On activism: You want a better country, you’ve got to spend more of your time more time away from american idol, and more time on your members of Congress. We’re millions of people, but corporations don’t have a single vote, and members of congress are there because of our votes, so make those votes count.
interviews
Interview With Ron Burley, Customer Service Avenger
By 3.12.08
“There’s only one leverage any consumer has with a company. And that’s financial.” So says Ron Burley, author of UNSCREWED: The Consumer’s Guide To Getting What You Paid For. I got to interview Ron Burley to plumb his brain about his customer satisfaction hacks, and the current state of affairs of customer service. His techniques are bold and make no apologies. We’re not talking letters, and forms, and complaint departments. These are real methods for real people that work real fast. He also goes into the mindset that you need to develop if you’re going to get results. Bookmark this post, it’s an epic barnburner. Transcript, inside…
Complaint Remover Gets Rid Of "Negative Links," Including LOLCats
By 3.6.08
Complaint Remover is a special service that says it gets rid of “defamatory” and “negative links” on the internet for you:
The immediate goal of our service is to stop defamation by positioning links on the Search Engines and by appeals to law to remove negative information. We send cease and desist letters and if necessary, file legal actions against the perpetrators and Internet service providers contributing to the unjust defamation of our members.
Their site has an online chat function with a customer service rep and we decided to ask if they could help us take a crap all over free speech, and how much that would cost…
Robert Reich Talks About His Book "Supercapitalism"
By 11.30.07
Apparently “Supercapitalism” is making the rounds over at AlterNet, because they keep writing about it. This time there’s a good interview with the author, former labor secretary Robert Reich, and he takes the opportunity to summarize his main arguments from the book.
Sprint Customers Terminated For Complaining Too Much Were Scamming Sprint For Free Service
By 7.11.07
Sprint announced Monday it was canceling the accounts of around 1,000 people who called customer service too much. At first blush, it might sound like a pretty jerk thing to do, have bad service and then punish people who complain, but we spoke with one of our most reliable Sprint insiders, who had a different side to the story: the terminated customers were scamming Sprint, calling in again and again, just to get free service credits.
Why Geeks Steal Porn From Your Computer
By 7.9.07
hashand: I used to work at a computer repair place. All the stuff you’re finding isn’t limited to Best Buy. We had a 2 TB [terabyte] server of mp3s.
The Consumerist Interviews Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Presidential Candidate
By 6.26.07
Congressman Dennis Kucinich is making another run at the Presidency, after a heavily criticized run the Democratic nomination last time, where he was written off as “a Howard Dean without the poll numbers,” whatever that means. Now, he faces a primary in his home state by another Progressive politician upset with Kucinich’s absences from their Ohio district.
Consumerist Interviews Peter Leppik, CEO Of Company That Conducts Those End Of Call Surveys, So You Know He Knows A Little Something About Call Centers And Customer Service
By 6.19.07
We emailed the CEO of Vocal Labs, a phone survey company that specializes in measuring customer service quality, three simple questions about his business.
Consumerist Interviews Former Senator Mike Gravel, Rogue Presidential Candidate
By 6.14.07
Of all the presidential forerunners, Mike Gravel might be the one most likely, or the one who most needs, to read The Consumerist. He’s done battle with the credit card industry, and creditors, both in public office and in private life.
"Security Mostly Follows Black People" Disgruntled Target Worker Alleges
By 6.13.07
UPDATE: A current Target employee rebuts these statements, inside…
Ritz Camera Or Scamera? An Interview With A Former Employee
By 6.1.07
Before you shop at Ritz Camera, you’ll want to read inside about what a disgruntled ex employee terms:
DS-MAX Was A "Sales Cult," Says Former Employee
By 5.31.07
steve-o: My first day there was an ‘interview’ in what was essentially a warehouse…
ASAP Van Lines Responds To Complaint Alleging $400 Bilking
By 5.22.07
Tiffany from ASAP Van Lines reached out to us regarding a complaint we posted. Our reader felt she had been unfairly hoodwinked into paying $400 more and was subject to abusive telephone calls. Tiffany offers a different version of the events.
Never Try To Game The Float. Ever.
By 5.11.07
Used to be with check that you could count on there being at least 3 days between someone cashing your check and the charge being run on your account. The delay is called “float” and writing a check before you have the money but think you’re going to deposit enough is called “gaming the float.”
Checks Stolen? Maybe Leave The Account Open, Otherwise The Bank Won't Help You With The Hot Checks
By 5.8.07
Boom: they get angry and they sent many letters…
Q & A With Ben Popken
By 4.19.07
Matt Elzweig, a New York based reporter, interviewed Consumerist Editor Ben Popken about the site, how to protect yourself from getting screwed, and neighborhood.
