(Bharath Gunapti)

Boston Mayor To FCC: Please Don't Listen To Comcast
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 3:30 PM   28 Comments
In April, cable subscribers in Boston were offered a glimmer of hope after the FCC ruled that the city would once again, after a decade of price increases from Comcast (the only cable company in town), be allowed to regulate cable pricing. But the war isn't over, as Comcast has asked the FCC to rethink its ruling while Boston's mayor has asked the FCC to just please not listen to Comcast. More »

New Tide Pods Box Will Aim To Keep Kids From Feeding On Detergent
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 3:20 PM   49 Comments
It looks like 2012 is the year of Tide. First, it was revealed that the detergent is being heisted for use as currency by unseemly folks. Now the makers of Tide are having to change thei packaging for Tide Pods because kids want to put the colorful, shiny detergent packs in their mouth. More »

(Marike79)

United Passenger: Airline Lost My Wheelchair, Sent Me One Belonging To Another Passenger
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 3:00 PM   33 Comments
A man in California claims that United Airlines not only lost his wheelchair, but that the airline denies he ever checked one on the plane, all while sending him a replacement wheelchair belonging to a different United passenger. More »

The Legal Battle Begins Over Dish's Ad-Skipping DVR
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 2:26 PM   51 Comments
As was predicted when Dish Network announced its Hopper DVR would allow users to skip commercials on recorded prime-time network TV shows, the so-called "holy grail for TV viewers" has ended up in court, with both sides racing to sue each other. More »

(frankieleon)

UPS Drivers Are Not Supposed To Come Back To Your House To Watch You Shower
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 1:30 PM   64 Comments
Anyone who has just missed a UPS delivery (or has had a driver leave a "we missed you" note without actually attempting a delivery) knows it's impossible to get that driver to make a return visit. But one UPS driver in California allegedly had no problem returning to a customer's house... with the intention of watching her shower. More »

(afagen)

United Ends Preboarding Policy For Families With Small Kids
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 1:02 PM   133 Comments
While airlines love to put out press releases for even the smallest improvements in service, they tend to be pretty quiet when they do something that might tick off customers. Thus, many people are just learning now that back in April, United Airlines ended its policy of allowing families with small children to board flights early. More »

New Parking Meter Sensors Put An End To Parking On Previous Driver's Dime
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 12:30 PM   148 Comments
Have you ever pulled up to a metered parking spot and found that the driver who just left the space still had time left on the meter? It's like getting free money, especially if that leftover time is enough for you to run your errand without having to feed the meter. But the folks in Denver are testing out new sensors that would delete any remaining time when you drive away from the meter. More »

(Martin Buitron Photography)

Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread
By Laura Northrup on May 25, 2012 12:30 PM   69 Comments
More »

(frankieleon)

Airbus Working On Wider Aisle Seats That Will Cost More
By Chris Morran on May 25, 2012 12:00 PM   34 Comments
Airline passengers have proven they are willing to pay for minor luxuries like legroom and early boarding, and airlines have proven their willingness to collect those fees. Thus, the folks at Airbus are working on a seating arrangement that would give some people wider seats and allow the carriers to make some more cash. More »

(Koonisutra)

Long-Running Mouse Infestation May Shut Down N.Y. Walmart
By Laura Northrup on May 25, 2012 11:30 AM   43 Comments
Recent state inspections of a Monticello, N.Y. Walmart have the mundane violations you'd see in any food facility's inspection: dusty fans, lettuce cross-contamination, and coolers slightly warmer than they should be. Then there's all of the food and other merchandise they've had to throw out after it was "defiled by rodents." The state keeps coming back and reporting "thousands" of mouse droppings and evidence of rodents all over the store...and a few decaying corpses while they're at it. The reports of mice go back to September 2011. More »

Since When Does Stainless Steel Rust?
By Laura Northrup on May 25, 2012 10:31 AM   78 Comments
The point of stainless steel appliances, I always thought, is that they're all shiny and metallic and don't rust. The not rusting thing is kind of key. So he's disappointed to see a smattering of rust spots on the front of the stainless steel Kitchenaid dishwasher that he bought less than a year ago. More »

(Darren Sethe)

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
By Laura Northrup on May 25, 2012 9:36 AM   3 Comments
Here are nine of the best photos that readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or just plain neatness. More »

(ClassConnect)

19-Year-Old Lives In AOL Offices For 2 Months, No One Notices
By Laura Northrup on May 25, 2012 9:07 AM   51 Comments
You know that co-worker who's always there when you come in in the morning and also when you leave at night? Maybe their work ethic isn't as amazing as you think. Maybe they don't even work there, and are squatting in the office as a free place to sleep, eat, work out, bathe, and work on launching their own tech startup. More »

(Morton Fox)

Actual Paying Yahoo Customer Takes His Business Elsewhere
By Laura Northrup on May 25, 2012 8:06 AM   42 Comments
If Yahoo were going to pay attention to any of their customers, you'd think it would be Israel. He's been using their services since 1995. He's a paying customer. He's even a shareholder in the company. But recent cutbacks mean the closing of the Concierge desk that would normally help people like Israel. Now that he's having unexplained problems with his e-mail account, he's taking his pixels and leaving for Google. More »

(Facebook)

Chick Fil-A Is Totally Cool With You Stealing Its Topiary Cow
By Chris Morran on May 24, 2012 5:00 PM   64 Comments
This is the time of year when high school seniors around the country celebrate the end to a dozen years of education by pulling pranks. Usually, at least in the 1960s sitcom world in which I live, this results in a lot of grumbled "kids today"s and a spike in the general level of fist-shaking from local business owners. But a Chick Fil-A in Virginia seems intent on breaking that cycle, by embracing the theft of its topiary bovine by local teens. More »

(Joe_Birdwell)

Arkansas Court Tells Ticketmaster It Is Bound By Anti-Scalping Laws
By Chris Morran on May 24, 2012 4:15 PM   53 Comments
The Arkansas Supreme Court has issued a legal kick to the gut of the fee-happy folks at Ticketmaster and Live Nation, confirming that the ticket seller is bound by the same state laws that prevent scalpers from piling on fees and charging exorbitant prices. More »

(dM.NYC)

Burning Down Home Depot Will Not Help Save Your Friend's Hardware Store
By Chris Morran on May 24, 2012 4:00 PM   50 Comments
We do enjoy hearing stories about friends who go the extra mile to help each other out. There is also something to be said for helping out a local business in favor of a national retail chain. However, it's probably not in anyone's best interest to try to burn the bigger store to the ground. More »

PayPal's Real-World Dominion Expanding To 15 Additional Major Retailers
By Chris Morran on May 24, 2012 3:15 PM   51 Comments
For so long, PayPal has been a convenient way to make payments online (so long as you don't care about things like customer service or getting your payment disputes settled or even responded to). But the company has been edging its way into real-world retailing, especially through its Home Depot partnership. And today PayPal announced its plan to go whole-hog in this sphere with 15 new major retail partners. More »

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