The man who wrote the long, funny complaint letter to Richard Branson about the level of suck on his recent Virgin Atlantic flight has been asked to “come to the airline’s catering house next month, to help select the food on future Virgin flights.” Yeah, we know that it’s a publicity stunt, but an entertaining one. We hope the customer agrees, and hates the new food just as much. In fact, we wish he’d replace Toby Young on Top Chef; the dead hamster line would be a pretty good put-down on that show.
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Despite Addressing Reader Complaint In Front Of Staff, Circuit City CEO Still Wears Failpants
By 12.16.08
David wrote a very angry letter to Circuit City’s CEO. The CEO responded, and used the letter as a learning point in his next staff Town Hall meeting, making David angrier than ever.
Drug Maker Accused Of Paying Ghostwriters To Pen Journal Articles
By 12.12.08
A drug company is accused of paying ghostwriters to write favorable articles about their drugs — even after one drug was shown to raise the risk of cancer.
Apple Pulls Anti-Virus Advice Due To Bad PR?
By 12.4.08
According to Computerworld, Apple yanked a “controversial” support document from its website Tuesday, after it began a heated debate among the Apple faithful. What was the controversial advice? Apple suggested its users run anti-virus software.
Amazon Lets You Do The PR For Them
By 11.26.08
Amazon.com is doing holiday PR a little differently this year. They’ve announced something called the “Holiday Customer Review Team,” which is comprised of “six of its top reviewers.”
GM's Prez Begs Customers To Plead On GM's Behalf
By 11.18.08
Consumerist reader Darkrose writes, “I just got this in my e-mail. Thought you guys might be interested in it.” In the email, GM’s president Troy Clarke is in high PR mode, pointing out the grave consequences and emphasizing that GM wants not “a bailout but rather a loan that will be repaid.” We thought other readers who aren’t GM customers would find it interesting.
UNIQLO Dispenses HEATTECH Innerware From "Giant Human Vending Machine" …What's That?
By 11.13.08
To promote its new line of HEATTECH innerware (that’s the new word for thermal underwear), UNIQLO will be giving out free samples of it in a “giant human vending machine” from 10AM-1PM in the middle of Times Square on November 18th. Intrigued by the concept of a giant human vending machine but befuddled about its execution, I engaged in parlay with their PR flak, with amusing and quirky results. So now, we bring you the first installment in our new series: Conversations With PR Flaks…
AIG's CEO Issues Statement About $343,000 Phoenix Seminar
By 11.12.08
Bothered by news reports about another high-priced junket, AIG’s CEO Edward M. Liddy issued a public statement to correct the innacuracies he saw. AIG Media Relations emailed it to us and wanted to make sure we shared it with our readers, and since we’re all about sharing at The Consumerist, here it is:
Verizon's Policy Blog V. SmarterChild
By 10.11.08
Verizon’s so-called “policy blog” is a grotesquely self-serving marketing orifice, perhaps the worst corporate blog we’ve ever read. We decided to stack Verizon’s inane sales schmaltz against the internet’s preeminent bullshit-spewing chatbot, SmarterChild….
Amazon Pulls Negative Reviews Of 'Spore,' Then Reinstates Them
By 9.12.08
Earlier today, about 2200 reviews of the game Spore disappeared from the product page on Amazon.com, almost all of them negative. Did Amazon censor the reviews because of their anti-DRM nature? Amazon says no, that it was a technical glitch, and they restored the reviews by the end of today. An Amazon spokesperson told Ars Technica, “Amazon doesn’t censor or edit customer reviews based [on their content] and we’d only remove a review if it fell outside our guidelines.” Spore’s rating is back to a single star, and it’s #5 on Amazon’s video games chart.
Charges Filed Against Bed, Bath & Beyond Manager Who Refused To Allow 911 Call
By 9.11.08
Police have charged Elizabeth Miller, the manager of the Bed, Bath & Beyond in Lexington, Kentucky, who refused to let a couple use the store’s phone to call 911 to report a three-year-old locked in a van, and refused to make an announcement over the store’s PA system. The charge is “failure to report dependency, neglect and abuse, a Class B misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of 90 days and a maximum fine of $250.”
Dell Downgraded From "Evil" To "Bumbling"
By 9.11.08
“They’ve been downgraded from evil to bumbling.” – Me in FORTUNE about Dell’s online thrusts that attempt to repair their image and listen to their customers more. What do you think? Do you feel any better about them than you did two years ago, or are do their customers still writhe in the eternal flames of “Dell Hell?” Would you add Dell to your Facebook?
BB&B Responds To Customer Complaint Over 911 Debacle
By 9.10.08
Appalled by the events described in, “Bed, Bath & Beyond Will Not Let You Use The Phone To Call 911,” one reader sent a chastising email to their public relations division. In particular, he took aim at their statement that they were using it as a “training opportunity,” which sounds pretty antiseptic and corporate considering that a child’s life could have been in danger. Their VP of customer service responded. Their correspondence follows.
It Looks Like High Fructose Corn Syrup Manufacturers Are Getting A Little Nervous
By 9.8.08
The Corn Refiners Association is sick and tired of people expressing uncertainty about the dubious heath benefits of high fructose corn syrup, so they’re running some commercials featuring aggressively annoying people getting schooled on the “facts” about our most omnipresent sweetener. All we managed to glean from the commercials is that not consuming high fructose corn syrup makes you rude. In the first one, one mom walks up to another (who is pouring some sort of pink liquid from a jug) and says, “Wow, you don’t care what the kids eat, huh?” What a jerk.
Obama Took Hillary As VP "Very Seriously"
By 8.26.08
I like to keep it pretty apolitical here at The Consumerist, but when Obama uttered the very same PR-double-speak phrase, “taking it seriously,” that we’ve been skewering for eight months, I had to post it.
Coinstar Calls Cashing In Change 'Recycling'
By 8.18.08
Douglas writes, “Coinstar wants you to ‘recycle’ your coins in their machines, and save the environment! Minus their 8.9% fee of course.” They even have a little wizard on their website that estimates how many parts of the environment—water, energy consumption, and geological waste—you save by putting those coins back into circulation, instead of hoarding them like the polar bear murderer you are. They don’t provide any source for these estimates, though, and we’re not convinced you’re doing anything “green” other than lining Coinstar’s pockets.
Sam's Club Pretends Its Polystyrene Cup Is Green
By 8.15.08
Gregg saw this cheerful environmentally-friendly message on the side of his Sam’s Club soda cup. Wait, what? We guess it saves Sam’s Club fuel costs to ship the cups, but that sounds more like a profit-friendly quality. Gregg notes another benefit of the cup: “[it] may never biodegrade but at least it’s easy on my drinkin’ elbow.”
Walmart Takes Salmonella Peppers Very Seriously
By 8.6.08
THE QUOTE: “Obviously, food safety is very important to us. It’s a matter we take very seriously,” said Walmart spokesperson Daphne Davis Moore . “We’ll take a very close look at it.”
