When Wells Fargo and Wachovia got married, it was bad news for this divorced couple. Merging the two bank’s databases resulted in the husband getting bills and statements for his ex-wife. After trying to fix it and deal with some Wells Fargo customer service reps who clearly needed counseling, the man is ready to break it off with his bank too. [More]
complaints
Went To Firestone To Fix Flat, Got $1,600 Estimate
By 8.3.11
A Redditor has posted images of his repair estimate he got from Firestone after taking their car in to fix a flat. The Firestone mechanic said they couldn’t just put a plug in, they needed to replace the whole tire. And while they were at it, they said the Redditor should overhaul their electrical system for $1,600 because the blinkers didn’t work, even though they did work. [More]
Car Experiences Top List Of 10 Biggest Consumer Complaints
By 7.29.11
No wonder car salesmen get a bad rap: it’s very much deserved! At least that’s according to a new report by the Consumer Federation of America of the top 10 consumer complaints. “Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing and towing disputes,” top the list. It’s almost enough to make you want to switch to a velocipede! [More]
Man Gets $8k Bill For A Million Gallons Of Water That Never Reached His House
By 7.29.11
When the water bill for $8,000 arrived, a New Jersey man quickly found out why his showers had been so weak over the past few months. It turns out that the pipes had burst in his yard, sending nearly a million gallons of water into the soil. He doesn’t think he should have to pay because when he called the water company to complain, they told him his pipes were probably just frozen and so he should just wait for warmer weather. “Like an idiot, I listened to them,” he told The Star Ledger. [More]
Instead Of A Kitchen, Best Buy Leaves You With 3 Big Empty Spaces
By 7.28.11
Best Buy sent some real stumblebums to install Amy’s stove, dishwasher. and kitchen range. First, Best Buy sent the wrong kind of workers, then they sent the wrong dishwasher, and then the right guys showed up with the wrong tools. Now she’s going to have to end up waiting a total of five weeks to have all the appliances in her kitchen installed correctly. Kind of a crappy way to treat someone who just plunked down for three major appliances with you. [More]
Complaint Contact Info For Most Major Companies
By 7.28.11
If you have a complaint and want to know where to put it, besides the place where the sun has not been seen for a while, the Federal government’s Consumer Action Handbook’s has an online address book to help point you in the right direction. [More]
Wells Fargo Denies Mortgage 1 Day Before Closing To 800 Credit Score Buyer With 20% Down
By 7.26.11
After years of anything goes loans-writing, the pendulum has swung far, far, in the other direction. Patrick tells the story of how his loan with Wells Fargo was denied, 1 day before he was set to close on a new condo. Even though he has an 800 credit score and was putting 20% down, this hiccup was enough to make Wells Fargo back up. And because of it, he and his five-month pregnant wife now have one week to find a new place to live. [More]
Fighting For A Working HP Laptop For 8 Months
By 7.25.11
Try as they might, HP just seems to be incapable of getting David’s repair right. When repairing his wireless card that was damaged in a previous repair, they broke the motherboard. Fixing the motherboard, they broke the screen connector. And so on. Even the replacement computer they gave him started to fail, and then they failed at fixing that correctly. This ridiculous dance has been going on for 8 months. [More]
Ralph Nader Gets A Refund From US Airways
By 7.25.11
Ralph Nader, the almighty godfather of the consumer activist movement, has still got it. NYT’s “The Haggler” column just posted a story that Nader called up to tell him about how he got a full refund from US Airways after canceling two round-trip tickets, even getting back the $150 cancellation fee. [More]
Frustrating Chat With A Comcast Rep Impersonating A Robot
By 7.22.11
Is it a man or a robot? A robot impersonating a man? A man impersonating a robot? Such are the questions that flitted through bobbymac’s head as he engaged in text-based dialogue with a Comcast customer service rep. [More]
Best Buy Replaces Deaf Bed-Bound Girl's Laptop After Holding It Hostage
By 7.22.11
