The email address for Chairman, President & CEO of NICOR Gas Company, Russ Strobel, is rstrobel@nicor.com.
readers
Best Buy Calls Cops On You For Telling Fellow Customer Jawbone Headset Is Overpriced, Sucks
By 3.27.08
Best Buy called the cops on Alex because he told another shopper that the Jawbone headset he was considering was poor quality and marked up $30 from the manufacturer’s price. Alex went to Best Buy to purchase a new Bluetooth headset because the Jawbone he recently purchased from Verizon wasn’t cutting it. While browsing the headsets, he struck up a conversation with another customer who was checking out the Jawbone. Alex told his fellow customer that he had been disappointed in the quality of the Jawbone, and that Best Buy was charging $30 more than the manufacturer or Verizon. A sales associate overheard this and told the manager, who asked Alex to leave the store, then threatened to call the police, then did.
eBayed BMW M3 Resolution Hits Pothole
By 3.27.08
The guy who won a BMW for $60k on eBay only to have the dealership back out is chaffing at the conditions the dealership imposed after the two, following an international onslaught of criticism, came to terms. The two conditions the dealership asked for were 1) That Ken not sell the car for a certain number of years after he bought it and 2) That Ken has to go around to all the internet sites that picked up his story and tell them that the dealership worked out the deal. Ken’s lawyer was able to get the first one struck but Ken really doesn’t like the second one, especially after the following quote from the dealership appeared in the Journal-Star, “These bloggers out there, they have lots of time on their hands to do this.” To this, Ken wrote, “I got placed under the impression that the dealership really isn’t sorry for anything they have done here. Their attitude, it seemed was that I am to blame for the firestorm that culminated, implying that I wasn’t being proactive enough in getting the word out…I had no intention of becoming a pawn for this dealer, not after the way they treated me!” For their part, the dealership says they are ready to sell the car at the agreed-upon price once they receive payment from Ken.
Netflix Gives Good Apology To Customers For Monday's Delays
By 3.26.08
3. Give conciliatory gift of monetary value.
CVS Underfills Your Prescription, Treats You Like A Junkie
By 3.26.08
CVS underfilled Shannon’s prescription and then treated her like a junkie when she complained. According to her email, after Shannon picked up her regular monthly batch of 60 Kolonopin pills, an anticonvulsant, she realized CVS only gave her 30. She called CVS and they insisted they gave her 60 pills. Shannon encouraged them to check their inventory, which CVS said was impossible. Shannon then asked them to fill one of the refills for the script. CVS told her that insurance wouldn’t cover more than 60 pills in 30 days. Shannon said that was fine, seeing as it’s dangerous to suddenly stop taking the drug, she would pay out of pocket. CVS then told her they would not do the refill “under any circumstances” and they would note her record for “drug-seeking behavior…”
By 3.26.08
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American Airlines canceled 200 flights today for safety inspections. Concerns arose over how a particular bundle of wires was attached to MD-80 airplanes. This is different from the bolt safety issue affecting Boeing 737s. [CNNMoney]
Watch Out For High Interest Rates On Store Credit Cards
By 3.26.08
Seems whenever you check out at a store these days the clerk is always asking if you want to sign up for the store credit card. They’ll tell you that you can save 15% today, but what they’re not telling you is how high the interest rate is: an average of 21.96% and in some cases, as high as 23.99%, says a survey by Congressman Anthony Weiner. That’s almost as high as the default rate you would pay on a normal credit card. Before biting, make sure you read the disclosure agreement in full to find out the APR. If you end up not paying off that balance in full, that one day of savings could eventually be erased by compounding interest. Inside, the interest rates and grace periods for the in-store credit cards of 35 top retailers…
By 3.26.08
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Consumer confidence dropped to 64.5 in March, down from 76.4 in February, the lowest level in 5 years. [AP]
The 30 Cent Store
By 3.26.08
You know times are tough when the Dollar Store needs to hold a 70% off sale. That should be a line in a blues song. Maybe it’s an art installation making commentary on the current strength of the dollar.
OverstockDealz.com Thinks A $8 Cable Is A 30gb Zune
By 3.25.08
Reader Eric wants a Zune. He found a great deal on a refurbished one at overstockdealz.com, placed his order, and a few days later received his package. It contained an $8 Zune cable. Here’s his letter:
Walmart Successfully Sues Brain-Damaged Worker For $469,216
By 3.25.08
A Walmart worker who was hit by a truck and left brain-dead-damaged has lost her final round of appeals and must repay the retailer $469,216. This is because she both had Walmart pay for her medical expenses and she successfully sued the trucking company for medical expenses. While, on the face of it, reptilian, standard employer-sponsored-insurance contracts have clauses prohibiting double-dipping, and, as we all learned from Seinfeld, double-dipping is gross for society. [St. Louis Post Dispatch] (Thanks to Michael!)
Federal Court Overturns NY Passenger Bill Of Rights
By 3.25.08
A sad day for air travelers:
A federal appeals court has rejected a law requiring airlines to provide food, water, clean toilets and fresh air to passengers trapped in a plane delayed on the ground.
Teen Being Murdered By UnitedHealth Spreadsheet
By 3.25.08
Pacificare, owned by UnitedHeatlh, has decided to deny coverage for Nick Columbo, a 17-year-old dying from bone cancer. Nick has been unresponsive to chemo and his doctors recommend the “CyberKnife” treatment (read their letters here). Nick’s family is holding a protest outside the Pacificare today to try to get the insurance company to change its mind. UnitedHealth is ranked as the worst insurance company in the nation, is being investigated by the state of California, and has been fined over $3.5 million for negligent claims practices. Inside, a plea for help from Nick’s brother.
By 3.25.08
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If you’re on SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) and used Taxcut Online from H&R Block to file for your stimulus payment, it may have told you to print out the wrong form. The right form is 1040A, not 1040EZ.
FiOS Is Great, If Verizon Ever Manages To Actually Install It
By 3.25.08
Ben is getting some crappy customer service from Verizon in attempting to get FiOS installed. His phone is disconnected, they made a half-assed install, don’t show up for installs, don’t call, oh, and he still doens’t have FiOS. He writes:
To file amongst other I hate Verizon articles. Typing and summarizing while on hold with Verizon for approximately the 8th time…
Sprint Offers Loyalty Discount To Customers Who Ask For It
By 3.25.08
Michael wrote in to let us know that in spite of Sprint’s customer service shortcomings, the company is happy to give a discount to those customers who have remained with the beleaguered wireless provider. Here is the email exchange Michael had with Sprint…
Microsoft Sends Free Swag To The Gamer Whose XBox 360 Artwork They Destroyed
By 3.25.08
Remember that video game fan who sent in for repair an XBOX covered in all sorts of priceless art, along with the express instructions for it not to be washed? And then it was washed? Well, he already got a nice box of goodies from Bungie, but now Microsoft has stepped up and sent him their own prize package which includes a faceplate signed by Bill Gates. Nothing like a frag marathon officially endorsed by the second-wealthiest man in the world! Woohoo, game on!
By 3.25.08
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As a way of saying sorry to Guitar Hero III customers whose discs only supported mono sound, software maker Activision is sending out free faceplates to attach to your electronic axe. Not sure if that makes up for the 3-4 weeks people had to wait for a replacement disc, but good on ya, Activision. [Infendo]
