If you missed your chance to buy one of the 1,000 never-ending Pasta Passes from Olive Garden last year, mark your calendars… for tomorrow: the fast-casual chain says it’s bringing back the cards that entitle bearers to shove as much pasta down their gullets as they can for seven weeks. This time, friends and family can be included in the endless feast as well. [More]
promotions
I Signed Up For Samsung’s “Ultimate Test Drive” And All I Got Was A Defective Phone With No Way To Return It
By 9.2.15
A few weeks ago, Samsung announced a new promotion called “Ultimate Test Drive,” wherein iPhone users (and only iPhone users) could sign up to receive a Galaxy smartphone and try it out for a month, for just a $1 processing fee. Consumerist reader Alex figured he might as well take Samsung up on its offer, and signed up to get a Galaxy Note 5 for the month. He’s now stuck with a Samsung phone that doesn’t work, no way to return it and the company hasn’t responded to any of his requests for help. [More]
Samsung Wants iPhone Users To Test Drive A Galaxy Smartphone For 30 Days
By 8.21.15
If you’re an iPhone user who’s been flirting with the idea of switching to an Android phone, it’s understandable that you might be resistant to change — it can take some getting used to when you switch from one operating system to another, in either direction. Samsung wants to take that uncertainty away for iPhone users with a new promo that allows those folks to test drive one of a few Galaxy smartphones for a month. [More]
Class Action Suit Against Hollister For Canceling Promo Gift Cards Goes Forward
By 6.2.15
While class action lawsuits can be a useful method of consumer justice, they are not a swift one. Take a class action against the clothing store Hollister, which is owned by Abercrombie & Fitch: a customer accuses the store of making promotional gift cards expire even though there was no expiration date printed on the cards. It was just certified as a class action last month, and the promotion in question happened in 2009. [More]
Americans Don’t Think Personal Data Is Secure, Still Trade It For Coupons
By 3.10.15
What information are you willing to give up to get a discount or other benefits from a retailer? The consulting company Accenture wanted to know how comfortable we are with all of this, and what information we might be willing to give up for rewards from merchants. Broadly speaking, it depends on what they’re offering. [More]
Did Lyft Backtrack On $1,000 Bonus Promise For New Drivers Or Is It Simply Overwhelmed By Applicants?
By 3.6.15
In an effort to raise a fleet of drivers for its ride-sharing service, Lyft offered $1,000 bonuses both to new drivers and those referring them last week. But it appears the company might have bitten off more than it can chew after receiving more applications than anticipated, leaving some hopeful drivers without bonuses. [More]
Domino’s Promotion Guilts Stores That Haven’t Dropped “Pizza” From Restaurant Signage
By 2.19.15
You may have heard that Domino’s Pizza changed its name recently, simply dropping the Pizza, because, you know, it sells more than just circles of sauce and cheese now. To make sure the new name is being used, the company started an initiative asking customers to embarrass stores using the old name and logo by shaming them on social media. [More]
Southwest Offering Free Companion Passes To Atlanta Residents Who Make 3 Trips In Next 3 Months
By 2.13.15
Seven months of flying just about anywhere you want for relatively little cost sounds like a dream to many of us. For some residents of Atlanta it might actually become a reality as part of Southwest Airlines’ latest promotion to court the city’s travelers. [More]
Amazon’s Latest Service Allows Brands, Consumers To Host Online Giveaways
By 2.10.15
Amazon continued expanding its services to consumers Tuesday with the launch of a new self-service tool allowing customers to host their own giveaways. [More]
Qdoba Wants You To Smooch A Stranger For Free Food On Valentine’s Day
By 2.3.15
We received an e-mail today from burrito eatery Qdoba bout their Valentine’s Day promotion. We didn’t think that this was possible, but on some level it is even more disturbing than the current McDonald’s campaign where customers can call loved ones or hug each other instead of paying for their food with cash. Qdoba promises a free burrito with their new cheesy sauce…if you buy a first burrito, and if you kiss someone on demand. [More]
Uber France Cancels Promo With Free Car Rides From Beautiful Ladies
By 10.22.14
Ride-sharing service Uber is currently trying to take over France. As in many areas where the app is trying to expand, French authorities have imposed restrictions and even a €100,000 fine on the company for being an unregulated taxi service. Uber’s response was an poorly thought-out promotion in the city of Lyon where passengers could go for 20-minute rides in cars chauffeured by beautiful ladies. [More]
Sprint Doubles AT&T’s Data-Doubling Promotion
By 10.1.14
Over the weekend, AT&T announced a promotion on its biggest and priciest family plans for data: during October, they will double the amount of data that users on most expensive plans, starting at the 15 GB tier, get with their monthly plan. “Oh, yeah?” said competitor Sprint. “We’ll DOUBLE their double data!” [More]
CFPB Warns Consumers That Some Credit Card Companies Aren’t Disclosing Risks Of Promotional Offers
By 9.3.14
With a plethora of credit cards on the market, consumers may be drawn to companies and banks that offer the best promotion at any give time. While those deals might seem like a steal at first, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is concerned that companies aren’t clearly disclosing the costs and risks of those offers in a way that consumers can easily understand. [More]
Ever Wanted To Sleep At IKEA? Thanks To Airbnb Now You Can, But Only If You Live In Australia
By 8.21.14
Are you Australian and in need of a new pair of sheets? Well, you can get a free set if you’re included in one of three groups picked to spend the night at an IKEA store as part of a promotion between the furniture company and Airbnb. [More]
What Could Possibly Be Inside Car-Sized Amazon Locker With A Nissan Logo On It?
By 5.16.14
Yet again, Amazon and Nissan have teamed up to bring the world a mystery involving an enormous Amazon-branded container out in public. Last time, the massive Amazon box on a flatbed truck contained a Nissan Versa, which was a great cross-promotion. What could be inside the mysterious giant Amazon locker in San Francisco? Maybe the Nissan logo on one side provides a clue. [More]
eBay Issues $10 Non-Coupon, Not An April Fool’s Day Joke
By 4.1.14
Recently, a lot of eBay users received a great coupon in their e-mail: $10 off if you complete a sale on the site. It expires on April 6, this coming Sunday. What a great idea: it will encourage customers to make eBay purchases! Well, it would have been if it worked, at least. Instead, customers were told that the coupon had “no remaining funding.” Oh. [More]
Old Spice Slips Phone Number Into Commercial…Where Callers Could Win Super Bowl Tickets
By 1.31.14
In a current ad for Old Spice shampoos, a man’s hair charms a female co-worker, and she writes down her phone number. One viewer of the ad noticed something strange about that number: it was toll-free. More importantly, why didn’t it use 555 for the first three digits like most fictional phone numbers do? There was only one thing to do: call the number and find out. [More]
Why Did My Free Gift Card Cost $10?
By 10.8.13
Mike is confused. He took advantage of a Babies ‘R’ Us deal promising a free $10 gift card with the purchase of a certain amount of Pampers brand disposable diapers. In the checkout line, he was confused when the cashier added the gift card and his total purchase went up by $10. That’s not how “free” works! [More]
