When Rick’s 2-year-old laptop failed for the second time due, he did not roll over and buy a new laptop or pay $400 for the repairs. This particular model of laptop had been recalled due to this very flaw, and that was not acceptable to Rick. He fought back, and shares his tale of triumph. [More]
success stories
Save Serious Money On Your Cell Phone Bill By Making One Phone Call
By 2.4.10
Theresa had a contract with Helio/Virgin Mobile that ended this month, putting her in a position to negotiate. She writes that by comparison shopping and politely asking for the customer retention department, she and her girlfriend were able to knock $35 per month off the bill for their family plan. Here’s how she did it. [More]
Blog And Twitter Campaign Convinces Sony To Replace Defective TV
By 1.31.10
Scott has been a longtime and loyal Sony customer, but the company finally disappointed him. He writes that his lovely 46″ LCD began to produce strange images on one side of the screen for ten minutes after powering up–not catastrophic, but not acceptable for a $3,000 TV, either. The regular channels of customer service were no help, so Scott took his case to his blog and to Twitter. The result? He heard from executive customer service within hours, and received a new TV for his trouble. [More]
Thank You, Consumerist, For Easing Chase's Credit Strangehold On Me
By 1.1.10
Is reducing your credit card debt one of your goals for 2010? You’re in the right place. Josh used information that he found on Consumerist to significantly reduce his credit card interest rates and help him and his wife on their way to freedom from debt. [More]
E-mail To Lenovo President Gets Reader Immediate Answer, New Laptop
By 12.13.09
Patrick was frustrated. He explains that he was stuck with a defective and non-functional Lenovo laptop that was only a few months old. Before pursuing a chargeback, he decided to send a letter to the company’s president and COO, Rory P. Read. His message was detailed but straightforward, and a great example of one of the finest weapons in the Consumerist toolkit, the executive e-mail carpet bomb. Read and learn. [More]
Chase Executive Customer Service Drops APR From 26% To 9%
By 12.8.09
Crippled by a high interest rate that ate up his monthly payments with finance charges, reader Eric says he used the patented executive customer service technique on Chase to get his APR reduced from 26% to 9% and 3 months of fees refunded. Here’s his story: [More]
Honest E-mail To Priceline Gets Executive Customer Service Attention
By 11.23.09
Mohamed made a mistake, forgetting to use his Priceline bonus cash on a transaction. He contacted Priceline through their online help interface and was stunned at the quick and helpful response he received. His request was forwarded straight to the executive customer service team, and taken care of immediately.
Man Gets Defective Mini Refunded With Awesome And Polite Letter
By 11.20.09
At first he thought it was an earthquake, being in California and all. Then Eric realized, no, it was his Mini Cooper that was violently shaking.
AT&T Waives $645 In Early Termination Fees For Reader With No Service
By 11.14.09
Reader Y0himba was a loyal and happy customer of AT&T Wireless. But then the iPhone 3Gs became cheaper and proliferated, and he told both Consumerist and AT&T that his family’s phones became completely non-functional. But this is not a complaint–it is a tale of victory.
Letter To Target CEO Gets Newlyweds Registry Discount, Gift Card, Apology
By 10.31.09
After the wedding has passed and gifts are all opened, married couples who has registered at Target receives a coupon for 10% off any items on their registry that they didn’t receive. It’s a nice promotion that gives happy couples a break on that eighth place setting, and maybe the Kitchenaid mixer no one wanted to drag into the reception.
Reader Receives $900 For Broken Laptop In Small Claims Court
By 10.23.09
Ryan in North Dakota bought a very nice HP laptop in 2007. This particular model, he DV6000, has a certain flaw, and HP extended the warranty to cover inevitable repairs. But when the computer broke down for the second time at the tender age of two and a half years, and HP wouldn’t repair it for free, he was angry. He had expected to get at least four years’ use out of the laptop.
Bank Of America Reaches Out To Angry YouTube Star
By 9.24.09
While we don’t recommend doing this on a large scale, one woman’s YouTube debt revolt has succeeded. Ann MInch, a YouTube sensation and then-unemployed credit card rebel, has been offered a lower interest rate on her card.
American Express Leaves Customer Stranded In Mumbai With No Money
By 9.6.09
Wait a minute…that headline sounds familiar. It doesn’t have the desolate ring that “stranded in Siberia” has, but Josiah recently found himself without available credit in Mumbai. He recently had made a large payment on his American Express balance, see, and AmEx cut his credit limit accordingly—down to his current balance. Stranded without money in Mumbai?
EECB To Toys R Us Results In Refund, Personal Apology, Free Toy
By 8.30.09
Seth had what should have been a fairly simple problem. His son’s radio control car broke after only a few weeks of use. The toy was purchased at and manufactured by Toys R Us, and an e-mail to the support address included with the toy bounced. No one in the company’s usual customer service channels could resolve his problem, and the people whose job it was to help customers in this situation never managed to contact him.
Funai Finally Answers The Phone, Offers Refund For Dead 5-Month-Old TV
By 8.22.09
Thanks to their own determination and a tip from a fellow Consumerist reader, Tavie and Gina have finally found someone at Funai willing to not only answer the phone, but grant them a refund for their Sylvania television that died after only a few months of use. The amount of effort needed to get this result is a little disheartening, but we’re thrilled at the happy ending, and we now have helpful information for other customers who encounter problems with Funai.
EECB To Generator Company Results In Out-Of-Warranty Replacement
By 8.17.09
Here’s an example of a great EECB that worked: even though Joe’s generator was out of warranty and the first two levels of customer service refused to help him, he was able to convince the company’s execs to make good on a defective starter.
E.E.C.B. Forces Best Buy To Finally Replace Defective TV
By 8.10.09
It took an Executive Email Carpet Bomb to convince Best Buy to replace Bryan’s Panasonic LiFi LCD Projection TV after it ate through four lamps. Bryan had purchased Best Buy’s extended warranty, which contains a no lemon clause that promises a replacement after three failed repairs. Best Buy conveniently insisted that replacing the broken lamp did not count as a “qualified repair.” Bryan first escalated his complaint through normal channels; when he had no other choice, he launched the mighty EECB.
National Arbitration Forum Exits Credit Card Dispute Business
By 7.20.09
Score one for the consumer over unfair arbitration. Just last week, Minnesota’s Attorney General sued the National Arbitration Forum (NAF) for fraud, false advertising, and deceptive trade practices—and now the company has agreed to pull out of the credit card business entirely. According to the settlement reached on July 17th, “The only business NAF can now be involved with is in arbitrating Internet domain disputes, a business it has long been in.”
