Consumerist

US Airways Loses Your 83-Year-Old Mother [Whoops]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:49:37 EST

It's bad enough when they lose your luggage, but what do you do when the airline loses your 83-year-old mother? File a claim? Poor Vera Kuemmel had to answer this very question as she waited in vain at the baggage claim of the Tampa airport.

From 10Connects:

Wheelchair-bound Elfride Kuemmel was on her way back home to Tampa Monday when a US Airways employee wheeled her on to the wrong connecting flight.

The 83-year-old wound up in Puerto Rico, where she was initially told she'd have to spend the night at the airport.

Vera, of course, objected to this idea.

"I was upset, and I told them there was no way they were going to leave her in the airport all night waiting to leave on a flight at 3:30 in the afternoon," she told the local news.

US Airways ended up buying Elfride dinner, a hotel room, and a flight back to Florida. First class.

Elderly Tampa woman ''lost'' by US Airways [10Connects]

Why Doesn't Costco Accept Food Stamps? [Recession Watch]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:29:49 EST

The New York Times City Room blog asks an interesting question. Why doesn't Costco accept food stamps? Even farmers markets accept them! What's the deal, Costco?

From the NYT:

According to Mr. Gioia’s office, executives at Costco told the office that they declined to accept food stamps for three reasons.

They did not think they would qualify based on the federal government requirements.
It was too expensive to adapt their equipment to accept food stamps.
With their annual fee/bulk-purchase model, people on food stamps probably could not shop there anyway.

Are these valid concerns? If the corner bodega could qualify to accept food stamps, why would Costco, a publicly traded company with $71 billion in annual revenue, not qualify?

The article goes on to examine each concern — and none of them were particularly compelling. For example— the "too expensive" excuse: "...stores that average more than $100 a month in food stamp transactions per customer can receive devices from their state governments that accept the debit cards free of charge," says the NYT.

The NYT also says that the government reimburses retailers 100% for food stamp purchases. And what about the argument that people who use food stamps wouldn't want to shop at Costco?

While some food stamps recipients are destitute and could not come up with the $50, many surely would pay the fee if they knew that it would save them far more money over time, said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

Mr. Gioia added, “Not only does it amount to 14 cents a day, but you’ll find that people who are on a fixed income and trying to feed their children become amazingly sophisticated at making smart economic choices.”

Mr. Berg noted that the Agriculture Department recently did a survey that found that food stamps recipients spent an average of $6 to travel for their food shopping, which probably means that many poor people are savvy enough to pay for car services and taxis to travel longer distances to buy food at discount stores that do accept food stamps.

“I am sure that many food stamp recipients would scrimp and save and borrow and do what it takes to get into a discount program — particularly since there are about 30,000 public housing residents near the Astoria Costco,” Mr. Berg argued.

Why Doesn’t Costco Accept Food Stamps? [NYT] (Thanks, Joanne!)
(Photo: greenwenvy08 )

Geek Squad Calls To Ask If The Appointment That Never Happened Was Satisfactory [Sad]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:18:23 EST

Reader James is upset. His TV is broken and Geek Squad can't fix it. He bought the TV and Best Buy's performance service plan — which hypothetically should replace his TV in the event that it cannot be repaired. Now, after 2 months, 27 days, a botched repair job and 6 unreturned phone calls, James is annoyed. He's launched an Executive Email Carpet Bomb on Best Buy and CC'd us. The best part comes near the end of the letter, when Best Buy calls James to ask if he was satisfied with a Geek Squad appointment that had never even happened...

James says (to Best Buy):

Finally, on NOVEMBER 12th, I received a message from the Geek Squad asking if the service call that took place on November 5th had gone satisfactorily. This was news to me as I had never been informed that anyone had tried to come to take a look at my TV. I didn't receive a phone call before November 5th to schedule the appointment. I didn't receive a call on November 5th to tell me a tech would be coming at some point during the day. I didn't receive a call after November 5th to tell me that I had missed an appointment.

As of today, November 19, 2008, I have no idea where else to turn for help but it has now been almost 3 months since I first called in for assistance. In that time, I have been left with a TV that works WORSE than when I first called and have been left waiting for a phone call that never came SIX TIMES. In your latest press release, you said that "we [Best Buy] continue to see improvements in employee turnover, customer satisfaction and market share". If this is the type of service that you are offering, I cannot imagine how the second and third of those three could possibly be true.

Oh, that's harsh, quoting the press release. We hope your EECB is successful, James. If it isn't, you can always try small claims court!

