Consumerist

NY Attorney General Unfriends Tagged.com, Files Lawsuit [Tagged.com]

Laura Northrup — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:15:18 EDT

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.New York's crusading Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, has a new target: social networking contact-spamming site Tagged.com. He...

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Which Airlines Are The Most Pet Friendly? [Pets]

Chris Walters — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:56:53 EDT

Petfinder.com compared airlines to see which ones are the best choices if you're traveling with pets. You may remember our post a while back on Pet Airways, about which Petfinder says, "While Pet...

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Comcast Installer Robs Check Cashing Store [Crime]

Chris Walters — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:47:05 EDT

Hey dumb crooks, if you're going to rob a place be sure not to wear a uniform with your company's name on it and drive a van plastered with a nationally recognized logo. It makes it really easy for...

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T-Mobile's Backdoor Exclusivity Prevents You From Using Old Phone With AT&T [Tmobile]

Alex Chasick — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:19:34 EDT

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Reader Greg accidentally ran his iPhone through the washing machine. Whoops. Luckily, he still had his old BlackBerry from his days...

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Better Business Bureau Kicks Out Four Businesses [Revocations]

Chris Walters — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:53:29 EDT

What can you do if you're too small to have a shot in our Worst Company In America contest, but too awful to not earn some sort of notoriety? Well, you can get your BBB membership revoked and earn a...

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Preventing Hospital Infections Would Save ... []

Alex Chasick — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:59:39 EDT

Preventing Hospital Infections Would Save Lives-and Billions Here's a good way to reduce health care costs: get serious about preventing the 100,000 annual deaths from MRSA and other...

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Warning, iDrive Lite Spams All Your Gmail Contacts Without Your Permission [Contact Scraping]

Chris Walters — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:46:26 EDT

Don't install the iPhone app iDrive Lite if you value the privacy of your contact list. Avi Muchnick, one of the developers behind the free, consumer-friendly online graphics suite Aviary, used...

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Grocery Shrink Ray Is Reversed, Called A Bonus [Grocery Unshrink Ray]

Chris Walters — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:33:56 EDT

CCM just sent us a photo she snapped of these Mission Soft Flour Tortillas. It's kind of cool to see that in this age of the shrink ray, a company is actually giving you more bang for your buck....

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Glamour Shots Now Does Boudoir Photography? [Sexytime]

Chris Walters — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:18:33 EDT

Dallas writes, "Hey, I just saw this ad in on a local newspaper website. Glamour shots has apparently 'changed.' I guess they think there might be a market for people who will pay for nudie pics of...

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Samsung Customer Service Operates At Knuckleball Speed In Replacing Bluetooth [Bluetooth Blues]

Phil Villarreal — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:45:21 EDT

Despite what that rascal Shakespeare would have you believe, all that ends well isn't necessarily well. Example: When your Bluetooth headset breaks and Samsung wouldn't warranty it out for several...

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When The Going Gets Tough, Data Plans Get Going [Recessionomics]

Phil Villarreal — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:30:30 EDT

When financial whitewater starts rocking your raft, the first things you start to bail on are your "wants." That would encapsulate cell phone data plans, a MocoNews story on the Washington Post site...

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Morning Deals [Sales]

Chris Walters — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:22:19 EDT

Lane Bryant: [Apparel] $25 Off $75 Purchase w/ Coupon 025009972Walmart: [Health] Free Nivea Body Wash for Men (Sample)Dell: [Blu-Ray Player] Sharp Aquos Blu-Ray Player for $139.99 w/ Free shipping...

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Estate Planning Lessons from Michael Jackson [Money]

FMF — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:21:41 EDT

Let's face it, Michael Jackson had a spotty record when it came to managing his money. Sure, he earned a gazillion dollars making music and was savvy enough to buy rights to Beatles' tunes, but in...

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People Trust Stuff They Read Online More Than Nearly Any Other Medium [If It's On The Internet, It Must Be True]

Phil Villarreal — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:15:08 EDT

A global Nielsen survey reports the cool yet frightening revelation that people trust opinions they find on the internet more than those from newspapers, TV, radio and magazines. The only category...

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Download This Free Game If You Never Want To Get Anything Done Again [Free Stuff]

Phil Villarreal — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:00:44 EDT

If you're lacking for addictions in your life, you may as well download the free new PC game, Peggle: World of Warcraft Edition. For the uninitiated, Peggle is a hybrid of pinball and Plinko from...

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Hey, look! Comcast has their very own blog! ... [Comcast Blogs]

Laura Northrup — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:10:04 EDT

Hey, look! Comcast has their very own blog! It features mostly regular company news about Comcast services and the adventures of employees and executives, but at least it allows comments. Even...

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Tauntaun Sleeping Bags Closer To Reality [Geeks At Large]

Laura Northrup — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:04:47 EDT

For April Fools' Day 2009, ThinkGeek launched a tauntaun sleeping bag as a fake-yet-awesome product. As everyone knows, pranks make the best market research, and now LA Weekly reports that they are...

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Don't Put These Items On Your Credit Card If You Can Help It [Credit Cards]

Laura Northrup — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:29:14 EDT

A few months ago, we reminded you that your credit card company is building a psychological profile of you. But what about a short, convenient list of things that get credit card companies' notice?...

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More than one million play yards made by ... [Play Yards]

Laura Northrup — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:12:02 EDT

More than one million play yards made by Kolcraft and sold under a variety of names have been recalled. Brands include Kolcraft, Carter's, Sesame Street, Jeep, Contours, Care Bears and Eric Carle....

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Warning: No LoveSac Warranty On Sacs Sold Through Overstock [Furniture]

Laura Northrup — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:50:04 EDT

LoveSac is a furniture company. They're known for a product that I'm sure I will be scolded for calling "giant beanbag chairs that cost hundreds of dollars." Hypoallergenic, couch-sized,...

