A former Wells Fargo Home Mortgage home collector has stepped forth from the shadows to tell you what’s really going on. Here’s his confession:
insiders
Disgruntled Ex-Employee Wants To Tell The World Not To Shop At GameStop
By 9.8.08
A disgruntled former employee of GameStop calling himself “WhistleBlowerZero” has created a 9-part YouTube video series which explains quickly, but in exhaustive detail, the many reasons why you, Dear Consumer, should not shop at GameStop. It’s modeled after the popular “Zero Punctuation” game reviews, a fact that will probably be lost on anyone who doesn’t already know the many reasons not to shop at GameStop.
Halo 3 Limited Edition Xbox 360 For $199.99
By 9.8.08
Hot Topic seems to be selling Halo 3 Limited Edition Xbox 360 for $199.99, a price cut of $200. An insider tells us that select Hot Topic stores will have them on sale starting tomorrow, but I also spotted them on HotTopic.com. One of the guys at Kotaku says he bought one in-store this morning. I had no idea that Hot Topic even had video game systems, I guess they really do have the complete catalog to fill out your cool and alternative lifestyle.
Rogue Sandwich Delivery Guy Wants To Tell World Not To Buy Chips
By 9.5.08
This little email from an apoplectic-sounding Jimmy John’s delivery guy just popped into our inbox and we felt the need to share it with you, our readers. The moral? Don’t buy overpriced chips.
How Marketers Trick Your Secretary Into Opening Fax Spam Floodgates
By 9.4.08
Joe used to work at a multi-million-dollar fax spam company. Since it’s illegal to cold call fax, here’s the trick they would use to start fax-spamming a company and be covered in case of legal action. It’s all about pretexting the secretary. Here’s how it works:
How To Avoid AT&T's Connection Fee For A New Phone Line
By 8.19.08
An alleged insider for AT&T sent us the following tip on how to avoid a connection fee if you plan on getting both a regular phone line and DSL through AT&T. We don’t know if it works, but you may be able to avoid a $40 charge for what amounts to “flipping a switch” at AT&T HQ.
Mad Mag Reacts To Circuit City Ban
By 8.6.08
“We at MAD were shocked and confused by this entire incident — mainly because we had no idea that Circuit City even sells magazines. Nonetheless, we accept their apology but hold out hope that their gesture of a $20 gift card is only an opening offer.”
Circuit City Sorry For Commanding Employees To Destroy Mad Mag's "Sucker City" Parody
By 8.4.08
After a thin-skinned Circuit City exec ordered stores carrying Mad Magazine to search and destroy all copies of a recent issue featuring a 4-page parody of “Sucker City,” someone with a brain stopped the madness. Here’s the surprisingly classy message we just got from corporate:
Circuit City Orders All Stores To Destroy Issue Of Mad Magazine Parodying "Sucker City"
By 8.3.08
Circuit City headquarters has ordered their stores to “destroy all copies” of the latest issue of Mad Magazine, according to an anonymous tipster. The retailer apparently isn’t amused by the 4-page spoof of “Sucker City.” Inside, Mad’s 1-page preview and headquarters’ response.
Get Comcast Just For Wii? Flee? Fee.
By 8.1.08
If you think you can sign up with Comcast just to get a Wii and then cancel or downgrade service, think again. Downgrade service or cancel in the first year, $250 in fees, second year, $125. Other restrictions apply. The insider says the new Wii promotion is a bunch of crap and they and other Comcast CSRs won’t be offering it to customers unless customers beg for it because of all the caveats. Frankly, they’re in the right for protecting their asses on this one. However, it’s not too hard to imagine scenarios where Comcast gets the account details wrong and customers wrongly get assessed fees… The internal document, inside…
Top 10 Norton/Symantec Secrets You Shouldn't Know
By 7.31.08
I awoke this morning to find a dead man on my doorstep, apparently from the gunshot wound to his back. By examining the depth of the tread marks and the streak of blood on the walls, I determined that he had dragged himself up after receiving the fatal bullet. I cleaned up the pool of blood with some extra-thirsty Brawny towels, and rifled the pockets of his black trench coat to find a package addressed to “The Consumerist.” A hastily scrawled coversheet read, “Please keep my identity secret, I could lose my job. I have compiled a “10 Norton/Symantec secrets I shouldn’t be telling you” list.” Too late. Someone already punched his pink slip. Let’s read what was inside…
Comcast Gives Away Wiis To New Subscribers?
By 7.22.08
Comcast will be giving away a limited supply of free Wiis in an upcoming promotion, a current employee tell us. The offer is good for new Comcast triple-play subscribers signing up July 28-August 17th in select markets. Our tipster confirmed the promo will be good in Miami, San Francisco, Houston, Denver, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit, and some other markets too. In valid markets where triple-play is not available, double-play subscriptions are eligible.The cable provider is apparently undaunted by the unresolved incompatibility issues between some Comcast-provided routers and the Wii.
10 Secrets To Getting Better Tech Support From Asus
By 7.16.08 — Updated: 3.18.13
An Asus technician has stepped forward out the shadows to give us the 10 insider tips for getting through and getting better and faster tech support from the computer and computer parts maker. Some things just can’t be fixed though, but it’s at least to know the soul-crushing math they’re using to destroy the customer experience. Considering how bad their tech support is, you’re definitely going to need these tips…
Limited New iPhones At ATT Stores, Latecomers Pay Extra To Have Phones Shipped
By 7.11.08
Only the first lucky clutch of people in line today at AT&T stores will walk out with a new iPhone 3G in-hand. There were only 30 phones available in total at the the biggest AT&T store in Waterbury CT, at the Brass Mill Center, according to a store employee. Reporting from the line, reader Kevin says that everyone else was given an option to buy a slip of paper for $226.79 (see a scan of it posted inside), have the phone shipped from the warehouse to you, then you come back to the store to activate the phone. Customers will have to pay for the shipping charges for this favor.
Leaks: Need ID And Social To Buy iPhone 3G?
By 7.7.08
An Apple store insider has leaked to us what they say will be some limitations and barriers on buying the iPhone Apple and AT&T stores will apply to the new iPhone 3g that goes on sale this Friday:
Ex Countrywide Manager Exposes Its Lies
By 6.30.08
A former regional manager for Countrywide Home Loans, the mega mortgage company whose shady mortgage mill came to epitomize the subprime meltdown, went on The Today Show camera to detail some of the company’s questionable practices. Here’s some of the tricks he warned upper management about during his 6-month stint before he was fired for refusing to give loans to unqualified buyers:
Powerpoint By Pissed Comcast Employee Reveals They Know Exactly How Much They Suck
By 6.20.08
It’s no secret to Consumerist readers that Comcast’s outsourced techs are often late, rude and incompetent, and that calling customer service is more akin to improving dialogue in a Beckett play, but as this exclusively obtained powerpoint made by a Comcast employee shows, it’s no secret to the cable company either. (I know the damn thing wasn’t officially created by Comcast corp. C’mon, give us more credit than that. It’s pretty obvious that it’s too funny to be official. I just meant to describe how it was created by a Comcast employee and passed around to other Comcast employees and came from inside Comcast. I realize now that “internal” makes it sound official, and that wasn’t my intention. I apologize for the confusion.) Watch and/or download the powerpoint, inside…
