Here at Consumerist Central, we get a lot of complaints from pissed-off readers about a host of different problems. But looking through all the customer service gripes we get each day, we see that there are 10 industries in particular that represent the lion’s share of reader’s ire. [More]
polls
Consumers Hate Facebook As Much As Airlines, Cable Companies
By 7.22.10
Has Facebook’s ongoing foolishness with privacy settings, fine print, and advertising taken its toll on the brand? According to The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s E-Business Report, Facebook scored 64 points out of 100, which puts it in the bottom 5% of private companies, “in the same range as airlines and cable companies.” The one bit of good news for Facebook is that MySpace scored 63 points. [More]
What's Creepier, New Chevy Volt Ads, Or John Carpenter's Christine?
By 7.14.10
At first I thought it was a horror movie trailer coming out of the dashboard radio. There is a wall of droning sound, then an intense voice overlays with, “Listen. Hear that? That’s the sound of the status quo crumbling.” I wondered what new machete-wielding maniac would be gracing the theaters this summer, until I realized that his name was Chevy Volt. What? That’s your electric car ad? Why does it sound so much like the trailer for the 1983 cult classic Christine in which an otherworldly-possessed car goes on a murderous rampage? [More]
Should Travelocity's "TotalPrice" Guarantees Cover Mandatory Surcharges?
By 6.26.10
Aaron’s pissed because Travelocity’s quote for a one week car rental in Costa Rica didn’t include a mandatory insurance charge that cost him more than $100. Aaron feels cheated and wants Travelocity to pony up under their TotalPrice Guarantee, but Travelocity may not have done anything wrong. Join us across the jump to help us sort this out. [More]
POLL: Do You Have Health Insurance?
By 6.21.10
Health care reform has been one of the biggest hot-button topic for quite some time and it looks to only get hotter as both sides make their arguments on the White House’s plan for national health care. Leaving the pros and cons of the plan to the side for the moment, we just want to know how our readers are fixed for health insurance. [More]
The Great Grill Debate: Gas Or Charcoal?
By 5.31.10
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s Memorial Day. That means overblown, low-quality movies that will earn more in a weekend than some small countries will in a decade and — most importantly — it’s grilling season. Alas, despite decades of debate, countless technological advances and several attempts by Presidents Clinton, Carter and Bush to bring resolution to the matter, there still remains a great divide in this nation between those who swear by charcoal and those who are cooking with gas. [More]
Should There Be A National Standard For Teen Drivers' Licenses?
By 5.4.10
Right now, 42 states allow teens under the age of 16 to get their learner’s permit and seven of those offer permits to 14-year-olds. Additionally, many states have differing rules about when a teen driver can obtain his full driving rights. A handful of Senators are hoping to gather support for a law that would do away with these variances and also raise the permit age nationally to 16. [More]
What Do You Think Of A Continental/United Merger?
By 4.30.10
It’s being widely reported that Continental Airlines and United Airlines, who have flirted with the idea in the past, could announce merger plans as early as Monday. If so, the deal would make the combined entity the largest airline in the world. But is that a good thing for travelers? [More]
55th Floridian Dies After Being Tased, Should They Be Banned? Tasers, That Is.
By 4.27.10
Derrick Humbert, 38, became the 55th Floridian to die from a Taser. He was riding his bicycle and officers asked him to stop. Instead, he rode around the corner and fled through a yard. The officers in pursuit tased him as he tried to scramble over a fence, shooting 50,000 volts of electricity into his body. 28 minutes later, he was in a coma in the ambulance, and was pronounced dead at the hospital. [More]
POLL: Should Ronald McDonald Retire?
By 3.30.10
After a half century of scaring/entertaining children for McDonald’s, a health advocacy group is saying it’s time for Ronald McDonald to retire, not because he’s getting long in the tooth (and hasn’t managed to get any less creepy after all these years), but because they believe he’s enticing young kids into eating fast food. [More]
Poll: Would You Donate A Kidney For Cash?
By 3.16.10
Donating a kidney or part of a liver is a risky proposition, even when you’re giving the donation to a loved one or family member. But a new study asks whether or not people would be more willing to part with an organ if tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of dollars were offered. [More]
iPad Pre-Orders Now Open
By 3.12.10
Apple opened the doors on iPad pre-orders as of a few minutes ago. Git ’em while they’re hot! Or not, and wait for the inevitable first-generation bugs to get worked out and feeding frenzy to fade. Should you buy? Which kind do you get? Sister Consumer Reports Electronics Blog has the breakdown. Take our poll as to whether you’re getting with the craze or staying out of the race. [More]
2 Dead Economists In An Epic Rap Battle
By 3.5.10
An oddly high-produced music video rap battle between economists John Maynard Keynes and F. A. Hayek. It crystallizes and communicates the differences between macroeconomic and classic liberal free-market capitalism through the magic of hiphop. It seems weighted towards Hayek but it’s entertaining nonetheless, even though I’m sure Tea Party folks probably email it to their friends with lots of dancing emoticons and angel gifs. What side do you fall on, Keynes or Hayek? [More]
Poll: Are You Underemployed?
By 2.23.10
The unemployment rate may be near 10%, but what about those who would do more work if they had the chance? Yes, the underemployment rate in this country, which adds to the unemployment count those who work part-time but want to work full time is nearly 20%, according to a Gallup phone poll of 19,800 American adults. Let’s do our own poll. What’s your work situation? Would you work more hours if they were available? [More]
Does Geek Barbie Have Smaller Boobs?
By 2.17.10
Does the new computer savvy Barbie have tinier tatas than her predecessors? Reader jgodsey says she noticed a discrepancy in this side-by-side profile on TV. Or is it just the angle and the bodice? Here’s Geek Barbie from another angle along with another Barbie friend so we can settle this argument. [More]
What Are You Going To Do With Your Tax Refund?
By 2.17.10
What are you going to do with the money once you get your tax refund check? Take our poll and let us know! [More]
What Happened With Operation Chokehold
By 12.21.09
So what ended up happening with “Operation Chokehold,” the plan last Friday to protest unreliable iPhone coverage by having a bunch of people simultaneously run a bunch of data-intensive apps to bring the AT&T network to its knees? We’ll tell ya. [More]
