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Want Only The Best Toilet Papers? Go To Walmart, Apparently
Toilet paper: almost everyone uses it, but do you put much thought into which brands you buy? Do you have a brand preference, or just pick up the biggest and cheapest package available at Walmart or Costco? Our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports put on their 2-ply lab coats and got to work stirring, pulling, and caressing various … [More]
Getting in Bed With Europe
You may not be interested in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), but TTIP is interested in you. And you may not recall the moment in Barack Obama’s State of the Union address when he called for a free trade pact...Show More Summary
You Can Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stalker-Proof, But Then You Might As Well Not Have A Profile
On Facebook, you can make your profile very private so that no one outside of your network can see anything other than your name. You can also block individuals from contacting you. Twitter allows you to make your feed private so that you pick and choose who can follow your Tweets. Meanwhile, LinkedIn allows you to limit who can see … [More]
Chrysler Finally Agrees To Recall 2.7 Million Jeeps, Insists Vehicles Are Safe
Earlier this month Chrysler responded with a big fat “No” to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s request that it formally recall 2.7 million older model Jeeps, over regulator concerns that the vehicles could catch on fire when hit from behind. Show More Summary
SunTrust Denies Taking Automatic HELOC Payments, Then Stops Taking Them
Steven opened a free checking account with SunTrust, the bank that holds his mortgage, because it was free and convenient. But something strange started to happen: payments to his home equity line of credit began to magically disappear. His local bank staff denied that this was happening or that it was even possible, but it kept happening. It was convenient, … [More]
Are You Really Saving Money When You Get A Room From Airbnb?
Some people prefer home-sharing services like Airbnb over hotels because they would rather stay in a cozy apartment than in a sealed-up room with of a chain hotel. Others choose these services because they feel they are saving money over the cost of a traditional hotel, but how much you save — or if you’re saving at all — depends … [More]
Only In The United States Of America Is It Necessary To Legally Define A Hot Dog
While there are some cities whose denizens will shoot you quite the stinkeye for misidentifying their tubed meats — a Polish sausage is not the same as bratwurst, people — most of us probably know our hot dogs. But despite Americans’ collective familiarity with the city street corner staples, California is taking things a step further with legislation that seeks … [More]
June Food And Drug Recall Roundup – Sulfites, Plastic Fragments, And Salmonella
Our monthly Recall Roundups have grown so expansive that we’ve had to separate them into two separate roundups: one for consumer goods, and one for consumables. In this edition of the Food and Drug roundup, dangers lurk everywhere, from coconut candy bars to sugary cereals.
If you have any of these listed items in your pantry, first check the varieties … [More]
Is Verizon Deliberately Slowing Down Netflix Streaming To Customers?
One of the companies that provides bandwidth to Netflix claims that Verizon is allowing a traffic jam of data to build up at its connection points to the huge telecom company, resulting in a degraded connection for customers.
Cogent Communications is one of the nation’s largest bandwidth providers, and given that around 1/3 of all downstream Internet traffic in the … [More]
Waitress Celebrates Father’s Day With Special “F&$#n Needy Kids” Item On Customer’s Bill
We understand that there are plenty of businesses out there with specific policies — for example, a restaurant not allowing kids — so when a customer is accommodated outside those rules, it’s great. But you know what takes the shine off stretching the rules for a customer? Forgetting to take off a complaint about said customer’s kid on a restaurant … [More]
USPS Gets Express Mail Package To Post Office At 11:45, Says ‘Good Enough’
U.S. Postal Service Express Mail carries a guarantee: your package will arrive by noon the next day after it’s accepted at the post office, depending on what time you hand it over to a clerk in person. Okay. The problem, as Consumerist readers have learned, comes in when your package arrives late and you actually try to cash in … [More]
Amazon Cancels My $6,000 Order Because It Doesn’t Know How To Use A Fax Machine
A few weeks back, Consumerist reader K. placed an order on Amazon for $6,000 worth of computer equipment. The online retailer was unable to immediately process her order because it needed additional documentation, which K. faxed over...Show More Summary
United’s “Fly By The Tips Of Your Fingers” Slogan Takes On New Meaning When TP Runs Out
Listen, we’ve got to hand it to whichever enterprising United Airlines employee took it upon themselves to make the best out of what is a totally ridiculous situation. Sure, cocktail napkins aren’t quite as comfy when it comes to wiping your bum — but who wouldn’t chuckle at a MacGyvered duct tape holder filled with messages to “Fly by the … [More]
Celebrate! My little sister is getting married!
I'm so excited, my little sister is tying the knot! She is going to be the most beautiful bride. I...
Should I Also Be Picking Up Insurance And Mortgages When I Shop At Costco Or BJ’s?
Warehouse stores sell more than just huge sacks of flour, vats of ketchup, and enough toilet paper to clean an army. You can also use a membership at places like Costco or BJ’s to buy everything from auto insurance to credit cards to home mortgages. But should you?
Our siblings at ShopSmart Magazine took a look at a variety of … [More]
Flannel-Wearing Teen Claims TSA Told Her “You’re Only 15, Cover Yourself”
While I’m not totally down with what the kids are wearing these days, I do remember quite well being asked if I honestly thought I was “going out of the house dressed like that.” And from the photo one dad has posted of what his daughter was wearing when she says a Transportation Security Administration agent humiliated her and told … [More]
Are You Okay With Comcast Sharing Your Home Wi-Fi With Everyone?
As a child, how were you at sharing your toys with other kids, friends and strangers alike? If you rent Xfinity equipment from Comcast, you’re going to have to share your toys–and by “toys” we mean “wireless router”–with everyone in Kabletown. Understandably, some people do not like this idea.
The basic idea makes sense: Comcast wants to offer wi-fi hotspots … [More]
Losing Your House To Foreclosure Doesn’t Necessarily Mean You No Longer Owe Money To The Bank
There’s a commonly held notion that losing one’s home to foreclosure is the final act in a sad drama, that the homeowner has hit bottom and has nowhere to go but up. But thousands of foreclosed-upon homeowners are finding out, years after turning their keys over to the bank, that they may still be on the hook — sometimes for … [More]
Time To Face The Mochafrappuchocalatte Music: Starbucks To Post Calorie Counts
Like avoiding eye contact with that vague acquaintance from work — the one you have absolutely nothing to say to — who ends up in your train car on the way home, it’s inevitable. You’re going to probably end up looking at Starbucks’ new calorie count postings because they’re there, you know they’re there, and it’s better to just get … [More]
Thrifty’s Offer Of A Free Rental Car Sounded Too Good To Be True Because That’s What It Was
There’s nothing like that bright beam of hope when an unexpected email arrives in your inbox — like perhaps the offer of a free car rental for a day from Thrifty, a missive many Consumerist readers received in the last few days and forwarded to us in excitement. And then there’s the feeling you get when the rug is pulled … [More]
