Say Goodbye To Pandora? [Pandora] (7)
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Chris Walters (177)
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Consumerist (1118)
5 hours, 29 minutes
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When SoundExchange, the organization that represents many labels and artists, proposed steep new royalty rates for radio webcasters last year, they shortsightedly killed off their own revenue stream. Instead of their proposed rates being cut back as part of a standard negotiation, they were surprised to see the U.S. Copyright Royalty Board reject opposing arguments and adopt SoundExchange's rates fully. Now Pandora, the popular streaming music site, says it's paying over 70% of its revenue ...
Wine Spectator: Totally Fake Restaurant Wins Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (7)
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Meg Marco (450)
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15 hours, 21 minutes
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Hey, did you know that with Microsoft Word, $250 and maybe a foreign language dictionary — your lemonade stand can get a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence? That's what one enterprising fellow set out to prove. Dr. Vino says: [Robin] Goldstein, the author of The Wine Trials has a posting up on his new website describing how he invented a restaurant name, Osteria l’Intrepido, a riff on “fearless.” Then he typed up a menu (”a ...
Apple Agrees To Replace Exploding First-Gen iPods After Japan Demands Action [IPods] (2)
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Carey (266)
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1 day, 22 hours
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In what should have been a no-brainer, Apple today agreed to replace any iPod Nanos that unexpectedly explode. The announcement came as a response to the Japanese government, which yesterday asked the computer-maker to "take some measures" to warn consumers of the potential danger of their little pocket rockets. Apple blames a single bad battery supplier for the spontaneous fireworks. Apple said the flaw affected first-generation Nanos, sold between September 2005 and December 2006, in ...
This $8 Nectarine Dessert At Zuni Cafe Is A Little Disappointing [Overpriced Food] (4)
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1 day, 22 hours
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Customers at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco were surprised to find that their $8 dessert was nothing more than a nectarine rolling around on a plate. Under a Chowhound post titled "Nectarine Dessert at Zuni Is Just That," the poster praised Zuni's "ethos of simplicity in flavors and cooking," but thought that this was going too far. We agree. It's no $55 mac and cheese, but it seems a bit ridiculous to charge $8 for ...
The Results Are In: American Cars Come With Crappy Customer Satisfaction [Survey Says] (1)
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Meg Marco (450)
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2 days, 3 hours
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The American Consumer Satisfaction Index released it's Q2 results today and the news isn't good for domestic car manufacturers. The folks at the ASCI say that customer satisfaction for the entire industry is at an all time high — but no American car companies are represented in the top four — and the bottom three in the industry are all American brands. “The problem for domestic companies is that they now lag further behind their ...
Yes, "Tightwad Bank" Is A Real Bank, And It's FDIC Insured [Tightwad Bank] (4)
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2 days, 5 hours
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Tightwad, Missouri, population 63, doesn't have much, but it does have a bank. A bank where the most common question people ask isn't "Do you have free checking?" It's: "Is this actually a real bank?" Well, the answer is "yes." From the Washington Post: Tightwad Bank may be quirky and unproven, but it is a genuine bank with a real charter and a real vault and a pair of real bankers in charge. For good ...
Gee Whiz, It Turns Out That Kinoki Foot Pads Are A Scam [Snake Oil] (3)
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Meg Marco (450)
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2 days, 7 hours
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The nice folks at NPR have done us all a favor and taken some used Kinoki foot pads to be tested to see if they'd drawn anything out of a guinea pig reporter's body. Guess what? They didn't. Reporter Sarah Varney bought some Kinoki foot pads and wore them to bed. She also subjected her husband to the (alleged) detox treatment. In the morning, they both awoke to the stinky brown mess that the advertisement ...
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GLCarter said:
Did anyone really think this crap did something?
Is Walmart Passing Out Fake Back-To-School Supply Lists? [Walmart] (5)
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Meg Marco (450)
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Consumerist (1118)
2 days, 8 hours
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Blogger Kelby Carr says that her local Walmart has totally fake but official looking back to school supply lists posted in their stores. The lists not only contain some extra supplies that are banned from the schools, but are actually missing some supplies. Here's how she describes the lists: ...there is no way to describe these lists except as ones that are trying very hard to look official. They have a fax send line at ...
Preemptively Praise Customer Service Reps And They Will Do Your Bidding [You Can And You Will] (2)
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Carey (266)
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Consumerist (1118)
2 days, 18 hours
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Before asking customer service representatives to tackle thorny issues, win them over by first offering to praise them at the end of the call. According to Psychology Today, the offer establishes a reciprocal relationship that CSRs will try to honor, even if solving your problem takes, ugh, work. If you've ever contested a mysterious charge on your credit card, tried to resolve a problem with your computer, or wanted to return an item to a ...
Sadness Makes You Spend More [Mental Health] (3)
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Chris Walters (177)
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Consumerist (1118)
2 days, 21 hours
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As the American Psychiatric Association prepares the fifth edition of the DSM—their official guide to what's making you insane in the membrane—there's some debate on whether to include compulsive shopping as a disorder, writes Melissa Healy in the Los Angeles Times: Is [it] a biologically driven disease of the brain, a learned habit run amok, an addiction in its own right or a symptom of the other dysfunctions—most notably depression—that so often accompany it? While ...
