Wet shaving offers a closer, classier, and cheaper shave than any of the modern junk littering pharmacy aisles. Wet shaving requires a double-edge safety razor and badger-hair brush, along with a healthy dose of practice, but once you have your basic equipment razor refills cost just pennies per month. [More]
TOP
Amazon Deletes Your Books, Has Always Been At War With Eastasia
By 7.17.09
Sure, electronic books are portable and have all sorts of advantages. But Borders has not, to date, broken into my house and stolen back my copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide.
Urban Expressions Craft Store Calls Customer A Whore
By 7.17.09
The only thing crazier than people involved with wedding planning are people in the scrapbooking supply industry, it seems. Weddingbee reports that an online craft supply store called Urban Expressions (not to be confused with the handbag company) completely lost it when an angry customer wrote in asking why they had neither shipped the item she’d bought nor specified otherwise as promised. Their response makes us understand why they chose the name “Urban Expressions” for their store.
How Long Before That Debt Falls Off My Credit Report?
By 7.17.09
Is a true that after 7 years your bad credits go away?
AT&T Reserves Its Best Neglect For Elite DSL
By 7.17.09
A Consumerist reader has pretty much reached the limit of poor AT&T customer and technical service over his shoddy Elite DSL account, which for two years now drops to speeds of around 10k every four months. Check out this letter and included chat log for some stunning examples of all the ways AT&T fails at providing a service it charges lots of money for.
DISH Network Will Pay $5.9 Million Back To Customers
By 7.17.09
In 2006, five states launched an investigation into DISH Network‘s crummy sales practices after hundreds of complaints from consumers. Now the company has agreed to pay $5.9 million to 46 states in a settlement announced today—and at least some of that money is earmarked for DISH customers.
The Only Thing Left For Starbucks? To Just Stop Being Starbucks
By 7.16.09
Starbucks just keeps trying to reinvent itself — and it seems that they’ve tried everything. The only thing left to do is just to stop being Starbucks. So that’s what they’re doing.
Identity Theft Hysteria Overblown, Watch Your Debit Card Instead
By 7.16.09
If you need the straight story on issues of credit card, debit, and banking fraud and security, something more than “we’re taking it seriously,” Avivah Litan, VP and distinguished analyst at Gartner research is your go-to-gal. I recently interviewed her over the phone about consumers can protect themselves in an era where just keeping your mother’s maiden name a secret doesn’t cut the mustard. I learned that you can buy a credit card number for a few cents, losing your Social Security Number is NOT the most dangerous fraud that is likely to happen to you, and how Obama’s helicopter plans got stolen thanks to P2P music-sharing software…
FTC Launches First Wave Of Smackdown On Scammy Loan Consultants
By 7.16.09
Yesterday, as part of “Operation Loan Lies,” the FTC and 19 states filed 189 lawsuits, cease-and-desist orders, and other legal actions to shut down loan modification consultants who prey on desperate homeowners. The scammers offer to help solve foreclosure problems for a hefty fee; instead, they fail to modify the loan at all while collecting payments for their services, sometimes even encouraging homeowners to stop communicating with their lenders completely or to send payments to the consultants instead of the bank.
How Credit Cards Are Getting Meaner
By 7.15.09
What’s going on inside the minds of credit card companies now that the CARD credit card reform act is coming down the pike? A customer service supervisor for a major credit card company emailed us to give us the low-down: reduced grace periods, cutting credit lines, increased fees on balance transfers, and, of course, jacked up APRs. Here’s the details:
Genius TSA Officer & Baggage Handler Caught Stealing From Decoy Luggage
By 7.15.09
Two workers at JFK airport fell into a trap set by Delta Airlines and the TSA, says the Daily News. The two men are accused of stealing a Macbook Air and a T-Mobile Sidekick from decoy luggage. The first man, a TSA officer, was videotaped rummaging through a Miami-bound suitcase in an airport screening room while a baggage handler watched.
Unruly Teen Charges $23 Quadrillion At Drugstore
By 7.14.09
Kids these days! Hawkins writes, “My lectures about financial responsibility appear to have failed: yesterday [my teenaged daughter] charged $23,148,855,308,184,500.00 at the drug store.” You would think Visa would have caught the error and addressed it, if you were high. What Visa actually did was slap a $20 “negative balance” fee on it, of course. Update: Here’s what happened!
How I Lost 100.4 Pounds In 6 Months
By 7.14.09
Reader Tyler started 344pounds.com to document his weight loss journey. We’ve checked in with him before when he lost 32 and then 54.6 pounds. Now that he’s hit the hundred-pound-loss mark, Tyler wrote this feature for us to share his methods.
7 Places Around The House To Stash Your Cash
By 7.12.09
Banks are great and all, but everyone should keep a little bit of emergency cash stashed somewhere at home. Frugal Dad offers up a list of seven hiding spots that should beat all but the most determined thieves.
Dealership Video-Responds To Customer's Hidden Camera Expose
By 7.10.09
Mark Hampton has posted a video response to his dealership getting totally snagged by a customer who stashed a hidden camera in his vehicle and caught mechanics doing some dirty deeds.
Dave Carroll Says No To Guitar Hush Money From United
By 7.10.09
We officially love Dave Carroll now. Not only is he cute and a good singer, but he’s classy (check out how he defends the United employee in this video response) and has principles. The best part is at the end he encourages us to stay tuned for song #2. United hoped it could pay for the guitar and put an end to the bad publicity—but it looks like you’re not getting off that easily, United. Check out the full video response below.
AIG Asks Federal Permission To Pay $2.4 Million In Executive Bonuses
By 7.10.09
A hush fell over the AIG conference room on the day that their Worst Company in America 2009 trophy was unveiled. The eyes of every executive in the room sparkled with just a bit of pride. “Well done, everyone,” said the man at the head of the table. “But we mustn’t rest on our gilded-feces laurels. It’s time to begin our work for next year’s competition.”
