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AT&T experiencing coast-to-coast data service outages, reader Michael writes, with users unable to connect to EDGE via iPhone or use data via Blackberries. Reportedly, it should be fixed within 1-2 hours. (P)
Best Buy is on the offense, launching an internal witch hunt to unmask the “rogue employees” responsible for exposing Geek Squad’s pervasive culture of porn pilfering. Their first victim is the Geek Squad supervisor of the Santa Clarita store, one of the only Best Buy locations whose former employees were quoted in recent articles, print as being a center for porn pilfering.
A Circuit City manager told reader Ryan that the “unbeatable price guarantee” will soon be eliminated. Ryan was asking the Circuit City in Hicksville, NY to match Best Buy’s price for an Arrested Development DVD; though the cashier refused to honor the policy – which beats the advertised price of any local competitor by 10% – the manager explained that it was just a huge tiny mistake, and that so long as signs advertising the policy are up, the policy will be honored. After the jump, we ask Circuit City when the signs are coming down.
Word on the street is that following negative stories in the LA Daily News, and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Best Buy interrogated employees at the Santa Clarita store where former Geek Squad agent and Consumerist reader Brett Haddock used to work, and could be gearing up, or at least, wants people to think it’s gearing up, to seek damages against Geeks who spoke out about the porn pilfering.
UPDATE: A current Target employee rebuts these statements, inside…
An Apple telesales rep tell us you can get them to knock $100 off your price when ordering over the phone just by playing a little hard to get:
If they make it obvious that they’re purchasing but are a little resistant to it being “too expensive” by about $100 – sales representatives can take off $100 off an order (as long as it’s purchased through the standard consumer store).
We’re thinking this is more likely to work if it’s a big-ticket item like a laptop.
We’re not going to pretend we understand why this would be the case, but reader Meredith writes in to report a slip of the tongue by one of IBM’s CSRs. Secrets were revealed: If your laptop is still under warranty, but the part you break isn’t covered, the repair costs 36% more. Read Meredith’s email inside.
This is excellent news, because as far as we’re concerned Diet Coke isn’t good for anything except for making Mentos geysers. Come to think of it, Mentos aren’t good for anything else either. A loading tube provides a valuable service to consumers. —MEGHANN MARCO
Everyone knows the 5 second rule. If you drop a piece of food on the floor, and then pick it up before you can count to five, you won’t die of salmonella. Right? Eh, maybe. They took a look at this one on that show Mythbusters, and now some real scientists have given it a once over. The results are delicious.
UPDATE: Walmart has responded. They are abandoning their plan to become a bank. Caught!
Costco’s return policy for certain electronics downgrades to 90-days starting today at some locations, according to an internal memo send to Costco managers, a salesman at the company, store employees, FatWallet members and a document on Costco’s website.
Eric Savitz at Barron’s took a look through the transcripts of the call that CNBC’s Jim Cramer claimed contained a vow by Cingular to offer free service for 18 months to Verizon customers who switched for the iPhone. What did he find? Nothing. Zip.
We’re not really buying this one, but apparently Jim Cramer, former hedge fund manager, director of TheStreet.com and host of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” is telling people that Cingular will give away 18 months of service with purchase of an iPhone.
Here’s a roundup of some relevant Comsumer-type urban legends from Snopes’s Hottest Urban Legends Page:
Oh, really? Not supposed to tell anyone, eh? Well, we’re telling people. Yep. Of course, it might not be true. That’s why it’s a rumor.
Will it be possible to buy the iPhone without a Cingular contract? Cingular said no, but a tipster says yes, and it will be crazy expensive:
According to this piece by the Daring Fireball blog dissecting an AP article on the recent rumors that Macs are susceptible to viruses, sometimes journalism is fluffy and insipid.
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