Author: Ben Popken

Here’s 5 things you might not know about Verizon Wireless that could also help you be more successful when dealing with customer service and customer service issues:

5. Each region owns and manages their own call centers and sets their own policies.
4. The Northeast is more liberal upgrading within contract.
3. Mid-west is more easy about warranty replacements.
2. Wherever your problem happened, that’s where you should complain about it. So if it happened in-store, speak to the manager of that store. If it happened on the customer service line, call back and ask for a supervisor.
1. Verizon gives all the store managers cell phones, so if they’re not in the store at the time, ask for their direct dial number.

Do you have a Verizon customer service secret you need to get off your chest? Open up in the comments.

If you have an issue with your Sirius XM Radio service or a billing problem, and vanilla customer service behind the 1-800 number just can’t seem to get it right, no matter how hard you try, you might try emailing the people running the company. Here are their email addresses:

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Couple this with a well-written complaint letter, perhaps written in the style of “praise with faint damn,” and you should be on your way to a satisfactory resolution.

Grace almost got scammed on eBay. A fraudster cracked a high-value seller’s account and posted a fake listing for a camera and tried to make Grace pay for it using Western Union, a huge warning sign of a scam. That’s typical, but these criminals went the extra mile. “Above and beyond,” if you will. When she tried to ask some questions about the transaction, they directed her to a live online chat that was mocked up to look like a real eBay customer service chat and tried to assuage her concerns by telling her it was okay to use Western Union because she had “buyer protection!” Hers her story and the chat transcript so you can learn and not get burned:

This is an eBay deal I won’t be doing. But it is pretty amazing how far they went to try to convince me it would be a real transaction, fake online chat staff and all. I read Consumerist often so I figured it out in time, but…wow.

Here’s how it went down:

1. The item, a camera lens, was listed under a verified seller’s eBay account. The seller had more than 2300 positive reviews, a dozen active listings and a storefront. There were about 10 pictures of that particular used lens and an in-depth description of its condition. There was a great return policy. I read a few pages of feedback and visited a link to their used electronics brick-and-mortar store in New Jersey. Feedback was excellent and I felt solid about the seller.
2. The seller asked in the item description that questions to be directed to a specific gmail account rather than eBay because they couldn’t access eBay at work or something like that. It seemed a little weird but not unheard of, and I figured, hey, they have such great feedback… How can 2300 other people be wrong?
3. I emailed a question about the item, they (“Craig”, the name of the seller as listed on eBay) wrote back within a few minutes and said it was mine for the Buy It Now price if I wanted it, and they asked for an address to calculate shipping costs. Still, there was no “Buy It Now” link on the auction, and I asked for them to post it officially on the auction itself to complete the transaction through the regular channels.
4. They didn’t respond to my request for a “Buy it Now” link on the auction. Instead, I get this email (below), confirming the sale through eBay, which asks for payment via Western Union. Warning bells went off (thanks, Consumerist!) and I wrote back that I would do the sale only with Paypal and I asked for their Paypal information. No response to that, even though I heard back within about 2 minutes the last time. I was hoping somehow the listing was real even as evidence mounted that it wasn’t. I guess there’s no place for optimism when it comes to eBay.
5. An email comes from eBay saying the listing is pulled because the seller’s account had been compromised by someone else, which confirms my suspicions. The seller WAS legit, so I was right about that. But the listing wasn’t theirs.
6. I did a live chat linked from the email below, which is the kicker, and is copied below. You can probably chat with them via the same link if you want.The chat spoofs eBay’s page and is a secure site.

I knew there were sketchy sellers with sketchy eBay sites, but I thought those could be spotted by the lack of feedback, bad English, no return policies, etc. I hadn’t really considered encountering one fake auction mixed in with a dozen real auctions under an actual legitimate seller’s account. I also didn’t think scammers had internet chat staff waiting online, but hey, what do I know.

CHAT FROM LINK BELOW:

: We appreciate your patience. You will be able to type in your question as soon as you are connected with a Live Help Agent. Please continue to hold for the next available representative. (Conversation directed to any operator).
You are successfully connected to eBay Live Help. Please hold for the next available Live Help Agent.
: Sarah B. has entered the conversation.
: Hello and thank you for contacting eBay Account Security Live Help, my name is Sarah B. How may I help you?
: Hi there, I want to make sure an auction is legitimate. The seller asked to be contacted outside of eBay and I had gotten a message saying the listing was pulled, but now a message saying it is okay?
: May i have the transaction number and your full name please?
: This is the item:
: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120555703605
: [] is my full name
: They are asking for payment via Western Union.
: Ok, may i have the transaction number so i can check if it is valid.
: #KLW34532346354633
: Please hold while i check if this transaction it is valid.
: Thank you for waiting. This is a valid transaction and it is covered by our Buyer Protection Program. We have full access to seller’s account, if the buyer don’t receive the item, eBay will take the money from seller’s account and send a full refund to the buyer. Note: Western Union it is accepted only for this type of transaction.
: Why is Western Union only accepted for this type?
: Because we have access to seller’s account and we can send your money back if you don’t get the item.
: And Buyer’s Protection means a full refund if I don’t get it or its not as described? Can I ask why the listing was pulled as “compromised”?
: That’s correct. If the item it is not as described you will need to send it back to the seller and we will send a full refund. You received that notification by e-mail because the seller ended the auction early when you accepted to buy it.
: The email said that I received it because someone else had accessed the seller’s account and NOT to proceed with the sale. It says right on eBay: “Pay safely online by never using instant cash transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram International to pay for your eBay purchases. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know. Learn more.”
: Yes, dismiss that message. Never use instant cash transfer services such as Western Union or MoneyGram International to pay for your eBay purchases when you don’t get the buyer protection.
: This is a private transaction on eBay that’s why we accept the payment by Western Union.
: Can you send me a link to the Buyer Protection? I only found on Ebay that it helps you talk to the seller but can’t find anywhere that it says eBay will refund you the money from their account.
: I am here to confirm you that this is a valid transaction and you are 100% covered doing it this way. So you should feel safe. Next step, you should send the payment to the seller so he can ship your package.
: Thank you for using eBay!
: Sarah B. has ended chat session.. Please, Click for Sending This Conversation Send TransScript

Scam signs:
1. Directs user to use contact outside eBay system
2. Asks you to pay outside of eBay using Western Union
3. Everyone knows it’s impossible to get a human at eBay.

Clothier North Face has settled out-of-court with parody vestment maker “South Butt.” Once again, comedy wins!

The second company sells a variety of tshirts and hoodies and so forth that say “South Butt” in a font similar to North Face’s, and sports an upside-down North Face logo. The trademark infrigement suit contended that consumers might confuse butts with faces and not know who was selling what. Terms were not disclosed but South Butt is still selling their schwag, so I’m guessing North Face just agreed to turn the other cheek. They did manage to secure at least one concession; posts on the South Butt site about the lawsuit have been removed.

North Face, South Butt Agree to Turn Other Cheek [Law.com] (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)
PREVIOUSLY:
South Butt Rebuts North Face
The North Face Thinks You Might Confuse Them With “The South Butt”

I hit the streets of New York with a video camera, asking taxi drivers, youths, store owners and chicks eating donuts, “What’s the worst company in America?” Most people laughed and said, “Worst company?” — and then thought real hard and gave us some answers, answers which may shock you! This video has subtitles so you can watch it at work without anyone knowing.

For a town that doesn’t even have one, New Yorkers sure hate Walmart.

Hey, if you like that video, how about posting a video response to it on YouTube? Sound off on who you think deserves to win Worst Company in America! This guy is stoked about the contest and wants to put Ticketmaster “on blast”!

Make your voice count and vote in every round!

Camera
Ben Popken
Chris Prentice

Editing
Ben Popken

Interviewers
Ben Popken
Chris Prentice

Drum loop
Beatgorilla

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2010 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america. Print the bracket, here.

Want more Consumerist original videos? Hit our Videodrome.

Next time you get your ticket from the parking garage dispenser, better grab a clock.

A New Haven parking garage got busted after an investigation showed that the entry clock was set four minutes slow, while the exit clock was set five minutes fast, resulting in patron after patron getting overcharged. After investigators alerted the garage, a spokesperson said they know of the “timing synchronization concerns” and promised to check them out and fix them if they found any “discrepancies.”

Minutes add up faster when clocks are out of sync in New Haven [New Haven Register] (Thanks to Sierra!)

Before a new law went into effect in February to clamp down on their abusive tactics, credit card companies jacked up interest rates, putting the squeeze on already strapped consumers. But that same law can still help as. In it, Congress told the banks to review those spiked rates, and, for responsible cardholders, bring them back down to normal levels. Of course, the banks are working feverishly to make sure they don’t have to live up to the law. As the Senate considers Regulation Z; Docket R-1384, be sure to grab their ear and say hey! Gimmie back my rates! Contact your rep now.

“I have researched his issues and based on our records the case is without merit,” wrote a Comcast spokesperson to local news investigator Amy Davis. She was looking into the case of Wayne, whose credit was damaged by Comcast just before he was going to refinance his house. This meant that on top of what he had already paid to lock in a lower interest rate, he had to pay several thousand dollars more.

The trouble started because Wayne refused to pay for Comcast service after never getting a working signal, despite multiple visits by Comcast technicians. He cancelled service, and that was the last he heard of them until he tried to refi his house.

Comcast rebuffed efforts by the reporter, but they couldn’t stop the wheels of justice. Wayne sued them in small claims court. The judge reached a different opinion from that of the Comcast spokesman, and ordered the cable company to pay up $5,087. That was $5,000 for the original damages, plus 5% annual interest, plus $7 in costs.

Most people don’t realize how easy it is to file a small claims court, and how good your odds are. You don’t even need a lawyer and it could cost only $50 in filing fees. To learn more about how to file in small claims, check out our posts, “How To File A Lawsuit” and “Suing Big Companies In Small Claims Court Is Fun And Easy.”

Comcast Eats Words, Pays Up [Ask Amy Blog]

Need a job? One green shoot of the economic recovery is the hiring glut going on over at the R/GA digital advertising agency, with 230 jobs open. That’s on top of the 130 they’ve already hired this year. But I thought advertising was dead, or at least severely atrophied?

An R/GA source says that while blood was running through Wall Street last year, R/GA went on a pitch spree, winning all but one. And recently, clients who had pulled back their ad-spending had returned wanting to start back up again.

The perhaps counterintuitive facts on the ground are that a resurgence in the advertising industry can be good for consumers. Companies are willing to spend on drumming up new business. Increasing consumer demand would lead to increased production, which could lead to more employers hiring. That’s good news when unemployment is in the double digits.

The bad news is the pixie-dust sprayers are gearing up once again to separate you from your hard-earned cash. It’ll be slower going this time around, though, with so many credit card lines cut, and American’s new fondness of frugality will be hard to shake, not unless manufacturers are going to provide good products at fair prices. Whoddathunkit?

Job Openings [R/GA]

We’ve all experienced the the age-old quandary, “I’m hungry, but I’m too weak/lazy to move my arms, whatever shall I do?” Enter the Food Lift! It’s a revolutionary new product that takes the work out of eating! Simply place the food in the trough and then the dynamo-screw lifts the meal through the tube into your mouth, “like a waiter climbing a staircase.” Try one today!

(Thanks to thespatulaoflove!)

A 12-year-old kid is probably getting his crops slashed and burned by his mum after he racked up $1,400 in Farmville purchases, draining his own savings and running up charges on her credit card.

Farmville is free to play but using real dollars, players can purchase items that give them in-game advantages, like barns, tools, and crops. Reports CNN:

“When I asked him why he did it he said that they had brought out ‘good stuff that I wanted,’ ” the mother…told the newspaper.

She didn’t blame Facebook or Zynga, makers of Farmville, Mafia Wars, and other popular Facebook games, but does think there should be better fraud detection mechanisms to prevent tykes from using their parents’ real money to buy virtual goods.

“I do think they need to shoulder some responsibility in this business and put systems in place to stop this happening again,” [she said], “The fact that he was using a card in a different name should bring up some sort of security and the online secure payment filter seems to be bypassed for Facebook payments.

FarmVille user runs up £900 debt [The Guardian] (Thanks to Lina!)
RELATED: Mafia Wars CEO Brags About Scamming Users From Day One

The iPad has replaced the borrowed puppy as the lure of choice for bachelors on the make. Jim Colgan from The Takeaway took the latest Apple gadget out for some field testing and found himself besieged with admirers. Ok, really they were admiring the new tablet, but some of that adoration washed over on to its owner. To wit: “two women emerged from behind him and screamed and pointed. They all wanted a go.” Here is the recording of different reactions to the iPad on the streets of New York, recorded using an iPad:

Does the iPad Turn Too Many Heads? [The Takeaway]

Here’s an important caveat to our “You Need To Pay Taxes On Forgiven Credit Card Debt,” post: you don’t need to pay the taxes if you were insolvent at the time the debt was discharged.

The IRS defines a taxpayer as insolvent, “when his or her total liabilities exceed his or her total assets.” In other words, when you owe more than you have.

In this case you would just include form 982 and check off the box where it asks if you’re insolvent. Do not include this amount on line 19 of the 1040 if you were insolvent at the time.

