Krystyl signed up for Sprint’s $59.99 unlimited Mobile Broadband plan and isn’t sure why she just received a bill for $14,062.27.
internet
Best Buy Refuses To Stop Misleading Customers With Secret Website
By 12.27.07
Once again a reader contacts us to complain about Best Buy misleading their customers with an in-store only website that looks identical to the “real” website—except for the prices.
Walmart Shutters Video Download Store
By 12.27.07
It’s official: Walmart is no longer in the video download business.
AOL Moviefone Aks Everyone To Choose Hottest MILF
By 12.26.07
Question #17 of Moviefone’s year-end poll asks, “Who was the hottest movie star MILF?” At first glance, we were a little surprised to see an all-ages website asking whose mom you’d like to engage in sex with. On the other hand, maybe Moviefone is intentionally an adults-only site—the copy on the front page says, “Vote on your favorite movies, celebrities and nude scene,” and we don’t imagine too many of the “Enchanted” demo is going to have much of an opinion on that last category.
Google, Yahoo! And Microsoft Reach Settlement Over Illegal Internet Gambling
By 12.20.07
The companies were accused of receiving money from online gambling businesses to advertise illegal betting from 1997 through 2007.
By 12.18.07
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37signals, the company behind the affordable online project management service Basecamp, has some of the fastest customer service we’ve ever seen: twice over the past year, they’ve responded in near-real-time to support questions with helpful, non-canned responses. We’re so used to big companies that sacrifice customer service in the name of profit, or small companies that aren’t prepared to handle queries, that it’s nice to come across a company that does it well. [37signals]
Macy's Website Asks You To "Wait Here A Few Moments While Other Shoppers Finish Up"
By 12.18.07
Mike
We like the “wait in line” style of the message. It’s a good way to remind people who shop online to avoid crowds that they’ve managed to fail in that regard.
By 12.14.07
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FTC head said she won’t recuse herself from the review of Google’s acquisition of the DoubleClick online advertising firm, despite petitions by some consumer groups alleging conflict of interest. [AP]
Consumer Groups Ask FTC Head To Recuse Herself
By 12.13.07
Two consumer groups have asked Deborah Platt Majoras, the chair of the FTC, to recuse herself from the antitrust review of Google’s purchase of Doubleclick. Majoras is married to a partner at Jones Day law firm, which represents Doubleclick.
By 12.13.07
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Sprint cuts a deal to make surfing MySpace via your phone easier. Oh joy. [Reuters]
WaMu Doesn't Care That Your Email Address Is Listed On Some Random Guy's Account
By 12.13.07
I was hoping I’d never have to write to The Consumerist about a company giving me grief. I never expected that it would end up being a company that I have absolutely no connections to that forced my hand.
Want To Shop At Amazon.com Without A Credit Card?
By 12.12.07
BusinessWeek says Amazon is buying a stake in “Bill Me Later” a firm that offers open lines of credit to customers so they can shop without using a credit card.
Do You Care About Privacy Or Just Unpleasant Surprises?
By 12.12.07
Seth Godin thinks that for all the talk about privacy, what people really object to is being “surprised.”
If your credit card company called you up and said, “we’ve been looking over your records and we see that you’ve been having an extramarital affair. We’d like to offer you a free coupon for VD testing…” you’d freak out, and for good reason.
TryPhone Lets You Test Phone Interfaces Online
By 12.12.07
TryPhone seems like a great idea on the surface—you can preview mock-ups of current phone models and test out their interfaces through your browser. In reality, the beta launch feels underdeveloped, even for a web service beta, with only four models to choose from and limited interactivity on each. The idea is good, but we hope they work on execution.
POLL RESULTS: Verizon FiOS Is Better Than Comcast!
By 12.6.07
We asked the readers to solve one of the great mysteries of life: Which is better Verizon FiOS or Comcast?
POLL: Which Is Better, Verizon FiOS Or Comcast?
By 12.5.07
Sometimes we get questions we just can’t answer, and this is one of them.
Facebook Alters Shopping Stalker
By 11.30.07
The New York Times says that Facebook will be making a slight change to “Beacon” the feature that tracks users purchases throughout the web and broadcasts them to their friends.
Late yesterday the company made an important change, saying that it would not send messages about users’ Internet activities without getting explicit approval each time.
