One of the nation’s largest sports retailers is reportedly getting a bit smaller, as Sports Authority is reportedly set to close several stores, including all locations in Texas. [More]
texas
Man Claims He Was Arrested For Unpaid Federal Student Loan Debt
By 2.16.16
More than a century ago, the U.S. did away with the idea of debtor’s prison, and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act explicitly forbids debt collectors from using the threat of jail time as a way to collect on owed money. So how does a Texas man end up with U.S. Marshals at his door, ready to arrest him for a nearly 30-year-old student loan debt? [More]
AT&T Will Test 5G Service In Texas This Year; Could Be Up To 100 Times Faster Than LTE
By 2.12.16
For most people, the term “5G” is still some ineffable promise of lightning-fast wireless data that will — like the cable arrive sometime between two and five… years from now. AT&T is hoping to get a better idea of exactly what this next generation of wireless connectivity will be when it starts testing in Texas later this year. [More]
Stuck-In-The-Mud FedEx Truck Ruins Front Yard, Company Shrugs
By 2.2.16
If a company worth $36 billion ruins your front yard, you’d hope it would have the decency to scrounge up some pocket change to make things right — or at least have the common courtesy to explain why it wasn’t doing anything to repair the damage. [More]
Family Caught In Battle Between HOA & Developers While Their Yard Falls Into Pond
By 1.22.16
So you come home one day to find that the slope at the back of your yard has begun to slough off into the pond behind your property. You call your homeowners association, which is supposed to handle such disasters, but they do nothing because the pond in question still technically belongs to the developers, who also do nothing. Meanwhile, that slope become more and more like a precipice while the two possible responsible parties do everything but take responsibility. [More]
Texas Attorney General Thinks DraftKings, FanDuel Are Illegal In Lone Star State
By 1.19.16
Another state’s lead prosecutor has come to the conclusion that daily fantasy sports [DFS] sites like DraftKings and FanDuel are not legally protected games of skill, but are instead illegal games of chance. This time, it’s the attorney general for the state of Texas. [More]
Power Company Keeps Billing House That Was Destroyed In Tornado
By 1.13.16
At the end of last year, tornadoes in north Texas destroyed homes, killed twelve people, and caused as much destruction as you might expect of a tornado. One family near Dallas was fortunate that they were out of the country and not in their house when it was destroyed, but in the aftermath had to deal with a frustration that they didn’t need: their electric company kept sending them bills for power in their non-existent house. [More]
Blue Bell Working To Eliminate Possible Listeria Sources In Factories; Says Ice Cream Is Safe
By 1.8.16
Beloved ice cream brand Blue Bell is still expanding its distribution again after last year’s Listeria contamination and massive recalls. The company issued an update last night about its production facilities with some potentially frightening information: that because “Listeria is commonly found in the natural environment,” and “no manufacturer can ever assume it can be entirely eradicated,” Blue Bell has “identified locations where suspected Listeria species may be present” in its facility. However, they assure the ice cream-eating public that its ice cream isn’t contaminated. [More]
In Wake Of Storms, Don’t Be Taken In By Home-Repair Scams Or Fake Charities
By 12.28.15
Over the weekend, tornadoes ripped through the Dallas area, rending homes into piles of wood and destroying lives. Additionally, bad weather in the region resulted in damage to the property of countless other Americans. We can understand the desire to get your life back in order immediately — or to donate money to help victims — but don’t let yourself be taken in by unscrupulous scammers. [More]
People Holding Onto RadioShack Gift Cards Can Now File Refund Claims
By 12.4.15
If you’re one of millions of consumers holding on to an older RadioShack gift card, listen up: the retailer has begun the process of issuing refunds for the balance of those cards — totaling $46 million. [More]
AT&T Expands High-Speed Fiber Network, Still Overcharges In Areas Without Competition
By 11.9.15
Remember how AT&T made its grand case for the DirecTV merger? All that revenue from the 20-plus million DirecTV subscribers would help AT&T build out a high-speed broadband network that competes with the local cable monopolies. And so far that’s been true with the continued expansion of AT&T’s GigaPower service… except when those established cable monopolies don’t match GigaPower’s top speeds, customers are still paying top dollar. [More]
McDonald’s Testing Sweet Potato Fries In Texas
By 10.23.15
For about as long as we can remember, McDoanld’s has been known for their over salted French fries. While the staple item has undergone a few makeovers in the past – remember the shaken’ flavor seasoned fries? – the fast food giant is gearing up for perhaps its biggest starch transformation: adding sweet potato fries to the menu. [More]
Popular BBQ Joint Bans Professional Spot-Holders From Long Lines
By 10.5.15
If there’s a long line somewhere, there’s probably someone willing to hold a place for you in that line — for a price. But one Texas restaurant is tired of seeing people lined up outside who are only there to make a buck. [More]
Walmart Employee In Trouble Over Facebook Video Of Shoplifter Scuffle
By 10.2.15
We’ve told you before of Walmart employees who were fired for intervening in violent or potentially dangerous situations at the store, but here’s a story of a Walmart worker who’s in trouble for not stepping in. Of course, it doesn’t help that he posted video of the incident along with his wisecracking running commentary. [More]
Walmart In Courtroom Battle With Texas Over “Irrational” Liquor Law
By 9.18.15
Having spent a large part of my life in a state where getting wine or booze meant going to a state-operated “wine and spirits shoppe,” it doesn’t seem all that awful that Walmart and other publicly trade companies are barred from selling hard liquor in the state of Texas. But for the nation’s biggest retailer, that law makes no sense — and it’s in the middle of a legal battle with the Lone Star state for the right to dispense spirits. [More]
Woman Says Walmart Tech Totaled Her Car, Company’s Effort To Make It Right Falls Short
By 8.28.15
A Texas woman who took her car to her local Walmart’s service center for a routine oil change says a technician totaled the vehicle and now the company isn’t offering her a fair settlement, leaving her stranded and her business suffering. [More]
RadioShack Agrees To Pay Outstanding Gift Card Balances Before Paying Other Debts
By 8.26.15
The state attorney general of Texas, home state of the company formerly known as RadioShack, wasn’t pleased that the electronics retailer went out of business with an estimated $46 million in gift cards outstanding. Normal bankruptcy procedure is that gift card holders who don’t cash in their cards before the deadline–usually 30 days after the company files for bankruptcy status — are out of luck. Thanks to the TX AG, the American public won’t have to shrug off the loss of that money… unless they lost their gift card. [More]
National Epidemic Of People Shoving Meat Down Pants Is Not Close To Stopping
By 8.20.15
As we prepared to share yet another news story about someone shoving beef down their pants, we got the heartening news: Consumerist is not alone in our fixation on the meat pants dance. It’s part of a nationwide trend due to increasing beef prices, which is also the reason why cattle rustling is on the rise. [More]
