Author: Laura Northrup

At the beginning of February, we began hearing from AT&T Wireless customers who AT&T helped out by putting them on a smartphone data plan that they didn’t ask for. AT&T Wireless implemented this policy back in the fall for new subscribers, and is now apparently identifying smartphone users and putting them on data plans. However, you don’t have to keep the plan if you’d rather not…as long as you bought the phone before September 6, 2009 or it is an unlocked device.

Reader Anthony fought the policy and won. He writes:

My wife received two text messages several days ago, right after each other:

AT&T Free Msg: Did you know a data plan is required for your Smartphone? Call 611 or visit att.com/smartphoneplans for details.

AT&T Free Msg: Your Smartphone requires a data plan. For convenience, we have added a minimum plan to your phone. Call 611 or go 2 att.com/smartphoneplans 4 info

My wife does have a smartphone, but according to the URL they provided, it’s only applicable to phones purchased on September 6, 2009 or later. She bought her smartphone well before that date, yet they still forced a $30/month data plan on her line.

Then, I received the exact same messages. I also have a smartphone, but bought it almost two years ago (needless to say, I won’t be renewing my contract with them next month).

They sent these messages after their live customer service was closed, so we called them the next day. They initially insisted that the data plans were required, and refused to remove them. I finally convinced them that we were exempt, and they removed the data plans.

I can’t imagine how many people are being (wrongly) told that they’re required to have a data plan on their phones. If only 10% of those people complain loud enough to get it removed, AT&T is still making a ton of money from an automatically-applied optional fee.

So if your unlocked device or grandfathered-in phone gets a data plan slapped on it, remember that you don’t have to keep it.

AT&T forcing smartphones (even unlocked ones) onto smartphone data plans? (updated) [Engadget]

PREVIOUSLY:
AT&T Stuck My Girlfriend With A Data Plan She Didn’t Want

Brandy likes Tupperware very much. Well, she used to. She writes that when she sent in for a warranty replacement for some of her items, the company neglected to send her the coordinating lids…and now won’t answer her e-mails. Without its lid, a Tupperware cereal bowl is just a plastic bowl. And what’s the point of that?

Hi Consumerist – A few weeks ago I called Tupperware for a warranty replacement on some hamburger presses, cereal bowls, and lids. They no longer make the presses so I was issued a credit. I purchased a Tupperware set with the credit, and paid the $5.75 warranty replacement shipping fee for the bowls and lids.. They sent me the set I purchased with the credit, the cereal bowls — and no lids. I contacted them by email on January 24 and the ensuing one-sided exchange follows. Any help with contacts at Tupperware? I just want my lids so I can use the bowls as they were intended. I already paid the stupid shipping fee – They were the ones who forgot them!

Frankly I love Tupperware (big fan of any lifetime warranty) but can’t ever recommend them to another person again after they’ve made their warranty into a joke. It’s a shame I’ll have to switch to disposable containers.

[I sent this e-mail on] 1/24
RE: my recent warranty order [order number redacted]

The lids to the cereal bowls were not included. The lids I had no longer work (and yes, I tried, I CANNOT get them onto the damaged bowls OR the new bowls). I indicated that I should receive the lids on the phone for the 3 cereal bowls. I would appreciate it if you could send me the lids. Having the lids is kind of the point of Tupperware.

[They sent this e-mail on] 1/25

Thank you for contacting us and we appreciate the opportunity to be of assistance.
We may be able to assist you over the phone. Please contact Tupperware Customer Care at 1-800-366-3800 between 8:30 AM ET to 9:00 PM your local time Monday through Friday. Any of the Customer Care Representatives will be happy to help you.

Please also take note of the mold number imprinted on the cracked Tupperware® product. The mold number is a small number usually imprinted on the bottom of the item. We would also like to mention we have a $5.75 shipping fee for your free replacements.

Again, thank you, Brandy, for your e-mail. We look forward to talking with you soon.

Sincerely,

Tupperware Customer Care

[I sent this e-mail on] 1/25
Hello – The lids should have been included with my order – they were omitted. The mold number is 227 and I expect to be provided with them (I need three of them) without paying an additional shipping fee – which I have already paid. The omission of the lids was Tupperware’s error – not mine.

[I sent this e-mail on] 2/4
I am still awaiting a response. This experience with Tupperware has been unacceptable.

Brandy is still waiting for an answer from Tupperware, a month later. Unfortunately, we don’t have any executive Tupperware contacts for her, though calling customer service back a few times in hopes of finding a competent and sympathetic representative is probably a good idea.

The controversy involving mallternative retailer Hot Topic stealing text and images from web comic Kawaii Not is settled. This wasn’t a case of outright theft, but of miscommunication between companies.

