Tom is moving here from New Zealand in a few weeks and he needs to find a bank. He writes, “I’ve checked out the major players, but the number one thing that’s turning me off is their online banking systems are horrible! I use online banking A LOT, so this is important to me. In terms of services I’d want, I need a debit card, and that’s about it. Maybe I’ve been spoiled, but this is what I’m used to.” He sent us a screen grab of his current bank’s online presence, and it’s quite attractive (see bigger screenshot below). [More]
suggestions
Slate's 10 Ways To Fix Airline Seating
By 3.2.10
Yesterday we covered Slate’s look at what’s wrong with airline seating–it’s not just overweight people who feel cramped on flights these days. Slate asked its readers to come up with some practical solutions to the problem, and today they printed the top ten suggestions. [More]
Here's A Possible Way To Avoid Citibank's New Account Fees
By 1.12.10
Next month, Citibank will implement its new $7.50 fee on what were formerly free checking and savings accounts. The only way to avoid the fee is to keep a total of $1500 minimum in your linked accounts. John wrote in to tell us that when he went to his branch and asked about the new fee, they found a way to get around it. It may not work for anyone else, but it’s worth sharing. [More]
Overstock Thinks Disney Fans Are Pervs
By 12.15.09
Aijin was shopping for Disney Princess gear on Overstock.com, then fielded an indecent proposal from the website, suggesting Disney Princess fans would go on to purchase Girls Gone Wild videos. [More]
New Ideas For Kids' Books About The Lean Times Ahead
By 10.13.08
Last week, Slate published a list of children’s books about poverty, unemployment, shoe-eating, dust bowls, depressions, and recessions. From a late-19th century series called The Five Little Peppers through to 2007’s How To Steal a Dog, the list captures over 100 years of poverty-level slice of life–what we might call the Plight of the Raggedy Children.
Writing "Ask For ID" On Your Credit Card Won't Stop Fraud, But It's Still A Good Idea
By 4.27.08
Writing “Ask For ID” on the back of your credit card isn’t an unimpeachable guarantee of security, but it could be the last line of defense between you and a fraudulent charge. Invoking perilously flawed logic, the Boston Globe argues: “the cardholder gains nothing by not signing the card or writing in ‘See ID’ on the signature panel.” Let’s dismantle this nonsense piece by piece.
Amazon.com "Filler Item" Gets You Free Shipping, But Is Shipped Separately
By 3.14.08
I bought two books on Amazon – and my total came to $24.74. So I scouted around and found a site (www.filleritem.com) that lets you choose a small priced item to bump the price over the $25 to qualify for free shipping. I chose a small wooden knob for $0.72.
By 3.8.08
../..//2008/03/08/heres-a-free-idea-for/
Here’s a free idea for the taking: why doesn’t a bank (cough HSBC cough) offer the option to have text message alerts sent to a registered phone number any time a withdrawal is made from a specific account via ATM? “$120 was withdrawn at 2:51pm EST in Palo Verde, CA. Reference #293005” See how easy that was? Such exception-based reporting would drastically cut down on fraud (we’re guessing) by enlisting the help of customers to report unauthorized transactions immediately.
Monday Morning Readers Round-Up
By 10.23.06
It’s Monday, and that means it’s time to spin the Consumerist faucet for a fresh influx of tips again.
Monday Morning Reminder: Consumerist Wants Your Tips
By 3.13.06
Just a reminder that if you’ve found a story you’d like to see here, have an anecdote (bad or good) about a company or just want to give feedback about the tone and direction of this site, The Consumerist wants to hear from you.
The People’s Square: Tell Us What To Write
Hey, anyone can comment and, despite what Ben claims, the bar to entry is extremely low, being outsourced entirely to an intern chained to her desk at New York as it is.