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chicago
chicago
Just Because That Letter Says Your Home Was Sold For Back Taxes Doesn't Mean It's True
By Chris Morran on November 21, 2011 12:30 PM
13 Comments
As the economy sank into the muck over the last few years, a lot of homeowners have missed or been late with property tax payments. And in some cases, the property will be sold in order to recoup those taxes. But there are unsavory types out there looking to take advantage of homeowners' uncertainty about their tax situation. More »
71 Drivers Cross A Defective Bridge In Chicago Every Second
By Ben Popken on October 20, 2011 5:00 PM
46 Comments
A new study says that 71 drivers in Chicago cross a structurally defective bridge every second. More »
Signs In Chicago Board Of Trade Windows Say "We Are The 1%"
By Ben Popken on October 6, 2011 1:00 PM
192 Comments
To tweak the noses of protesters involved in the "Occupy Chicago" movement, someone has placed signs in the windows of the Chicago Board of Trade that say, "We are the 1%." More »
(CBS 2)
Brass Thieves Stripping Chicago Fire Hydrants
By Ben Popken on September 26, 2011 12:00 PM
113 Comments
Underneath the cap on many fire hydrants is a brass ring called the "port ring." Firemen need it to connect fire hoses to the hydrants. But metal thieves in Chicago are popping open hydrants, prying off the ring, and selling it to scrap buyers for $15 a pop. If another cow kicks over a lantern there, having a city full of stripped fire hydrants could be deadly. More »
How About Some Customer Service, Cricket? Response: Chirp... Chirp...
By Ben Popken on September 2, 2011 2:00 PM
43 Comments
Cricket is perfectly capable of selling reader skokieguy a smartphone for several hundred dollars, but when it comes time to replace his defective battery for free under warranty, all of a sudden they become powerless. More »
Chicago Sausage Sellers Bicker Over Who's More Original
By Phil Villarreal on August 30, 2011 10:30 AM
60 Comments
A pair of similarly named Chicago Polish sausage establishments — Jim's Original Polish and Jim's Original Chicago — are locked in a federal court battle over business names and marketing practices. More »
(ScottCim)
County Tells Foreclosed-Upon Homeowners: We May Have Some Money For You
By Chris Morran on August 25, 2011 3:15 PM
26 Comments
The typical image of a foreclosure auction involves a seized house being sold for, at best, the remaining value of the mortgage. But that's not always so, with some auctions attracting buyers who pay above what's owed on the home. That money usually belongs to the former owner, but it looks like many aren't aware of this fact. More »
Badvertising Hall Of Fame Store Moo & Oink May Have To Liquidate
By Chris Morran on August 10, 2011 1:50 PM
21 Comments
Even if you've never lived near Chicago, longtime readers of Consumerist may remember Windy City grocery store Moo & Oink for its so-bad-it's-friggin-awesome TV ad that launched our Great Moments In Commercial History series. But now comes sad news that the dancing cow and pig might be headed to the liquidation slaughterhouse if Moo & Oink doesn't find a buyer. More »
(Gregg)
Hyatt Apologizes For Turning Heatlamps On Strikers. Heat Index Was 90 Degrees.
