Consumerist
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Flickr
Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds
Here are nine wonderful photos readers added to The Consumerist Flickr Pool this week, picked for neatness and usability in a Consumerist post. Check 'em out! More »
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Follow ups
Capital One Activates Payment Protection Plan Thanks To EECB
Earlier this week, I posted about a college student who couldn't get Capital One's Emergency Payment Protection Plan activated on his account because of missed deadlines. Andon wrote back today to say that after he sent an EECB to the credit card company's executives, they apologized and activated the service. More » -
Online Shopping
Here Are Your Shipping Deadlines For Christmas 2009
If you're planning on spending the next 6-8 weeks pouring cash into Mammon's gaping maw—and really, who isn't? it's how we love each other—then here are the shipping deadlines for over 100 online retailers, courtesy of CouponSherpa. In today's UPS/FedEx world you can frequently wait right up until Christmas week, but you might want to double-check the list if there's a retailer you absolutely have to shop from.
"Holiday Shipping Deadlines for Christmas 2009" [CouponSherpa] (Thanks to Jeff!)
(Photo: dierken) -
Walmart is your god now
Walmart Goes Crazy On Couple Suspected Of Shoplifting
Walmart can try to spin itself as being on the side of good all it wants, but if it ever suspects you of shoplifting, you may find that you're powerless to fight back. In the case of a couple accused of shoplifting some Bic lighters in Niles, Michigan this past August, Walmart detained them, the police came and cuffed one of them, their two kids were taken to a security room, and—after a review of security footage proved the couple's innocence—they were banned for life from all Walmarts. To top it off, Walmart's legal team has sent the couple a letter asking to be reimbursed for 10 times the value of the lighters, even though the police determined no shoplifting had taken place. More » -
Droid vs. iPhone: A 10-Round Bout CR Electronics tests both phones and finds that each side has its advantages and flaws. The biggest advantage of the Droid: It's not on AT&T. [Consumer Reports Electronics]
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Taking advantage
Bally Reps Drove Developmentally Disabled Man To Gym, Signed Him Up
Family members of a developmentally disabled 49-year-old man told 6 News in Indianapolis that two men from Bally Total Fitness showed up at the man's apartment, drove him to a Bally location at Pike Plaza, and signed him up to a monthly membership. When the man's family asked Bally to invalidate the agreement, the gym refused. More » -
H1N1
Iowa Feline Catches Swine Flu
When you're home sick, snuggling with a pet can have tremendous healing powers. "Plus," you might say to yourself, "at least Fluffy can't catch this awful swine flu I have." Well....not so fast. It's not common, but a cat in Iowa has been diagnosed with, and recovered from, swine flu. More » -
Roundups
Top Posts Of The Week And Open Thread
Radio Shack Sales Staff Unfazed By 2,400% Markup
Reader: "Paid My T-Mobile Bill, Saw Some Boobs"
Hyundai Replaces Car Destroyed In BMW Parking Lot Attack
T-Mobile Surprise Porn Not An Isolated Incident
50 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do(Photo: Mini D)
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nifty
Reporter Actually Measures Noodles In Campbell's Soup
32' of noodles is about 10 yards, so a reporter from KING5 in Seattle decided to lay them out, end by end, starting at the 10 yard line of a fooball field, to see if he could score a noodley touchdown. We applaud this effort. More » -
Storm8
iPhone App Developer Sued For Stealing Users' Phone Numbers
For secretly stealing users' phone number by exploiting a backdoor iPhone vulnerability, app developer Storm8 got slapped with a class action lawsuit. More » -
I want egg nog year round
POLL: When Is Too Early For Christmas Creep?
After we proposed tracking Starbucks's roll out of Christmas products as a metric to gauge yearly Christmas Creep, we got a fair amount of comments saying they saw no problem with Christmas stuff coming out once Halloween was over. So, inside, a poll: at what point does Christmas Creep become acceptable holiday display? More » -
Dead frogs
Walmart Refunds For Dead Frog Found In Salad
"Oh my God, I see eyes!" screamed Carla Hill after opening a bag of greens from Walmart. More » -
Classy
Meet JC Penney's Notoriously "Obese" Mannequins
Over at The Awl there is an intensively researched fact-check of Cintra Wilson's review of the Manhattan JC Penney store, which at the time, we described as "simultaneously hateful and boring." The review-of-the-review features photographs of the mannequins Ms. Wilson described as "obese." More » -
Charities
Save The Polar Bear Sweaters Are Nice, But Do The Bears Really Get The Cash?
So you're shopping and have a choice between Sweater A, and Sweater B, the one that saves polar bears. This so-called "embedded giving" where you buy something and part of the money goes towards a charity has become quite popular, especially during the holiday season, but did you ever stop to think if the polar bears are really getting the money? More » -
Video Wars
DVD Price War: Harry Potter, Star Trek For $10
Walmart announced yesterday that it will be slashing prices to below wholesale on 10 of the most popular DVDs that will be released soon, says the LA Times. Target announced that it will be matching Walmart. Amazon has not yet responded. More » -
inappropriate
Hospital Sends $29,000 Bill To Parents Of Murdered College Student
Not only did the UC Davis Medical Center send a $29,186.50 bill to the parents of college student who was beaten to death by his roommate, they also sent a letter letting them know that their son was considered indigent and was no longer welcome at the hospital if he needed further treatment. He doesn't, of course, because he is deceased. More » -
Money
10 Things Learned About Life And Personal Finance
You blog for 3 years about money, life, and personal finance, all of which are interconnected, and you pick up a few things. Trent from The Simple Dollar shares the 10 most important lessons he's learned since starting his personal finance blog. For starters, number 10, while it's easy to get caught up in trying to save one more nickel off every purchase, "Reliability and functionality worth a premium"! More » -
budgets
What You Need To Know About Today's Unemployment Benefits Extension
If you're still struggling to find a job in the current economy, you'll be happy to know that this morning President Obama is expected to sign legislation to extend benefits for few more months. The New York Times has more info on how the extension will work, and who qualifies for it.
"Extended Unemployment Benefits: F.A.Q." [New York Times]
(Photo: Kapungo and laurenatclemson)
New York, 6:35 AM
Sat Nov 7
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