Last week we wrote that AT&T charged Spoco’s Amex card twice for the same payment, but their CSRs refused to investigate the issue for him. After we posted his story, AT&T took notice and reversed the charge. That raises the question these stories always raise, which is, “How do I get the same result if my problem isn’t published on Consumerist?”
how-to
Help Friends Conserve Cell Minutes By Changing Your Voicemail Greeting
By 8.2.09
David Pogue’s continuing crusade against useless voicemail instructions knocked loose an excellent suggestion for anyone willing to re-record their voicemail greeting. Too often the standard voicemail greeting is: “Hi, you’ve reached so-and-so. Leave a message, and I’ll get back to you.” Why not make it more useful, something like: “Hi, you’ve reached so-and-so. Please press star (or whichever command applies to your carrier) to leave a message.”
Access Commercial WiFi Hotspots At Airports For Free
By 7.26.09
We all know the crushing defeat of logging onto an open WiFi hotspot at an airport only to discover that you need to pay to reach the internet. No more! If the portal has a space for promotion codes, go ask the gift shop if they have a coupon for free access. If they don’t, you’re not out of options…
Make Your Own Pretreater and Stain Remover
By 7.25.09
Using little more than leftover soap slivers, baking powder, and hydrogen peroxide, you can brew up a powerful potion to get that damn sauce stain off your brand new shirt. Inside, Tipnut’s easy recipes for pretreater and stain remover.
Download The 2009 Consumer Action Handbook
By 7.23.09
Here’s a free handbook that’s full of the sort of stuff we spend all of our time discussing on Consumerist. Sections include how to be a savvy consumer, how to file complaints, and a directory of organizations and agencies to contact when you have a problem. You can view the contents online or download a PDF copy, and you can also request a print version for your doesn’t-go-online relative (although you’ll have to wait for a reprinting).
How To Guard Your Identity From Being Stolen
By 7.21.09
Although the threat of identity theft may be a bit overblown, it’s still a good idea to do everything you can within reason to stop yourself from becoming a victim.
How To Load Up Your Kindle With Non-Amazon Ebooks
By 7.20.09
So you’ve got a Kindle, and you have books on it, and you want to keep those books—no matter what Amazon or a publisher decides you deserve in the future. Your legal options are limited, but you do have some.
Wet Shave And Save!
By 7.19.09
Wet shaving offers a closer, classier, and cheaper shave than any of the modern junk littering pharmacy aisles. Wet shaving requires a double-edge safety razor and badger-hair brush, along with a healthy dose of practice, but once you have your basic equipment razor refills cost just pennies per month. [More]
Cancel iPhone Without Venturing Outside
By 7.14.09
I cancelled an iPhone within the 30 days buyer’s remorse period recently and learned something interesting. Before AT&T will let people who bought their iPhones from Apple cancel service, they want you to return the phone first. They also want proof it was returned. They also want you to print out this proof and take it physically to an AT&T store and show it to them. Returning the phone, I have no problem with. But trekking out to a store to show someone in person a printout of an email?Madness.
A Cheap Trick To Help Potheads Save On Water Bills
By 7.14.09
The suspiciously named Mr. Brown Thumb from Chicago Now’s Chicago Garden blog offers a simple but valuable tip for gardeners looking to cut down on their water and soil use: Don’t waste water-sucking dirt to fill your enormous pots.
Here's A Simple Tutorial On Expiration Dates
By 7.10.09
Howcast has produced a quick video tutorial covering the basics of expiration and sell by dates. If you have questions about eggs, meat, canned goods, or storing things in the freezer, check it out.
Be Your Own Financial Regulator
By 6.26.09
Any sort of federal agency to protect consumers from abuse from the financial industry is months, or possibly years, away, notes Linda Stern of Reuters. That’s why you shouldn’t depend on such an agency to protect you in the meantime. In fact, you can take her advice and use it no matter what happens at the federal level.
Want To Learn How To Make It Yourself? Visit Homegrown Evolution
By 6.26.09
HomegrownEvolution.com is sort of a simplified Instructables for people interested in “mead making, beer brewing, bread baking, urban poultry raising, container planting, pirate gardening, foraging, pickling,” and more, according to Cool Tools. We have a feeling “pirate gardening” isn’t as fun as it sounds.
How To Stop The Electric Devil From Stealing Your Money
By 6.26.09
Here’s one of those lists that makes you feel guilty because you’re too lazy to do anything on it. It’s 20 ways to trim your energy costs.
College Students: Before You Bog Yourself Down With Loans Fill Out A FAFSA To Snag Free Pell Grants
By 6.22.09
Exactly how much academic knowledge you glean from college is debatable, but the experience gives most people a thorough lesson of how to drown yourself in debt. But there is financial aid out there, some of it free, for those willing to look for it. This HowToDoThings post offers some helpful tips on how to sniff out federal Pell Grants by getting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
More Insider Tips When Buying From Radioshack
By 6.17.09
There’s clearly no love lost between D. and D’s former employer, RadioShack. A little over a year ago, D. sent us some insider tips on what to watch out for when you shop at RS. Now here comes a follow-up, with more information on cell phone sales tricks, warranty pitches, and used merchandise.
How To Use Twitter To Get A Company To Solve Your Problem
By 6.15.09
Here’s a new trick for getting satisfaction from a reluctant company, using Twitter. We can call this one “tweet to power.”
