Some heroes wear capes and have an arsenal of tools to fight crime hanging from their fancy utility belts. Other heroes, of the everyday sort, have different weapons at their disposal. To wit: one brave, mysterious shopper known only as “anonymous shopping cart guy” sacrificed his groceries to stop a fleeing suspect in Portland, OR. [More]
heroes
Our Brave Olympic Athletes Are Still Without Yogurt, But Take Heart: “We’ll Be Able To Adapt”
By 2.7.14
Despite the best efforts of U.S. politicians like Sen. Chuck Schumer, it appears that the stalled shipment of Chobani Greek yogurt destined for the mouths of American athletes competing in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia is still grounded on our shores. But chin up, fans — even without the helpful protein boost, our brave athletes are forging ahead. [More]
Garbage Truck Driver Wakes Family, Saves Them From House Fire
By 9.26.13
Maybe we shouldn’t complain when a garbage truck wakes us up in the wee hours of the morning. A Maryland family has an early-morning recycling run to thank for their safety after the driver noticed smoke coming from the roof. He stopped to wake the family up, pounding on doors and windows to alert them to the fire and get them out of the house. [More]
Best Buy Shoppers And Employees Save 9-Year-Old Girl From Violent Attacker
By 8.27.13
It isn’t just every parent’s nightmare: it’s the nightmare of every human being with a functioning soul. Police in Florida say that a stranger attacked a 9-year-old girl in the ladies’ rest room of a Best Buy store on Friday night while her mother was paying for her purchases. Another customer heard her screams, and witnesses say that employees and other bystanders rushed in to save the child. [More]
96-Year-Old Store Owner To Would-Be Robber: Take The Tootsie Rolls, Leave The Cash
By 7.17.13
There are some stories where it’s like… how do you even begin to express the awesomeness of the brave-hearted and all around fantastic nature of the person involved? To wit: A 96-year-old Wisconsin woman who has owned her grocery store for 50 years thwarted a would-be robber, telling him he could fill his pockets with candy but he darn well better leave her cash register alone. [More]
Colorado Dad Goes Out For Ice Cream, Thwarts Robbery
By 5.21.13 — Updated: 5.22.13
Staying with her dad for the weekend, a Colorado girl wondered why it took so long for her dad to run to Safeway for some ice cream. When he got back, she asked him what the delay was all about. “I had to break up a robbery,” he said. Yeah, right. But unlike when your dad kids about being a superhero, it was true! [More]
Deli Imposes $3 ‘Yapping On Phone While Ordering’ Surcharge
By 6.28.12 — Updated: 5.15.13
We don’t have a “Consumerist Hero Citation,” but if we did, it would go to the person at this Vermont deli who had the idea to impose a $3 fine for yapping on one’s cell phone while trying to order at the counter. “$3 will be added to your total if you fail to GET OFF YOUR PHONE while at the counter. IT’S RUDE,” the sign reads. [More]
The Daily Show: Couple "Forecloses" On Bank Of America
By 8.9.11
The couple who “foreclosed” on Bank of America got The Daily Show treatment last night. John Oliver caught up with the homeowners to find out how they showed up with repo men and sheriff’s deputies at a Bank of America branch office and got the bank to pay them money they were owed. It all began when the bank tried to foreclose on them, even though they had no mortgage at all, and owned their home free and clear. [More]
Parent Wages Internet Campaign Against Disgusting McDonald's Play Area
By 6.9.11
If you noticed that the play area at your local fast-food restaurant was unacceptably filthy, what would you do? Sure, you might keep your children off the equipment and stop visiting that restaurant, and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. But when one Arizona mom repeatedly complained about the conditions at her local McDonald’s and still nothing changed, she went further. She paid for testing by an independent lab to see exactly what was crawling around in that playground. She also climbed through the playland tubes herself, filming the graffiti, discarded food, and filth her children had been romping around in. [More]
7-Eleven Clerk Saves Customer's Life With CPR
By 12.27.10
Correct change for a Slurpee is all you’d expect from a 7-Eleven clerk, so you could say a Pittsburgh employee of the convenience store went beyond the call of duty when he administered CPR when a customer fell into cardiac arrest. [More]
Inexperienced Attorney Wins Epic Foreclosure Battle Against Wells Fargo
By 2.20.10
Consumerist’s Hero of the Weekend is attorney and writer Wajahat Ali, who fought an epic battle for a home loan modification against Wells Fargo and won. Eventually. It’s a well-written and terrifying look into the financial crisis, the state of America’s megabanks, and how homeowners in need seemingly stand no chance against the towering indifference, incompetence and confusion of those megabanks. [More]
Man Tells Fax Spammers To Go Fax Themselves… And They Comply
By 9.17.08
Pat is our consumer action hero of the week. He writes: [More]
Leukemia Survivor Who Had Identity Stolen By Lab Tech Tells His Story
By 4.10.08
We wrote about Eric Drew a few weeks ago—his personal information was stolen by a shady lab technician while he was undergoing treatment in 2004.
Costco Employees Are Heroic, Help Catch Shooting Suspect
By 1.25.08
Several Costco employees who spotted two men breaking into a car parked near the store’s tire center chased the men toward the main store where an assistant police chief happened to be shopping.
Don't Let Crunch Gym Crunch Your Bank Account
By 5.23.07
The following is reader David’s consumerist report on how Crunch Gym stole from his bank account and how he made the bastards pay, a process akin to squeezing sweat from a stone.
Trouble With Your Movers? Call The Department Of Weights And Measures!
By 5.18.07
We save an average of $1,400 for consumers. In the past year we’ve saved them more than $100,000. A few weeks ago we saved one consumer $11,000.
Who knew the Department of Weights and Measures was so heroic? For more info, Steve provided a link full of good information for consumers.—MEGHANN MARCO
Teen Chooses Walmart Electronics Department As Best Location To Set Himself On Fire
By 4.18.07
Reports said the man, from the 2000 block of Arlington Avenue, used a lighter and tissues stuffed in his pocket to ignite his jacket, which became “severely burnt.”
