I had always thought that mail-order video rental only came to be after the invention of DVDs because video tapes are too bulky and delicate to send through the mail on a regular basis. I was wrong.
videos
Dave Carroll Launches Second "United Breaks Guitars" Song And Video
By 8.18.09
Musician Dave Carroll hit the jackpot with his first song, “United Breaks Guitars,” last month. The song, the video, and the subsequent media coverage formed a perfect anti-ad for United’s poor handling of customer property. Now he’s released the second of his planned three-song cycle and this one has more of a “we could have had something together” feel to it. Like any sequel, it’s about 600 times more elaborate. We’ll always love “United Breaks Guitars” most of all, but it’s great to see Carroll continue his one-man shaming of an airline for not doing the right thing when it had the chance.
How Radio Shack's Rebranding Makes It Even More Uncool
By 8.14.09
“Names, like fashion trends, often don’t age well,” notes Chadwick Matlin over at Slate’s The Big Money. In this week’s “Broadband” video segment, he looks at Radio Shack’s weird rebranding effort to get people to call it “The Shack,” even though it’s not changing its name, and even though “The Shack” isn’t any better. “Radio Shack has hedged its bets,” Matlin writes, “Splitting its identity in two and not choosing either. What’s worse, neither is especially impressive, or especially modern.”
8800 Penny Prank Takes Paying In Cash To Extremes
By 8.4.09
What do you do with your pennies? Consumer Reports suggests saving them and depositing them in your bank, or exchanging them for a full-value gift certificate in a Coinstar machine. But Jordan had a much better idea. He tried to use them to pay the impound fee after his car was towed. Video inside. Remember: it’s not a real prank until the cops show up.
Mom Drags Kid Through Verizon Store On Leash
By 8.3.09
Dear kid of abusive mom: yes, this is what it feels like for us when we deal with cell phone retailers, too. At least your mom was arrested. Video below.
Computer Techs Are Still Pervs
By 7.31.09
Best Buy will face stiff competition if it ever tries to penetrate the UK market, as this hidden camera investigation into peeping tom computer repair shops reveals.
World Of Warcraft Accounts Canceled Thanks To Rogue Payment Processor
By 7.31.09
Peoples’ World of Warcraft accounts are getting canceled because of some random payment processor they’ve never heard of is filing unauthorized chargebacks on their behalf, against their will. Their name is PaymentOne. What’s their deal? Ars Technica notes that this isn’t the first time allegations of fraud have arisen about the company. I guess this means a bunch of affected customers are left uninentionally doing re-enactments of this famous video:
Lady Friends, What Would You Buy Without Them?
By 7.29.09
In a recent Target Women episode, Sarah Haskins skewers Lady Friends, those female creatures particular to TV advertising. They can help you pick out a candle, get a great deal on shoes, or advise you in a crowded nightclub that previous commercial for Yaz are for the treatment of PMDD and mild acne, not PMS or major acne. They imitate human behaviors and real emotions, but everything they say has a price tag. “Friends, what would you buy without them?” quips Sarah.
Grocery Shopping Tips From The 1950s
By 7.25.09
Society may have come a long way since the 50s, but the grocery shopping tips remain the same. Inside, the wisdom that helped a generation of college-aged mothers conquer the scary supermarket.
Switch To FiOs An Unmitigated Disaster
By 7.24.09
Do you know that Comcast commercial where this homeowner gets FiOs installed against his will and then all these bulldozers tear up his lawn and bumbling contractors cause an electrical short? Lelah’s letter describes a process that’s very similar, except worse and much longer. And then this salesman just picks up her guitar and starts playing it and singing without even asking first. No wonder, by story’s end, she’s been driven to the brink of insanity, demanding compensation for 5 missed days of work. So far, they’re offering her $25.
Customer Visits Verizon CEO's Home, Gives Him A Taste Of No Privacy
By 7.22.09
John Hargrave of comedy site Zug.com tracked down the personal info of Verizon’s CEO, then showed up with a bullhorn to illustrate what a lack of privacy feels like. “Ivan Seidenberg! I’m here on behalf of Verizon customers. PLEASE DO A BETTER JOB PROTECTING YOUR CUSTOMERS’ CELL PHONE RECORDS! Everyone has the right to privacy, including you Ivan! When we don’t have privacy, then freaks with bullhorns start showing up on our front lawn.”
Slap Chop Remix Becomes Real Informercial
By 7.14.09
The Slap-Chop rap remix is going to become an actual infomercial, reports TMZ. Unfortunately, it seems they couldn’t get the rights clearance to the Breakin clips used in the original and replaced them with stock footage of people breakdancing poorly. They do throw in a bunny costumed person dancing in the street, so that’s cool. I guess we now have a new rule: internet memes trump hooker-beating.
Bas Rutten Does Not Like Cell Phone Contracts
By 7.13.09
Here’s a funny commercial starring Bas Rutten for some prepaid cellphone company. You probably shouldn’t try this with your own cellphone company, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be thinking like Bas while disputing that ETF.
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.
Here's A Simple Tutorial On Expiration Dates
By 7.10.09
Howcast has produced a quick video tutorial covering the basics of expiration and sell by dates. If you have questions about eggs, meat, canned goods, or storing things in the freezer, check it out.
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.