For more information about launching your own EECB, click here.
(Photo: dooleymtv )

Apple's Customer Service Kick Dell's Ass, Empirical Evidence Shows [*]

Ben Popken — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:45:25 EST

Are you a PC or a Mac? If you're enjoying great customer service, chances are you're a Mac, based on some new data released by VocaLabs.

They're one of those companies whose job it is to ask you at the end of your call with customer service how things went, and their survey results show that when asked how satisfied they were with their agent, 60% answered "very satisfied." Dell customers? Only 44%. Gateway followed with 37%. Not enough info is yet available on Toshiba and HP to be statistically significant.

So if you want to pay more for a nicely designed computer with the best customer service, looks like Mac is it. If you want to play computer games, you will have to accept worse customer service, and not get a Mac. Full below, inside...

Logitech Helps You Out Just Because They Feel Like It [Above And Beyond]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:32:47 EST

Here's a nice story! Cody bought a refurbished Logitech remote from an Amazon reseller — which he says had no warranty of any kind. When it broke, he called Logitech and they decided to replace it for free. Just because!

Cody says:

I just wanted to let you know that Logitech's service department gets an A+ in my book. Nearly a year ago, I purchased a Logitech Harmony 880 universal remote from an Amazon reseller. I purchased a refurbished model, which offers no warranty of any kind. Well a few months ago, the remote would not take a charge any longer.

I called Logitech support, and they quickly determined that either my battery or charger were no longer functioning properly. Long story short, I received an e-mail the following day from a rep named Allan stating that while my remote offered no warranty, he was going to send me a brand new remote the next day, free of charge. Even better, he didn't require me to return the defective unit. As it turns out, it was the charger that was bad. I've now got two remotes, one for each of my entertainment setups.

Only one charger, but that's no big deal since a charge lasts a couple of weeks. I couldn't be happier with Logitech. I will continue to be a loyal Logitech user for all of hardware needs, thanks to Allan's fantastic service. I just wanted your readers to know that they can have 100% faith in purchasing Logitech products!

Kind of gives you a warm fuzzy feeling, doesn't it?

BJ's Wholesale Club Gets 3rd Quarter Happy Ending [Economy]

Ben Popken — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:02:04 EST

It's cake time at BJ's wholesale clubs as bargain-hunters shop for grocery deals to beat the recession blues. Profits rose 24%. [NYT] (Photo: SyndProd)

Blackberry: Time/Money-Saver Or Productivity Trap? [Crackberry]

Ben Popken — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:49:16 EST

One interesting fact coming out this week is that Barack Obama appears headed for severe technology withdrawal as he gives up his Blackberry and email communication in general. Poor guy. As if having to deal with the economic crisis and the Iraq war aren't enough — now he's got this! Anyway, the fallout has sparked a debate over that the Wall Street Journal blog The Juggle. The key question: is the Crackberry a useful device that helps you save time and money or is it a life-disrupting distraction that should be limited dramatically at worst, and eliminated altogether at best?

Personally, we like our technology and will only give it up when they pry it from our cold, dead hands. Then again, we do admit we can be obsessive. There is also something to be said for how you use a device. A tool is just a tool. You can use scissors to make delightful paper dolls, or you can run with them. That said, Blackberry users do tend to develop addictive and dependent behavior around the device. It's much rarer for people to complaint about how they can't stop using scissors.

What's your take on the issue? Are Blackberries and products like them a positive for users and those around them or are they more likely to be a hindrance?

No BlackBerry for Obama: Setting "CrackBerry" Limits [Wall Street Journal]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times)

Capital One Inspires Man's Loathing [Loans]

Ben Popken — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:29:02 EST

Mr Bill says his latest dealings with Capital One have him "wanting to spit venom." Whence this reptilian impulse? There is apparently no structure to refinance your loan with them. They consider it makes you a new customer, and they aren't making any new loans. This takes several hours and several phone calls to figure out. There also seems to be no way to pay off a loan with a credit or debit card. This also takes several hours and phone calls to figure out. It's really just totally frustrating for Mr. Bill. "What is this, 1987?" he writes. So he's taking his business elsewhere. His misanthropic misadventure, inside...