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Free Bike Protection Is Neither Free Nor Protects All Bikes [Protection]

Laura Northrup — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:59:18 EDT

Brian bought a new bike lock recently. What led him to purchase a nice, expensive lock from On Guard was the package's promise that the lock came with insurance—if his bike was stolen while...

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The FDA has issued a new ruling that says ... [Food Safety]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:02:20 EDT

The FDA has issued a new ruling that says egg producers must "test regularly for salmonella and buy chicks from suppliers who do the same," and that eggs "will have to be refrigerated on the farm and...

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Dave Carroll's "United Breaks Guitars" song ... [Follow Ups]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:44:58 EDT

Dave Carroll's "United Breaks Guitars" song and video EECB appears to be having the desired effect. Check out this tweet from United. [Twitter] (Thanks to Chris!)

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Lender Makes Borrowers Pledge Their Souls [Loans]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:34:29 EDT

A lender in Riga, Latvia, has borrowers sign away their souls as collateral on small, high-interest loans. Mirosiichenko said his company would not employ debt collectors to get its money back if...

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Gym Member Catches Thief In The Act; Gym Staff Too Lazy To Help [Crime]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:12:59 EDT

We're pretty impressed that this member of the Washington Sports Clubs at the DC USA Mall helped catch a thief. We're a little stunned, however, that the staff at the gym let the guy enter in the...

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Google To Launch Free PC Operating System Next Year [Computers]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:03:08 EDT

Tired of Windows, don't like fine-tuning Ubuntu, can't afford buying into the Apple ecosystem? Google has just announced they're releasing an open source computer operating system called Chrome OS...

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Comcast Convinces Business To Switch Its Phone Service, Loses Track Of Payment And Disconnects Line [Comcastic]

Phil Villarreal — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:00:05 EDT

Some silver-tongued sales-devil from Comcast convinced landscaping company owners Kelly and her husband to hand over their business phone line, only to claim it never received their payment and cut...

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Ways To Raise Funds For a Small Business [Entrepreneurship]

Phil Villarreal — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:45:44 EDT

Forgive potential investors for being skeptical of tossing you their spare change for your business proposition in this post-Madoff world. Banks aren't exactly waving small-business loans in your...

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Guess Who May Be Footing The Bill For Credit Card Reform — It's Not The Octopus [Credit Card Reform]

Phil Villarreal — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:15:03 EDT

Although conventional wisdom and, hell, a Harvard study on the credit card reform to be brought about in the CARD act says the changes will help out Joe MasterCard, the prognosis for credit card...

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Banned Bank Of America Customer Says His Credit Is Clear [Updates]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:06:08 EDT

Earlier this week we wrote about how BoA told Jesse he could never have an account with them, but they wouldn't give a specific reason. A lot of readers and tipsters suggested ChexSystems was the...

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Bank Of America: "That's Why You Don't Open New Accounts Online" [Updates]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:06:00 EDT

After reading about how Jesse was banned for life from Bank of America for no clear reason, other readers wrote in with similarly bizarre BoA stories. Wayne was locked out of his new account after he...

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How To Save On Those Wallet-Defiling Horrors Known As 'Weddings' [Money-saving Tips]

Phil Villarreal — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:00:26 EDT

In our debt-plagued society it's somehow appropriate that couples demonstrate their love for one another by staging elaborate ceremonies that plunge them into financial setbacks from which no dollar...

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Morning Deals [Sales]

Chris Walters — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:25:28 EDT

OvernightPrints: [Printing] Free 5x5 Photo Book or $10 off any other product through July 19th with coupon code ONPFREEFIVEDairy Queen: [Ice Cream] $1 Off DQ Blizzard PrintableShutterfly: [Photo...

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Teavana Salesperson Throws Involuntary Tea Party [Sneaky]

Laura Northrup — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:17:47 EDT

When you think of "boutique tea," you probably don't associate it with obnoxious upsells and sneaky add-ons. If you do, perhaps you've visited the same Teavana outlet as one of our readers. Michael...

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The Federal Government Has Had Enough With Cell Phone Exclusivity [Cell Phones]

Laura Northrup — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:55:38 EDT

Annoyed by cell phone exclusivity deals? The federal government may agree with you. The FCC and Department of Justice are both looking into the issue, concerned about limitations on consumer choice...

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The Duct Tape Shoplifters: Coming Soon To A Mall Near You? [Bad Consumer]

Laura Northrup — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:21:26 EDT

Watch out for organized, highly trained teams of shoplifters in your local mall. They aren't small-time operators—they stole $23,000 worth of bras and panties from a West Virginia Victoria's...

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You may really need a bike helmet some day ... []

Alex Chasick — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:39:17 EDT

You may really need a bike helmet some day "In a recent survey, we found that more than half of Americans don't wear a bike helmet, and watching riders on the streets of my city, that seems to be the...

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No, You Can't Get Rich Quick Via Twitter [Twitter]

Laura Northrup — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:34:37 EDT

The Better Business Bureau warns job-hunters and other money-seekers that no, you can't earn massive amounts of money through secretive Twitter tricks. Not only are the profits they promise not,...

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Who Will Save The Economy? Not Strapped Consumers [Recession]

Laura Northrup — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:38:15 EDT

Consumer delinquencies hit a record high in the first quarter of the year. Debt-to-disposable income ratios are down only slightly from the beginning of the recession. Who will save the U.S. economy...

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Tired of Big Sunscreen profiting from your ... [DIY]

Laura Northrup — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:05:25 EDT

Tired of Big Sunscreen profiting from your love of the outdoors? Instructables shows you how to make your own sunscreen, with a few fun ingredients and some safety equipment. Alternately,...

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