Hershey Hikes Candy Prices 11 Percent [Hershey] (2)
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Chris Walters (177)
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2 days, 21 hours
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Well, we've been saying it would be more honest to just raise prices instead of shrinking the product, and Hershey has taken us up on that. On Friday, only months after a 13% hike back in February, Hershey announced a price increase of 10-11% across the product line, citing higher costs for ingredients. In addition to the classic Hershey's chocolate bar, Hershey makes Kisses, Reese's Cups, Whoppers, Mounds and Almond Joy, Rolo, York Peppermint Pattie, ...
The 11 Least Fuel Efficient Hybrids [Fuel] (2)
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Meg Marco (450)
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Consumerist (1118)
2 days, 21 hours
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A hybrid vehicle might be more fuel efficient than the non-hybrid version of the same car, but some hybrid vehicles can get as few as 19mpg. Check out this list of the least fuel efficient hybrid vehicles before you head out to the dealership. 11 Least Fuel Efficient Hybrid Vehicles 1-2) (tie) Chrysler Aspen Hybrid & Dodge Durango Hybrid 19 MPG 3-5) (tie) Chevy Tahoe Hybrid, Lexus LS 600h L, GMC Yukon Hybrid 21 MPG ...
Coinstar Calls Cashing In Change 'Recycling' [Greenwashing] (2)
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Chris Walters (177)
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Consumerist (1118)
2 days, 22 hours
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Douglas writes, "Coinstar wants you to 'recycle' your coins in their machines, and save the environment! Minus their 8.9% fee of course." They even have a little wizard on their website that estimates how many parts of the environment—water, energy consumption, and geological waste—you save by putting those coins back into circulation, instead of hoarding them like the polar bear murderer you are. They don't provide any source for these estimates, though, and we're not ...
Disney Decides To Stop Selling "Dive In" Panties For Young Girls [Someone Think Of The Children] (7)
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Meg Marco (450)
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3 days, 1 hour
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Gee, someone wasn't thinking too clearly when they were designing High School Musical 2 themed panties for Disney. Sold in the UK, one pair of panties in a package of 5 read "Dive In" — a reference to a scene from the popular musical. From the Daily Mail: Mrs Ralph, 57, a civil servant, said: 'I bought the packet of five multi-coloured knickers. Because they are in a packet, you can't see the writing "Dive ...
Class Action Settlement Sets Up Massive Cosmetics Giveaway [Class Actions] (2)
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3 days, 21 hours
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Do you like free makeup? How about free cologne? Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Filene's, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Saks Fifth Avenue have all settled a class action by agreeing to give away $175 million worth of cosmetics starting early next year. No proof of purchase is necessary, but the freebies will be handed out on a first-come-first-served circus basis. Details inside... The lawsuit alleged that department stores and cosmetics companies conspired to sell products ...
Megabus Might Honor Your Prepaid Reservation, But Only If You Chase The Bus Halfway Across Philadelphia [Travel] (2)
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4 days, 1 hour
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A Megabus driver claimed that Chris' prepaid reservation was actually a standby ticket, and refused to let him board unless he met the bus at the next stop halfway across Philadelphia. The driver was apparently worried that the bus would be full after the second stop, but he wouldn't let Chris ride along to find out. Chris, who purchased his tickets weeks in advance, tried calling Megabus' 800 number: I called the 877 toll free ...
Catch a Plane Without Catching a Cold [How To] (2)
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Carey (266)
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Consumerist (1118)
4 days, 6 hours
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Planes can be disgusting flying petri dishes. Those blankets Jetblue thinks are worth $7? Stay away from them. When not sold as collectibles, they're cleaned only when "they are visibly dirty, or only when they appear to have been used." Inside, how to breathe fresh air and avoid drinking storage tank water. Mmmm! Ask About Air Packs: Surprise flight attendants by asking how many air packs are currently working. Most planes run two to mix ...
California Declares Free Market Broken, Recommends Price Controls For Phone Services [Telecoms] (3)
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5 days, 1 hour
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Verizon, AT&T, and their regulated cohorts love to blab how the "free market" and "competition" will keep prices low for consumers. According to California, it's a big fat expensive lie. The cost of basic phone service has soared since the Public Utilities Commission lifted price controls in 2006, leading the agency to conclude: "There is no indication of any change in the near future regarding the current state of competition. Market forces have not yet ...
Ohio Payday Lenders Lie, Bribe The Homeless In Attempt To Overturn Usury Limits [Payday Loans] (2)
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5 days, 4 hours
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Ohio payday lenders, still smarting from their punch in the face, are turning to lies and deceit to qualify a ballot initiative that would overturn the state's recently approved usury limits. The industry's petition gatherers are telling people that the initiative would "lower interest rates," even though it would raise the maximum allowable APR from 28% to an astounding 391%. They're also giving dollars to illiterate homeless people who sign the petition. Serve City director ...