"the dictionary defines refinance as:

1. When a business or person revises their payment schedule for repaying debt.

2. Replacing an older loan with a new loan offering better terms.

Unfortunately the word refinance does not exist over at Capital One. After spending the better part of several hours being transfered back and forth between the loan customer service dept and the new loan dept I finally wrote the to the president of Capital One, Richard Fairbanks. here is what I wrote:

My wife and I have owned a capital one credit card for several years now. We also have the loan referenced above. It was originally for 25K and it is now down to 20K. Due to some unexpected hardships we find ourselves with a credit card bill of $6000 as well as some other smaller debts. We have decided it would be in our best interests to roll of these into one new loan. We want to do this with Capital One. The term for this is refinancing, a term which apparently doesn't exist in the capital one vocabulary. When I called to try to do this I was told that loan can't be refinanced, we must apply for a brand new loan. When we spoke with the loan dept we were told that unless we were solicited by Capital One recently, we could not take out a loan. Forget for a moment, the fact that my wife has in fact received such offers in the past 2-3 months, this policy is ridiculous. Even if, because of the credit crisis I've read so much about lately, you aren't loaning out money to new customers, we are NOT new customers.

We are an existing customer who you make money off of every month. We simply want to restructure the loan.

After speaking with numerous depts, being transferred multiple times between the new loan dept and the existing loan dept we are convinced that Capital One doesn't want our money. If Capital One can't assist us in restructuring this loan then we will get a loan thru Chase, where we have our checking and savings. We will use that money to pay off the loan and pay off the Capital One credit card and Capital one will stop making money off us. If Capital One isn't interested in our business, fine. I accept that. I just want to hear someone say it. I want someone to tell me "Capital One is sorry to lose your business and all the interest we are making off your loan and credit card." I don't want to be given BS reasons about this and that, I just want you to tell me to my face "Your money is no good here"

Regardless of whether you do or do not respond or whether you can or can't help me, this loan and credit card will be paid off. The only question is what company will loan us the money and thus make interest off us? If you can give us a loan for 27K over 60 months, then let's talk. If not, I still want someone to call or respond back and tell me that you don't want our money. If you can't do this, there is no other logical explanation. You (or someone you designate) can call us at XXX XXX-XXXX. We have already applied to Chase for a loan and will have an answer within 24-48 hrs. You still have the opportunity to retain our business, but the window for that is closing quickly.

Unfortunately for Mr Fairbanks, he has completely lost us as a customer before he even had a chance to rectify things. My loan installment is due today. If you pay on their website it takes 5 days for processing and yes, you'll be hit with a late fee even if you made the payment on or before the payment date. If you go into a branch and pay it takes 2-3 days for processing. My wife wanted to make the payment over the phone with our credit union debit card. She was told she could do so over the phone and that if it took too long to process that the fee would be waived. Only problem is I had the card with me. When I came home I called in and was told you can't pay with a credit or debit card over the phone." This, despite the fact that earlier my wife had been assured that we could. I said I would go to the website and pay there. Did the man warn me that you can't pay at the website with a credit or debit card? Noooo.....

So I go to their website. You used to login by putting in your account # and last four of your SS#. Now it wants an account number. I'm baffled so I call us customer service. My wife had previously today told them to permanently note the account that they had permission to speak to me (she's the primary, I'm the co-signer). Tech support tells me there is no such note and he can't help me. I speak to a manager who sees the note in question and is happy to help. He tells me to go the capitalone.com, click on personal loans and that I should then see a tab marked access account. Nope, no such tab. After 5 minutes of going back and forth, he asks "Are you at capitalone.com?" No, I'm at kissmyass.com! I tell him to stop asking stupid questions or get me someone who can help me. This MANAGER transfers me back into queue for the same dept. That's right the manager can't help me, so he's going to have a subordinate help me! The person who answers explains that the process has in fact changed and I have to click on enroll in online banking. Apparently the manager is a moron.

I finally create an account... and discover you can't pay with a credit or debit card online.

I call up and ask if this is true and the representative happily confirms this to be true.

Did I mention that in calling them yesterday and today I was cutoff at least a half dozen times by their VRU? When you enter your account #, password, mother's maiden name, shoe size and penis size, you finally have to hit zero to speak to someone. At that point, the VRU transfers you internally and someone at Capitalone screwed up the VRU programmed because they transfer you to a nonexistent number and you get that annoying local telco "do-do-DOOO! The number you have dialed is invalid..." recording. So at this point after the incompetent management, the inability of the people to know their job well enough to tell me how I can and can't pay my bill, and the fact that oh yea —I CAN'T PAY MY BILL WITH A CREDIT CARD! What is this? 1987?— I am done with Cap One. I am dumbfounded by the ineptitude on both the frontline level as well as their policy towards customers.

as a a famous man once said "They are the suckiest bunch of sucks who ever sucked."

I guess they really don't want my money after all. And even if they did it wouldn't matter. I don't want them to have my business. Once I get my new loan I'll pay off the loan and their CC and cancel the CC and they can keep their miles. Yes they had the best rewards program, but honestly, who cares about rewards when you get such crappy service?

