Remember Mark, the gentleman who paid $200 to repair a Hitachi TV, only to see it immediately break again? Of course you don’t, because we posted his story three months ago.
follow ups
Man Twists Amazon's Arm, Gets It To Accept Money It Gave Away
By 10.14.09
Joshua had a problem with Amazon. He and his wife bought Kindles, broke one and went for a return/exchange, in which the couple ended up with a new Kindle and $300 of Amazon’s money in its account.
Organizations Start To Bail On Smart Choices Campaign
By 9.25.09
Smart Choices, the pseudo-science marketing campaign, seems to be circling the drain.
Doctors Smack Down "Smart Choices" Campaign Labeling Fruit Loops As "Healthy"
By 9.16.09
Last week we pointed you toward the New York Times’ report on the dubious Smart Choices campaign, an industry-backed, pseudo-science marketing effort to convince you Froot Loops and other sugary cereals really are part of a complete, healthy breakfast. The Sustainable Food blog is not amused at the existence of such a program, and put together a list of 10 reasons Smart Choices is bogus.
10 Extinct Twitter-Types Thanks To New Terms Of Service
By 9.16.09
Instead of cranking out cumbersome terms of service Magna Cartas that only lawyers will actually read, Twitter should follow the lead of Mashable and just come out and say what types of users it’s attempting to get rid of.
Best Buy Responds To Fury Of Internet, Decides Not To Hold Data Hostage
By 9.14.09
Remember that couple who tried to get Best Buy to fix their CD drive, only to have lost all their data and be charged $1,500?
Video Shows Chicks Getting Ground Up Alive
By 9.8.09
Who can resist the lure of watching adorable chicks peeping all the way to the chick grinder? Not me. And now, having seen the illicit video, I can with certainty report that God is dead and humanity is a cancer.
Reader Uses BBB To Retrieve Gold From Classmates' Clutches
By 9.8.09
Remember Kelly, the one who couldn’t get her money back from Classmates after she canceled her automatically renewed gold membership?
Walmart Responds, Fixes Ruined Transmission
By 9.2.09
We’re not entirely sure Consumerist is responsible for Walmart finally getting back to Jeff on his ruined transmission—and frankly, because of the length of time between the incident and his complaint, as well as Walmart’s reputation for silence on consumer complaints like this, we didn’t expect much to happen at all. We were wrong, and we tip our hats to Walmart for making good on a very expensive mistake. Read Jeff’s update below.
How To File A Complaint Against Your Insurer
By 8.28.09
After our post yesterday ended up crashing the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ consumer information website, we received an email from them. They said they wanted to explain how the site works to address some reader questions, as well as point out that you too can contribute to the rankings by filing complaints when your insurer does something objectionable.
Ryder Refunds Customer $120 For Forcing Him Into U-Haul's Arms
By 8.25.09
Jesse, who wrote to us last week to complain about Ryder’s broken guarantee, has contacted us again with a follow up. We also spoke with Ryder directly to ask how their “Guaranteed Availability” promise actually works, so that future customers know what to expect.
Sports Illustrated Makes You Wait For Your Free Madden
By 8.25.09
Chad spotted a slight catch in that awe-inspiring Sports Illustrated/Madden promotion, in which you buy a 28-issue subscription for $50 and get a free copy of Madden NFL 10.
Update: BoA ATM Card Dispatched To Stranded Traveler After Return To U.S.
By 8.21.09
After stranding reader Shannon in Siberia with no functioning ATM card, Bank of America has reached out to her and made up for the situation. Sort of. A new card was immediately dispatched, but the corresponding PIN didn’t show up until five days later. She did, however, receive a $100 Amazon gift card for her inconvenience.
Zipcar Apologizes For Terrible Experience
By 8.19.09
Jen, who was left stranded in another city recently when her Zipcar lost its zip, managed to get through to the New York area general manager for Zipcar this morning:
Marriott Drops "It's Your Fault" Claim In Rape Case
By 8.17.09
After it broke last week that Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa was claiming it was the fault of the victim and her two toddlers that she was raped in their parking garage, the hotel has decided to withdraw the claim. They also apologized for the rape in a general sort of way—but not for subpoenaing her friends and professional acquaintances who otherwise would not have known about the crime.
Sears Finally Delivers Air Conditioner, Follows With Barrage Of Phone Calls
By 8.7.09
Remember Eric, Fleur, and their epic air conditioner ordeal? When we last spoke to them, they were AC-less, hot, cranky, and reaching out to the Internets for help. Now they have their air conditioners, but only after a stunning show of disorganized solicitousness on the part of Sears.
Skullcandy Finally Sends Out Replacement Buds
By 8.4.09
Wentao, who had been waiting over half a year for a replacement set of earbuds from Skullcandy, wrote in with an update:
