Holy $#!@, this lounge chair will eat your fingers! Fox5 New York has a video report on dangerously unsafe lounge chairs sold at Kmart under the Martha Stewart brand. Naturally (we’re not making this up), the chairs are designed to complement the Martha Stewart Spontaneously Shattering Glass Patio Tables also sold at Kmart.
warnings
This Bank Of America Sign Is Woefully Honest
By 3.17.09
Or as Holly, the tipster who took the photo, writes, “[there are] so many things right with this picture.”
Your Credit Card Limit Can Be Reduced Below Your Current Balance
By 3.16.09
We’ve seen how available balances can disappear when lenders cut credit card limits, but SmartMoney points out that lenders can cut your limit below your current balance, causing all sorts of problems. They’ll send you a notice, of course, but you may not receive it for several weeks. Your best bet is to set up your own alert system. A web-based financial service (like Mint) will send you an email or SMS alert if your available balance drops below a specified threshold.
Watch Out For These Phishing Attempts On Your Steam Account
By 3.5.09
PC World notes that phishers are now targeting Steam account holders. Games are an easy target because you can make quick money off of them and the security isn’t as high as with, say, credit cards. The site that first reported this, SpywareGuide, demonstrates two examples—steamgift.com and steamverification.com—that will attempt to trick you into giving them access to your digital library of games.
Going To The Doc? Be Sure You Don't Sign A Gag Order
By 3.4.09
Man, those online review websites sure can be harsh. Some doctors think they’re totally unfair! That’s why a neurosurgeon in North Carolina has started a business called Medical Justice. The Associated Press says the company provides waiver forms for docs to give to patients. If you sign it, and then post a review online that can be traced back to you, the doctor can use your signed form as proof that it must be removed.
ITunes Offers To "Upgrade" The Already DRM-Free Songs You Bought From Amazon?
By 2.26.09
Update: Mike writes back to say that after reading the comments below, he checked his purchase history and the album is indeed listed there. What’s confusing is Mike didn’t buy it through iTunes, but through Amazon, but he says that other people did have access to his account and may have purchased it without his knowledge.
US1Photo Pulls The 'Buy Accessories Or We'll Cancel Your Order' Scam
By 2.13.09
Nate has stumbled across yet another scammy online camera retailer, US1Photo, also known as US1Camera. Longtime Consumerist readers and photography enthusiasts who visit camera forums are familiar with the routine: offer a great deal on a camera, contact the customer later and try to hard-sell expensive accessories, and if the customer refuses simply cancel the order and blame it on inventory issues. Nate is actually thinking about placing the order a second time. Nate, do not order from US1Photo.com. Their bargain-basement prices lure you in, but companies like this are only out to cheat you.
Don't Fall For The Job Hunting Credit Report Scam
By 2.11.09
Christine is looking for a new job, and she found this neat little credit report scam. The scam is pretty transparent in this case, but we thought we’d put it out there as a reminder anyway. Remember, if you want a truly free credit report, only use annualcreditreport.com. Everything else comes with a hidden cost or enrollment in a billed membership—and if a potential employer inists on a specific “free” service that isn’t free when you read the fine print, you can be pretty sure it’s a scam.
By 2.6.09
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Don’t give your friends money via Facebook without talking to them first. [CNN] (Thanks to Jamie!)
Don't Draw Genitalia As Your Signature When Paying Via Credit Card
By 2.3.09
After accidentally scribbling nonsense on a verification screen and seeing that it didn’t trigger any alerts, Kingpin at DrunkRepublic decided to start goofing around with his signature when using his credit card. It led to some fun times for a while. Then it backfired. (Warning: the image after the jump is cartoonishly NSWF in a Comcast-at-the-Superbowl sort of way.)
Check Your AT&T Bill For Fraudulent Charges
By 2.2.09
Ralph discovered a mysterious $18 charge on his most recent AT&T bill. A little research turned up OSP Communications, which is apparently a front for a fraudulent biller that has repeatedly hit AT&T customers with a cramming fraud. Read Ralph’s email below, and be sure to check your own phone bill for charges like this each month.
Buy A Gift Certificate From Restaurant.com, Sign Up For A Recurring $14.95 Monthly 'Service"
By 1.28.09
Note: this post is about restaurant.com, not restaurants.com. The two websites are not related. Tracey emailed us today to let us know that she just found a mysterious $14.95 fee on her credit card. It turns out a company called Shopping Essentials is now billing her as a monthly subscriber, and all because she bought some gift certificates via restaurant.com in December. To make matters even more shady, Shopping Essentials never contacted Tracey to let her know she signed up for anything, or to send her information about their services, or to call attention in any way to the fact that she now pays them a monthly fee.
As Salmonella Recall Expands, FDA Warns Consumers To "Postpone Eating" Many Peanut Butter Products
By 1.18.09
The FDA still hasn’t tracked down all that yummy salmonella-contaminated peanut butter, and until they do, they want consumers to stop eating all “commercially-prepared or manufactured peanut butter-containing products and institutionally-served peanut butter.” No, this doesn’t mean the jar of Skippy on your shelf, but it does seem to cover cookies, cakes, and ice cream; pretty much any shrink-wrapped peanut butter snack.
Kellogg: "Please Don't Eat Our Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers"
By 1.15.09
Can’t make it to your local prison, hospital, or school cafeteria to get in on this year’s peanut butter salmonella craze? Kellogg may have you covered at the nearest snack vending machine. The company has announced that it doesn’t want anyone eating its Keebler and Austin brand peanut butter crackers right now while it investigates whether they’re action packed with salmonella stowaways.
That Burning From Mouthwash? It's Cancer
By 1.11.09
Great news, kids! Australian researcher Michael McCullough says you should stop using alcoholic mouthwashes like Listerine and Scope because they could give you oral cancer.
Identical Fake Testimonial Diet Sites Spreading Like Herpes
By 1.9.09
On Monday, Meg alerted you to a BBB warning about Acai sellers doing scammy things to consumers. Now Donna has tipped us off to a slew of identical websites that have sprouted up online, featuring Everyday Women Like You And Me with names like Jenny, Sarah, Nancy, and Amy, and who all look like the same blonde model. They’ve all lost pounds, too! How? With “My 2 Step Formula,” that’s how!
CPSC Issues Warning For Carter's Tagless Babyclothes Causing Rashes
By 11.2.08
The CPSC has issued a warning about Carter’s “tagless” clothes causing rashes. The warning was made on Oct 24, Consumerist first told you about it on September 5th. Carter’s tagless clothes’ claim to fame is that instead of an irritating flappy label, they use a flat label embedded in these clothes. It’s this very label that’s causing the rashes. The warning only applies to the Carter’s Fall 2007 line which has a raised surface with a solid, instead of a stenciled, background.
