Did you know you can get thrown in jail for not paying your debts? Yes, in America, in the 21st century, debt collectors are effectively deputizing local police forces to collect on debts, manipulating the system and using your tax dollars to do their dirty work. [More]
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Reach Best Buy's Executive Resolution Team
By 6.2.10
If you have an issue with Best Buy that you’ve tried and tried and tried and tried to resolve using normal customer service methods, to no avail, try pinging this guy on their executive resolution team: [More]
Design BP's New Logo
By 6.2.10
In light of recent events, it seems BP’s “blossoming natural gas flower” logo needs an update. A friendly citizen passing by their station at Crosby and Houston in New York has offered this as their suggestion. If this sets off a brainstorm for you, LogoMyWay is hosting an parodic BP logo redesign contest with a $200 prize. (Thanks to GitEmSteveDave!) [More]
Couple Discovers Secret Room In New Home, Secretly Filled With Moldy Garbage
By 6.1.10
Every kid talks about how they’re going to have a secret room in his house when they grows up… so imagine the delight of reader Jeannine to discover the house she bought actually came with one! And then imagine how that delight turned to revulsion as she and her partner opened it up and found countless piles of garbage covered with white puffy mold! It would turn out to be only the first of many secrets the house revealed to them, including a basement with 75% secret asbestos tiling! Oh, it’s like something out of a fairy tale! [More]
Anyone Want To Buy Radio Shack?
By 6.1.10
Radio Shack, oh, I’m sorry, “The Shack” is on the auction block. Private equity groups like Blackstone Group are bidding for it, and Best Buy could be a possible secret contender as well, according to the Post. I guess that scheme to dominate the market by knowing the zip code of every battery purchaser didn’t work out so hot. (Thanks to Gary!) [More]
AT&T Raising iPhone Early Termination Fee To $325
By 5.21.10
Having cold feet with your iPhone will cost you $325 starting June 1. AT&T is increasing the fee for breaking early two-year smartphone contracts from $199. The carrier is also decreasing the early termination fee for “dumb” phones by $25 to $150. [ [More]
Reach HTC Executives
By 5.20.10
If you need to reach upper management at handheld manufacturer HTC because of some intractable issue with their device that regular customer service can’t or won’t solve, consider lofting a well-crafted letter over to some of these folks: [More]
New Google Phone Whispers Targeted Ads In Your Ears
By 5.18.10
So this is how Google is going to make the Nexus One work: Advanced voice-recognition technnology will whisper targeted ads directly into your ears, reports The Onion. [More]
Woman Sues Cellphone Company For $600,000 For "Exposing" Her Adultery
By 5.17.10
A woman has sued her wireless provider for $600,000 for outing her as a cheater to her husband. After the they added internet and TV services to the woman’s previously single-user cellphone bill, the wireless company began sending the husband a unified bill, which included several hours long conversations to an unknown number. The husband walked out, and the lawsuits began. [More]
Family Of Six Ditches Satellite TV, Gets All Shows Online
By 5.17.10
Three months ago, Larry made a bold move. An avid sports fan with a wife and four kids, he unplugged the satellite TV. Larry loves TV, so much that he once worked in a TV station for six years. But his wife made him do it. That $50/month fee had to go, so he learned how to hook up his TV to the internet. “We’ve had our challenges,” he writes, but, “even with March Madnes I’ve managed to save a ton of money and with a few small adjustments, not miss out on any of our entertainment.” Here’s what he did and how it worked out. There’s nothing super fancy here but for someone just trying to get their feet wet, it has some good ideas: [More]
Reach Citi's Executive Response Unit
By 5.14.10
They say you can only bang your head against a wall for so long. If that describes where you’re at with a stuck Citi customer service issue, and you’ve tried and failed with customer service reps and supervisors, consider dialing this secret phone number for their executive response unit. Warning: Break Glass Only In Case Of Emergency. [More]
Man Gets 9 Ridiculous Wells Fargo Overdrafts Reversed
By 5.12.10
