Gosh, this is really thoughtful of the Barnes & Noble bookstore on the Georgia Tech campus. They sent Steve an email reminder that at some point in the past, he explicitly opted out of receiving any email communications from them in the future. See, he may have forgotten that he didn’t want to be contacted, and how else would he remember it if B&N didn’t contact him to let him know? Update: Shane at Mississippi State University received the same helpful reminder from his campus bookstore, also run by B&N.
stupid
Barnes & Noble College Bookstores Sends Email Reminder That You Don't Want Them To Send You Email
By 4.3.09
Airport Security Says Disabled Man Isn't "In Possession Of" His Luggage
By 3.27.09
Blogger Dave Hingsburger writes about a horrifying experience at the airport. Dave, who is disabled, was informed by airport security that because he was in a wheelchair, he wasn’t technically “in possession of” his luggage and that “some body” needed to attend to it. The security guard continued to argue with Dave until a pilot apologetically intervened. Well done, airport security. An Elephant Disappears (Photo: ringmaster006)
Desperate Chrysler Dealership Resorts To Stupid Scare Tactics To Drum Up Business
By 3.19.09
Apparently the people at Integrity (!) Chrysler Jeep Dodge in Las Vegas don’t read our blog, or they would have seen this post last year. Then they would have known what a bad idea it is to trick people into thinking you’ve hit their vehicle just to get them to call you about a trade-in offer.
8 Pieces Of Junk Fitness Equipment
By 3.18.09
The world of late night TV (and now prime time too) has never had a shortage of stupid exercise machines guaranteed to make you look like a dehydrated, sauced-up infomercial model. ObsessionFitness has put together a quick list of 8 of the worst offenders, including our favorite, the hula-inducing Hawaii Chair.
Passenger On Northwest Last Week Had Tuberculosis
By 3.16.09
If you happened to be on Northwest Airlines Flight 51 from Frankfurt to Detroit last Tuesday, and you were one of the 17 unlucky passengers who sat near enough to Mr. Fancypants Lung Disease Person, you can look forward to a call from the CDC telling you that you need to get tested for tuberculosis. The risk of catching the disease is low, but the CDC is contacting passengers as a “cautionary move” according to the Associated Press. And if for some reason you do end up with TB, please do not get on any airplanes.
JC Penney Emails You To Let You Know They Won't Email You
By 3.13.09
Reader psionix bought some PJ’s from JC Penney for his wife and, upon checkout, chose not to receive any emails from JC Penney. The retailer then emailed him to let him know that they won’t be emailing him, and asked him to fill out a survey on why he didn’t want to receive any emails from them. Here’s what they sent:
Target Employee Incompetence Freezes Nearly $800 Of Customer's Money
By 3.10.09
Erica, who writes Philadelphia Weekly’s Style blog, went to Target this past Saturday to purchase some new tank tops. She and her boyfriend filled their cart with a lot of other stuff too—”Ready to stimulate the economy?” she joked to him on their way to the register—and they agreed to split the cost equally. Now when I worked retail, that was an infrequent but not impossible task. When you ask a Target cashier to do that, get ready to have your debit card debited twice for the full amount of the bill, and then told two days later that the voided transactions will take 72 hours to clear.
Going To The Doc? Be Sure You Don't Sign A Gag Order
By 3.4.09
Man, those online review websites sure can be harsh. Some doctors think they’re totally unfair! That’s why a neurosurgeon in North Carolina has started a business called Medical Justice. The Associated Press says the company provides waiver forms for docs to give to patients. If you sign it, and then post a review online that can be traced back to you, the doctor can use your signed form as proof that it must be removed.
Law Firm 'Jones Day' Usurps Monster Cable For Stupidest Trademark Lawsuit Ever
By 2.18.09
Monster Cable loves to sue companies that use “Monster” in their names, even if they don’t sell cables and even if they’ve been around as long as Monster Cable has. Jones Day is a law firm that doesn’t want anyone else to use standard, everyday formatting for links in news stories about its staff, and it succeeded in forcing a small start-up to cave in to its demands.
Leaked Document Shows That Pepsi Logo Is Pinnacle Of Human Achievement
By 2.11.09
When Pepsi redesigned their logo, we all just figure that they wanted it to look more like Obama’s. Apparently not. A leaked document shows that actually… the entire history of civilization and the formation of the theory of relativity was just some stuff that lead up to the new Pepsi logo.
World's Lamest Promo? Buy $48 In Tickets, Receive 4 Free Tacos!
By 2.3.09
Holy mother of sponsor deals! Yesterday and today only, if you visit ComcastTix.com and spend $48 on a Taco Bell Family 4-Pack for the Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” event at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton “We Don’t Have A Corporate Sponsor Yet But Give Us Time” New Jersey, you’ll receive 4 free tacos from Taco Bell! Oh, but “additional fees may apply.”
Fry's Price Matches, But Only If You Pay "Overnight Shipping" For Item In Your Hand
By 12.27.08
This Fry’s in Texas apparently wants you to pay for them to replace their inventory. Or they think their customers are idiots. Maybe both?
Teacher Confiscates Linux Discs, Chides Charitable Computer Group, "No Software Is Free"
By 12.12.08
Recently a Texas teacher confiscated Linux OS discs that a kid was passing out in class. She then sent a nasty email to the nonprofit that built and donated the Linux-loaded computer…
US Airways Loses Your 83-Year-Old Mother
By 11.19.08
It’s bad enough when they lose your luggage, but what do you do when the airline loses your 83-year-old mother? File a claim? Poor Vera Kuemmel had to answer this very question as she waited in vain at the baggage claim of the Tampa airport.
Marriott Emails You To Let You Know That You Did Not Give Permission For Them To Email You
By 10.6.08
Marriott really wants to know what you think of their hotels. Unfortunately, they don’t have permission to solicit your participation in surveys. The solution? They email you to let you know that you asked them not to email you.
FreeCreditReport Hires Ed McMahon To Rap In "Viral" Videos
By 9.25.08
We’re warning you now, so that you won’t bother to fall for the “you-gotta-see-this!” absurdity of an 85-year-old former talk show announcer and sweepstakes pitchman reduced to self-mockery in order to make some money. We don’t begrudge McMahon his career, but as you know we deeply begrudge “free”creditreport.com for its misleading name, commercials, promises—well, pretty much everything.
Hey, Lets Not Fly With Replica Hand Grenades, Shall We?
By 9.22.08
JetBlue appreciates your cooperation in this matter. [Newsday]
Idiot Comcast Door-To-Door Salesmen Cause Neighborhood Panic
By 9.19.08
Yesterday, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported that the police were looking for two men who were posing as Comcast employees as a ruse to steal social security numbers. The men were driving an unmarked car, wandering around a neighborhood knocking on doors and telling residents they needed to fix some wiring issues. One resident refused, claiming that she didn’t have an appointment. She then saw the employees start knocking on other doors and, finding it unlikely that her entire neighborhood could have “wiring issues,” called the police.
