Inspired to by Mike D’s Vonage story, Austin writes in a hot tip for all of looking to pole vault low-level CSR and reach the Valhalla of customer service.
howto
UPDATE: Win $1000
We want you to have $1000 and will give you a prize for just trying to collect it.
![Blog All Day, Dance All Night](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/mackie.jpg?w=150&h=130&crop=1)
Blog All Day, Dance All Night
What are the speakers of choice for successful overlords of blog industry? Nick Denton, Gawker Media head honcho and international bon vivant, prefers Mackie 450s.
![HOWTO: Upgrade to First Class](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/roastpig.jpg?w=125&h=146&crop=1)
HOWTO: Upgrade to First Class
Lifehacker offers up some tips on social engineering (the “cool” and “conscious” way to say manipulating) tactics to employ if you would like to get your airplane seat bumped up to first class. Note too, the comments. Some prefer the snug feeling of a warm blanket of honesty than the plushness of a wide leather site in the front berth.
![HOWTO: Block Text Message Spam](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/phoneyell1.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1)
HOWTO: Block Text Message Spam
On Tuesday, several readers wrote in complaining about receiving text message spam. Toby says that T-Mobile’s customer service refunded the 20 cents the spam cost as well as showing him how to keep future unwanted messages away. He writes:
![HOWTO: Return an Opened Video Game](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/receipt1.jpg?w=158&h=111&crop=1)
HOWTO: Return an Opened Video Game
Most stores won’t give you your money back for an opened video game box. Instead, they will give you the same title.
![HOWTO: Extract Spam Calls From Your Cellphone](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/smallcables.jpg?w=200&h=81&crop=1)
HOWTO: Extract Spam Calls From Your Cellphone
Say someone’s leaving unsolicited marketing messages on your cellphone and you want to save them to your computer so you can share them on the internet. How do you do it?
![HOWTO: Extend Your Tax Deadline](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/taxtime1.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
HOWTO: Extend Your Tax Deadline
You can’t dodge the tax reaper but you can at least cast a field from the fourth dimension around his shoes. As any topologist knows, in the fourth dimension, no knot can stay tied, thereby causing the reaper’s laces to unravel and make him trip and slow down to retie his shoes.
![HOWTO: Improve Customer Service](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/helpy.jpg?w=150&h=140&crop=1)
HOWTO: Improve Customer Service
We spend a lot of time bitching about poor customer service. Here’s some actionable tips on how businesses can make their customer service better, from entrepreneur guru Guy Kawasaki.
![UPDATE: ‘I Love Baseball but Hate MLB.com’](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/mlb1.jpg?w=200&h=76&crop=1)
UPDATE: ‘I Love Baseball but Hate MLB.com’
We keep reading reports that MLB.com is doing very well, has lots of subscribers, investors and money. They should invest some of that into their customer service.
![HOWTO: Turn the Shopping Mall into a Nativist Paradise](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/shopdrop.jpg?w=300&h=225&crop=1)
HOWTO: Turn the Shopping Mall into a Nativist Paradise
A panel from an instruction manual on creating a Shangri-La within the shopping mall. As the video game Civilization taught us, all revolutions undergo a period of chaos and anarchy, also known as “the fun part,” illustrated below.
![HOWTO: Get the Landlord to Repair Stuff](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/refrig.jpg?w=150&h=225&crop=1)
HOWTO: Get the Landlord to Repair Stuff
Sometimes, you just can’t ever get the landlord to fix that refrigerator that keeps running…
![HOWTO: Buy a New Cellphone](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/celltwoer.jpg?w=150&h=225&crop=1)
HOWTO: Buy a New Cellphone
Here’s our tricked-out version of a Dealhack guide to buying a new cell phone.
HOW TO: Shop at Trader Joe’s
Slate has a primer on surviving Trader Joe’s madness. Just a few tips and tricks to keep in mind while you’re commodifying your dissent. [More]
![Consumer’s Guide to Dublin Prostitutes](../../../../consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/smallsvedka.jpg?w=150&h=160&crop=1)
Consumer’s Guide to Dublin Prostitutes
In honor of St. Patty’s day, we present our Gawker bro Gridskipper’s guide to getting your wick dipped in Dublin. [NSFW links]