As a product, NBC’s broadcast of the 2010 Winter Olympics seemed pretty disappointing to a lot of online users. TechCrunch points out that a recent analysis of comments on Twitter, blogs, and forums, shows a wide range of dissatisfaction with NBC’s coverage, with the biggest percentage focused on content: 19% of the complaints were about the tape delay of events (what a former NBC sports exec once called “plausibly live”), and 20% were about there not being enough actual sporting events shown. [More]
complaints
Slate Looks At What's Wrong With Airline Seating
By 3.1.10
Although we’ve discussed it here plenty of times, the recent twitstorm caused by Kevin Smith after he was booted from a Southwest flight has brought more mainstream coverage to the issue of airline seating. Slate asked its readers for input, and today it published the most consistent arguments, like it’s not just a problem for overweight people, and we might have to buy our way out of it. [More]
Man's Water Bill Jumps From 4,000 To 23,000 Gallons Per Month
By 2.24.10
Reader Jim just got a water bill that says his usage has jumped up to 19,000 23,000 gallons per month from his usual 4,000. This is a guy who lives in a one-bath, one-toilet, one-sink house. “Must be that swimming pool I filled in the middle of winter in Western PA,” he says. So far, the utility has dismissed all his requests for explanation, or logic, and demanded he pay up immediately. [More]
30 Worst NJ Toll Collectors
By 2.23.10
Never give a New Jersey toll collector pennies. Never. Ever. Not unless you want to risk them being thrown in your face. That’s the lesson I learned from reading the 30 pages of customer complaints The Smoking Gun gathered by doing a Freedom of Information Act request on the State of New Jersey. And in between the suggestions to stay flashing suggestions, threats of strip search and violence, that state is very altered indeed. [More]
Just Calling Bank Of America Invokes The Cancel Monster
By 2.23.10
Be careful if you call Bank of America. You might wake the beast. April called BofA about a credit card that she hand’t used in a while to see about getting her interest rate reduced. At first they told her she qualified for a new card with an APR 10 points lower, but then the bloodshot eye of the guardian cast its fell gaze upon her for the first time in years and something nasty happened… [More]
Thanks To Bank Of America's Crappy Online Payment System, Your House Is Getting Foreclosed
By 2.11.10
Sally is 20 years ahead on her 30-year mortgage. So why is Bank of America about to foreclose on her? [More]
Man Who Pledged To Never Buy Another Vizio Gets Help
By 2.11.10
The man who said he’ll never buy another Vizio after his crapped out just a few months after his warranty ran out and would cost nearly half the purchase price to repair, says that after our post went up a gal in their customer service department called him and is “doing their best to rectify the situation.” He Jeremy writes on his blog, “This entire situation has taken an unexpected turn, which I will keep you abreast of in the days to come.” [More]
Man Out For Repoman's Blood (Listen To Their Calls)
By 2.10.10
Some “pal” of Mark’s put him down as a reference on a motorcycle loan with Freedom Road Financial and fell behind on his payments. So now the company is making harassing phone calls to Mark and his elderly mom, almost giving her a heart attack, telling them that Mark is in “serious trouble,” that he’s “a party” to the “stolen motorcycle.” They wouldn’t stop even though he told them to, and now an “investigator” identifying himself as “Marshal Davis” is also making calls, threatening to send “people” to his home and office. Mark recorded a conversation with Michelle Peacan at Freedom Road Financial (FRF) and we liked it so much that we added some funny photos, and uploaded it to YouTube. Then we reached FRF for comment. [More]
Why I Won't Be Buying Another Vizio
By 2.9.10
Jeremy won’t be buying any more Vizio TVs. He bought an HD one for $650 , then after 18 months of use, it began flickering on and off and then wouldn’t turn it on. The CSR told him it would cost him ~$300 to send it in to repair the power supply, nearly half the purchase price, as the warranty expired. Jeremy thinks a TV should last longer than a year and a half, and so he wrote an open letter on his blog to William Wang, CEO of Vizio TV. [More]