By Ben Popken on July 25, 2011 5:00 PM
159 Comments
The Hyatt hotel chain has issued an apology after heatlamps were turned on above workers who were striking out front of the Park Hyatt Chicago during a day when the heat index was 90 degrees. More »
Spike In Thieves Stealing Entire Central AC Units
By Ben Popken on July 6, 2011 3:00 PM
83 Comments
They work silently, leaving no trace behind. A Chicago neighborhood is on alert after the number of thefts of air conditioning units have jumped sharply in recent weeks. The robbers are after the copper inside, which they can resell for scrap, a favorite quick money-making method for drug addicts. But they're not just cracking open the units and plundering the pipe, they're lifting the entire central AC unit. More »
(cduruk)
BofA Giving Away 150 Free Houses
By Ben Popken on May 25, 2011 12:00 PM
70 Comments
Want a house for free? Bank of America is giving away 150 of them in Chicago. It's a great plan. The bank gets some worthless properties off its books without the cost of trying to hold on and sell them, the city gets some cheap affordable housing, and BofA gets a PR bump. It's win-win-win, with two of those wins being Bank of America's. That's the Chicago way. More »
Michaels Debit Card Breach Not Just In Chicago, But Across 20 States
By Ben Popken on May 12, 2011 10:00 AM
32 Comments
Last week we told you about a debit card breach found in Chicago area Michaels arts and craft stores. This week, the Chicago Tribune says that the impact is much more widespread than thought, as it turns out that actually, thieves stole debit card info at Michaels in 20 different states. More »
(AlishaV)
Michaels Warns Customers Of Possible Data Breach
By Laura Northrup on May 5, 2011 11:35 AM
38 Comments
If you've shopped at a Michaels big-box craft store recently and used a credit or debit card, keep an eye on your statements, especially if you shopped in the greater Chicago area. The chain notified customers on its e-mail list earlier today about a possible PIN pad breach in Chicago that may apply to other stores as well. More »
Groupon Gets Into Real Estate Deals
By Chris Morran on April 8, 2011 2:30 PM
30 Comments
In a move that some will say is an example of the flexibility of the Groupon model, and that others will point to as a shark-jumping moment, the online deals site has partnered with a Chicago-area real estate firm for its first ever venture into the home-buying market. More »
How Not To Show A Restaurant That You're Annoyed :(
By Laura Northrup on February 22, 2011 9:00 AM
239 Comments
What's more obnoxious than leaving a few pennies on the restaurant table as a tip to make a point? Try writing in a tip of two cents on your credit-card slip, then leaving a passive-aggressive note with a smiley face. More »
Waiter Thwarts Dine And Dashers By Leaping Onto Their Speeding Car
By Ben Popken on January 25, 2011 3:00 PM
92 Comments
A brave waiter threw himself onto a customer's SUV as it sped away from the restaurant. They had tried to run out without paying their $51 bill. The 24-year old jumped on as the car pulled out of the parking lot, grabbing onto the roofrack and planting his feet on the running board. Listen, you just don't mess with a waiter's tips. More »
(elle_emm)
Now Banks Are Also Walking Away From Foreclosures, Just Leaving Them To Rot
By Ben Popken on January 14, 2011 4:00 PM
123 Comments
It's not just underwater homeowners just flat out walking away from their houses. Now some mortgage servicers, having decided certain properties would be too expensive to try to foreclose, secure, maintain and market, are just abandoning the properties entirely, to let nature, and whatever else, take its course. More »
Chicago To Sell Naming Rights To Bus Routes, Train Lines, Everything It Can
By Chris Morran on November 11, 2010 3:40 PM
83 Comments
Next spring, the commuters of Chicago may no longer be taking the Red Line to Addison if they want to catch a Cubs game. If the Chicago Transit Authority has its way, they could be riding on McDonald's Express and getting off at Costco Station. More »
McDonald's Runs Out Of McRib Buns, Slaps A Big Mac Bun On Instead
By Chris Morran on November 9, 2010 4:20 PM
151 Comments
Consumerist reader Dan decided to McRib it for lunch today, so he drove through the drive-thru at a Chicago McDonald's to pick one up. Unfortunately, what he got was a half-covered sandwich on a bun he can't eat. More »
UPDATE: Fairmont Hotel Drama Gets Happy Ending For College Students
By Chris Morran on October 13, 2010 4:20 PM
38 Comments
Yesterday, we brought you the story of 128 Washington University students whose reservations at the Fairmont Millennium in downtown Chicago had been canceled and relocated 15 miles away to an airport Sheraton. We're happy to report that the situation appears to have been resolved, without much bloodshed. More »
