Comcast was charging me $95 per month for internet and phone service. That was too much. I got them to lower it to $75 per month, but I had to pay extra for all non-local and long-distance calls. That was still too much. They raised the equipment charge for my cable modem from $3 to… Read More: How to lower your phone + internet cost from $80… »
My wife and I have supported literally hundreds of charitable organizations over the years. I donate on-line whenever possible, which means that many of these organizations have my email address. The vast majority of them are smart and reputable enough not to send me bulk email I didn’t agree to receive, or at worst to… Read More: American Foundation for the Blind (AFB): Lying, unrepentant spammers »
As The Consumerist recently reported, CVS is now selling “Green Bag Tags” at the register. Here’s how it’s supposed to work: You buy a tag for 99¢ and attach it to your reusable shopping bag. Every time you give that bag to the checkout clerk to use instead of a plastic bag, the clerk scans… Read More: CVS FAIL: Reusable bag promotion doesn’t work if clerks have… »
UPDATE: If you would like to help me call attention to this, Comcast’s most recent attempt to cheat its customers, please Digg this article. In a classic Gotcha Capitalism strategy, Comcast in Boston has just informed their VoIP and Internet customers that they are raising their monthly rate by $2 without actually admitting they’re doing… Read More: Comcast sneaks in back-door rate increase by increasing “equipment charge” »
http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/10/16/colorado.balloon.media.spotlight/index.html ’nuff said.
Much of what I attempt to pass off as useful content on my blog is criticism of products and companies that, in my opinion, just don’t measure up. I have very high standards, which means that I’m often disappointed. However, it also means that when I’m happy with a product and recommend it, you should… Read More: Product recommendation: Skip Hop’s “Pronto” diaper changing kit »
October 16, 2009 James Dimon Chairman and CEO JPMorgan Chase & Co. 270 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017-2070 Dear Mr. Dimon, This letter concerns my Chase Visa card, account number **** **** **** ****. I am writing to describe to you Chase’s recent abject failure to provide me and others with a minimally acceptable… Read More: One service offer from Chase, 16 problems, 3 clueless customer… »
I recently received a letter from American Express confirming that I’d enrolled in online bill payment. I received the letter on paper, in an envelope, with a stamp on it, in the mailbox on my porch. The final sentence of the letter, all the way at the bottom, below the signature, reads as follows: You… Read More: American Express has a definition of “electronically” I haven’t heard… »
You’ve all gotten them, right? An envelope, or sometimes even a box, from some alleged charity you’ve never heard of before. You open it up and discover personalized mailing labels, greeting cards, a notepad, a tree ornament, a cheap electronic doodad, a coin, or whatever, along with a plea to send a donation. The… Read More: The most obscene “guilt mailing” I’ve ever seen »
[You can read the whole series of Honda Village postings here.] Since I first wrote about them in June, Honda Village has sent me many more pieces of junk mail enclosed in envelopes that do not have their name or return address on them and that have been intentionally designed to make the recipient think… Read More: Honda Village continues to send me junk mail in deceptive… »