John got his account back in black after Wells Fargo had him paying for his rent twice and hit him with nine overdraft fees. He put a stop payment on his electronic check and wrote a paper one instead, but both went through and he was in the red. When he went to customer service, they would only refund some of the fees. Quivering with rage, he steeled himself and emailed the CEO and CFO. The next time he called back customer service, they reversed all the charges. Shazam! [More]
Delta Paid $2,800 For Lost Dog Valued At $20,000
By 5.10.10
Paco wasn’t the only dog lost in transit before it was loaded onto a Delta aircraft. Four years ago, Vivi, a whippet who won the Award of Merit in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog show, escaped from her kennel as it was being loaded onto a Delta flight and was reportedly seen running across the tarmac before escaping into the marshy marsh. A media frenzy ensued…. [More]
BoA Sued For Taking TARP $ But Not Helping Foreclosures
By 5.7.10
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Bank of America for taking $25 billion in federal TARP bailout money but intentionally failing to live up to its part of the bargain. The deal was that banks were supposed to use use the money to allow struggling homeowners to reduce their payments to affordable levels. “Bank of America came up with every excuse to defer the Kahlo family from a home loan modification, from stating they ‘lost’ their paperwork to saying they never approved the new terms of the mortgage agreement,” said the plaintiff’s attorney. “And we know from our investigation this isn’t an isolated incident.” Bank of America declined to comment.
Washington homeowners file class action against Bank of America [Seattle PI]
Now This Is How You Tell A Zombie Debt Collector To Buzz Off!
By 5.5.10
“RJM Acquisitions” mailed Mark a funny notice asking him to pay up $4,448.23. The address they had associated with it was indeed Mark’s, 20 years ago, that is. Not only was the debt invalid, but even if it hadn’t, the statute of limitations was well expired. Mark got to work and drafted a kickass letter to dispute the debt and tell them not to contact him again unless they wanted to be sued $1,000 each time. Here is his letter, which can serve as a good model for any other readers fighting off invalid debt collection attempts, and his story: [More]
New Craigslist Scam Harvests Your Cellphone, Crams $9.95/Month
By 5.4.10
A new Craigslist scam is targeting your cellphone. Sellers report getting a message from a “serious buyer” who is busy “at work” and “can’t contact” them now. The fictional buyer says they “use a website that can save information” and asks the seller to “leave your phone number there” so they can call you after they “get home to arrange a meeting.” Based on one users’ experience, the site, which has already been pulled, then starts cramming $9.95/month monthly charges onto any cellphone number that gets entered. Here is one of the scam emails: [More]
What It's Like To Buy A Short Sale House (Hell, With Benefits)
By 5.3.10
With the housing bubble burst and evaporation of credit, short sales have grown in popularity as debtors behind on their mortgage seek to offload their depreciated property and avoid the derogatory effects a foreclosure can have on their credit report. Ads in the paper and tacked onto telephone poles at intersections scream about the great steals to be had.But what is it actually like to go through this process whereby the bank agrees for the house to be sold at a small loss instead of incurring the sizable fees a full foreclosure would entail? A lot harder than the brightly colored bold letters would have you believe. Long-time reader kyleorton walks us through what he went through to buy his a house listed at $274k via short sale for $229,000, a procedure complicated by Bank of America bureaucracy and a seller’s agent that didn’t feel like doing any work. [More]
Email To Wellpoint CEO Gets Account Issue Fixed
By 5.3.10
I don’t know what health insurer Wellpoint’s problem is but it seems, judging from the stories our readers keep sending in, that lately you have to email the CEO to get simple account problems fixed. What’s going on in your call centers, Wellpoint? Maybe all the workers have rebelled and decided the best way to promote health care reform is to get all your customers to hate you. Zach was able to get his deductible rolled over, but only after he emailed the very top of the Wellpoint power pyramid, Angela Braly. Here’s his story: [More]
