Consumerist

freebies

Ask Tax Dad: Dependent Mom And Free Fast Food

By John Northrup, Tax Dad 4.15.13

Usually, our staff Certified Tax Cat handles readers’ questions about taxes, but he’s too busy staring at a blank spot on the wall. Filling in for him is Laura’s dad, a retired accountant and real live independent tax preparer. Exclusively on Consumerist this spring, Tax Dad answers your questions. Also, to celebrate federal income tax deadline day, we link some coupons for free fast food deals good for today only.

This should be the last installment of Ask Tax Dad for 2013: tune in next year when Tax Cat comes back, Tax Dad returns, or maybe Tax Cat’s dad will show up to handle your tax questions. [More]

coffee

Peet’s Swoops In, Makes Up For Delay Before Anyone Can Even Complain

By Laura Northrup 2.13.13

Here’s an example of how even the simplest customer service gestures can make a huge difference in someone’s day, and in the perception of a brand. Heather visited Peet’s for coffee recently, and got her drink a little later than her companion. No big deal: that happens. It was what happened next that caught her off guard and prompted her to write to Consumerist. [More]

black friday

Black Friday Freebies To Make The Day Even More Worth Your While

By Mary Beth Quirk 11.22.11

There are bountiful sales to be had on Black Friday, but then there is an even better group of Black Friday bonuses — freebies! As in, paying no money and still getting something. For free. [More]

complaints

Complain To Companies, Get Free Stuff

By Phil Villarreal 9.9.11

When you buy a product that lets you down, you can either stew in bitterness or direct your frustration toward a productive end — whining to the company that wronged you. Zipping off a quick complaint email or phone call can often yield surprising results. [More]

freebies

Amazon Tries To Make Itself Exempt From Tenn. Sales Tax

By Phil Villarreal 1.25.11

Everything is negotiable when you’re a company that’s as big as powerful as Amazon. After landing a sweet incentive deal to build a distribution hub in Tennessee, the online sales giant is trying to get the state to excuse its customers from paying state sales tax on their purchases. [More]

freebies

Nonprofit At Work On Free Digital Science Textbook

By Phil Villarreal 10.21.10

Billed as the first interactive, all-digital science textbook, Life on Earth will teach students about the birds, bees, flowers and trees — and do so for free. [More]

study guides

Kaplan Giving Away 90 Study Guides To iDevice Users

By cwalters 8.24.10

If you’re in the market for high school or college study guides and you have access to an iDevice from Apple, Kaplan is giving away 90 different titles between now and August 30th through the Apple iBookstore. Sadly, you can’t access the iBookstore on iTunes, so you’ll have to get to it through an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. [More]

forgotten

Rent Enterprise Car At Twice The Rate, Get Free Dentures (Check Under Floormat)

By cwalters 6.21.10

Timothy rented a car from Enterprise last month when he flew into Newark Airport in New Jersey, and he was forced to pay almost twice the amount quoted in his reservation because of problems with a coupon code and an uncooperative manager. But there’s good news: the rental came with a special, stinky surprise that he and his wife didn’t find until the second day of the rental. (Warning: there’s a big close-up photo below.) [More]

families

In The Military? Museum Admission Is Free This Summer

By cwalters 5.25.10

Starting Memorial Day, May 31, and lasting until Labor Day, September 6, more than 600 museums around the country are waiving admission fees for active members of the military and members of their immediate family. The Blue Star Museum program is a joint effort that’s being launched by the National Endowment for the Arts and a nonprofit group called Blue Star Families. The NEA has a map showing which museums are participating around the country. [More]

freebies

How To Treat Your Mom For Free This Mother's Day

By Mary Beth Quirk 5.8.10

Want to show your mom you love her this Mother’s Day (tomorrow, by the way) but can’t spend tons of money on a gift? Take her out for a freebie meal or tasty treat — while you might not be flashing the big bucks around, it’s the quality time together that counts, right? [More]

prescriptions

Publix Giving Away Free Diabetes Drug

By cwalters 3.16.10

Publix wants people with diabetes to become their longterm customers, so they’re giving away 30-day supplies of generic metformin in 500 mg, 800 mg, and 1000 mg dosages, with unlimited refills. Although Publix would love it if you subsequently get all your prescriptions filled there, it’s not a requirement for the free drug. [More]

apple

Track Free And Cheap Games For Your iPhone Or Touch

By cwalters 3.15.10

There are several apps on the Apple app store that help consumers track sales and free offers from developers, but you have to launch them and check in regularly. The website App Spy offers an automated price tracker for games (just games, unfortunately) that will send you an email whenever a price threshhold is reached. If you tend to be an app junkie, it can help save you money by letting you get your fix on the cheap good stuff. [More]

sales

Crazy Cruise Line Telemarketer Pulls Out Every Trick In The Book

By cwalters 3.8.10

John Tedesco of the San Antonio Express-News was badgered last week by a telemarketer who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He decided to keep her talking for a while to see how many ways she’d try to get him to hand over his credit card number for a “free” cruise. Here were all the tricks she used during her sales pitch. [More]

flights

Buying Tix For Overbooked Flights Got Me Bumped, Well-Rewarded

By Phil Villarreal 2.10.10

A clever testimonial on Money Crashers explains how the writer procured four free flights by buying tickets for potentially overbooked flights, then getting bumped and paid off in travel vouchers. [More]

freebies

The Apple Store Guy Could Tell I'd Had A Bad Day, So He Pretended My Laptop Was Still Under Warranty

By Phil Villarreal 2.9.10

Michael says his virtual life was shattered when his out-of-warranty MacBook crapped out, but he lucked into a free replacement at a San Diego Apple Store, where he took his computer and knelt at the altar, hoping for a miracle. [More]

above and beyond

Mysterious JetBlue Creature Offers Free Tix To Passengers

By cwalters 2.1.10

If you wish hard enough on your next JetBlue trip, maybe the airline’s People Officer will magically appear and hand out free tickets. That’s what happened on David’s flight home over the weekend. To be fair, the free ticket giveaway probably happened because JetBlue asked everyone to show up two hours early due to a computer glitch. It’s still a much nicer airline story than what passengers usually send us. Also, this People Officer hinted to the OP about the airline’s future Wi-Fi plans. [More]

books

Free "How To Be Invisible" Download In Exchange For Your Email Address

By cwalters 1.28.10

J.J. Luna, a former security consultant turned author, released a guide ten years ago that showed readers how get rid of paper and digital trails. The subject matter is probably a little too paranoid for most of our readers, but it overlaps with issues we talk about all the time here, like identity theft and online security. He’s just released a revised version, so he’s giving away the 2000 edition in PDF format for free. Well, in exchange for your email address. [More]

freebies

Best Buy Employee Surprises Customer With Free Replacement Earbuds

By cwalters 1.27.10

Gonzalo went in to buy some replacement earbuds for his iPhone, and recieved some pretty amazing customer service from an anonymous Best Buy employee. [More]

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