bait-and-switch
(kusine)
(jpghouse)
(Credit Card Outlaw)
(Photo: Felix Pomerantz)
Photo: penner42
—>This is the time of year when retailers like to give back to the community by getting you to do it for them when you're buying stuff. It might feel nice to help out a good cause, but make sure you know exactly what you're paying for before you hand over any cash. Dominick, for example, just bought a Jack in the Box antenna ball when he thought he was straight-up donating to a non-Jack charity. More »
—>The person who blogs at MichiganTelephone just tried to help his friend sign up for DSL from AT&T last week. Their experience was so full of fail that now his friend doesn't even want to bother trying anymore. Yes, a customer came to AT&T ready to sign up, and AT&T drove him away. Michigan telephone wonders, "Does AT&T have a death wish, or are they really just that incompetent?" More »
—>Dick thought he was getting a fair deal by renting a car from Dollar for $28 a day. He was shocked to see that his bill had been jacked by nearly $130 in taxes and fees when he returned the car. More »
—>If you bought cameras or electronics from any of these stores recently you were probably scammed: Best Price Camera, Foto Connection, 1 Way Photo, 86th Street Photo, Broadway Photo, Camera Whiz, and Sonic Photo. Or perhaps you bought something online from one of their astonishing array of alter egos and websites (see full list). More »
—>Nick suffers from back pain and thought he'd seek chiropractor care for some pain relief. What he got in return was the sting of a nasty hospital bill because his insurance wouldn't pay for his x-rays, even though the nurse and doctor assured him the scans would be covered. More »
—>UPDATE: Simmons contacted Charles today, and the situation has been settled. As some commenters here guessed, the confusion came from the sales rep misreading the number 3 for an 8 on the computer screen. Everyone can rest easy tonight, even if it's not on a fluffy mattress. More »
—>Seriously, Jiffy Lube? You haven't received enough bad coverage about ripping off your customers? Fine, here's another one: Daniel says they tried to add about $170 in extra "needed" repairs and replacements recently when his girlfriend dropped off her car to get the oil changed. Even after she turned them down, they still slapped an extra $6 "Peak Global Life Time 100%" charge on the bill. We don't know what that means, but those are all good words, and anything that's 100 percent has got to be quality. Apparently Jiffy Lube doesn't know what it means either. More »
—>Erik ordered an unusual flower arrangement for his wife earlier this week. The clear vase had four sides and flared slightly, and the bottom quarter was filled with rocks, with water rising a few inches above them; 12 long-stemmed orange roses stood up straight from the rocks—the stems perpendicular to the water—and formed a flat, solid bed of rose blooms at exactly the height of the vase's mouth. If that's hard to picture, remember the florist had an image to work with. Then take a look at what Erik's wife actually received. More »
—>You may have seen the commercial where Montel Williams hawks some goofy collectible coins with President Obama's face IN FULL COLOR OMG. If you were planning on ordering some, though, watch this video from KATU 2 TV in Portland, Oregon first.* A father and daughter bought the coins and discovered that they're just regular money with color stickers applied. One of the news anchors even comments that she could see the face on the coin through the sticker when she looked at it from the side. More »
—>Jen ordered a product on Amazon, but what arrived in the shipment was significantly less than what was promised. More »
—>Reader John writes in with a story about "upselling" at Best Buy. He saw a TomTom GPS unit for $99.99 on sale at Best Buy, so he headed over to the store to pick one up. What follows is his account of how much trouble it was to actually buy the item. We think we counted 9 times that John had to tell various and sundry Best Buy employees that, yes, he was sure that he didn't want to buy a slightly more expensive model of the same device. More »
