Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds: Best Of The Cat Picture Drive

“Consumerist needs your help in order to alleviate our cat picture shortage!” we said. “I’m broke,” a few readers replied. “But I have cat pictures!” “Send ‘em over,” we said. And thus the great Cat Picture Drive of 2010 was born. Donations poured in from all over the world. Readers submitted them to our Flickr [...]

Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

Lady Enters Security With $24,000 Rolex, Leaves Without, Suit Alleges The 8 Worst Meals (And 1 Dessert) In America For 2010 Verizon Bill Collector Threatens To Blow Up Man’s House Burger King To Offer Actual BBQ Ribs Got $1.15 Million? ‘Amityville Horror’ House Is Up For Sale This week’s Open Thread critter is my new [...]

Aetna Will Never Forget You – Or Your Old Policy Number

D. has a warning for people who are attending college after a stint in the grown-up workforce. She tells Consumerist that if you had health insurance through Aetna at your job, and your university provides student insurance through Aetna, this change will confuse Aetna’s system so thoroughly that everything you do will be billed to [...]

Suicides At Foxconn Prompt Cartoons, Raises, No-Suicide Pledge

Is Foxconn, the huge electronics company that manufactures for global brands such as HP, Dell, and Apple (yes, they make the iPad and iPhone) a towering fortress of secrecy where employees cower in fear, ten people to a dorm room, or a normal manufacturing outfit that has had a weird cluster of employee suicides recently? [...]

Suicides At Foxconn Prompt Cartoons, Raises, No-Suicide Pledge

Is Foxconn, the huge electronics company that manufactures for global brands such as HP, Dell, and Apple (yes, they make the iPad and iPhone) a towering fortress of secrecy where employees cower in fear, ten people to a dorm room, or a normal manufacturing outfit that has had a weird cluster of employee suicides recently? [...]

Target Just Can’t Stop The Crazy Prices

Sure, we’ve explained the apparent insanity of Target’s prices, but the crazy just keeps on coming. Here are a few examples from our stuffed-full Target is Crazy mailbag. Floyd found this instructive example of why it’s always better to buy in bulk… but not for the reason you’d think. Yes, that’s one pound for $1.74, [...]

TV Networks Object To Diaper Commercial That Uses Word “Pooping”

Diaper commercials, much like commercials for menstrual products, have always sort of glossed over the actual function of the products. No more. A new Huggies ad for denim-patterned diapers (really) features a voice-over that says “I poo in blue,” and ends with the tagline, “The coolest you’ll look pooping your pants.” The New York Times [...]

Nutella Loves Loyal Customer Back, Sends Merchandise Variety Pack

Kevin discovered something totally awesome about Nutella. Maybe they were being generous, maybe he sent them such a stack of seals that they couldn’t help but reward him. Or maybe this was all a massive Nutella Store mixup. Whatever the case, Kevin has a huge pile of Nutella merch and a renewed love of the [...]

UPS Calls You For Directions To Your House, UPS Store

Sounds like it’s not just Megabus drivers who need to invest in a GPS. Alphonzo tells Consumerist that his local UPS drivers are evidently unable to locate his house. It sounds like some of his local drivers have no sense of direction whatsoever. I live in [redacted] SC and my UPS deliveries are like a [...]

Should I Assume All HDTVs Self-Destruct And Just Buy Something Crappy?

Brendan has a question for the Consumerist hive mind. He wants to buy a large-ish HDTV, but isn’t sure that his usual method of buying technology–buy the cheapest thing he can get his hands on, and count on it not to break for a year or two–will work at these price points. I’m currently in [...]

Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

5 Ways Grocery Stores Rip You Off Rapping Your McDonald’s Order Is Not A Crime Perhaps The Weirdest Craigslist Room Rental Ad Ever Newer Air Bags Could Be Doing More Harm To Belted Drivers Than Good

Hampton Inn Wants You To Use Imaginary Boxspring Measurements

Older stairwells were apparently not designed to handle the massive boxsprings that come with today’s double beds. When Sarah ordered a mattress set from Hampton Inn, she didn’t realize this, and ran up against a no-return policy and an inexplicable $500 markup for a split boxspring. I recently purchased a mattress and box spring set [...]

What Should I Do With My Stacks Of Chinese Currency?