-Mr Bill'

(Photo: yksin)

Consumer Prices Are Plummeting! Steepest Drop In History! [Deflation]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:28:59 EST

The Consumer Price Index, which measures how much Americans spend on consumer goods like groceries, clothing, entertainment and other goods and services, fell by 1 percent in October compared with prices in the previous month, says the NYT. "It was the steepest single-month drop in the 61-year history of the pricing survey."

You're thinking, "Good! I can buy more stuff with less money!" This is true, but the problem is that if everyone can buy more stuff with less money — what motivation is there to manufacture more stuff? Ah-ha. Troubling, isn't it?

From the NYT:

“We’re looking at a pretty deep recession now,” Mr. Behravesh said. “ All of a sudden, any pricing power that companies might have had is gone. You’re going to see discounting like crazy going on. All kinds of sales. You’re going to see all kinds of prices being slashed.”

With consumers pulling back, many analysts are expecting a difficult Christmas shopping season. Retail sales, for example, were down 2.8 percent in October from September, and 4.1 percent from October 2007 as consumers pared their spending.

In Wednesday’s report, even excluding volatile food and energy prices, prices dropped 0.1 percent in October. It was the first such decline in more than two decades and raises the specter of deflation as the economy contracts and demand for goods and services across the board plunges.

“This month it’s more than slowing, it’s outright contraction,” Mr. O’Sullivan said. “And yes, if you extrapolate that, it’s deflation.”

For those of you wondering what deflation is — you can click here for a bleak explanation.

Consumer Prices Fall by Record Amount [NYTimes]
(Photo: Ben Popken )

Auto CEOs Flew Private Jets To Washington To Ask For Your Tax Money [Auto Bailout]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:58:45 EST

ABCNews says that the big three auto CEOs "flew to the nation's capital yesterday in private luxurious jets to make their case to Washington that the auto industry is running out of cash and needs $25 billion in taxpayer money to avoid bankruptcy."

Just because your company is on the verge of bankruptcy— well, that's no reason not to arrive in style. Right?

From ABC:

All three CEOs - Rick Wagoner of GM, Alan Mulally of Ford, and Robert Nardelli of Chrysler - exercised their perks Tuesday by flying in corporate jets to DC. Wagoner flew in GM's $36 million luxury aircraft to tell members of Congress that the company is burning through cash, asking for $10-12 billion for GM alone.

"We want to continue the vital role we've played for Americans for the past 100 years, but we can't do it alone," Wagoner told the Senate Banking Committee.

While Wagoner testified, his G4 private jet was parked at Dulles airport. It is one of eight luxury jets in the GM fleet that continues to ferry executives around the world despite the company's dire financial straits.

ABC estimated that the trip cost GM $20,000, as opposed to a first class ticket on Northwest Airlines flight 2364 from Detroit to Washington — which would have cost about $800.

Amazingly, private jets are a luxury that even free-spending AIG is reconsidering.

AIG, despite the $150 billion bailout, still operates a fleet of corporate jets. The company says it has put two out of its seven jets up for sale and is reviewing the use of others. Though there are no such plans by GM or Ford.

Big Three CEOs Flew Private Jets to Plead for Public Funds [ABC]
(Photo: Bonita Sarita )

GM Shares At 66 Year Low, But You Can Get Some For Free! [Auto Bailout]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:29:03 EST

Hey, here's a new and exciting deal. Buy a car; get 100 shares of GM stock. "Join us in jump starting America," says the sales pitch. Unfortunately, GM's shares are trading at 66 year low today as a bailout looks doubtful.

From Reuters:

Assuming defeat, GM would have to 'run on fumes' until the next Congress and Administration, unless Congress were to reconvene in December to address emergency compromise legislation," [Barclays Capital analyst Brian] Johnson said in a research note.

So, what do you think? Gonna buy a car to get those free shares?

UPDATE 1-GM shares at 66-yr low amid bailout doubt [Reuters]
[Jim Coleman Cadillac] ty(Thanks, Dan!)

Are You Spending $145 A Year Just To Leave Your PS3 On All The Time? [Frugality]

Meg Marco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:52:42 EST

The NRDC has released some numbers about video game consoles and their power consumption. If you're one of the 50% of gamers who leave their consoles on all the time — you're wasting a lot of money.

The NRDC report suggests that video game console manufacturers update the consoles with a power saving mode that would kick in after a period of inactivity — but the quickest fix is for gamers to turn their consoles off (or use the console's power saving features) when they're not actively playing them. The NRDC says that consoles use about the same amount of power just sitting there as they do when you're actually playing them.