The cartoonist posted on her site:

About Hot Topic: All Kawaii Not merchandise there is OFFICIAL – and is good news for me and Kawaii Not. Turns out there was a miscommunication issue between me and my licensing company, but that has all been settled. So the bottom line? If you buy Kawaii Not at Hot Topic, you support me and the craziness! Hooray!

Hooray, indeed!

There are many things that a family needs to consider and in the weeks and months after a loved one’s death. A court battle over legal custody of her frozen head should not be one of those things, but that’s what a Colorado family faces after the death of their 71-year-old grandmother.

Mary Robbins had signed a contract with cryonics nonprofit Alcor for her head to be frozen after her death, and for the company to receive a $50,000 annuity to help care for her. (You may remember a similar legal battle over the remains of baseball great Ted Williams.)

According to the family, she changed her mind in her final days, canceling her contract with the cryonics company and avoiding preparations that hospice staff were not comfortable with.

Two days before she died, Robbins changed the beneficiary on her annuity policy so the money would go to her family, an act witnessed by family and non-family, Scranton said. The lawyer said that others heard Robbins say that she no longer wished for her head to be frozen.

Darlene Robbins said she contacted Alcor to let them know her mother had changed her mind and “they hung up on me.”

Alcor, Scranton said, rejected Robbins’ verbal cancellation of the contract, “saying oral revocations don’t count. That it has to be in writing.”

We hope that this situation is resolved amicably and quickly. Remember, for situations as mundane as a gym contract up to serious end-of-life matters, never assume that breaking a contract orally is enough. Make sure that your intentions are perfectly clear and in writing, and valid in the jurisdiction where you happen to be at the time.

Court Gives Custody of Grandmother’s Frozen Head to Cryonics Company [ABC News] (Thanks, LadySiren!)
Colorado Springs Court Upholds Desire of Alcor Member to be Cryopreserved [Alcor Press Release]

It may seem like a minor inconvenience when you’re home sick with some kind of foodborne illness, but the overall cost of these illnesses to our economy is huge–and staggering when you consider how many foodborne illnesses are preventable. A new study from the Produce Safety Project, a Pew Charitable Trusts initiative, shows that foodborne illness costs $152 billion nationwide each year in medical care and quality of life.

“This report makes it clear that the gaps in our food-safety system are causing significant health and economic impacts,” says Erik Olson, director of food and consumer product safety with the Pew Health Group. “Especially in challenging economic times we cannot afford to waste billions of dollars fighting preventable diseases after it is too late…”

You can learn more about the costs of foodborne illness in your state, and contact your Congresscritters about pending food-safety legislation, at MakeOurFoodSafe.org. (Consumers Union, which owns Consumerist, is one of the groups behind this site.)

Foodborne Illness Costs U.S. $152 Billion Annually, Landmark Report Estimates [Pew Charitable Trust]
Make Our Food Safe

RELATED:
8 Common Foodborne Illnesses And Their Symptoms

Starla used to have a wonderful set of red-handled knives from KitchenAid. While washing dishes, one day she dropped a large knife into the sink, somehow cracking the blade down the middle. This wouldn’t do. She contacted KitchenAid to find out whether they would replace the broken knife, which was only a few years old. Since the red set had been discontinued, they just sent her a whole new set of knives.

After getting married in 2003 my husband had bought me a KitchenAid knife set that I desperately wanted. These knives were red handled and matched our 50’s kitchen perfectly. Well, last year while I was doing the dishes, I picked up one of the larger knives and proceeded to wash it in the sink but right as I picked it up it slipped out of my gloved hand and fell back into our deep metal sink. I picked the knife back up and saw that there was a huge crack in the middle of the blade. Needless to say that I was a bit miffed that a knife from such an expensive knife set would break after being dropped from a height no more than a foot.

I emailed KitchenAid to see if they would be willing to send me a replacement knife. Within a day I received a response from KitchenAid asking me to describe the knife and a model number if I had one available. I responded back with a description of the knife and explained to them that I had no idea what the model number was as it had been a few years since the knife set had been purchased.

The next day I had another reply email from KitchenAid. This email explained that KitchenAid no longer sold that style knife set in red. They had a black set that looked exactly like my red set if I was interested or I could opt for a stainless steel set (which came with two extra steak knives). I was a little sad at first as I didn’t want a mismatched knife set that was, until, I read the bottom of the email which stated that all I had to do was let them know which set I wanted and they would send me a brand new complete knife set free of charge.