Greg has a question for the world travelers and expats who are part of the Consumerist hive mind. He writes that he has about $2,000 worth of Chinese yuan, in cash, from his first year as a teacher in China. He’s back visiting the US for a few weeks, and can’t figure out what to [...]

Domino’s Franchise Urges You To Campaign For Return Of Parmesan Peppercorn Sauce

I haven’t ordered from Domino’s since approximately 1988, so I wouldn’t know, but they apparently have a wonderful breadstick dipping sauce. Or, they used to. It’s been discontinued. Scott tells Consumerist that he was dismayed to learn this after placing his most recent order, but heartened to learn that his local franchise is urging customers [...]

Ex-Panera Bread CEO Opens Commie Not-For-Profit Eatery

What is a meal at Panera Bread worth to you? A former Panera location in a prosperous St. Louis suburb has reopened as “St. Louis Bread Company Cares,” a restaurant where customers can select a meal, then pay what they think the meal is worth–or as much as they can afford. If customers can’t afford [...]

1-800-Contacts Comes Through For Your Eyes In An Emergency

1-800-Contacts is the rare company where an actual human picks up the phone when you call–no maze of phone menus. Peter tells Consumerist that he had a fantastic experience where a customer service rep went above and beyond in the service of the health of his eyes. I just wanted to mention my love for [...]

Your Cash Is No Good At The Apple Store

If you’re saving up to buy an iPad, don’t do it by sticking your spare cash into an envelope. (Or a sock, for that matter.) As a woman in Palo Alto, Calif. learned, the same “credit or debit cards only” policy that Apple put in place to prevent rampant reselling of iPhones exists for iPads, [...]

Your Cash Is No Good At The Apple Store

If you’re saving up to buy an iPad, don’t do it by sticking your spare cash into an envelope. (Or a sock, for that matter.) As a woman in Palo Alto, Calif. learned, the same “credit or debit cards only” policy that Apple put in place to prevent rampant reselling of iPhones exists for iPads, [...]

Comcast Says You’ll Need An Antenna If You Want Network TV In High Def

Holden, a longtime Comcast customer, recently replaced his decade-old cable box with two shiny new ones. Comcast, unable to let a happy customer be, sent equipment that won’t allow his household to watch high-definition channels without paying for an extra cable package. Customer service’s most helpful response: Hook up an antenna, and switch inputs whenever [...]

Comcast Says You’ll Need An Antenna If You Want Network TV In High Def

Holden, a longtime Comcast customer, recently replaced his decade-old cable box with two shiny new ones. Comcast, unable to let a happy customer be, sent equipment that won’t allow his household to watch high-definition channels without paying for an extra cable package. Customer service’s most helpful response: Hook up an antenna, and switch inputs whenever [...]

Elderly Woman Accidentally Donates $5,365 To Goodwill Inside Sock

If you like to hide large amounts of cash around your house, make sure to remember where you put it. And if you do tend to forget, make sure to check the crevices and pockets of everything before you donate it to charity or throw it away. This goes triple when cleaning out the home [...]

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are ten of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. (flaimo) (cotesr) (quietjim) (DHouv) (SCHMEGGA) (301Broome) (Graduated Learning) (lungstruck) (JoelZimmer) Our Flickr Pool is the place where Consumerist readers go and upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist [...]

This Breyers Cookies And Cream Ice Cream Sort Of Forgot The Cookies

Kevin bought some Breyers cookies and cream ice cream, and he writes that he was disappointed to find an almost total lack of cookies in the container. Noooo! I don’t know what’s going on with this Ice Cream but we bought two tubs of it about a week ago and were severely disappointed with the [...]

Don’t Let Your Manicurist File Down Your Nerve Function

Consumer Reports Health medical adviser Orly Avitzur, M.D. has both a medical practice and a lovely set of manicured nails. It’s this combination that gave her unique insight into the possible problems with manicures that are purportedly fancy “gel manicures,” but are actually something else more dangerous entirely. And there are plenty of other chemicals [...]

I Thought My Apartment Included Utilities. Now I Have A Zombie Gas Bill

Jesse has turned to Consumerist for help because he is being haunted by a relic from his past. Specifically, he writes that a debt collector has contacted him, claiming that he owes them for having a gas service account that he never used–in an apartment where he thought all utilities were included. What should he [...]

