follow ups

Reader's New CEO Pen Pal Comes Through, Gets Him $200
Service Credit

Reader's New CEO Pen Pal Comes Through, Gets Him $200 Service Credit

DirecTV President and CEO Mike White made good on his promise to help reader Daniel. We published Daniel’s Saturday evening e-mail exchange with Mr. White yesterday, and received an update on the situation. He received a full credit for the NFL Sunday Ticket package that was renewed this season without his permission. [More]

Verizon Was Just Kidding About Charging You $3.50 To Pay
Your Bill

Verizon Was Just Kidding About Charging You $3.50 To Pay Your Bill

Verizon was on the verge of charging landline, FiOS, and DSL customers $3.50 for the privilege of paying their bill by credit card, but has apparently reconsidered. [More]

ESPN Doesn't Black Out HD College Football Games, It Just Withholds Them

ESPN Doesn't Black Out HD College Football Games, It Just Withholds Them

Responding to a post earlier this week in which college football fan Matt complained about not being able to watch certain college football games in HD on an ESPN channel due to programming decisions, Mike from ESPN’s communications department wrote in to clear the air: [More]

Roto-Rooter Offers Tiny Refund To Customer Who Spent $200 For Short Visit (Updated)

Roto-Rooter Offers Tiny Refund To Customer Who Spent $200 For Short Visit (Updated)

Usually when a company emails us after we post a complaint, it’s with tail between the legs and the intent to satisfy the customer. Roto-Rooter, however, seized the opportunity to offer a piecemeal refund that only managed to further anger the offended client. [More]

Kid Gets Herpes From Condom He Found In Hotel Room

Kid Gets Herpes From Condom He Found In Hotel Room

Last month we wrote about the 4-year-old boy in Atlanta who mistook a used condom in a hotel room for a balloon and put it in his mouth. An STD test confirmed the family’s suspicions that the boy contracted herpes from the condom. [More]

Verizon Makes Up For Unreasonable Data Bill Once Story Gets Out

Verizon Makes Up For Unreasonable Data Bill Once Story Gets Out

Last week Chris told us about how Verizon victimized his dad by nailing him with a $500 data charge for 35 megabytes of usage. The charges were based on an outdated plan from the Stone Age, and today’s data rates wouldn’t have approached anything near that amount. Verizon wasn’t in the mood to respond to his case until we posted the story Friday. By the end of the weekend, the company issued Chris’s dad a $440 credit. [More]

After Jacking My Honeymoon Cost, Expedia Makes Good

After Jacking My Honeymoon Cost, Expedia Makes Good

Last week we posted a complaint from Shawn, who said his honeymoon was ruined when Expedia sold him a $3,000 all-inclusive trip to Grand Cayman then left him on the hook for an extra $2,160 when it turned out the vacation was about half-inclusive. [More]

Firestone Fixes Broken Axle For Free, Blames
"Miscommunication"

Firestone Fixes Broken Axle For Free, Blames "Miscommunication"

Remember Greg? The front axle of his car broke as he tried to drive it out of a Firestone Complete Auto Care shop, and the shop wouldn’t take responsibility for the incident. We heard back from Greg. He reports that the regional manager declared the situation a “miscommunication.” He now has a repaired axle and a word of thanks for the readers of Consumerist. [More]

Sony Gives Me Game To Make Up For Hard Drive It Won't Admit
It Lost

Sony Gives Me Game To Make Up For Hard Drive It Won't Admit It Lost

Chris says he sent his broken PS3 to Sony, which sent it back sans the upgraded hard drive he’d installed, claiming Chris had sent the console to them that way. He fought the callous treatment and received a consolation prize: A game the CSR semi-suggested he could sell to help pay for a replacement drive. [More]

Man Who Offered To Set Car On Fire Saves Home

Man Who Offered To Set Car On Fire Saves Home

The guy who offered to set his car on fire in exchange for “loanations” (his word–he says he’s going to pay back all donations) managed to raise enough money to prevent the foreclosure sale of his house yesterday. Below is a video of him handing over a check for $21,000. The only problem is, now he’s saying he might not burn the car. [More]

Wells Fargo Finally Stops Objecting To My Marriage

Wells Fargo Finally Stops Objecting To My Marriage

Jennifer wrote earlier this month about Wells Fargo’s inability to come to terms with the fact that she is a married woman who changed her last name. Maybe the bank had a thing for her and couldn’t deal with her not being single anymore. Whatever the case, Wells Fargo finally corrected her name on the accounts. [More]

Home Buyer Takes Consumerist Hive Mind Advice, Emerges Victorious

Home Buyer Takes Consumerist Hive Mind Advice, Emerges Victorious

Remember Frank? He asked Consumerist readers for advice about his short-sale purchase of a house gone terribly, terribly wrong. He’s back, with an update! As you may recall, the hive mind advised him to walk away from the deal. Better yet, run away. Or drive away in a supercharged muscle car. Frank writes that he took this advice to heart, and emerged victorious. But not in the way you might expect. [More]

Verizon Worker Says There's No Incentive To Hold Back Droid Xs For New Customers

Verizon Worker Says There's No Incentive To Hold Back Droid Xs For New Customers

A Verizon sales rep takes issue with our tipster who said he pre-ordered a Droid X and was denied the superphone because a Verizon sales rep said he was holding back stock for new customers. [More]

Domino's Drivers Can Ask To See ID On Credit Card Purchases, But You Don't Have To Show It

Domino's Drivers Can Ask To See ID On Credit Card Purchases, But You Don't Have To Show It

A Domino’s PR rep says drivers aren’t allowed to ask you for your Social Security Number to verify credit card purchases. Drivers can ask to see your ID, but you can refuse and the driver can’t deny the transaction. [More]

Hollister Provides Refund, Will Show Employees What Washed Shorts Look Like

Hollister Provides Refund, Will Show Employees What Washed Shorts Look Like

Roger, whose Hollister shorts shrank a full size after he had the audacity to wash them, sent us an update. He writes that his situation has a happy ending: the company refunded his entire purchase, not just the shorts, and claim that they’ll be taking the opportunity to make sure to train their employees to see what a pair of washed shorts looks like. See the effect a good complaint can have…once you finally get through to someone with power? [More]

State Farm Refunds Money Lost In Bank Error, Thanks Commenters

State Farm Refunds Money Lost In Bank Error, Thanks Commenters

It’s a big no-no for banks to take money out of customers’ accounts in $20,000 increments. State Farm Bank recognized this fact and says it has refunded all the mistakenly zapped money and will refund all overdraft fees. [More]

Art Institute Of Pittsburgh Sees Our Post, Fixes Student's Billing Issue

Art Institute Of Pittsburgh Sees Our Post, Fixes Student's Billing Issue

Last month, Daniel wrote in to complain that the Art Institute Online, which is part of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, had completely jacked up his final semester with them. When he wrote to us, he had no diploma, and he was being charged nearly $3,000 for undisclosed course requirements that the school had promised to comp. Fortunately, he’s written back with some good news. [More]

Here's The List Of 'Countries' Verizon Covers

Here's The List Of 'Countries' Verizon Covers

Verizon may be exaggerating when it says it offers coverage in more than 220 countries, but at least it isn’t just making the number up. [More]