Well here’s one way to say you think the Macbook Air hinge sucks… by stabbing it in the face with a kitchen knife! Ree! Ree! Ree! Ree! I dunno, maybe people who can’t type also can’t open and close their Macbooks properly. Just a thought.
videos
Car Warranty Racket Exposed On Today Show
By 4.30.09
The Today show recently aired a terrifically entertaining exposé of US Fidelis, one of the biggest companies behind the auto warranty racket that you’ve probably encountered via junk mail, telemarketing, or even on TV. They start by looking at an individual who spent $3,180 on one of their auto warranties only to be left stranded when her car overheated and they refused to pay.
Slap Chop Remix Will Awe You (Although It Doesn't Erase The Memory Of That Hooker)
By 4.29.09
We’ll probably never be able to get those mug shots out of our minds when we see crazy old Vince hawking things on TV, but this amazing remix comes in a close second at searing itself into the brain. “You’re gonna love my nuts” is particularly well done.
$4,334.86 Raised, Ben Eager To Test Snuggie
By 4.28.09
280 people have donated $4,334.86 to The Consumerist tip jar so far, hootie-hoo. The average donation is $15.48, which surprises me because I ask, “don’t people know you can give as little as two bucks? C’mon, just two bucks to spare at donatetoconsumerist.com.” But I don’t get any response back because I’m still locked inside the Consumer Reports anechoic chamber and there’s no echo. The odd shape of the sound baffling has ceased to baffle me. Instead, it has become my friend. There’s just one thought on my mind. Well, two, really. Firstly, how do I escape. Lastly, I can’t wait to get Consumer Reports to test the Snuggie!
$3,269.84 Raised So Far, Ben Still Stuck In Anechoic Chamber
By 4.27.09
So far 207 people have donated $3,269.84 to The Consumerist Tip Jar. Woo! We’re stoked. We’ve got 3 more weeks of this fund-drive and I bet we can raise a bunch more. Which would be really nice, because, as you can see in this video, I’m still stuck in Consumer Union’s anechoic chamber (a room that has no echo) and having a chair malfunction. See, they’re really serious about keeping us free from commercial influence. That’s why there’s no ads from outside companies on the site that might influence our coverage. But sticking me in an echo-less chamber might be going a little too far. I can hear my own heart beat in my ears. So visit Donatetoconsumerist.com and help us out, and maybe they’ll let me out!
Hey! Walt Disney Reuses Animation Sequences!
By 4.23.09
We were fascinated to discover today that Walt Disney reused animation cycles across different movies—the characters are unique (sorta) but the motions are cel for cel copies. It looks like the movies that reuse animation are from that infamous era in the 70s and 80s when Disney’s animation unit cut too many corners and churned out less “classic” fare. Well, they were copying classics—shouldn’t that count for something? Video clip below.
Clip: Consumerist, Domino's, On Nightline
By 4.22.09
Here’s the clip of Consumerist on Nightline last night talking about the nasty Domino’s videos. Check out the Ogilvy & Mather offices to see how the elite spin doctors monitor the internet – with hi-tech tag clouds! And a graph that charts the number of twitter, blog, and media mentions! Fancy. They point to the chart and say that because the spike went down the incident is somehow over and the pizza company won after they started responding. What doesn’t show up on that chart is two friends driving by a Domino’s this weekend and one says to the other, hey dude, how about some booger pizza?
Where Are The Dancing Alien Ads?
By 4.21.09
Here’s our latest donation video installment in which I, sporting a lab-coat and situated inside CU’s anechoic testing chamber, ask the burning question: where are the dancing alien ads on Consumerist? The answer make shock and delight you, and prompt you to visit Donatetoconsumerist.com to stuff some bills in our tip jar of non-profitness. Remember folks, if you do a good job donating, we just might be able to get Consumer Reports to test the Snuggie. No joke.
Oh Noes It's The "Shadow" Banking System
By 4.21.09
It doesn’t involve ninjas, but the “shadow” banking system is an important part of the US economy, it’s the companies that loan money but aren’t themselves banks. The loans they make aren’t kept on the companies books, they’re securitized and resold as bonds. White whiteboard and magic marker, Marketplace Senior Editor Paddy Hirsch argues this shadow banking system deserves it own bailout.
Video: How An ATM Skimmer Scam Works
By 4.21.09
How do ATM skimmers work? This clip from UK show “The Real Hustle” shows you, from start to finish, how scammers steal your card info and take out money themselves. (Thanks to bonanzaone!)
Video: IDT Energy Reps Won't Leave Until Customer Busts Out Camera, Calls Cops
By 4.21.09
Here’s a video a citizen took of some classy IDT energy resale reps that infested her building and refused to leave. After 25 minutes, she took out the camera. Check out the video to see the kinds of professionally trained individuals IDT Energy uses. Note how at one point of the girls says she’s “from he energy company.” Not so, IDT Energy is not “the energy company.” They’re an ESCO, an energy resale company. According to the notes on the video, the girls only left after the cops showed up and told them to vacate the premises.
New Tip Jar Video! Deep Research Tells Us How To Improve The Site
By 4.17.09
Ben consults the latest high-tech market research tools to find out what we really need to do to make this a better site. Tune in to our latest video, and see what he finds out. Then visit DonateToConsumerist.com for more exciting adventures in fundraising!
DonateToConsumerist.com Launches With Much Fanfare And Fantastic Video
By 4.16.09
Donatetoconsumerist.com is the place to go to stuff some bucks in our tip jar. To entice you to give, we have created a video, featuring myself and Meg in the CU TV labs discussing her need to wear a labcoat, and one of our favorite comments of all time. It ends in violence! I can’t wait till the next one!
Arrest Warrants Issued For Domino's Outlaws Kristy And Michael, While Domino's Prez Apologizes Online
By 4.15.09
The saga of Kristy and Michael, the two (former) Domino’s employees whose on-the-job shenanigans made it to YouTube earlier this week, continues. Now there are warrants out for their arrests, and Domino’s says it plans to sue them. Seriously, if you work in the food industry and are nursing some grudges, just… try to hold them in until you can find a job better suited to you.
If Everyone Is Broke, Is There Still A Class System?
By 4.15.09
Will The Great Recession dissolve our system of symbols and affluence and remake America into a classless society? Nah, not only would that be boring, but it’s impossible. A river with less water is still a river. Speaking of conspicuous consumption and water, here’s what Paul Fussel, snarky author of Class: A Guide Through the American Status System, says about cruise ships:
BK's Texican Whopper Ad Too Spicy For TV?
By 4.14.09
Mexican officials have taken issue with a new Burger King ad that suggests Mexicans aren’t as tall as Americans and use the national flag as a poncho.
Consumerist Sleuths Track Down Offending Domino's Store
Within only a couple of hours of our posting some gross-out videos of bad Domino’s employees last night, our readers Amy Wilson and whyerhead managed to track down the location, call the store directly to alert the manager, and send the address to Domino’s corporate. The only two clues they had were the YouTube handle of the uploader and a quick glimpse of the surrounding area as viewed through the drive-through window in one of the clips.