Mysterious Object In Chef Boyardee Can Not A Rat, Just Another Giant Clump Of Mold

Good news: the large, fuzzy creature that an Ohio woman found nestled on the top of her can of Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs was not a rodent hoping to star in a “Ratatouille” sequel. It was just a fluffy, cuddly clump of mold. ConAgra, the company that makes Chef Boyardee, released a statement last [...]

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are nine of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. (majortaylor68) (frankieleon) (treducks) (jayRaz) (Jeremy_Schultz) (Civardi) (Royce R) (saramarie) Our Flickr Pool is the place where Consumerist readers go and upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. [...]

Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

10 Fast Food Items Worse For You Than The KFC Double Down Colbert: KFC Double Down Is “Warped Creation Of A Syphilitic Brain” 4 Common Scams And How To Avoid Them Apple Bans Man From Ever Buying Another iPad Facebook Kills More Of Your Privacy For Cash

Become A TiVo Premiere Early Adopter At Your Own Peril

Victor wants to warn Consumerist readers: no matter how much you love your TiVo, do not jump in and let yourself be an early adopter of the company’s new product, the Premiere (or series 4) box. He and other Premiere users have shared their tales of heartbreak and bugs with the Internet. I’ve been a [...]

New Twitter Friend At Sears Helps Reader Get New Dishwasher

Remember Bob? He had an extended warranty on his Kenmore dishwasher, and Sears decided that it would much rather send repairman after repairman to fix his defective dishwasher–and reimburse him to pay someone to wash his dishes. Between following Doug Moore, SVP and President of Appliances on Twitter and writing to Consumerist, Bob is getting [...]

Citibank Celebrates Record Profits By Treating Customers Like Deadbeats

Citicorp posted a $4.4 billion profit this past quarter. Pretty fantastic, right? How are they rewarding their loyal customers? By jacking their interest rates and closing their credit card accounts, of course. Reader Matt wrote to Consumerist for help: I’ve been a Citibank cardholder for eight years now. I got my first card, a Citi [...]

Skip Pesky Trailers And Ads On DVDs With Not-So-Secret Codes

Sometimes the ads and trailers at the beginning of a DVD give you interesting information about upcoming releases you otherwise wouldn’t have heard of. Most of the time, though, they’re just annoying as all heck. Here are some not-so-secret remote control codes that can help you skip the ads and get right to the movie. [...]

Megabus Offers Complimentary Megasauna On NYC To DC Trip

Megabus is a bus service that goes from city to city, and is meant to compete with Amtrak and Greyhound. They offer decent prices, occasional great specials, and free wi-fi. On a trip during Easter weekend, Mark learned that the service offers another perk he didn’t exactly want: a 4-hour complimentary Megasauna. The air conditioning [...]

Netflix Rolls Out Some Captions For Streaming Video

Netflix streaming is great. If you’re like me and most of your Netflix queue consists of TV series and independent movies, it’s the best deal in entertainment. One of its major flaws, though, is that video streams lack captions or closed-captioning. Netflix is starting to fix this problem…but only for a limited number of videos [...]

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are eight of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Well, seven of them are neat, and the other one is terrifying. (Josh Derr) (T.M.Y.) (jeffcl612) (Ottoman Polisher) (davidbivins) (facingthetrend) (Ninja M.) Our Flickr Pool is the place where [...]

Walmart Receipt Checker Helps Customer, Justifies Existence

Wes writes that he has discovered a previously unknown use for retail receipt checkers. They can help you to determine when a store is ripping you off, rather than the other way around. He explains: Yesterday, at Walmart I was complaining to my girlfriend about annoying receipt checkers as a Walmart employee at the door [...]

College Professor Outsources Grading Papers To Asia

As you struggle to repay your student loans, you can at least comfort yourself with the knowledge that your papers were graded by qualified professors and teaching assistants, and not by housewives in Bangalore. Students attending college today… may not be so lucky. A company called EduMetry is here to help professors who want their [...]

Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

Towing Company Sues Student Over Facebook Page We Don’t Get Why This Sign Is So Funny Epic Map: Pizza Vs Guns vs Strippers Does TV’s Dr. Oz Really Know How To Fix What Ails You? Entire Coffee Shop Staff Quits Simultaneously

Bikinis For Children: Now With Padded Bras

What constitutes an appropriate swimsuit for elementary school-aged girls? Is a bikini inappropriate? How about a padded bikini? This summer, U.K. discounter Primark tried marketing a bikini with a padded top, aimed at girls as young as seven. It didn’t go well. The chain removed the suit from its racks only hours after tabloid The [...]

Hobby Lobby Just Wants To Share Craft Supplies And Christ With You

The big box craft store Hobby Lobby famously places full-page, Christian-themed ads every Easter in newspapers in the markets where it has stores. They also make this message the centerpiece of their Web site during the period right before and after Easter. Sarah tells Consumerist that she noticed this when she visited the chain’s site [...]

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are nine of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Be sure to check out the perpetual Photo Gallery right here on the site to see the latest additions all week long! (xXColaXx) (felixthedeadcat) (felixthedeadcat) (billadler) (Packmatt) (benbalter) (itsedsy) [...]

MLB.tv Decides Entire Planet Is A Blackout Area

The MLB.tv banner ads that brag, “NO BLACKOUTS!: Blackout and other restrictions apply” may be more accurate than we initially thought. Owen tells Consumerist that he was unable to watch a Cubs/Braves game, even though he was trying to watch well after the game was over, when blackouts should no longer apply. He writes: No [...]

Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

Apple Store Goes On Security Lockdown When You Try To Buy A Laptop The Most Reasonable Letter We’ve Ever Received From A Guy Whose Bank Misplaced $14,000 Is It Okay To Download A Pirated Copy Of A Book You Already Own? Teacher Defeats Traffic Ticket With The Power Of Math Man Receives Ticket While Walking [...]

Ruby Tuesday Will Pay You Fifty Cents To Eat This Sandwich

The economics of the restaurant business are strange and confusing. But Dave writes that he couldn’t help but find this deal at Ruby Tuesday amusing. You can have a nice salad bar lunch for $7.99…or some mini sandwiches or burgers and fries along with salad bar access for $7.99. After 3 p.m., the price for [...]

Citibank Helpfully Sends $0.00 Collection Letter

Citibank is so funny! They sent G. a prank collection letter for her student loan. Even though she doesn’t owe a balance. Hehe! April Fool! Better send them a check for $0.00 just in case, though.

Walgreens Takes Pity On You When You Get Mugged For Your Wallet And Prescriptions

Tabitha and her husband were part of a horrible chain of events. She was ill, and her husband was mugged on the way home from the pharmacy with her prescriptions. With his credit cards, cash, and his wife’s medicine all gone, her husband went back to the pharmacy…and received true above and beyond service. A [...]

Do You Need Identity Theft Protection Against The Census?

Several alert readers sent us this advertisement that ran on the front page of CNN.com today. Wait–is the census going to steal my identity? Is my name, race, and birthdate all someone needs to open a credit card in my name? No. You do not need identity theft protection because of the census. Equifax has [...]

Teacher Defeats Traffic Ticket With The Power Of Math

Have you ever suspected that your city or town is trying too hard to catch traffic scofflaws in the pursuit of ticket revenue? A Florida woman received a ticket based on evidence from a red light camera, but believed the ticket was unfair because the yellow light was too short. The power of math proved [...]

Yes, You Can Still Make Claims On Your Circuit City Extended Warranty

If you bought a TiVo with an extended warranty at Circuit City before the chain died and came back as a retail zombie, TiVo forum poster Mark has good news and bad news for you: It is still technically possible to use your warranty, but doing so requires superhuman levels of persistence. He posted his [...]

Once You Break Your Nook, No One Can Repair It

If you buy a nook from Barnes & Noble and think there might be any possibility whatsoever that you could drop it, be sure to buy a protection plan for it. That’s because if the nook breaks and you didn’t buy an extended warranty, no one at Barnes and Noble can fix it. Not even [...]

No One Has The Power To Cancel Your Hotel Reservation Made Through An Airline Web Site

Booking a hotel room through an airline’s web site can lead to a roach-infested, unacceptable hotel experience, as reader Bruce learned recently. Nick tells Consumerist that he had a similar Kafkaesque hotel booking experience booking a Super 8 reservation through Continental Airlines. He learned that no one at either the airline or the hotel had [...]

Should I Have Given Back The iPad UPS Delivered Early?