How much could you save? At the high end, the NRDC says that PS3 owners who shut off their consoles could save as much as $145 a year. Wii users won't save as much, because the Wii uses less power over all. The XBOX 360 is somewhere in between.

The good news is that the XBOX 360 and PS3 do have power saving features, but they're disabled by default. Why not turn them on and save some cash?

Lowering the Cost of Play [NRDC]

Morning Deals [Sales]

Ben Popken — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:43:50 EST

Woot: It's a woot-off!
Discover: New merchants added to the Discover Cashback list
Amazon: College hoodies for $17.99 (down from $29.99)

Highlights From Buxr

Ralph Lauren: 30% off Friends and Family w/ coupon code:HOL2008
Buy.com: 2-Pack Philips Earbud Headset w/ Noise Canceling Microphone for $9.99 w/ Free shipping
Staples: V7 Series 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor for $149.99 w/ Free shipping

Highlights From Dealhack

Amazon: Fuji Finepix S1000fd 10MP Camera $173 Shipped
OneCall: Samsung 42-inch Plasma HDTV $750 Shipped
REI Outlet: Mountainsmith Notebook Messenger Bag $25

Highlights From Dealnews

Amazon.com: Casio Men's Edifice Thermometer Watch for $52 + free shipping
Amazon.com: Klipsch Groove PM20 2.0 Speaker System for $60 + free shipping
Amazon.com: The Orange Box for Xbox 360 or PS3 for $20 + free s&h w/$25

World's Most Conscientious Customer Completes Botched Software Purchase Over A Year Later [Above And Beyond]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:58:51 EST

Here's an "above and beyond" story from the other perspective. Patrick writes,

I just wanted to pass along a story of a truly honest customer.

The software company I work for put out a version available for download early 2007. It was a success, however for the first two months there was a small problem. As soon as you purchased it, you were able to download it BEFORE your credit card was validated. This led to the company getting burned until it was fixed.

Back in 2007 we had a customer who tried to pay for the download in Pakistan, and then paid for it with a debit card. It was the only card payment he had, and it was rejected. He had no other forms of payment, and we had to write it off as a loss while he got to enjoy using his software for free. Whatever, it was our web engineers' mistake that caused it.

In October 2008 a letter came in the mail with a check from a customer for the Download version. Obviously this raised some questions as we could not process a download order paid by check. I opened up the file with the name on it, and lo and behold, there was the guy from Pakistan who we had written off the charge for.

I called him up, and it turns out that he just moved to the US and one of the first things he did when he had gotten a checking account was to send a check to us for the full amount of the software that we had written off over a year and a half prior.

Honesty, and memory like that is hard to find these days. I wonder if coming from another country and culture had anything to do with it.

(Photo: Getty Images)

CarX Auto Service Will Change Your Oil, Give You A Puppy [Funny]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:44:08 EST

Kari sent us this photo she took last night in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. We'll give them points for finding a unique promotional angle, but we wonder if they saw sales increase or drop off? Update: is it legal to give away animals as a store promotion?

Lean Cuisine Recalls Chicken Meals For Containing Plastic Pieces [Recalls]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:35:43 EST

Lean Cuisine is recalling 900,000 pounds of its entrees after "several consumers" reported finding blue plastic in the product. If you have the Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, the Chicken Mediterranean or the Chicken Tuscan varieties, here are the UPC and production codes of the affected batches.

Café Classics Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta

UPC code: 1380017117

- and -

Production code (on gray strip on side of package) starts with 82805959
Best Before May 2010

Spa Cuisine Chicken Mediterranean

UPC code: 1380016612

- and -

Production code (on gray strip on side of package) starts with any of the following:

82315959
82415959
Best Before September 2010

82635959
82695959
82745959
Best Before October 2010

82915959
83015959
Best Before November 2010

Dinnertime Selects Chicken Tuscan

UPC code: 1380014890

- and -

Production code (on gray strip on side of package) starts with any of the following:

82345959
Best Before September 2009

82535959
82695959
Best Before October 2009

82925959
82965959
Best Before November 2009

If your product matches any of the above numbers, Lean Cuisine says to "return [it] to the place of purchase for a full refund."

The information above was taken from the Lean Cuisine info line at (800) 993-8625. (To get to the recall info, press 2, then press 1.)

