KNBC did an undercover investigation into tech repair services and found that, yep, they routinely overcharge customers, charge for services not rendered, make shit up, and look through your personal videos and pictures. They tested Circuit City, Fry’s, some local repair places, and Best Buy. Surprisingly enough, Best Buy is the only place that correctly diagnosed the problem and didn’t peek through their pictures (Probably because bossman Robert Stephens had vowed to fry peepers with the giant laser he has hidden on top of the Geek Squad HQ if any more techs got caught).
videos
Dairy Queen Owner Exclaims "Good God Almighty, Where's My Manager?" After Workers Moon Drive-Thru Window
By 1.19.08
Hey St. John’s Dairy Queen workers, you forgot to make your Facebook group private. Now your hilarious little videos of each other mooning the drive-thru and waging indoor snowball fights are all over Canadian television. They just don’t understand your jokes about “using meat the next day that wasn’t kept overnight in the cooler.” Neither do the health inspectors.
CDW Takes The Ethical Treatment Of Chimpanzees Seriously
By 1.19.08
WHO:CDW WHAT: PETA doesn’t like it when chimpanzees are used in advertising. (Shocking, we know.) WHERE: CDW advertisement assailed by animal rights group [Crain’s Chicago Business] THE QUOTE: “We take their concerns seriously and will keep it mind in future campaigns,” the CDW spokesman said.
By 1.17.08
../../../..//2008/01/17/correction-a-panasonic-fat-cat/
Correction: A Panasonic fat cat (and probably also a big wig) wrote in to let us know that Panasonic does indeed make a Blu-ray player that can play 1.1 Blu-ray discs: “The current Panasonic model available (DMP-BD30) is based on version 1.1 (BonusView) and capable of playing Blu-ray discs offering…
By 1.14.08
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Remember that Wachovia Hands $100,000 To Fake Armored Car Driver story from Friday? This video shows how easy it is to pull off. Check ID, ask questions, don’t blindly accept the word of someone in an authority costume. [The Real Hustle]
Buyer Beware: The Condo Squeezeplay
By 1.11.08
CBC Marketplace did an undercover investigation into buying a condo, and found that it’s rife with risk for the buyer, while the sellers completely protect themselves. You get lured in by the model condo they set up, all spacious and with stunning views and stainless steel appliances and breakfast bar and all that jazz, but contractually, there’s no guarantee that you will get that space. The contract pretty much says everything is subject to change, the floorplan included doesn’t have any measurements or square footage, and there’s clauses that say that any sales material or verbal promises made don’t count at all. One contract lawyer says that any relationship between what you’re told you’re buying and what you end up with will be a “coincidence.” Watch the video to learn more about protecting yourself from the condo bait-and-switch squeezeplay.
Great Moments In Commercial History: Hai Karate Aftershave
By 1.9.08
The ads for Axe body sprays have a cultural debt to be paid to the makers of Hai Karate aftershave, sold from the 60’s to the 80’s. Their whole marketing strategy hinged on the notion that the budget aftershave would turn women into wild maniacs who couldn’t wait to put their hands on you.
Protesters Taunt Goldman Sachs Employees By Singing "Frosty The Goldman" Outside Company Christmas Party
By 1.8.08
Last week a clutch of protesters sang parodic carols outside the Goldman Sachs Christmas party at the hoity-toity BLVD club to protest the companies involvement with subprime mortgages.
Ben Popken On Fox Business News Chatting About FICO '08
By 1.2.08
Here’s the clip of yours truly, Ben Popken, on Fox Business News discussing some of the changes in store for FICO ’08, the credit-scoring system lenders use to determine how punitive a rate they get to charge you. You may notice that I have a strange look on my face at the beginning.
Sprint's Special Low Price For One Month Of Mobile Broadband: $14,062.27
By 12.30.07
Krystyl signed up for Sprint’s $59.99 unlimited Mobile Broadband plan and isn’t sure why she just received a bill for $14,062.27.
74-Year-Old Man Jailed For Shoplifting $3 Sirloin
By 12.28.07
A North Carolina Food Lion called the cops on Joe Neal for pocketing a $3 steak. The 74-year-old didn’t have enough change to pay for the sirloin, which he intended to cook for his son’s birthday dinner. The steak was later consumed, not by Joe’s son, but by a fire that ravaged Joe’s house. The cops were summoned when Neal returned to the store to pay for the steak. Defending the arrest, Food Lion’s press-keepers explained that the store has a zero tolerance policy. Don’t miss WBTV’s expert analysis at the end.
The 6 MPH Crash That Costs $8,000 To Repair
By 12.22.07
Minivan bumpers may not protect much, but they sure do cost a lot to repair, according to the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. The IIHS smashed six minivans to test their bumpers and found that all racked up repair bills exceeding $5,000. The Nissan Quest was singled out as a “miserable failure,” costing $8,000 to patch-up.
Odd Gadget Turns Man Blue
By 12.20.07
Paul Karason is blue. He has been drinking colloidal silver for the past 14 years. He gets his silver fix by putting a device with two metal prongs running electricity that injects silver into water.
Freddie Mac: Don't Let Fraudsters Steal Your Home
By 12.16.07
Con artists use publicly available foreclosure notices to find victims for their equity stripping scams.
By 12.10.07
../../../..//2007/12/10/to-celebrate-compusas-demise-this/
To celebrate CompUSA’s demise, this BestBuy store made a music video to the beat of DJ Khaled’s “We Takin’ Over.” A bad music video. [YouTube]
Maybe Landlord Will Fix Ceiling After It Collapses?
By 12.6.07
After ripping down the almost collapsed ceiling and the neighbor’s kitchen floor, the guy discovered at least three different leaks, all converging on my ceiling.