Frederick tells Consumerist that he had an interesting dilemma yesterday. Another member of his household ordered an iPad, which showed up yesterday due to an error on UPS’s part. He accepted the package, then gave it back when the driver returned 45 minutes later, explaining that the delivery was a mistake. Would you have given [...]

This Cheese Is Not Exactly Deli Fresh

Nick writes that he found this cheese at Kroger. Sure, mold isn’t going to hurt you, but how far marked down would it need to be for you to buy it? He writes: Yesterday I saw a deal at my local Kroger that was very difficult to pass, but somehow I managed to pass this [...]

Terminix Will Never Stop Sending Me Junk Mail

David wants to know why Terminix won’t stop sending him mail. He just wants to them to leave him alone. The company received his requests to stop sending mail…and instead started sending junk to him and to his imaginary wife. This was not helpful. I have been receiving junk mail advertisements from Terminix for 4 [...]

Should You Tip The Owner Of A Restaurant If He Delivers Your Food?

Daniel recently had an interesting tipping dilemma. He ordered a smoked brisket from a locally owned barbecue place, and had it delivered. Unexpectedly, the restaurant owner himself showed up to deliver the brisket. So, he asks: should he have tipped the restaurant owner? Most customers wouldn’t even recognize the owner, manager, or franchisee of their [...]

As Miami Homes Enter Foreclosure, Cats Move In

In Miami-Dade County, hit particularly hard by the housing boom, about one in ten dwellngs are in foreclosure. Don’t worry, though. They’re not empty. Homeless families have moved in. To be precise, colonies of feral cats. Because nothing makes a bank-owned property more appealing than the stench of cat urine. Colonies of feral cats roam [...]

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are eight of the subjectively best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Be sure to check out the perpetual Photo Gallery right here on the site to see the latest additions all week long! (cleighud) (felixthedeadcat) (Karen_Chappell) (JoelZimmer) (gravelheadwrap) (photographynatalia) [...]

SquareTrade Replaces Item Out Of Warranty, Almost Makes Extended Warranties Worthwhile

Like most readers of Consumerist, Adam is cynical about extended warranties. However, he writes that he had a surprisingly good experience with a SquareTrade warranty that he purchased, and wanted to share. Back in 2007 I purchased a new Samsung home theater in a box on eBay. The price and specs were exactly what I [...]

Man Sues Petsmart For $1 Million After Stepping In Dog Poop

When visiting a pet store that allows leashed pets to visit, is it unreasonable to keep an eye out for dog poop? Inside the store? The Virginian-Pilot reports that a man is suing Petsmart in federal court after slipping and falling on a pile of feces in a Norfolk, Va. store. He alleges that the [...]

USPS Cares About Your Mail When It Doesn’t Really Count

Lana is a little frustrated with the U.S. Postal Service right now. She writes that she received an odd envelope in the mail from USPS–the tear-off advertising sheet from the front of a Netflix envelope addressed to her. An overly conscientious postal employee took the flyer, carefully placed it in a damaged item envelope, and [...]

USPS Cares About Your Mail When It Doesn’t Really Count

Lana is a little frustrated with the U.S. Postal Service right now. She writes that she received an odd envelope in the mail from USPS–the tear-off advertising sheet from the front of a Netflix envelope addressed to her. An overly conscientious postal employee took the flyer, carefully placed it in a damaged item envelope, and [...]

My Friend Gave Me A Completely Useless AmEx Gift Card

Have you ever exchanged an American Express gift card for goods or services? Luke writes that he received one as a gift, but hasn’t been able to use the card to make any purchases. All he’s managed to do is prove the futility of giving people credit card-branded gift cards as presents. Cash, my friends. [...]

Being Locked Out Of Quickbooks Leads To An Endless Series Of Upsells

Quickbooks from Intuit is a very popular piece of accounting software used by accountants and non-accountants alike. One of its more annoying features is that customers must call to register their software after purchase, or it won’t work. Brian writes that his problem with Quickbooks came when the registration code for his new copy of [...]

UPS Charges You $11 To Fix Zip Code Mistake

Richard has a warning for the Consumerist community: he writes that if you mess up a zip code on an overnight UPS package, they will charge you an $11 “address adjustment” fee to fix it. Excessive? Richard thought so, and UPS was nice enough to waive it when he asked. Just a warning out there [...]

