Miguel writes that his Samsung monitor stopped working, but it has a 3-year warranty. He contacted Samsung to see if they could help him. They could not, but not for any mundane reason. Samsung insists that his monitor is from Canada, and they can’t provide warranty service to Miguel because he doesn’t live in Canada. Where did he buy his monitor? Um, a Sam’s Club store in Missouri. [More]
confusion
Samsung Not Sure Where Its Samsung Apps Will Work
By 9.15.10
James wanted to buy a new Samsung Blu-ray player that could download and run Samsung Apps, which are widgets that can connect to the Internet or–in the case of the Hulu Plus app–stream video content. He tried to make sure he knew what he was doing before making a purchase, because his whole point for upgrading was to access Hulu, but he still chose the wrong player. Or did he? No, he did. Right? [More]
This Batman Product Is Confusing But Only Costs $1.50
By 7.7.10
We do not pretend to understand this Batman product. We simply present it for your consideration. [More]
Hallmark Pulls Card With Audio Clip Over Accusations Of Astronomical Racism
By 6.15.10
It’s so hard to understand each other in this life. First there was that unfortunate honey bun mixup, and now Hallmark is trying to prevent a bunch of press conferences from happening (too late!) by pulling a graduation card from shelves. Why? Because either Hoops or Yo-Yo–I don’t know which character is which–spouts shockingly racist insults and threats when you open the card. Well, maybe. [More]
Getting Refund For Defective Treadmill Is Like Running On… Well, You Know
By 2.25.10
After purchasing a large piece of fitness equipment from Amazon, do not move. Ever. This apparently confuses the customer service representatives and sends you on a two-month odyssey of buck-passing, missed connections, confusion, and consumer mayhem. Vu writes that he has learned this lesson the hard way. He would like Amazon to come pick the damn thing up so he can get his refund. [More]
Banned Bank Of America Customer Says His Credit Is Clear
By 7.8.09
Earlier this week we wrote about how BoA told Jesse he could never have an account with them, but they wouldn’t give a specific reason. A lot of readers and tipsters suggested ChexSystems was the culprit, so we asked Jesse if there was something in his credit past causing the problem.
Bank Of America: "That's Why You Don't Open New Accounts Online"
By 7.8.09
After reading about how Jesse was banned for life from Bank of America for no clear reason, other readers wrote in with similarly bizarre BoA stories. Wayne was locked out of his new account after he opened it and charged a $75 overdraft fee. Chris was sent checks linked to a duplicate account and then charged penalties when the checks bounced. Edward’s new account was closed but the CSR refused to tell him why, and he was charged a $60 “research fee” for the closing. When Edward went to a BoA branch to clear things up, he says the employee there told him, “That’s why you don’t open up accounts online.”
Blue Redbox Experiencing A Severe Identity Crisis
By 7.3.09
Chris spotted this Blue Redbox at a Wal-Mart. Poor, confused box.
Best Buy Tries To Convince You To Buy The Wrong Memory Card
By 6.12.09
Reader Phil is annoyed. He called Best Buy to see if they carried MiniSD memory cards. He was told that they did, but when he got to the store — all they had was MicroSD. Instead of just apologizing and letting Phil get on with his day — they tried to convince him that he was wrong, and his camera took MicroSD. It doesn’t.
At Food Lion, "Value Pricing" Means Extra Confusion!
By 5.31.09
Food Lion can’t decide how much this boneless New York strip steak costs or weighs. It could weigh .47 pounds at $9.49 per pound, or it could be 1.06 pounds of value priced meat at $6.64 per pound. Reader Mike isn’t sure what’s really going on here, but he’s hungry and confused and wants his steak to come with answers.
Cablevision Takes Away Analog Stations Before DTV Transition, Confuses Customers
By 5.22.09
Joe works at a Radio Shack store on Long Island. Lately, the combination of the digital TV transition and some recent lineup changes at local cable TV provider Cablevision has Joe concerned, since he has both a conscience and a brain, and is an avid Consumerist reader.
Best Buy Might Replace Your Lemon Of A Laptop If It Breaks A Sixth Time. Probably Not.
By 3.28.09
Please don’t pull the cord on Howard’s laptop or it will die. Best Buy‘s Geek Squad has failed five times to coax his laptop’s ailing battery into holding a charge, replacing both the battery and the hard drive, and shipping Howard the same incorrect replacement battery three times. Howard now wants Best Buy to honor their lemon policy by giving him a new laptop, but it seems like every Geek Squad agent has a different copy of the replacement policy, and none of them apply to Howard. It’s almost like he’s asking for a price match! Let’s read his story, inside…
Brian Manages To Replace His Rusty Craftsman Sockets At Sears
By 3.16.09
When we broke off from our Sears Craftsman warranty saga last Friday, Brian had been told there were no replacements on tools that have rust on them, which wasn’t what Sears told us the last time we had warranty questions. Over the weekend, Brian found more evidence that Sears can’t get its warranty language straight. But there’s some good news, too: he dressed up a little, cleaned off the sockets, and went back to Sears. This time he got a different associate who seemed to have no problem swapping out the tools, and who never mentioned the supposed “three per day” rule.
Turbo Tax Tells You To Print An "Extra Form" But Won't Say Which One
By 2.22.09
Turbo Tax told reader I’m A Super that he needed to fill out an extra form to complete his state tax return, but wouldn’t tell him which form. Just to be safe, I’m A Super re-downloaded Turbo Tax only to get the same error message. When he called Intuit to ask about the mysterious form, he was that it was solely his responsibility to call the State Tax commission and to review his tax forms to make sure nothing was missing.
Retail Multiple Personality Disorder Strikes at Walmart
By 1.29.09
Reader Jeff is confused. He wants to purchase a laptop from Walmart. Upon Perusing his website from home, he saw a nice Acer Netbook for under $300. Of course, upon walking into the store, he was confronted with a slightly higher price. Luckily, he talked to the nice customer service representative and quickly price matched the in store item to the online price and Jeff walked out a happy customer.
Hundreds Confused As Hawaii Transitions To Digital
By 1.18.09
Hawaii last week became the first state to transition to digital television, leading hundreds of confused locals to call into the FCC’s help center. Though the transition appears to have been a technical success, the new digital signals mays never reach some of the 20,000 Hawaiians who rely on analog service.
Don't Worry, Reselling Children's Clothing Isn't About To Become Illegal. Probably.
By 1.17.09
Reselling your kid’s used clothing could soon violate federal law. Come February 10, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act will prevent retailers from selling children’s products that haven’t been certified as lead free. Old hand-me-downs, of course, haven’t been certified for anything more than running around the yard. Parents are worried, petitions are being drawn up, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission isn’t doing much to clarify the law.
Pediatric Dentist Sues Parents Over Negative Yelp Review
By 1.13.09
California dentist Yvonne Wong has sued two parents who complained in a review on Yelp that their child received mercury fillings and left Wong’s office feeling light-headed from laughing gas. Wong claims “it never occurred to her to contact the boy’s parents” before filing her libel suit, although the dentist clearly doesn’t have the best counsel. Her lawyer also tried to sue Yelp, apparently unaware that web sites publishing third-party content are protected under federal law.
