Car shopping is something that you don’t want to do in a hurry. Especially when shopping for a used car. Especially when buying a used car from a stranger on Craigslist. A couple in Texas learned this important life lesson when they bought what they thought was a nice, cheap, low-mileage van. Well… it was cheap, and it’s a van. [More]
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Small Business Owners Say DirecTV Installation Errors Result In Collections Lawsuits
By 8.7.15
If a small business, like a bar or restaurant, lies to a cable company and orders residential service instead of the more costly commercial offerings, it would make sense that the pay-TV provider might sue to collect the money it should have received. But what if the reason for the gaffe wasn’t intentional deception but a mistake by an installer? [More]
Google Fiber Officially Coming To San Antonio
By 8.5.15
The worst kept secret in broadband has been confirmed today with Google’s announcement that the next city to get Google Fiber Internet/TV/phone service will be the Texas town of San Antonio. [More]
Texas Attorney General Says RadioShack Knowingly Sold Gift Cards That Would Soon Expire
By 7.30.15
If the leadership of a company knows that they’re about to file for bankruptcy, should they stop selling gift cards? That’s what the Attorney General in Texas contends: that RadioShack knew after the 2014 holiday season ended that it would be declaring bankruptcy soon, and that gift cards they had issued would lose their value at the time of the bankruptcy or shortly afterward. Yet they sold ’em anyway. [More]
Appeals Court Revives Texas Bank’s Lawsuit Challenging Constitutionality Of CFPB
By 7.24.15
This week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau celebrates its fourth anniversary of protecting consumers from harmful practices and shady characters in the financial sector. But instead of buying the regulatory arm a big ol’ birthday cake, a federal appeals court is gifting the Bureau with a revived lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. [More]
Time Warner Cable Must Pay Nearly $230,000 For 153 Robocalls To The Wrong Person
By 7.8.15
We can all agree that automated robocalls are an annoying interruption. But you know what’s worse? Receiving those automated calls meant for someone else, telling the company to place you on the Do Not Call list and then continuing to receive a total of 153 prerecorded messages. [More]
There’s Still $43 Million In Outstanding RadioShack Gift Cards, And Texas Wants To Rescue It
By 6.19.15
When a retailer looks like it might be in danger of going out of business, we warn gift card holders to use their cards soon, before the company declares bankruptcy and the cards lose their value. Not everyone has the good sense to read Consumerist, though, and that’s why the Texas Attorney General wants the smoldering remains of RadioShack to put aside some money for gift card holders. [More]
Watch Out For Flood-Damaged Cars Coming Out Of Texas
By 6.11.15
Last month, flooding in Texas killed at least 23 people: there isn’t a final tally yet because some people are still missing. That’s all very sad, but what if you live thousands of miles away and don’t know anyone in Texas? This natural disaster could still affect you directly…if you’re in the market for a used car, since rebuilt vehicles destroyed in a flood could be hitting the market in coming months. [More]
72-Year-Old & His Dog Die In Hot Car After Power Locks Malfunction
By 6.11.15
A Texas man and his dog both died while stuck inside his 2007 Corvette earlier this week after the power locks malfunctioned and the driver was apparently unable to find the manual release. [More]
Tesla Won’t Be Selling Cars Directly In Texas For At Least Another Two Years
By 6.1.15
Tesla won’t be conquering the Lone Star state anytime soon, as bills in front of the Texas legislature that would allow direct-to-consumer sales by the electric car maker likely won’t see the light of day until 2017, when the next regular legislative session begins. [More]
Popeyes Manager Says She Was Fired For Refusing To Pay Back Money Stolen By Armed Robber
By 4.22.15
When a fast food eatery is held up, should the manager on duty be responsible for reimbursing the owner? Common sense might tell you “no,” but a former Popeyes employee claims that she was fired after she refused to pay her employer for the money stolen during her shift by an armed robber. [More]
Walmart Raises Suspicions After Closing 5 Stores In Same Day For “Plumbing” Problems
By 4.16.15
There are thousands of Walmarts in the U.S., so the fact that five of them were temporarily shut down all on the same day, all for the same reason, and all for the same estimated amount of time, may be statistically insignificant. But some workers and city officials are raising questions about what’s actually behind these six-month shutterings. [More]
RadioShack Consumer Data Might Be Back Up For Auction
By 4.14.15
When the venerable electronics retailer RadioShack declared bankruptcy earlier this year and prepared to sell off its assets and its business, they quietly announced one item that was legally problematic but potentially lucrative: tens of millions of pieces of customer contact information that it has collected over the years. After the Attorney General of Texas objected to such a sale, the court was told that selling that information was off the table. Now it could be back on. [More]
Walmart Sues Texas Over Law Banning Publicly Traded Companies From Selling Liquor
By 2.13.15
Depending on the state you live in, buying booze and beer can be a bit tricky. South Carolina and Kentucky previously outlawed the sale of alcohol on Election Day, while last year, the state of Michigan pondered a law that would classify a “pint” of beer as 16-ounces or less. But it’s a long-running law in Texas banning the sale of liquor (but not beer or wine) at publicly traded companies that raised the ire of Walmart. Now the nation’s largest retailer is suing the state to gain the ability to sell the spirits. [More]
Yelp Goes To Court To Protect Identity Of Anonymous Review-Writer
By 1.30.15
Once again, a business who is displeased with an anonymous review on Yelp is trying to sue that reviewer and attempting to compel Yelp to reveal that user’s actual identity. But this morning, lawyers for Yelp and consumer advocates were in court to argue that there is no justification for unmasking the writer of this review. [More]
UPS Sorry About That Driver Who Peed On House After Throwing Package
By 1.28.15
It’s nothing new to hear of a UPS, USPS or FedEx driver being caught on camera treating a customer’s package with reckless disregard for its contents. But what you don’t hear too much about are delivery drivers who, after mistreating the parcels with which they’ve been entrusted, decide to use the recipient’s house as a toilet. [More]
Dogs Taken By FedEx Driver Returned To Owners; Driver Suspended
By 1.9.15
On Thursday we told you about the Houston family who claimed that home security footage shows a FedEx delivery driver stealing their two dogs. While the matter is still being investigated, there is good news to report — the puppies are back home where they belong. [More]
Walmart Loses Customer’s Black Friday Order, Tells Her To Re-Order At Full Price
By 12.24.14
We know that mistakes happen and things occasionally get lost in shipping, especially when you’re talking about the world’s largest retailer during the year’s busiest shopping season. But if a retailer admits to misplacing your order, it shouldn’t try to cash in on its own screw-up by charging you more than you had already paid. [More]