I couldn’t believe it! A whole entire knife set to replace one knife. I chose the stainless steel set as the black seemed a bit boring and within seven days I had a new knife set which I currently use.

I am completely in awe of their exemplary customer service and felt that the public needed to be made aware of it.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of a KitchenAid knife breaking under what seems like everyday pressure, but it’s good to hear that they more than made up for the breakage.

The blogger known as HolyJuan made a horrible discovery after purchasing some Hormel brand pepperoni. By purchasing the “Hot & Spicy” pepperoni, he paid the same price per bag for three fewer ounces of pepperoni goodness than the original flavor. What is this nonsense?

I love pepperoni. I usually buy Hormel, even though it can be a little more expensive. Last shopping trip, I bought 2/$6.00. In an attempt to spice things up, I purchased the Hot & Spicy flavor. From the photo below, you can see the packages are exactly the same except for where I had torn the top off the Hot & Spicy variety.

Once I got in the bag, I immediately noticed that something was not right. The bag seemed half empty. I looked at the size on the bag:

5oz (note the easy to read black on red)

I pulled the other bag out and looked at it:

8oz!

I was getting screwed out of 3oz because of flavoring? It’s a different between $.60 and ounce and $.38 an ounce. I just don’t get it. It would be like getting charged double for Salt and Vinegar potato chips over regular potato chips just because it is a different flavor.

The packaging is completely misleading. It’s exactly the same size! I will not make the same mistake next time.

Shame on you Hormel!

Next time, just buy a bag of regular flavor pepperoni and throw some Tabasco sauce on it. Done!

Hormel Pepperoni: Hot & Spicy & Smaller by Almost Half.

That headline may have ruined your plans for the remainder of the weekend, but it’s for your own good. Seven college-age men were caught doing just that on Saturday at a Panama City Beach, Florida Kmart store. Police intervened, but the store did not prosecute.

The world learned of the incident through what may be one of the most hilarious police reports of all time.

“Upon my arrival I found a male attempting to leave the store. He was wearing a Speedo and sneakers,” a Bay County sheriff’s deputy wrote in his report on the incident, which struck the discount department store just before 5:30 p.m.

The deputy instructed that man to wait at the front entrance “while I rounded up the other individuals,” he wrote. He eventually got them all in one place.

One of them, an 18-year-old man from San Jose, Calif., “was wearing a white dress with red panty hose along with red lipstick,” the deputy wrote. The store manager said that man was walking around the front of the store with a double-ended adult sex toy “and at times he was placing it under his dress as if portraying it as his own sexual organ,” according to the report.

The group members were issued a trespass warning and will be arrested if they return to the Kmart, raising the inevitable question of what they’re going to do next weekend.

Seven in Speedos, panty hose disrupt K-Mart [News Herald]

Filing for unemployment benefits can be an exhausting bureaucratic mess, but it shouldn’t cost you hundreds of dollars. In theory. According to TV station KOB, though, a New Mexico man spent so many hours on hold with the unemployment office that he ran up a $700 cell phone bill.

Sanchez says his cell phone is his only line, and if he didn’t make the calls to Workforce Solutions, he wouldn’t have gotten his money.

The bill shows Sanchez made 1,114 calls to the unemployment office in one month. Some days, it took hundreds of calls to get through—each call costing $0.45.

When he would get through, he says he would be put on hold. One time, he was on hold for almost 3 1/2 hours.

I think the only thing worse than listening to bad music on hold for the unemployment department has got to be paying 45 cents per minute for the privilege.

Man racks up huge cell bill to claim unemployment [KOB] (via Huffington Post – thanks, Rodrigo!)

Man, I can’t wait to see the “Law & Order” episode they’re going to make out of this. The family who filed a class action lawsuit against their son’s school district for allegedly spying on their son at home through the webcam of his school-issued Macbook has demanded to see the actual photos and other digital records pertaining to the case. The family claims that the school was watching the him on suspicion that he was using and selling drugs. They insist that the incriminating photos caught him … eating candy.

[Student Blake] Robbins told reporters Wednesday that [school administrator Lindy Matsko] didn’t deny confronting him about a picture the webcam took.

The lawsuit filed last week claims Matsko talked to Robbins about “improper behavior” at home, citing images from the school-issued laptop’s camera.

Robbins says officials mistook candy for pills and thought he was selling drugs.

A federal judge ordered the school to stop activating the webcams under any circumstances.

Student: School webcam spying denial falls short [AP]
‘Spygate’ teenager demands webcam pix from Pa. school [Computerworld]

PREVIOUSLY:
Public School Spycams Either A Glitch Or A Security Feature
Public School Issued Laptops To Students With Webcam Spy Software Included

Are you looking for ways to help out the groups providing relief after the massive earthquake that hit Chile? Yahoo has made a nice list of groups that have confirmed that they are sending teams to Chile, and you can also donate by text message.

