Dan bought an Aquos LC-32D40U 32″ LCD TV’ and one month out of warranty it developed a thin black line on the right side of the screen. Sharp didn’t want to talk to him. Best Buy wanted to charge him $100 just to come out and look at it. Something had to be done. Dan writes:
followups
Update: Dubious Fees For Homeowners Facing Foreclosure
By 11.12.07
Last week we talked about a NYT article about a bankruptcy professor who has been looking at fees loan services are charging and how she found many of them to be dubious and/or inexplicable. For example, by looking at all the defaulted loans being paid off under chapter 13 bankruptcy, she found millions of dollars of difference between what the debtor thought they owed and what the loan service said was owed. Some of that was due to the insertion of questionable fees, like “fax fees” and “demand fees.” There was a front-page NYT article on it, and now you can download the paper that started it all, Misbehavior and Mistake in Bankruptcy Mortgage Claims (PDF).
Update: Chase Changes Due Date Without Warning, Charges Late Fees
By 11.12.07
“I talked to you briefly on 10-29-07 about my Chase credit card and having the late fee forced onto my account due to them changing the due date on my bill and an article was written about my success. I had spoken with a CSR and I had thought I got my late free removed, and my due date changed. Only to find out this months statement to have my due date again on the 26th but now my minimum payment was jacked up to over 3x the normal because THEY HAD NOT REMOVED THE LATE FEE.”
$1800 For FiOS House Fire Family Is Just An Advance, Says Verizon
By 11.9.07
Verizon has a different take on the story about a Philly’s family house being set on fire by a FiOS installer hitting their electrical wire — especially the family lawyer’s assertion that Verizon is only offering the family $1,800. Eric Rabe, Verizon Senior Vice President of Media Relations told The Consumerist: [More]
Qwest Wants You To Know Macs Work On It
By 11.7.07
Even though some Qwest employees told our reader that Qwest wireless wouldn’t work for her because “Macs are practically an obsolete system,” Jon Lentz, Qwest director of network operations, wrote to inform us that Qwest, does, in fact, support the use Macs on its network:
UPDATE: Taping Pre-Paid Business Reply Envelopes To Packages Does Not Work
By 11.1.07 — Updated: 2.28.14
Yesterday we told you that one way to get back at junk mailers is to tape their business reply envelopes (BRE) to heavy boxes and send them back, but it turns out this doesn’t work. It used to, up until the mid-90’s you could apparently tape a BRE to a coffin and the Post Office would mail it. Now, BRE’s can only be used the way junk mailers want them to be used, for the conduct of junk-mail related transactions. [More]
Comcast Hunts BitTorrent Memo Leaker
By 11.1.07
According to an inside source, Comcast is trying to hunt down who leaked the internal BitTorrent memo to us last week. The rumor is that they’re interrogating supervisors and then customer service representatives. Memos regarding the dire consequences of providing internal information to the press are being distributed.
Sprint Charges Developmentally Disabled Girl $10,000 For Text Messages
By 10.30.07
Red Tape Chronicles has followed up on the Developmentally disabled 18-year old Amanda Clark who ran up $10,000 in premium text messages whom we told you about last week. The text messages were part of teenage text chat services advertised in the back of her teen mags. “Hook a hottie,” they said. Sprint agreed to cut the bill in half but won’t budge further. The UK-based text message company says that since she texted “Y” in response to the message, ‘Y’ to: ‘74447’ to start. 14+ textconnectusa.com Help?1-866-662-7132. Send STOP to end.100c per msg rcvd + std msg fees,” the girl should have been completely informed as to the service’s cost and the family is plumb out of luck. In all, 642 messages were received.
AT&T Won't Charge Couple For Leaving Satellite Receiver Behind In Flaming House
By 10.26.07
AT&T wrote in to say they won’t be charging the family whose house burned down in the California wildfires for the satellite dish they left behind when fleeing for the lives
Legend Of Comcast Office-Smashing Grandma Spreads
By 10.19.07
The old lady who busted up a Comcast office with her hammer after getting sick of their delays, that we told you about two weeks ago, got her story written up in a new and even more exciting fashion by the Washington Post. The piece includes this photo of Mona Shaw posing with her trusty tool of consumer vengeance.
6v to 32 AA Batteries Video Is A Hoax
By 10.17.07
About a month ago, a video was going around (that we, regrettably, linked to) saying that if you pried open a 6 volt battery, you would find 32 AA batteries, but it now turns out it’s a hoax, riffing off the (truthful) reports that 9v batteries contain 6 AAAA batteries. 6v batteries, however, contain four 1.5 volt D-cell batteries.
Unable To Overcome Stain Of Breaking Into Mentally Disabled Customer's Home And Stealing $70,000, Dealership Closes
By 10.4.07
Remember that Seattle used car dealership that broke into a mentally disabled customer’s house and stole $70,000, and turned out to have a history of on the job drug-use, shady tactics, and abusing mentally handicapped customers? Seems the new owners were never able to overcome those little besmirches on its good name and the dealerships are closing. Huling Bros, consider this your auto de fe.
Pep Boys Apologizes For Bilking Customer Over Tire Warranty Replacement
By 10.3.07
After sending a complaint via Executive Email Carpet Bomb, Arnie says the Pep Boys Vice President of Service called him and has apologized and refunded all his monies.
AT&T Promises To Not Terminate Your Service For Criticizing Them
By 10.2.07
Yesterday we posted about how the AT&T DSL Terms of Service contain a clause that says AT&T can cancel your service if you “damage” their “reputation.” Today, AT&T PR bots reached out to some sites to say they would only do it if you were promoting violence or peddling child porn. Unfortunately, that’s not what’s in writing. What’s in writing is the nebulous “damage” of their “reputation.” So, AT&T subscribers, feel free to criticize away, until they change their mind.
Reader Gets Lowe's To Replace Vibrating Washer
By 10.2.07
After a month of effort, Eric got Lowes to give him a washer that doesn’t shake itself to pieces. His complaint letters and phone calls to corporate had the effect of water dashing against a rock, so he turned his attention to the store manager, where he found success. Domo arigato, Mr. Vibrato!
Man Fixes Unfixable FiOs Account Error By Playing Dumb
By 9.27.07
Last time we heard from Dan, Verizon wouldn’t give him his FiOs account number and kept charging his credit card that he told them not to charge. Now, through a mix of social engineering and knowing some tricks with the Verizon online account system, he was able to get all his problems solved. He tells us how, inside…
Kid Get $120 In Wells Fargo Overdrafts Refunded After Rich Dad Calls VP
By 9.26.07
DM reports that he was able to get Wells Fargo to reverse all his overdrafts… because his dad has a big Wells Fargo account and was able to call up some company Vice President. Ahem. Three cheers for the power of escalating issues outside of the customer service line, we suppose.
How Tonya Should Go About Appealing Her "Elective" Miscarriage
By 9.25.07
I just read the story ‘Blue Cross Blue Shield Calls Miscarriage “Elective Abortion,” Denies Claim’, and I work for BCBS in NY. From what I’ve learned (and this is just from my experience working for a year there). The best thing for Tonya to do is appeal.
