When your work computer goes wonky, you call IT. That’s easy enough. When it’s your home computer, though, the choices are a lot murkier. There are thousands of sources for tech support out there, from one-person operations to giant call centers. But if you don’t have enough technical know-how, it can be hard to tell which ones are actually helping, and which ones are just out to scam a quick buck. [More]
washington
Costco Pulls Chicken Salad In Western States Over E. Coli Concerns
By 11.24.15
After linking a number of cases of E. coli poisoning back to chicken salad bought at Costco, the warehouse chain has pulled the product from its shelves in the western portion of the U.S. [More]
Man Who Sold Industrial Chemical As “Miracle Mineral Solution” Sentenced To 51 Months In Jail
By 10.28.15
There are plenty of people out there peddling “miracle” cleanses, juices, and elixirs that don’t really do anything, but that will usually just get them a slap on the wrist and some fines for false advertising. But if the “Miracle Mineral Solution” is really nothing more than an industrial chemical that can’t be sold for human consumption, then you’ll probably end up in jail for a few years. [More]
Washington Pushes For Pesticide Transparency In Retail Marijuana
By 10.7.15
For decades, buying pot off the street sometimes meant you had to take the seller’s word about the quality and origin of their product. But with some states legalizing retail marijuana sales in the U.S., there’s an opportunity for consumer safeguards and increased transparency for pot purchasers. [More]
Shoplifting Suspect Flees Walmart, Runs Across Highway, Causing Crashes
By 9.10.15
dIt’s understandable that someone suspected of shoplifting would want to flee the store, but someone caught in the act north of Seattle fled across an interstate highway and up an onramp, causing multiple crashes. Don’t be like this person. Be sure to bring along a motor vehicle when you shoplift. An even better idea: don’t shoplift. [More]
Amazon’s New Seattle Facility Reportedly Set To Test “Amazon Flex” Package Pickup Service
By 8.19.15
When making a purchase through Amazon there are several options for delivery, depending on where you live: free-two day shipping with a Prime membership, Sunday delivery via USPS, Prime Now one-hour delivery, drop-offs at an Amazon Locker, and, of course, traditional several-day delivery. Now, it appears the e-commerce giant is working on another, secret, service at a soon-to-open facility near Seattle. [More]
POSTSCRIPT: Even After Embarrassing Story, CenturyLink Still Has No Idea That This House Is Not On Their Network
By 8.18.15
You probably remember the story of Seth, the Washington state homeowner who was on the brink of having to sell his new house because — in spite of what their websites said — neither Comcast nor CenturyLink were willing to sell him the broadband service he needs for his home office. Even though this made national headlines, with CenturyLink looking particularly inept, the company still hasn’t figured out that Seth’s house is not connected to its network. [More]
Pot-Centric Colorado Credit Union Sues Federal Reserve Bank For Denying Account
By 7.31.15
The state of Colorado no longer outlaws recreational marijuana use, but the U.S. government still considers it a Schedule I controlled substance, so many businesses making money from the locally legal sale of cannabis are having trouble finding banks to handle their cash. One credit union formed with the goal of providing financial services to those in the marijuana industry received a charter from Colorado, but has filed suit against a regional Federal Reserve bank for blocking its ability to work with other banks. [More]
UPDATE: A Happy Ending For Man Who Almost Had To Sell His House Due To Comcast’s Incompetence
By 7.13.15
Remember Seth, the Washington state homeowner who was putting his recently purchased house up for sale because no one — not Comcast, not CenturyLink, not his county — was willing or able to provide the broadband connection he needed for his home office? We’re happy to tell you that Seth is still in the house and he can now go online. [More]
Lawmakers Introduce Legislation That Would Give Legal Marijuana Businesses Access To Banking Services
By 7.10.15
One of the biggest challenges facing the new legal marijuana industry comes down to money: now that businesses in certain states have gotten the go ahead to sell weed, many of them are stuck in a tough spot when it comes to actually dealing payments for their products, since the drug is still illegal under federal law. A group of senators is seeking to change that, introducing a bill that would take the heat off legal marijuana operations and give them access to banking services. [More]
Washington Woman Is First U.S. Measles Death In More Than A Decade
By 7.2.15
Last year’s measles outbreak was dubbed the worst in the U.S. in 14 years, with 288 cases of the potentially deadly infection popping up in 18 states, but no one died. Similarly, the more recent measles cases at Disneyland and in Las Vegas raised awareness of the disease’s return but left everyone involved alive. Now health officials in Washington state are saying the pneumonia death of a woman there is believed the be the first measles-related fatality in the U.S. in a dozen years. [More]
Amazon Files First Lawsuit To Block Companies From Selling Fraudulent Positive Reviews
By 4.9.15
For the first time in the 20 years that Amazon has allowed users to review products, the company is taking legal action against businesses it claims sells fake reviews to third-party sellers. [More]
New Homeowner Has To Sell House Because Of Comcast’s Incompetence, Lack Of Competition
By 3.25.15
Only months after moving into his new home in Washington state, Consumerist reader Seth is already looking to sell his house. He didn’t lose his job or discover that the property is haunted. No, Seth can’t stay much longer because no one can provide broadband service to his address; even though Comcast and CenturyLink both misled him into thinking he’d be connected to their networks and in spite of the fact that his county runs a high-speed fiberoptic network that goes very near to his property. [More]
Deputy Fired For Threatening To Arrest Photographer Who Took Pictures Of Police In Public
By 2.6.15
As we’ve covered before, courts have ruled time and again that police can’t force citizens to stop taking photographs of them in public so long as you don’t interfere with their work. That doesn’t stop cops from ordering people to put their cameras away, and didn’t prevent on sheriff’s deputy in Washington state from making multiple empty threats of arrest against a Seattle news photographer who took pics of a police action in public. But after an investigation by the sheriff’s office, that deputy has been dismissed for abusing his authority. [More]
When Does The First Amendment Prevent The Release Of Public Records? When It Involves Strippers
By 11.7.14
When two rights conflict, which one is given priority? This was the question recently put before a federal court in Washington state, where a group of strippers were trying to prevent their real names and other personal information from being shared publicly even though state law seems to require that their identities be released upon request. [More]
Voters In Oregon, Alaska, Washington D.C. Legalize Marijuana
By 11.5.14
Break out the celebratory brownies: Alaska, Oregon and D.C. are joining the ranks Washington State and Colorado, after residents had their say in last night’s vote and legalized marijuana where they live, in varying degrees. [More]
Washington Stores Pull Exploding Marijuana Soda Bottles From Shelves
By 10.9.14
Now that marijuana is legal for recreational use in Washington, stores have probably not been surprised to see pot-infused products flying off the shelves. But when there’s soda literally exploding on the shelves, well, that’s not the best way to clear out the inventory. At least three marijuana product purveyors in the state have had to pull a sparkling pomegranate soda made with pot after bottles started exploding mysteriously. [More]
Washington State Just Says No To Mobile Weed-Smoking Wagons
By 8.22.14
In the wake of Washington state’s recent legalization of recreational marijuana, some businesses have popped up to cater to weed tourists who want to see the sites while also enjoying the cannabis they have purchased. But state regulators have now made it clear that smoking pot on buses — even chartered ones — is a no-no. [More]
