Consumerist

animal Cruelty

Petland Uses Puppy Mills

Jane Weaver of MSNBC writes:

After an eight-month investigation, the Humane Society of the United States accused Petland, the national pet store chain, of selling dogs bred under appalling conditions at puppy mills around the country.

While puppy mills aren't illegal, they're also not places where dogs are treated as anything more than merchandise—and the Humane Society says that the 21 Petland stores they investigated mislead buyers on where the dogs actually come from.

More »

Success stories

EECB Convinces Best Buy To Pay For Damage To Car

Here's a good example of how to write an effective Executive Email Carpet Bomb, or EECB, to break through the "please hold" purgatory of the company's phone system. Alicia's car's bumper was scratched by a Best Buy employee, and calling consumer relations as directed proved fruitless. Now she's got a check in her hands from Best Buy to pay for the repairs.

We have quite a few stories now about Best Buy responding favorably to EECBs, which goes to show that if you can find a way to reach the company's executives—and you write a good EECB—your odds of having your problem favorably resolved improves considerably. More »

Nintendo

Nintendo Goes Above and Beyond for Globe-Trotting Gamer

When you have a Japanese Nintendo DS and it breaks while in America, who do you send it to? Reader Drew expected high repair fees, but got a surprise when he spoke to Nintendo of America Representative, Amanda. More »

Sprint

Sprint Asking Employees To Please Pink Slip Themselves

Sprint has asked some of its employees to consider voluntarily resigning by December 3rd in exchange for a compensation package. Says a spokesperson, "No one is being forced to do anything. There are no forced reductions. There are no layoffs in store. It's a matter of employees having the option to exercise discretion. No targets have been announced." IntoMobile says retail store employees and managers are not being included in the offer. Update: We've received a little more info from an anonymous tipster about the downsizing, and what it might mean for customers of Sprint. More »

baby come back

Cablevision Wants You Back, Promises "Free 911"

Ever since switching to FIOS a few months back, reader GiteEmSteveDave has been pestered by his old provider, Cablevision. Like any other jaded ex, Cablevision is losing it's mind in well-meaning promises - like, offering "411+911 FREE". Gitem, you have to be firm - you had good times together, but you're with FIOS now, and Cablevision needs to move on and accept it. If they don't get the picture, then maybe a little tough love is in order.

Dude, Where's My Job?

Target Loses all Evidence of Your Application, Thinks You Were Never Hired

Tipster William was ready to start his seasonal job at Target when he was told that there was no record of him ever being scheduled, taking a drug test, or ever being hired. More »

Angry Airlines

US Airways: "Angry is One Of the Words We Look For"

If you are planning on flying US Airways, make sure you are either grumpy, perturbed, unhappy, or uncomfortable- anything but 'angry'. As reader James learned, 'angry' people get grounded on a No-Fly list. More »

fail

This Is Not A Good Method For Transporting Shopping Carts

If you were thinking of loading a semi with tons of shopping carts, make sure you view the following video before you attempt it — just in case you've missed a small detail. More »

Roundups

Personal Finance Roundup

4 Common Resume Blunders [Yahoo Hotjobs] "Keep yourself in the running by avoiding these resume mistakes."

Are stores relaxing return policies? [Consumer Reports] "A new survey by the National Retail Federation concludes that many retailers will be adhering to more generous merchandise return policies this holiday season."

When to File Taxes Separately [Wall Street Journal] "Some married couples can save significant amounts of federal income tax by filing separately."

Learning to keep costs under control [Vanguard] "If there's a silver lining to the current economic downturn, it may be a renewed focus on living within our means."

Back to Basics: Reduce your debt [Mighty Bargain Hunter] "Here are a few things to consider as you reduce debt."

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: The GlassPeople)

Ikea

EECB Cures Ikea Phone Loop, Induces Mass Customer Service

All reader Scott wanted to do was get his daughter a 'Big Girl Bed'. After a nearly 6-hour trek to a nearly empty Ikea, Scott had to grab the name of the bed and attempt to pick it up himself at the 'furniture pick-up'. However, when he arrived home, he was not happy to learn that it didn't come with all the pieces he needed to build it. Stuck in a robot-phone loop, Scott turned to the tried-and-true EECB. See Scott's letter, as well as Ikea's response, inside. More »

recession watch

Welcome To The Island Of Misfit Luxury Imports...

If you're looking for a photograph to illustrate how our economy has changed over the past few months, take a look at this. No, that's not a parking lot in a town where everyone has the same taste. It's the Port of Long Beach, where "thousands of cars worth tens of millions of dollars are being warehoused," unwanted by the dealers who used to sell them. They're imports — Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, and Nissan orphans. More »

Hide Your Shame

Gamestop Ad Preys On Adolescent Fears

What were you most afraid of in High School? Getting turned down by that Cheerleader at the prom? Arriving at school naked, just before the big test you never studied for? Or, was it Mom and Dad finding all of your nudie-mags whilst looking for gift ideas? Look inside to see which terror Gamestop chose to highlight in their latest ad campaign. More »

Junk mail

Mail Carrier Gets Probation For Burying Your Junk Mail In His Backyard

"Mailman Steve," as he's known to the children on his route, got 3 years probation yesterday for failing to deliver years worth of junk mail that was found stacked in his garage and buried in his backyard. He'll also have to pay a $3,000 fine and serve 500 hours of community service. More »

Twitter Justice

@JetBlue: Twitter Faster Than Customer Service Rep

Reader Metschick needed a wheelchair for her Grandmother's JetBlue flight. She decided to post a quick message to Twitter before calling customer service, putting it simply:

JetBlue, I need a Wheelchair!

More »