To tweak an old joke, how can you tell when a CEO is lying? A: When their mouth is moving. Or, you can look for certain key phrases, as researchers did in scrutinizing what was said in corporate earnings calls by executives who later had to restate earnings. They found a few patterns: [More]
executives
JetBlue CFO Gives Out Free Tickets Mid-Flight
By 10.19.10
Consumerist reader Tracy was flying JetBlue this Saturday when an announcement came over the intercom saying there was a “special guest” onboard. It was JetBlue CFO Ed Barnes! Big whoop, said the passengers, until the flight attendant added, “and the CFO is feeling really generous so we are going to have two people in the front row randomly pick a number and a letter and the person sitting in that seat will win a free JetBlue roundtrip ticket anywhere Jetblue flies.” [More]
Even Steve Jobs Can't Bring Throwing Stars On Airplanes
By 9.15.10
Providing further proof that he’s part of an international ninja assassin squad made up of CEOs, Steve Jobs was reportedly detained at a Japanese airport for carrying a throwing star. [More]
Spirit CEO Justifies Carry-On Bag Fees
By 4.13.10
Executives love to justify price increases or staff reductions by hauling out the customer service argument, because then any complaint you make can be framed as self-defeating. (“Don’t you want better service?”) On that note, Spirit’s CEO Ben Baldanza told travel blogger Christopher Elliott last week that the new carry-on bag fee is really intended to reduce gate delays. Remember to send a thank-you card to Baldanza. [More]
Regions Bank Bans Customer For Life For Pestering Them About $29 Fee
By 4.7.10
A man in Tennessee has been banned from ever entering any Regions Bank branch again, because the bank says he was so disruptive and hostile to their employees that they were forced to seek a restraining order. The cause of the dispute was a $29 late fee on an account where the bank had moved up the due date but hadn’t noted it on the online version of the account. [More]
Are Corporate Boards Ruining American Businesses? This Book Says Yes
By 1.15.10
The new book Money for Nothing looks at corporate boards: how they’re frequently hand-picked and ruled by the CEOs they’re supposed to keep in check, how they’re sidelined by various conflicts of interest and lack of accountability, and how the worst ones have massively screwed shareholders. [More]
Bank Of America Names President Of Consumer Banking As New CEO
By 12.17.09
Update your EECB contact lists: Bank of America has named their new CEO. The new man in charge will be Brian T. Moynihan, who has been the president of president of Consumer and Small Business Banking since August. According to BusinessWeek, the board chose Moynihan after an external candidate dropped out of contention. [More]
Prepare Your Delta Air Lines EECB For Takeoff
By 11.29.09
After reading Martin’s unaccompanied minor air travel horror story yesterday, Aaron sent us this updated list of Delta Air Lines executive contact information from Elliott.org. [More]
Contact HSBC Bank USA's CEO
By 11.7.09
Having trouble with HSBC? Executive customer service no help? Here’s where to contact the president and CEO of HSBC Bank USA.
Capital One Activates Payment Protection Plan Thanks To EECB
By 11.7.09
Earlier this week, I posted about a college student who couldn’t get Capital One’s Emergency Payment Protection Plan activated on his account because of missed deadlines. Andon wrote back today to say that after he sent an EECB to the credit card company’s executives, they apologized and activated the service.
Airline Employees Call Police On Angry CEO Who Chewed Them Out
By 9.28.09
This story combines two immutable laws of nature in a surprising twist: that executives don’t always know what their front-line employees are doing, and that airline employees don’t give a f*ck who you are and will call the police if you annoy them.
Chrysler Executive Has Fallen On Hard Times, Too
By 9.20.09
Are you struggling financially these days? You’re certainly not alone, and you even have something in common with Jim Press, one of Chrysler’s top executives. Press, hit hard by the housing market collapse and the lack of bonuses from Chrysler as the company failed, faces debts including a $800,000 unsecured personal loan and a $947,000 federal tax lien on his home.
Bank Of America Board Members Subpoenaed
By 9.18.09
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office is gathering information in order to file fraud charges against some BoA executives over what they knew, and what they hid, when they acquired Merrill Lynch & Co. a year ago. Earlier this week, his office subpoenaed 5 board members to find out “what they knew regarding the mounting losses and bonus payments at Merrill before the deal closed on Jan. 1 and what role they played in deciding whether to disclose that information to shareholders,” according to the Associated Press.
What To Do When The AT&T Rep Won't Help You
By 8.4.09
Last week we wrote that AT&T charged Spoco’s Amex card twice for the same payment, but their CSRs refused to investigate the issue for him. After we posted his story, AT&T took notice and reversed the charge. That raises the question these stories always raise, which is, “How do I get the same result if my problem isn’t published on Consumerist?”
Banks Use Life Insurance Policies To Fund Executive Bonuses
By 5.22.09
Here’s a morbid bit of creative accounting, courtesy of the Wall Street Journal: if you work for Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase, or Wells Fargo, your employer may have taken out a life insurance policy on you.
Updated Contact Info For Best Buy Execs
By 5.7.09
An anonymous tipster sent in an updated list of contact info for some of the people working at the top of the Best Buy food chain. Remember, don’t bug them until you’ve exhausted all other options.
The CEO Of Delta Reveals His Secrets
By 4.27.09
Richard Anderson, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, was interviewed by the New York Times and shared his tips on hiring (ask about their family life), running meetings (no Blackberries!), and dealing with customers: “I find myself, more and more, writing hand-written notes to people,” he says. “I must write a half a dozen a day.” These are apology notes, we’re guessing.
Chrysler Financial Accused Of Turning Down Government Loan To Avoid Executive Bonus Restrictions
By 4.20.09
The Washington Post has just published a story accusing executives at Chrysler Financial of turning down a $750 million government loan because they “didn’t want to abide by new federal limits on pay,” and instead opted for more expensive private sector financing, “adding to the burdens of the already fragile automaker and its financing company.” Chrysler Financial denies the charge.