Pizza Hut Won’t Let Customer Use Credit Card Without Photo ID

Chuck tells Consumerist that he witnessed a strange transaction at Pizza Hut recently. When another customer went to pay for her purchase with a credit card, the person behind the counter asked to see her ID before allowing her to pay for her pizzas with a credit card. She didn’t have any ID with her, [...]

Recall Roundup: Step Away From The Pepper Edition

Salmonella in the pepper! Salmonella in the hydrolyzed vegetable protein! Salmonella everywhere! Oh yeah, and some other stuff was recalled too. Babies and Children Graco Harmony High Chairs: Chair may tip over unexpectedly Holiday-Themed Charm Bracelets: High levels of cadmium, which children should not eat. Infantino SlingRider: Suffocation hazard Evenflo Top-of-Stair™ Plus Wood Gates: Slats [...]

Recall Roundup: Step Away From The Pepper Edition

Salmonella in the pepper! Salmonella in the hydrolyzed vegetable protein! Salmonella everywhere! Oh yeah, and some other stuff was recalled too. Babies and Children Graco Harmony High Chairs: Chair may tip over unexpectedly Holiday-Themed Charm Bracelets: High levels of cadmium, which children should not eat. Infantino SlingRider: Suffocation hazard Evenflo Top-of-Stair™ Plus Wood Gates: Slats [...]

For Dyeing Easter Eggs, Cheap, Simple, And Classic Is Best

You can find a variety of Easter egg dyeing kits in stores, but what sets them apart? Holidash tested a variety of commercial egg-decorating kits, evaluating methods to decorate eggs with everything from glitter to Star Wars decals. Their winner? The classic color tablets and wire egg holders of the century-old Paas egg-dyeing kit. Easy [...]

To Your Brain, Bacon And Chocolate Are Sort Of Like Cocaine

A recent scientific study on rats shows that our brains’ wiring is what causes humans to love overeating so darn much. Rats offered a selection of rich, tasty human foods not only became obese, but their brain chemistry changed. The rats needed more food to feel content…and discomfort wouldn’t keep them away from their tasty [...]

Texas Woman Awarded $9 Million In Walmart False Arrest Lawsuit

After being accused of cashing counterfeit money orders and arrested at a Walmart in 2008, a Houston woman has won $9 million in damages in a civil lawsuit against the retailer. 24-year-old Nitra Gipson spent two days in jail…and the money orders turned out to be genuine. Company lawyers based in Utah later sent her [...]

Kick Off Spring Cleaning By Home-Detailing Your Car

Spring is actually here, and do you know what that means? Spring cleaning! Consumer Reports offers tips Ugh. If you live in a wintery climate, take some time to clean up your vehicle and pretend that all that salt and gravel never happened. Our sister publication Consumer Reports shows you how. After all, who else [...]

Netflix Streaming For Wii Loads Slow, But Still Faster Than PS3

Now that Wii-owning Netflix customers have received their streaming discs, let the console wars begin anew! At stake now: which provides the best Netflix-browsing experience….and the least agonizingly slow load times? The winner in a competition of the Wii and Playstation 3? According to Super Power Bros’ unscientific test, Wii. While video streaming is relatively [...]

Amazon.com Rep: “Your Package Has Been Eaten By An Alligator”

Sometimes calling customer service just leads to theater of the absurd. Earlier today, reader Will blogged about his recent interaction with Amazon customer service. He writes that when he called up Amazon to find out the location of a missing package. The rep informed him that the package had been

Holy Crap, The FreeCreditReport.com Guy Is French-Canadian

In celebration of the upcoming FTC-mandated drastic changes to “free” credit report advertising and web sites, public radio program Marketplace located the actor and musician who serves as the public face of FreeCreditReport.com in its horrifically catchy ads. That’s when they discovered something that, as they put it, means you will never look at the [...]

Go To Subway, Get Two $5 Footlongs For Only $9.99

Tomorrow is Sunday, which means that you can take advantage of the exciting Sunday sale at Mike’s local Subway. Yes, this restaurant does participate in the $5 footlong promotion. We asked.