PREVIOUSLY: You Need To Pay Taxes On Forgiven Credit Card Debt

Sprint has an interesting new strategy: after you do an online chat with one of their customer service reps, they provide you with a transcript of the chat, but it’s missing a few important things. Namely, any specific numeric details like dollar amounts, dates, minutes, or months cited by the rep have been replaced with asterisks. Here is one such transcript:

(The names of the agent and the customer have been blurred out)

Perhaps they don’t want people using the transcripts later as proof in the event of a dispute over what was said? We’ve reached out to Sprint for comment.

The competition for this year’s Worst Company in America contest is heating up, and so is the media coverage of our reader-driven bracket. We were on the early morning show on ABC on Monday and other outlets are taking notice of WCIA as well:

Reuters
Huffington Post
Marketplace, on American Public Media
TIME
BoingBoing
WIVB
KOMO

America/mdyiKHUh8EekSqNTaal0vA.cspx”>WCPO
KLAS
Walletpop

bracket-worst-company-in-america/?cxntfid=blogs_atlanta_bargain_hunter”>Atlanta Journal Constitution
San Diego Source
Delaware Liberal
Connecticut Watchdog
Charlotte Business Journal
Triangle Business Journal
TVNooz
The Big Picture
GearDiary
One Penny Sheet

Too legit to quit. What’s next? Obviously, a campaign to get WCIA recognized as an official Olympic sport.

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2010 series. The companies competing for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america. Print the bracket, here.

Got a Super 8 customer service issue they’re not being so super about, and regular customer service leaves you with a dull metallic taste in your mouth? Try one of these escalated points of contact.

John Valetta’s (President) at 973-753-8302 or Jim Darby (VP Operations) office at 973-753-8310.

John’s secretary’s name is Ellen. She’ll call and scream at customer service for a while until they get it fixed.

If you do call 1-800-800-8000, ask for the Presidential Line, which is a special group of agents specifically charged to handle big issues.

If you don’t get anywhere with that, ask for Margo Beckwith-Byrne, who is in charge of all the call centers for Super 8.

Here are some warning signs that an online review is being left by a shill, or shills:

The reviews:

* Have zero caveats, and are full of empty adjectives and pure glowing praise with no downsides.
* Are all left within a short period of time of each other.
* Mainly tally off product features. (Real users talk more about perofrmance, reliability, and overall value).
* Reviewers names are all variations of one another, i.e. happykat1234, happykat7593, happykat6687

Online reviews are just another data point to use when researching a product, and they’re best when taken in aggregate. Skim a slew of them so that you get a general sense of the tone and to figure out if there’s a common complaint, or piece of praise, that keeps cropping up.

What techniques do you use to spot fake online reviews? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Obviously, this is how KFC should prepare the bacon for the Double Down, KFC’s bacon and cheese on fried chicken “bread” sandwich—by wrapping it around the barrel of a machine gun and firing about 200 times, for that extra dose of smoky manly flavor. I can already feel my arteries clogging in anticipation. [Reddit via Eater]

If you had some credit card debt canceled in 2009 the IRS might want a piece of it.

Yes, if you have set up a debt settlement to close out an account for less than the remaining balance, you need to pay taxes on it. The lender should have sent you a 1099-C, but if they haven’t, be sure to call them up and ask for one.

Cancelled Credit Card Debt Could Be Taxable [LowCards]

Karen says Apple is shocking her. Not with their innovative product design, but literally, her 2004ish 17″ Macbook Pro is shooting electricity into her arms. “We’re not talking, little static shocks,” Karen writes on her blog, presumably, using the selfsame laptop, “these are fully legitly painful shocks.”

And, “When i touch the speaker parts of the computer it vibrates and has an electric charge.”

She’s not the only one. Others have complained about their Macbook Pros shocking them.

Karen says she has tried to contact Apple but has not heard back (she doesn’t have AppleCare). She can’t take it into the Genius Bar, she says, because she needs to use it everyday for school and work. Karen says that, “for now I try to use my computer while making as little physical contact with it as possible…Please stop burning me.”

One solution that has worked for some is that if you keep your Macbook plugged in, to use the extension cable instead of the one directly attached to the adapter. However, Karen says it happens even when it’s not plugged in. Also, get thee to a Genius Bar. It’s entirely possible they could fix the problem within a few minutes and you wouldn’t need to leave your laptop with them.

We’ve reached out to Apple for comment.

My Macbook Pro Sends Sharp Electrical Shocks to My Arm [Karen Abad]