"Nestle Recalls 900,000 Pounds of Lean Cuisine" [ABC News]
"Lean Cuisine recalls frozen chicken meals" [Los Angeles Times]

Here's A Cartoon Explaining The Types Of Bonds [Remedial Finance]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:40:30 EST

Slate's "The Big Money" has decided it's time to start educating readers on some core financial principles, and they're starting with the very basics, presented in a "Schoolhouse Rocks!" style. Their first cartoon explains the four types of bonds. Visually, it's a perfect match to the style of the original cartoons, but we hope they work on a catchier jingle for their next installment.

"Musical Numbers: Bonds" [Slate's The Big Money]

GM's Prez Begs Customers To Plead On GM's Behalf [Bailout]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:57:45 EST

Consumerist reader Darkrose writes, "I just got this in my e-mail. Thought you guys might be interested in it." In the email, GM's president Troy Clarke is in high PR mode, pointing out the grave consequences and emphasizing that GM wants not "a bailout but rather a loan that will be repaid." We thought other readers who aren't GM customers would find it interesting.

Tonight, the president of Ford Motors will be on Campbell Brown's "No Bias, No Bull" program on CNN at 8pm ET/5pm PT, presumably to hit similar talking points. Dance, auto monkey! Dance for the TV audience!

Dear [redacted],

You made the right choice when you put your confidence in General Motors, and we appreciate your past support. I want to assure you that we are making our best vehicles ever, and we have exciting plans for the future. But we need your help now. Simply put, we need you to join us to let Congress know that a bridge loan to help U.S. automakers also helps strengthen the U.S. economy and preserve millions of American jobs.

Despite what you may be hearing, we are not asking Congress for a bailout but rather a loan that will be repaid.

The U.S. economy is at a crossroads due to the worldwide credit crisis, and all Americans are feeling the effects of the worst economic downturn in 75 years. Despite our successful efforts to restructure, reduce costs and enhance liquidity, U.S. auto sales rely on access to credit, which is all but frozen through traditional channels.

The consequences of the domestic auto industry collapsing would far exceed the $25 billion loan needed to bridge the current crisis. According to a recent study by the Center for Automotive Research:

• One in 10 American jobs depends on U.S. automakers
• Nearly 3 million jobs are at immediate risk
• U.S. personal income could be reduced by $150 billion
• The tax revenue lost over 3 years would be more than $156 billion

Discussions are now underway in Washington, D.C., concerning loans to support U.S. carmakers. I am asking for your support in this vital effort by contacting your state representatives.

Please take a few minutes to go to www.gmfactsandfiction.com, where we have made it easy for you to contact your U.S. senators and representatives. Just click on the "I'm a Concerned American" link under the "Mobilize Now" section, and enter your name and ZIP code to send a personalized e-mail stating your support for the U.S. automotive industry.

Let me assure you that General Motors has made dramatic improvements over the last 10 years. In fact, we are leading the industry with award-winning vehicles like the Chevrolet Malibu, Cadillac CTS, Buick Enclave, Pontiac G8, GMC Acadia, Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, Saturn AURA and more. We offer 18 models with an EPA estimated 30 MPG highway or better — more than Toyota or Honda. GM has 6 hybrids in market and 3 more by mid-2009. GM has closed the quality gap with the imports, and today we are putting our best quality vehicles on the road.

Please share this information with friends and family using the link on the site.

Thank you for helping keep our economy viable.

Sincerely,
Troy Clarke

ASAP Van Lines, a moving company we've covered ... [Moving]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:15:47 EST

ASAP Van Lines, a moving company we've covered in the past for alleged abuses against customers, has changed its name to Chicago Moving Systems. You have been warned. [MovingScam.com] (Thanks to Christopher!)

Ann Taylor Changes Terms Of Sale After Purchase? [Fine Print]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:09:25 EST

Update: Several readers have pointed out that Ann Taylor's return policy says items with prices ending in .44 or .88 are automatically deemed "Final Sale" items. Colleen is stuck with four extra dresses because Ann Taylor marked the items "Final Sale." The problem is, they did this after she ordered and paid for them. As she notes in her email below, she has proof on her order confirmation that the dresses were not marked "Final Sale" when she bought them. She also has previous order confirmations where items have been clearly marked "Final Sale." Now she wants to know how to get Ann Taylor to do the right thing.

I read your site often, and I now have a situation of my own that I would like to share with you. I am hoping that you might be able to help me or provide some guidance as to how I should proceed.

I ordered eight bridesmaid dresses from Ann Taylor on November 2. The dresses were on sale for $69.44. Even though I only needed four dresses, I decided to order eight after checking the return policy, which stated that I could return the unworn merchandise for 90 days. I did this so my bridesmaids could try on the extra dresses to ensure that they ended up with one that was the right size, and I planned to send the ones that did not fit back to the store. Like many women, I often order two sizes when I am buying clothes online, and send the wrong size back. This is not an unusual practice.

