Russ’s promotional rate for Time Warner cable ends today. His rate goes up by almost $50, which is sad news for him. Except Time Warner saved the day with some “special savings.” Are the savings really all that special? Russ sees it differently. He sees “special savings” wrapped up in a rate increase. [More]
special offers
Amazon To Allow Ad Opt-Out On New Kindle Fires… For $15 Fee
By 9.10.12
Just like the least-expensive versions of the current Kindle e-readers, Amazon’s recently announced updates to the Kindle Fire tablet line will have “special offer” ads as screen savers, as a way to subsidize the devices’ lower retail prices. But while the earlier e-readers were sold specifically as “Kindle with Special Offers” at the discounted price, allowing customers to purchase the slightly more expensive version if they chose, the only way to get around the new Kindle Fire special offers is to buy the device and then pay a fee. [More]
How I Stopped Verizon From Swallowing My $100 Rebate
By 12.30.10
The Verizon computer nearly tricked Joshua out of a $100 rebate with some mathematical Three-Card Monte, but he made like a human calculator and stood firm, arguing his way into getting the fair price. [More]
This Gap Manager Doesn't Want Your Groupon Coupon
By 9.7.10
Alex and his wife bought into a Groupon offer for Gap, where you could buy $50 worth of merchandise for $25. Everything was going great until they ran into a manager at their local store who refused to even ring up the pants they’d chosen, saying anything already discounted wasn’t eligible for the offer. [More]
Verizon And T-Mobile Offer Free Calls To Chile
By 3.1.10
If you need to reach someone in Chile this week, try calling on a Verizon or T-Mobile phone. Both carriers have announced that they’re temporarily waiving charges on calls. Verizon says that all calls from the U.S. to Chile will be free until March 6th. I couldn’t find a similar press release from T-Mobile, so you might want to call first to confirm. Just remember that only these two carriers are offering free calls, and they’re only free if you call from the U.S.; you don’t want to end up with an unpleasant surprise like those U.S. soldiers in Haiti last month. [More]
Why You Should Read The Fine Print On E-Deals
By 12.8.09
Wisebread’s Elizabeth Sanberg posts about an Amazon deal that offers a free subscription to Wired magazine if you spend $75 on certain electronics. [More]
Sears Pays $10 In Coupons For Your Email Address
By 5.19.09
Max wants to know why he hasn’t received the $10 gift certificate that the cashier at Sears promised him for turning over an email address to receive marketing messages. We contacted Sears and found out what’s actually going on.
'My Coke Rewards' Program Grows Authentically Smaller, Less Rewarding
By 2.3.09
If you have a large number of points you better use them in the next few weeks, or be content with getting a large amount of Coke-branded clothing.