State Investigators Find All Sorts Of Dirty Tricks At Mercury Insurance
By 2.8.10
This summer Californians will be able to vote on Proposition 17, which if passed will allow insurers to bypass some legal restrictions on how much they can charge for auto insurance. Mercury Insurance Group is a big proponent of the proposition, but maybe that’s because it’s been possibly sidestepping the law in recent years anyway. Hey, making it legal will just prevent another state report like the one Carla Marinucci at the San Francisco Chronicle obtained, which contains findings that Mercury “has engaged in practices that may be illegal, including deceptive pricing and discrimination against consumers such as active members of the military and drivers of emergency vehicles.” [More]
Bank of America Screws Even Ex-Employees Of 21 Years On Mortgages
By 2.8.10
How many different ways can you screw a man? Vince couldn’t make his Bank of America mortgage, because they fired him after 21 years of service in the due diligence department. Even after he did a short sale 5 months ago, Bank of America still hasn’t cleared it off their books. Now the illegal debt collection calls start. Is new CEO Brian Moynihan powerless to stop his own company from shaking down its own employees? Let’s find out! [More]
Whistleblower Nurse On Trial For Reporting Doctor To State Board
By 2.8.10
Update: After four days, the nurse was acquitted. [More]
Took Matter Into Own Hands After RoboCaller Spoofed Cell
By 2.5.10
A scammy robocaller had spoofed Rodger’s phone number and angry recipients of the calls were calling him incessantly, but now it’s over. With AT&T’s help, he realized that the autodialer had spoofed his new work number, which was being forwarded to his cellphone. So he disabled the call forwarding, kept his cellphone number, and just had his new work number changed. Victory. [More]
Will A Human At BofA Finally Please Modify My $160,000 Underwater Mortgage
By 2.5.10
Jim and Susan’s mortgage is underwater by $160,000. They want to live up to their obligations, they want to keep their home, but they can’t do it with a $370,000 mortgage on a house that’s only worth $210,000. An attorney told them to send some “jingle mail,” just pop the house keys in an envelope, mail it to the bank, and move away. What they really want is a modification so they can stay in their house, but Bank of America has been jerking them around and they don’t have faith that this last hurdle will actually get them a mod. Isn’t there a decision-making human at BofA that can finalize this deal for them? [More]
8 Ways To Make Sure Your Complaint Letter Will Be Ignored
By 2.3.10 — Updated: 11.1.12
You’re mad, you’re annoyed, or you’ve been ripped off. So you decide to take action, and open up your word processor or e-mail client to write a complaint letter. But that doesn’t mean you actually want anyone to take you seriously, or to help you. Follow these tips to make sure your complaint goes nowhere near anyone in power. [More]
RoboCaller Spoofed My Cell, Now Angry People Call Me Nonstop
By 2.3.10
Rodger is screwed. A telephonic bot is using his cellphone number as the caller ID as it spam calls thousands of people. It’s probably a scam, too, because the message it leaves tells people that if they’ve had their credit card canceled recently, to press “1” and then enter their credit card number. Rodger knows exactly the message that’s left because loads of these people are angrily calling back his cellphone.
UPDATE: Took Matter Into Own Hands After RoboCaller Spoofed Cell
Delta Gives $50 To Apologize For Overcharging By $700
By 2.2.10
A young girl, trying to make it to her dying father’s bedside. An old airline that can’t find your reservation. A $1200 ticket that is now a $2000 ticket. A prefabricated apology for only $50. These, are the Delta chronicles… [More]
UPS Promises To Stop Catapulting Your Packages
By 2.2.10
UPS has pledged to fix the problem with their drivers lofting Ryan’s packages through the air and over the fence to smash on the concrete. After Ryan’s complaint went up, UPS contacted Consumerist, and we put them in touch with Ryan. They are also apparently going to work on the whole leaving packages to soak in the rain thing. Hurray. [More]