Two days later, I checked Ann Taylor's site out of curiosity to see if the dresses were still on sale. They were, but the site indicated that they were marked "Final Sale." The price was the same. I was very relieved that I had the opportunity to buy all 8 before they went on Final Sale. I double checked my confirmation to ensure that I had not
purchased the Final Sale dresses, and I had not.

Today, I got home and opened the box of dresses. The printed receipt indicates that the dresses were Final Sale and therefore cannot be returned. This leaves me with four extra bridesmaid dresses that I am now apparently unable to return. I called Ann Taylor to explain the situation and they told me that there was nothing they could do, even though my confirmation clearly indicated that the dresses were not final sale when I purchased them. The customer service representative, Carolyn, and her supervisor, Connie, continuously stated that the dresses were always Final Sale at the price of $69.44. This may have been the case internally, but the external website available to the customer did NOT indicate anything about final sale until at least November 4. As an aside, I have copies of past confirmations from orders in which I purchased a final sale product, and both the website
and confirmations clearly indicate that. So it's not that company policy is not to mention that on the confirmation, they do and I have proof. Connie eventually told me to email the customer relations address tomorrow, which I'm sure will get me nowhere.

I am very upset right now about this situation. I am actually a very loyal Ann Taylor customer! I spend a lot of money there each month, and have never had any issues with their customer service. I cannot believe, in this economy, that they would do this to any customer, much less a good one. Ann Taylor changed the terms of the purchase (adding the designation of Final Sale and therefore getting rid of my ability to return the item) after it was sold, which cannot be legal.

There's always a chargeback, but since you enjoy shopping at Ann Taylor, it would be nice if you could get them to honor their return policy so that you don't have to escalate it to that level.

Instead of dealing with phone support, consider writing a concise, clear letter explaining the problem, and showing the proof you have of past "Final Sale" notifications. In addition to the details of the situation, let them know the kind of loyal customer you've been, both in financial terms and word-of-mouth advertising.

Instead of sending it to the customer service address in Utah, however, try sending it to the executives at the corporate office in New York City.

We'll include both addresses, just in case you feel like blanketing everyone at once.

Ann Taylor Customer Service
100 Ann Taylor Drive
P.O. Box 571650
Taylorsville, UT 84157-1650
fax: 1-866-232-9266

Ann Taylor Corporate Info
Kay Krill - President & Chief Executive Officer
Michael J. Nicholson - Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Barbara Eisenberg - Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Christine M. Beauchamp - President, Ann Taylor Stores
Brian Lynch - President of Corporate Operations

Ann Taylor Corporate Offices
7 Times Sq # 14
New York, NY 10036
(212) 541-3200‎
(212) 719-0120‎
(you can also try these two numbers: 212-541-3300 / 800-677-6788)

(Photo: Marcin Wichary)

Are you so loaded that you exceed the FDIC's ... [Savings]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:29:16 EST

Are you so loaded that you exceed the FDIC's guarantee limit for deposits? Consider the Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service. Deposit the funds at one of 2,500 CDARS member banks and they'll automatically spread your cash among other member banks as needed to stay within FDIC coverage limits. Kiplinger says, "You'll earn one rate (set by the home bank) and get one statement and one form at tax time." [Kiplinger]

Over on Elliott.org, a woman describes how ... [Bait And Switch]

Chris Walters — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:09:32 EST

Over on Elliott.org, a woman describes how her $29 Days Inn room ballooned to a $180 charge when the hotel's owner refused to honor the deal, and what she did to get the difference refunded. [Elliott.org]

Email Michael Dell [*]

Ben Popken — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:11:40 EST

If you would like to contact the CEO of Dell to tell him how much you enjoy his company's products and services, his direct email address is Michael@dell.com. We've previously posted michael_dell@dell.com, and that, while it arrives at his office, does not go to him personally.

(Photo: Joi)

Reader Saves $230 On Cable And Phone Bills By Rocking The Cancellation Threat [Kicking Ass, Saving Money]

Ben Popken — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:53:07 EST

Here's how Stephanie saved $230 on her cable and phone bills after following the tips in "3 Ways To Lower Your Out Of Control Cable, Internet And Phone Bills"

Stephanie writes:

I did my research and found out that Credo Mobile (a MVNO piggybacking on the Spring network) is offering $200 towards cancellation fees on your current cell phone plan. So, I called my cell phone provider, Verizon Wireless, and explained that I'd been a loyal customer and that my contract was due to expire in less than three months but that Sprint had this great offer and that I was considering switching. They representative told me that Sprint's coverage sucked and she was sorry to hear that I was considering a switch, and offered to give me a month free! She put me on hold and within two minutes she came back on and confirmed that I'd been given an $80 credit on my bill.