After the story of a deaf and bed-bound girl whose laptop had been bouncing back and forth between Best Buy Geek Squad repair for 3 months went up on Consumerist, the ambassador for Geek Squad City, Randy Ratliff, reached out to help. “The buck stops here!” he said in his email. And of all the many who say that, he’s one of the few to mean it. He investigated the issue and now Jenni’s sister has a new laptop. [More]
Steakhouse Compensates For Initially Crappy Service With Stellar Service, Free Meal
By 7.21.11
Jeff and his wife had been sitting for 20 minutes, waiting for their order to be taken at their local steakhouse. Nauseated on eating only peanuts and only having their drink orders filled, they finally got up to pay for their drinks and skedaddle. But when they threatened to walk off, probably never to return again, all of a sudden the restaurant swung the pendulum and started giving them incredible customer service. [More]
Expedia Denies Refund Even Though Hotel Was Closed
By 7.15.11
This summer, Abe went on a trip through Europe this summer with his wife and kids. One night, he made a hotel reservation using the Expedia iPhone app. But when he arrived at the place, it was already past check-in time and no one was around. When he called Expedia for a refund, they said no, because the check-in time was disclosed on their website, even though that information was not available through the iPhone app at all. [More]
The Slum Lord Garbage Tree
By 7.15.11
Greg was pretty ticked off. After two weeks of complaining to management, the tall tree outside his apartment complex still had garbage hanging from its branches. It looked like some sort of foul Christmas Tree for hobos. He couldn’t use the parking spot he pays $94 a month for because the building staff had removed all the “Tenant Only” parking signs and not put up the new ones. People who didn’t live in the building were parking in his spot. Only after sending a string of admonishing emails to the building manager, his bosses, and the board of directors did Greg finally get The Tree Of Garbage cleaned up. Here’s the chain of emails: [More]
How Price Guarantees, Aren't
By 7.14.11
Reader Ziemowit has a good point. Some big box stores loudly proclaim their “PRICE GUARANTEE” signs but then actually do some stuff that make them irrelevant. The guarantee is supposed to be that they will match any competitor’s price. But when you have a number of manufacturers making products with packaging and SKUs just for that one retailer, then you can’t do a price guarantee because no one else carries that specific model. If you can’t find the same product at another store, you can’t match the price. Zing! [More]
If I Rebook At A Holiday Inn I "Favorited," I Expect The Hotel To Be In The Same Location
By 7.14.11
In the five years I’ve been writing for Consumerist, I’ve read plenty of hotel horror stories and complaints, but this is a new one. Using the “Favorites” option on his HolidayInn.com account, reader Andy booked a stay at a Holiday Inn Express that he had gone to before and enjoyed. When he arrived at the same location, it was now a “Mission Inn.” They told him the Holiday Inn had moved down the road. The new facility was sub-par compared to what it had been previously and he complained to Holiday Inn corporate, they basically said “tough noogies.” Which is how Holiday Inn just lost a life-long customer. [More]
Best Buy Holding Deaf Bed-Bound Girl's Laptop Hostage Since May
By 7.13.11
Jenni’s sister is disabled and bed-bound, and her laptop is her portal to the world. So when her HP laptop had to go in for repair, it was a big deal. It was an even bigger deal after the Geek Squad spent over a month dickering with the repair and while it was in their hands, the warranty ran out. Now Geek Squad won’t give it back unless the full out of warranty price is paid, and HP says it’s not their problem, it’s Geek Squad’s. Meanwhile it’s been almost three months and Jenni’s sister has no computer. [More]
I Should Never Have Given Comcast A Second Chance
By 7.11.11
After leaving Comcast because of their prices, John tried to come back to try and get some faster internet. But despite being a prior customer, nobody could give it to him because they couldn’t verify his address. Even though this address had already received service in his name. Neither the online order system, chatroom CSR, local office, nor a regional salesperson could help. Shrug, what’s one dissatisfied customer when you have a virtual monopoly? [More]
