Verizon recently hinted that it would dive into the streaming video fray with a new service that could launch as soon as this summer. But Big V’s entry into this business may be delayed, as the company has reportedly had trouble landing content deals. [More]
negotiations
Bankrupt Aeropostale In Talks To Sell Company & Keep Brand Alive
By 8.8.16
After announcing last month that its planned reorganization under bankruptcy just wasn’t going to cut it, teen retailer Aeropostale began prepping to auction off its assets. Now, the company appears to be nearing a deal with a private equity firm. [More]
Southwest Airlines CEO Says He Won’t Be Leaving Despite Four Union Votes Of “No Confidence”
By 8.4.16
Days after the Southwest Airlines pilots union — and three other airline employee unions — took a vote of no confidence and called for the resignation of CEO Gary Kelly, blaming the head honcho for a massive technical glitch that canceled 700 flights and stranded thousands of passengers last week, the man in charge says he isn’t going anywhere. [More]
Lexus Will Experiment With No-Haggle Car Pricing
By 8.5.15
Would no-haggle car pricing make the car-buying process more pleasant, and make you feel more warm and cuddly toward car dealers and toward the brand? Lexus apparently hopes so, and they plan to test this kind of pricing at a dozen of their dealerships. [More]
909 Authors Write Amazon Asking It To Call Off E-Book Feud With Hachette
By 8.8.14
The battle royale continues between Amazon and book publisher Hachette, and more than 900 authors are joining the fight. [More]
Amazon’s Latest Attempt To Resolve Feud With Publisher Involves Offering Authors 100% Of e-Book Sales
By 7.8.14
A deal between Amazon and publisher Hachette doesn’t seem likely anytime soon, but that’s not stopping the e-tailer from using its pocketbook to entice a new ally in the fight: Hachette authors. [More]
Blathering Vaguely About “Compensation” Will Get You Nowhere With Customer Service
By 11.22.13
Eric was incredibly frustrated with his mobile provider, Virgin. His service was spotty, and his smartphone overheated to the point that he became nervous and turned it off. He sought help from the Virgin Mobile Angels, because that’s what angels do. Isn’t it? [More]
Verizon FiOS Retention Rep Called My Bluff. Now What?
By 6.12.12
It’s a common money-saving tip repeated just about anywhere you find money-saving tips. If you want to save money on something that you subscribe to (particularly cable TV), give them a call and threaten to cancel. They’ll slash your rate and maybe even shower you with freebies in order to keep you from walking away. Only a retention rep at Verizon called Dan’s bluff and wouldn’t lower his rate now that he’s out of his initial two-year contract. He’s prepared to leave, but really doesn’t want to. Have you managed to finagle a lower rate out of Verizon or another telecom? If so, how? [More]
Mistakes To Avoid When Car Shopping
By 2.15.12
If you don’t know when you’re doing when you’re out shopping for a car, you can easily fall victim to savvy salesmen willing to take you for a ride. But if you know what to look out for and act decisively, the experience doesn’t have to be awful. [More]
Save Money On Medical Bills By Questioning Charges
By 2.10.12
When you open up a medical bill your’e usually not stunned by how little the doctor is charging you. Inflated charges, which seem to be the norm in the industry, would be laughable if their implications weren’t so crushing. But an invoice doesn’t have to be the amount you end up paying. [More]
How To Handle Unhelpful Customer Service Reps Without Yelling
By 3.25.11
If you’ve ever gotten your way with customer service reps who seemed bent on denying you request, it probably wasn’t because you lost your temper. [More]
Buy Your First Car
By 11.24.10
Never bought a car before? Here’s a good guide that covers the basics, from going into the dealership with your price beforehand, the importance of doing all your researcher and resources for doing so, and the best tactic of all: always be prepared to walk away from a bad deal. [More]
Comcast Would Rather Have Me Switch Than Give Me A Deal
By 7.16.10
Reader Courtney was on a promotional plan with Comcast that she didn’t know about, so when it expired she was unhappy to find out that Comcast would rather let her switch to the competition than give her a deal. [More]
DirecTV Raises Rates, Threatens To Bill You For Past Discounts If You Cancel
By 3.8.10
Reader Lane wants to know if other readers out there have experienced the following scenario from DirecTV. You think you are paying too much so you call to negotiate. They offer you a discount, then raise your rates. When you call to cancel, they threaten to bill you for the “discounts” you were getting. [More]
ABC7 Cuts Off Cablevision Customers Just In Time For Oscars
By 3.7.10
Oscar is being held hostage in the latest battle between the New York City-area ABC affiliate and cable provider Cablevision. At midnight last night, ABC7 cut off their feed to Cablevision, leaving millions Oscarless. This caught our attention not only because it was a spectacularly obnoxious negotiating ploy on ABC’s part, but also because local media are giving Cablevision customers some pretty bad advice. [More]
IKEA Wouldn't Sell Me An In-Stock Item, But It Did Ship It To Me For Free
By 2.9.10
Responding to last week’s post about a guy who couldn’t get IKEA to sell him a desk it had in plain view because the store does its restocking overnight, Ross writes in with a story of how he found himself in a similar situation. Only Ross came out a winner by guilting the staff into shipping the item to him for free. [More]
Comcast Lowers Your Bill, Then Charges Early Termination Fee
By 5.10.09
Comcast agreed to lower reader O.’s monthly cable bill to $40, but they didn’t warn him that the new, lower price would come with a hefty $150 early termination fee. O. could barely afford Comcast’s service before, and wouldn’t have agreed to the lower fee if he knew about the surprise fee. Comcast is telling him that he has no choice but to pay, and won’t even let him return to his previous plan.
New York Times: Walking Away From Your Mortgage, Not So Bad After All
By 3.22.09
Great news, distressed homeowners! If you aren’t eligible for the President’s homeowner assistance package and can’t negotiate a better deal on your mortgage, the New York Times says that turning in the keys and leaving your home may not be the end of your financial world. The Times mapped out a guide for dealing with the various players controlling your mortgage…
