: Responsible Ways To Get Your Waiter Fired
We love you guys. When we launched, there was a concern that our comments section would be filled with one-noted, petulant griping — after all, that’s pretty much all we post. But we think you guys are pretty much on the same ball we are — at heart, we aren’t commune hippies with irrational hatred of capitalism, but avid consumers who love buying enough to try to remain unblinkered, who try to remain reasonable beyond both irrational hatred or the empty titillation of some savvy PR temptress.