This Computer Game Is On Clearance At Walmart Because It’s Now Defunct

Kain tells Consumerist that he was searching the clearance section at his local Walmart for deals when he discovered something that was an unbelievably bad deal. Ten “collector’s edition” copies of the multiplayer game Tabula Rasa marked down to only $25! Too bad that the servers required to play the game shut down on Feburary [...]

AT&T Wireless Directs Salt Lake City 911 Calls To Seattle

For some reason that no one has been able to figure out yet, on Thursday night, all 911 calls that AT&T Wireless customers in the Salt Lake City, Utah made area ended up routed to dispatchers in Seattle. Police were made aware of the problem around 7 p.m. and asked Seattle dispatchers to transfer all [...]

This Infomercial Uses A Familiar Voice To Get Your Attention

If you hear a vaguely familiar voice screeching from your television set during a commercial break, fear not. It’s only actor, comedian, and ex-parrot Gilbert Gottfried’s voiceover for the Shoedini commercial. It’s hard to get across in mere words how much I wish I were kidding right now. The version using audio outtakes, however, is [...]

This Isn’t A Frozen Green Bean, It’s A Chunk Of Garter Snake

Remember the animal head that a Houston family found inside a bag of frozen Pictsweet green beans? The family was convinced that the animal was a snake, though experts thought that it was a frog. Maybe they were right after all, and the animal was a snake…because a different part of a snake was found [...]

Congressional Audit Shows That EnergyStar Label May Be Meaningless

Does an EnergyStar label change your perception of a product? Maybe it shouldn’t. Last year, an audit showed that Energy Star gave its rating to products that misrepresented their energy usage. This time, auditors posed as companies and submitted completely absurd appliances for EnergyStar ratings, like a gasoline-powered alarm clock the size of a portable [...]

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

Here are nine of the subjectively best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Be sure to check out the perpetual Photo Gallery right here on the site to see the latest additions all week long! (Civardi) (Tim PopUp) (SEIU International) (i_shoot_minolta) [...]

Close Reading Of Press Release Shows Why Everyone Hates AT&T Wireless

The 3G Microcell, the mini cell tower that AT&T has been threatening their customer base with since last fall are coming soon. AT&T Wireless customers remain underwhelmed. Why? Using technology similar to Consumerist’s own Megglefish, Tested’s Will Smith translated the press release from PR-speak to English for us, and teased out the precise reasons why [...]

This Bottle Of Salad Dressing At Target Only Expired Five Months Ago

Paul Newman (who died in 2008) may have still been alive when this bottle of salad dressing was manufactured. Bridget in Minnesota told Consumerist that sge purchased it at her local Target. She got a refund from the store, but she’s still a little alarmed that they would sell her such a thing. Bridget writes: [...]

Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread

Kmart Posts Amazing Coupon On Internet, Then Forgets Internet Exists UPS Guy Outwits Thieves With Clever Hiding Place Behold The 2010 Worst Company In America Bracket! Ben & Jerry’s And Starbucks Both Giving Away Free Food Tomorrow Family With Shattered TV Takes Best Buy To Court, Wins

Subway Won’t Take My Credit Card, But I Want My Sandwich

What do you do when Subway has prepared your delicious sandwich, and then the only credit card you’re carrying with you doesn’t work in the machine? Do you leave the poor, innocent sandwich behind? Do you leave your poor, innocent credit card number behind? Or do you take this as a cautionary tale about always [...]

FTC Catches 30% Of Funeral Homes Violating Consumer Laws

Thanks to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers have certain rights when it comes to funerals. Consumers have the right to purchase only the products or services they need, to use the services of a funeral home while declining embalming, to see written price lists before they begin to make decisions, and the right to purchase [...]

I Don’t Want A Savings Account, Fifth Third: Please Stop Calling Me

Brad is a customer of Fifth Third Bank. He’s annoyed at the bank’s marketing practices. He tells Consumerist that when he transferred a large amount of money from his account with a credit union, Fifth Third decided that he clearly had too much money, and they wanted to help him open a savings account to [...]

Your Gigantic Carry-On Bags Are A Hazard To Flight Attendants

It’s logical that as airlines charge customers fees to check their luggage, passengers will carry on as much of their belongings as they possibly can. The logical consequence of that? Passengers and crew getting bonked on the head by bottles of liquor and carry-on toilets. The Association of Flight Attendants union surveyed their membership, with [...]

