Tempers in the country are running hot, so much so that at least one gas station owner has turned the LCD screen on his pumps into a medium of personal expression. In a Consumerist exclusive, one of our readers found a gas pump programmed to say, “AN AMERICAN COMPANY. NO TERRORIST GAS!!!” at his local Valero gas station. [More]
exclusives
BP Took 79 Days To Do Fix Citizen Sent Them On Day 6
A reader claims he emailed BP and the White House on April 28th with the very method put into place to seal the gushing oil well on July 10th, and all he ever got back were boilerplate form letter replies. [More]
Google Store View Cameraman Spotted In The Wild
Reader Yankees368 was dining at Breeze NY when a Google employee tromped in and started taking pictures of the restaurant’s interior, including the food he was about to eat, for the Google Store View project. [More]
Dell Mini 9 Mysteriously Ablaze! (Pics)
There’s a big scorch mark on Hannah’s floor. It appeared last week after her Dell Mini 9 began suddenly sizzling and smoking and melting. We have pictures, and questions. [More]
The Article Cash4Gold Doesn't Want You To Read
By Ben Popken and Meg Marco
If you have any broken, ugly jewelry lying around in a drawer somewhere, you’ve probably taken notice of a company called Cash4Gold that promised to pay “top dollar” for your not-so-precious precious metals. If you’re like us, you might have even seen a post on ComplaintsBoard.com by a former employee exposing Cash4Gold.
The whistleblower’s post appeared on ComplaintsBoard last November. We featured it this February, as part of our ongoing coverage of Cash4Gold, after the company raised its public profile with a multi-million dollar Super Bowl ad. The post was indeed written by an ex-employee, Michele Liberis, who is now being sued by the company for defamation. Recently, Cash4Gold added Consumerist and ComplaintsBoard as co-defendants in its lawsuits (PDF) against Liberis and another former employee, Vielka Nephew (PDF), in an attempt to force us to take the information down. Liberis and Nephew have chosen to stand up to Cash4Gold’s legal attack, and so have we.
Dusty PS3 Inspector Threw Dirt On PS3 So He Wouldn't Have To Repair It
Well well well. New information from an inside source says that the tech threw dirt on the infamous “dusty PS3” to deny the warranty claim because he didn’t feel like repairing it. Shocking! His confession, inside.
Recap: Ben & Meg Interview Obama Administration On Credit Card Reform
Here, catch all of our interview with Austan Goolsbee breaking down why the credit card reform act was needed. If you missed any of the clips, here’s is the four-part series in its entirety…
Video: Consumer Reports Tests The Snuggie
We can yuck it up all we want about The Snuggie meme, but how does “the blanket with sleeves!” stand up to Consumer Reports rigorous testing procedures? In this delightful and informative video, Meg Marco and Ben Popken journey to the Consumer Reports labs to find out the straight dope on the fleecy wonder that has captivated the nation.
Consumerist Interviews Goolsbee On Credit Card Reform: Part 4 of 4
The final installment of our 4-part interview on credit card reform with Austan Goolsbee, President Obama’s senior economic adviser. In this one we say, hey, what about mandatory binding arbitration?
Consumerist Interviews Goolsbee On Credit Card Reform: Part 3 of 4
Are credit cards set up like a horrible game of Chutes & Ladders that plays for keeps? In the 3nd of our 4-part interview series with President Obama’s Senior Economic Adviser, Austan Goolsbee, on credit card reform, we ask why credit card companies can raise the APR on stuff you already charged, and go into some of the credit card companies’ anti-consumer tricks like liquid and fickle terms and conditions, penalty fees that aren’t trying to discourage behavior anymore, they’re just pure profit, and teeny-tiny contracts written in “Bank-o-nese.”
Consumerist Interviews Goolsbee On Credit Card Reform: Part 2 of 4
In the 2nd of our 4-part interview series with President Obama’s Senior Economic Adviser, Austan Goolsbee, on credit card reform, we ask, what about the kids? Specifically, what is this bill going to do about those guys giving away shirts on campus in exchange for signing up for credit cards? Because these seems a really great service for college students, who, as we know, frequently go shirtless. Also, how one side of the debate on credit cards is essentially arguing that if you didn’t want to get carjacked you should have taken the bus… because an honest business model and a profitable one needn’t be mutually exclusive.
Goolsbee Video Fixed
If you had problems viewing the Goolsbee interview, this here video should work for you now. [Consumerist]
Consumerist Interviews Goolsbee On Credit Card Reform: Part 1 of 4
We took your credit card reform questions to DC yesterday and interviewed Austan Goolsbee, senior economic adviser to President Obama. In part 1 of our 4-part series, we ask how are banks getting billions in bailouts and can turn around and cut off millions of credit cards and raise rates? How does it make sense that credit card companies can raise the interest rate on an existing balance? And, most importantly, why don’t we treat credit cards more like Canadians do cigarettes?
Consumerist Interviews Goolsbee About Credit Card Reform: Part 1 of 4
We took your credit card reform questions to DC yesterday and interviewed Austan Goolsbee, senior economic adviser to President Obama. In part 1 of our 4-part series, we ask how are banks getting billions in bailouts and can turn around and cut off millions of credit cards and raise rates? How does it make sense that credit card companies can raise the interest rate on an existing balance? And, most importantly, why don’t we treat credit cards more like Canadians do cigarettes?
Comcast To Give $5 To Every Accidental Penis Viewer?
How much would someone have to pay you to have your kids watch a penis? Comcast answers that question by giving a $5 one-time discount to every subscriber in Tucson, AZ who had their cerebellum gelatinized by seeing the porno movie that accidentally cut into the Super Bowl last night, according to a rumor a reporter we know overheard in their newsroom.
Circuit City Bouncing Refund Checks, But Will Reissue Them
If you have a Circuit City refund check not deposited before 11/10, it’s going to bounce.
Goldman Furious Over Our Posting Insider's Confession About Ripping Off Non-Profits
Goldman-Sachs read my post, “Goldman Rips Off Non-Profits, Endowments, Foundations, And Charities” about a conversation I had with a Goldman-Sachs trader where he boasted about ripping off charitable organizations with excessive fees, and they’re hopping mad. Here is the lovenote sent by Melissa Daly, VP of Corporate Communications: