As gas prices have continued to rise in recent weeks, the people of Suffolk County in New York must have been so happy they passed a law that would cap sales tax on gas. The regulation was supposed to have kicked in on March 1, but, well… someone goofed. [More]
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Comcast Disconnects Your Cable. You're An RCN Customer.
By 3.3.11
You don’t need to actually be a Bank of America customer in order for them to foreclose on your house, and you don’t actually need to be a Comcast customer for them to disconnect your cable. That’s what Brett writes happened to him recently when a neighbor had their cable fixed. [More]
The Home Theater System, The Day Off Work, And The Lying UPS Guy
By 3.1.11
Jonathan was waiting for UPS to deliver an important and expensive package to his house. He even took a day off work, in order to make sure that he didn’t miss the delivery. The UPS site said that the package would arrive by 7:00 PM, but that time came and went. Not only did the package not show up, the driver pretended that he had tried to deliver the package, and logged it in the system as such. Nice try: Jonathan was at home, with his door open at the time. [More]
80-Year-Old Woman Ends Up On Wrong Delta Flight After Getting Someone Else's Boarding Pass
By 2.23.11
Finally, a Delta gaffe that doesn’t end up with a dead pet. [More]
At Casual Male XL, Everyone Wins The Super Bowl
By 2.16.11
Reader Brian has made an amazing discovery. The clothing company Casual Male XL exists in a heartwarming yet incredibly boring alternate universe where there is no victor in the Super Bowl. Everybody wins!
[More]
DirecTV Drains Customer's Bank Account To Pay For Her Dead Friend's Satellite Service
By 2.14.11
UPDATE: DirecTV has given Consumerist its side of the story.
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For years, DirecTV has been advertising its “refer your friends and get $100” promotion. But for one DirecTV customer in Florida, that referral didn’t end up profiting her; in fact, it ended up draining her bank account after that friend passed away. [More]
U.S. Airways Attendant Leaves Traveler In Wheelchair Out In The Rain
By 1.11.11
Once again demonstrating its commitment to excellence, U.S. Airways reportedly left an elderly traveler stranded in the rain on a wheelchair lift for several minutes while her daughter looked on helplessly. [More]
NYC Sanitation Dept. Doesn't Care About Destroying Your Car
By 12.28.10
I don’t think we’ve ever had a municipal service division make it into the Worst Company In America tournament, but New York City’s Sanitation Department seems to be gunning for a wild card slot this year. First, they tried to fine someone thousands of dollars for picking up a discarded air-conditioner from the curb, then there was the to-do over the woman ticketed $100 for throwing out a small bag of garbage in a public trash can. Now, as millions of New Yorkers attempt to dig out from one of the biggest blizzards to ever hit the city, the Sanitation folks have been caught on camera destroying a snowbound car. [More]
Nominate The Biggest Business Debacles Of 2010
By 12.28.10
With so many disasters, debacles and let-downs to choose from, we’re asking the savvy readers of Consumerist to help us winnow down this year’s list of embarrassing business debacles to five nominees that you’ll vote on later this week. [More]
Duncan Hines Pulls "Hip Hop Cupcakes" Video Over Blackface Allegations
By 12.10.10
Duncan Hines has managed to stick its foot deep into the hornet’s nest with a YouTube video for its Amazing Glazes product that features “hip hop” cupcakes that some say resemble minstrels in blackface. [More]
Walmart: Where 'Rollback' Actually Means 'Price Increase'
By 11.15.10
How does Walmart stay profitable when they’re always announcing “rollbacks” on the prices of the stuff it sells? Judging by this photo, they do it by actually increasing the price. [More]
Chase Sends Me Updates On Bank Account I Don't Have
By 10.21.10
Consumerist reader Jesse has recently started receiving account balances and deposit info via e-mail for a bank account with Chase. This would be wonderful and helpful — if Jesse had an account with Chase. [More]
Hacked Card Readers Found At Aldi Stores In 11 States
By 10.4.10
Late last week, discount grocery chain Aldi revealed that customers’ banking info may have been compromised by card readers that had been illegally tampered with at stores in 11 states. [More]
Phone Number On Chad Ochocinco's Cereal Box Is Actually Sex Line
By 9.30.10
We love football player/reality star/social media whore Chad Ochocinco (nee Johnson), even if he plays for he Bengals. In fact, we’d buy his Ochocinco’s cereal if it were available here in NYC. Alas, it’s not… And now it’s being taken off shelves at grocery stores in Ohio because a phone number intended to push people to a kids charity actually belongs to a phone sex line. [More]
Orkin Man Uses Sippy Cup To Sprinkle Poison, Leaves It Behind In House With Little Kids
By 9.20.10
An Orkin exterminator’s decision to use a child’s sippy cup as a pesticide dispenser has gotten him suspended from his job after he left it behind in a house with three young children. [More]
Why Is There A Dollar Sign In This Jewly Bandz Chanukah Set?
By 9.16.10
The makers of Jewly Bandz, a Jewish-themed knockoff of those Silly Bandz things that kids today are into, are having to do some explaining after the Internet noticed that, along with recognizably Jewish icons like a menorah and a dreidel, there is also a dollar sign included in its Chanukah Set. [More]
Chase Bank's Website Crashes, Is Being Bailed Out By Tech Support
By 9.14.10
UPDATE: Chase.com has finally come back from the dead. [More]
What's Wrong With This Walmart Sign?
By 9.13.10
A reader over at AZfamily.com was driving by this Walmart in Scottsdale, AZ, the other day when something caught her eye. [More]
