Late last Thursday night, two guys rang reader Sean’s doorbell and asked if he’d like to get anything out of his 2007 Jeep Compass before they repossessed it. Since then, Sean has tried to get current on his payments, but Chrysler’s web site snafus have kept him from getting the cash to Chrysler, which won’t let him get his car back unless he forks over hundreds of dollars in fees. Oy. Sean’s story, inside..
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What's Your Favorite Recipe Site?
By 6.2.09
As numerous commenters on our “50 Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free Or Cheap” pointed out, it’s easier to get good food at a good price with a nice home-cooked meal with fresh ingredients. Then we have the perpetual dilemma, what to make, and how to make it?
On The Border Asks: Do You Love Me?
By 5.31.09
Um, we’re a little sketched out by a survey question from the Mexican restaurant On The Border asking customers to agree or disagree with the statement: “I love On The Border.” Sure, sometimes we LOVE Mexican food, but we don’t really love any restaurant. It’s just too large a step to take with an eatery, you know? Reader Max is equally confused…
At Food Lion, "Value Pricing" Means Extra Confusion!
By 5.31.09
Food Lion can’t decide how much this boneless New York strip steak costs or weighs. It could weigh .47 pounds at $9.49 per pound, or it could be 1.06 pounds of value priced meat at $6.64 per pound. Reader Mike isn’t sure what’s really going on here, but he’s hungry and confused and wants his steak to come with answers.
Bank Of America Refunds $315 In Overdraft Fees Thanks To EECB
By 5.31.09
Ryan convinced Bank of America to drop their demand for $315 from nine overdraft fees by sending a well-crafted Executive Email Carpet Bomb. Ryan admitted that he was wrong to expect his checks to clear so quickly, but gently reminded the bank that nine overdraft fees was excessive, and explained that he would consider taking his business elsewhere if they thought this was an acceptable way to treat a long-time customer. Two days later, the fees were gone.
Amazon Merchant May Want To Reconsider Their Two-Day Shipping Charges
By 5.31.09
Brent was ready to order two-day shipping from Amazon merchant Electronics Expo for a set of Boston Acoustics speakers until he realized it would cost an extra $186. The speakers were only $49, and standard shipping was available for $14.99.
This Certified Refurbished Dell Laptop Comes With Large Scratches And A Pirated Copy Of Microsoft Office
By 5.30.09
Ever wonder if “certified refurbished” is just corporate doublespeak for “not entirely broken crap?” Well, at Dell, it is! The refurbished Dell Studio Joseph bought as a gift for his father-in-law arrived with large scratches and a CD-R in the optical drive containing a pirated copy of Microsoft Office. Dell’s response? They’re willing to take back the laptop and waive the restocking fee, but that’s it.
Office Depot: Buy More, Pay More!
By 5.30.09
Stores usually offer discounts as an incentive to buy in bulk. Not the rebels at Office Depot! Penny-pinching thriftmongers can buy three boxes of paper at $32.99 each, but the true cash-wasters out there won’t miss the chance to buy four or more boxes at $42.99 each. Take that, office managers! (Thanks to Andrea!)
Threadless Replaces Stolen Shirt With Style And Grace
By 5.30.09
Matthew isn’t sure who got his order from Threadless.com, but it wasn’t him. UPS claims they delivered the package to Matthew’s apartment, but the reception desk would’ve been closed during the supposed delivery time, and Matthew doesn’t have his package. Rather than wait for UPS to complete its investigation, Threadless dug up an extra print of their sold-out design and sent it to Matthew, along with a little something extra…
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By 5.29.09
Here are seven wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Take a peek!
The Extra Fiber In Quaker Natural Granola: Chunks Of Wood
By 5.23.09
James’ seven-year-old daughter was happily noshing on her Quaker Natural Granola when she came across this chunk of wood. Quaker was quick to send James a coupon so he could buy more woody granola from Costco, but then offered a refund when reminded that the bulk warehouse doesn’t accept manufacturer’s coupons.
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By 5.22.09
Here are six wonderful photos and one funny one that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check ’em out!
Verizon Willing To Let 62-Year-Old Man Die Unless Cops Pay $20 Of His Overdue Bill
By 5.22.09
Ohio police are pissed with Verizon after the company refused to help them find a missing 62-year-old man unless they paid his overdue $20 $20 of his overdue cellphone bill.
HP Calls About Pants Burnin' Laptop
By 5.21.09
HP called Consumerist about our inquiry about Jillian’s sparking and flaming HP dv2845se laptop adapter that she says burned a hole in her pants and caused a welt on her leg. Jillian had also alleged that HP customer service, regular and escalated, was both unresponsive and rude. HP told us….
"60 Days Notice Required Before Dying" Landlord Loses Appeal
By 5.21.09
The sun has set for Sun Harbour Apartments in their attempt to steal money from a dead man’s family. Court documents obtained by Consumerist indicated the landlords recently lost their appeal in a case where they tried to charge the estate of the late Arthur Zissenfor the 3 months left on the man’s lease, as well as taking his security deposit. The apartment complex have a 60 days advance notice required before vacating the premises policy and not even a swoosh of The Reaper’s scythe could break it, Sun Harbor believed, erroneously. Inside, the local newscast from when the case first went to court.
Cupcake Truck Hits New York
By 5.20.09
Two words. The first word is cupcake. The second is truck. Started by a recently graduated New York Law School student who realized he wasn’t getting a job this year, Cupcakestop will be scooting around Manhattan, serving up treats like red velvet, oreo crumb, and black and white cookie. $1 for minis, $2.25 for regular size. I think they’re going to be Twittering their location at each stop, too. Innovation in the recession. Tasty.
Credit Card Company Threats Don't Scare Consumerist Readers
When we wrote earlier about credit card companies’ threats to treat customers even worse in light of Congress passing credit card reform legislation, it ignited a righteous firestorm of consumer rage in the comments. Inside, our favorites.