Beer Shrink Ray Takes Away .8 Ounces Of Precious Red Stripe

Bad news if you like to sip a Red Stripe beer while snacking on Wheatables. Exported bottles of Red Stripe have been zapped by the Grocery Shrink Ray, shrinking from 12 fluid ounces to 11.2. “I knew something felt different about the bottle on the right… poor Red Stripe!” wrote our tipster Matthew. Maybe Red [...]

Dell’s Tech Support Will Stop At Nothing To Help Break Your Computer

Janna’s Dell laptop broke, but it was still under warranty. She tells Consumerist that she contacted their technical support by web chat, imagining that it would be simple and easy to get a computer under warranty repaired. Her journey through Dell’s tech support began with the chat rep encouraging her to grab a screwdriver and [...]

How Does Brake Override Technology Stop Runaway Cars?

The recent fuss over Toyota’s recalls has brought a lot of attention to a previously rather boring car feature: brake override. It wasn’t a very sexy feature until we began reading about throttles gone rogue, taking drivers on a terrifying ride. Brake override, and its absence on the affected Toyota models, became very interesting all [...]

Walgreens Now Sells Televisions By The Inch

Rob took this picture of a 15″ LCD television for sale at Walgreens in Virginia. It’s nice that they chose to highlight the price, but confusing that they also posted the unit price. If you’re wondering, TVs cost $8 per inch. I like this pricing scheme, and hope to see other retailers adopt it. RELATED: [...]

Finish Up Your Weekend With Some Light Reading On Health Care Reform

You know what’s even less exciting than health insurance regulations? Homework! But as Congress prepares to vote on the huge and hugely controversial health care reform bill tonight, it’s a good time to familiarize yourself with what the proposed bill does–no matter what your opinion of it might be. There are ways to do that [...]

Family With Shattered TV Takes Best Buy To Court, Wins

Remember the Florida family whose sad story of a smashed TV we shared on Super Bowl Sunday? When they unboxed their 50-inch plasma screen HDTV, they found a cracked screen and a world of sadness. They took a page from the Consumerist playbook and sued Best Buy in small claims court. When the mega-retailer failed [...]

Sushi Restaurant That Served Illegal Whale Now Closed

The Hump, a Santa Monica, Calif. sushi restaurant accused of illegally selling whale meat, closed yesterday. The reason given on the restaurant’s Web site? By closing, they hope to bring attention to the damage done by illegal whaling. Riiiight. Here’s the announcement on their site: After twelve years doing business in Santa Monica, The Hump [...]

This Baby Outfit Provides A Disturbing Vision Of The Future

Is “Someday I’ll get trashed at prom” an appropriate slogan for a baby t-shirt or onesie? How about “future cougar?” Sure, we at Consumerist like over-the-top humor as much as more than anyone, but can kids’ shirts go too far? Or does it matter all that much when the wearer can’t even talk yet, let [...]

That Mysterious $230,000 Deposited In Your Bank Account Is Probably Not Yours

If you checked your bank account balance to see a mysterious $230,000 deposit, what would you do? If your answer is “contact the bank and make sure the money goes back to its rightful owner,” you are correct. If you said “buy a Camaro and a new wardrobe, check into a hotel, and brag about [...]

Tampa’s Stripper Mobile Is Back In Business

The Stripper Mobile is a rolling billboard for Tampa’s Déjà Vu gentlemen’s club. It’s a truck that rolls around the city with a glassed-in box in the back where bikini-clad strippers pole dance, gyrate, and distract every driver on the road. The city took the Stripper Mobile off the road because of…problems with the truck’s [...]

Walmart Racist PA System Prank Culprit Arrested

The police in Washington Township, N.J. have tracked down and arrested the alleged perpetrator of last weekend’s unauthorized PA announcement of “Attention Walmart customers: All black people leave the store now.” It will surprise absolutely no one that the suspect is a 16-year-old boy. Rafael Muñiz, the Washington Township police chief, said that while the [...]

Should FedEx Have Walked Into My House To Deliver Package?

Sam had an odd experience with FedEx back in February. He writes that when he didn’t come to the door right away, instead of leaving the package on the porch, the deliveryman just opened the door and walked in. This confused Sam a bit, and he wrote to Consumerist asking what he should do. I [...]