I couldn't believe how easy it was.

Next I called Comcast. I was more than a bit intimidated, because I've had issues with Comcast in the past, but I figured I'd give it a try anyway. I tried the same tactic: loyal customer, can you give me a break on my bill. The customer service rep played hard ball. I told him that their website had all kinds of deals. He said they were only for new customers. I told him Verizon Fios was offering deals. He wouldn't budge.

Finally, I said, "Would Comcast rather I switch to another company?" He finally said he would check for any promotional offers. He put me on hold and said he could knock off $25 from my bill for the next six months.

So, I just wanted to say thanks.

What Goes Into Your FICO? [Fico]

Ben Popken — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:30:40 EST

How the heck do they figure out your FICO credit score? The five different factors, in order of decreasing importance are: 1) payment history 2) amounts owed 3) length of credit history 4) new credit 5) types of credit used. For a bit more detailed explanation on how each of these plays out, the "What’s in your FICO score" at myFico.com is a good place to start.

Motrin Retracts Ads After Babywearing Mamas Protest [Badvertising]

Ben Popken — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:00:50 EST

So, Motrin made an ad trying to target babywearers, that is, parents, who wear their babies in a sling. The ad spoke with winking and jaded knowingness about how babywearing was a fashion statement and caused various back pains that could be alleviated with Motrin. Unfortunately, it seems they never tested the ads before actual babywearing parents. That knowingness? Yeah, it wasn't actually based on knowing anything.

According to some of the vocal feedback, particularly on Twitter (just search #motrinmoms), babywearing is neither fashion statement, nor does it cause any particular pain. In fact, a number of women say they do it because it is a less painful way to carry around your baby. In response to the uproar, Motrin posted an apology on its website and has pledged to excise the universe of any and all brand material associated with the campaign. Good luck with that, Tornado Girls, because the shit is already in magazines on newsstands. The controversial ad surely soon to be removed from YouTube, inside...

Motrin Mania Ignited on Twitter, Mad Moms Mobilize [AdRants]

Apple Repair Center Doesn't Repair Your Laptop, But Does Replace Your Keyboard With German Layout [Löl]

Chris Walters — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:38:05 EST

When Paul, a Georgia Tech student in Atlanta, got his MacBook back from an Apple Repair center, he noticed they hadn't repaired the dent screen bezel at all—and something was a little off about the keyboard now, too. There were umlauts over the vowels, for instance, and that weird B-shaped letter thing grafted onto the question mark key, which was now up on the number row.

So when you take your Mac to get repaired and they have to send it to their repair center, politely request that a service technician with the ID 31514 at the “CTS, Apple Authorized Repair Center” in Houston, Texas does not fix your Mac.

Unless you want to type in German.

"Apple Repair Remains Dismal" [Paul Stamatiou]

20% Of Citigroup Cardholders Can Expect Rate Increases For 2009 [Citibank]

Chris Walters — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:20:13 EST

If you have a Citigroup-issued credit card and you haven't had a rate increase over the last two years, expect to be notified of a 2-3% rate increase on your November statement. Congratulations! You're going to help Citigroup offset its losses in the global credit card division, whether you were directly part of those losses or not. As the New York Times points out, by doing this Citigroup is breaking the promise they made to Congress in 2007 that they would not arbitrarily raise rates on accounts—which may be why they're offering a fairly lenient opt-out policy.

From the New York Times:

Citigroup cardholders will then have until the end of January to turn down the higher interest rates. If they decline the rate increase, they will pay down the balances on their accounts under the old pricing terms and will be able to continue to make charges until their credit cards expire.

After that, however, customers will have to reapply for a card or find a different lender.

If you receive your statement online, a separate rate increase letter will be mailed to you. LowCards.com points out that you should pay close attention to your mail because such notices are easy to overlook:

They often come in nondescript white envelopes that are easy to miss and toss before reading. However, if you don't respond, you are stuck with the rate increase.

If you decline the offer, send a letter to your issuer by certified mail.
Keep a copy of the letter for your records.

"Despite Pledge, Citigroup to Raise Credit Card Rates, Blaming ‘Difficult’ Environment" [New York Times]
(Photo: Spencer E Holtaway)