• Text the word “CHILE” to 25383 to donate $10 on behalf of the Habitat for Humanity
• Text the word “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision
• Text the word “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 on behalf of the Salvation Army
• Text the word “YOUTH” to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of UNICEF

Keep in mind that mobile donations may not be sent immediately, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as people will still need help in the coming weeks and months.

If you’re asked to donate to an unfamiliar charity, be wary–from the Consumerist archives, here are some sites you can use to vet groups you haven’t heard of.

Charity Navigator “Charity Navigator, America’s premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,300 of America’s largest charities.”

BBB Wise Giving Alliance “The BBB Wise Giving Alliance (the Alliance) helps donors make informed giving decisions and advances high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public.”

GuideStar “GuideStar’s mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.”

Chile earthquake: How to help [Yahoo News]
Donation Options for Chile [Mobile Giving Foundation]

J. in California tells Consumerist that he liked Best Buy. He was a loyal customer until he attempted to buy a laptop there for a friend, and ran up against a brick wall of strangeness and dysfunction, all in the name of… Geek Squad optimization.

He copied us on his EECB to Best Buy. Here’s what he wrote:

I would like to share with you an experience I have with Best Buy Store
[redacted] today ([adddress redacted]). Before this incident,
I have a perfect relationship with best buy and have been a happy
customer. In fact, I have been trying to make the company I work for to
shop at a newly opened Best Buy instead of another large nearby retailers.

I am an IT personnel at a networking equipment manufacturer, so I’m
usually the person that gives advice to my friends regarding hi-tech
items. Today, my friend told me that he needed to buy a laptop before
his upcoming trip on Sunday. I asked him to join me at Best Buy during
lunch time so that he can take a look at the selection of laptops and I
can give him some advice. He narrowed his choices down between an Asus
or Acer and told me that he’d let me know later that day which one he’d
prefer. Close to end of my working day, he called me and told me that he
prefers the Asus that he sees at Best Buy. Since I work near a Best Buy,
I decided that it’d be better for me to order it online with the option
for in-store pickup, then he can reimburse me later. That way, he
doesn’t have to go out of his way to get the laptop. As extra perk, I
also get some points on my rewards card.

I made the order at 7:08pm and got the confirmation email almost
immediately. Since I have confirmed that the store have everything in
stock, I assumed that it’d be a very quick before I get my pickup
notice. I left the office around 7:25 and reached Best Buy around 7:30.
I checked in at the customer service desk and asked if my order has
turned up. The lady at the cashier (K.) told me that she can’t find
my order and would check with the inventory team. She came back and told
me that the inventory team is on break and I’m early for the pickup.
That’s understandable and I told her that I’d browse the store before
going to go back to the service desk and get my item.

I received my pickup notice on my email at 7:49 which was earlier than
the 45 minutes time limit. I probably checked my email around 7:50-7:52,
and approached K. again. Once again she was courteous and friendly.
She was apologetic that it took so long to get my item. I hang around
the service desk area while she went to the inventory room to check on
my order. At 7:55, I received a call from H. (Store Operator) that
my item is ready for pickup. I told her that I was already at the
service desk already. She stepped out from the room behind the service
desk and found me. She then told me that the laptop is currently being
optimized and it would be ready soon.

This is where the trouble start. I told her that I am comfortable
working with computers and don’t want an optimized laptop. I also
requested if she could stop the procedure. She then asked me to wait for
a minute while she checked on it. She went to the inventory room and I
followed her up to the door to the inventory room. She then came back
and told me that the laptop HAS already been optimized. I told her that
I’d like a non-optimized laptop, preferably an unopened one. She told me
that both of the laptop currently in stock have been optimized. I either
have to pay for the optimization or wait for it to be unoptimized and
have it reset to default. I told her that I need the laptop fast because
I need to go back home and help my wife with the children. She told me
that she needs to talk to the manager and it should be about 5 minutes.
I waited around the service desk for a while, but I didn’t see her
anymore. I ask several other employee (F. and S.) to get me
H. because I can’t wait too long. When I saw her walking toward the
service desk, I stopped her and asked her if she knows how much longer
it would take for me to get the laptop. She told me that she’s working
on my case and would appreciate it if I stop bothering her.

At this point I make the following observation:
1. She started telling me that they’re optimizing my laptop, but later
told me that both in-stock laptops are already optimized and I have to
get it optimized or wait for it to be restored to default. If both are
already optimized, then by the time I arrived one of the laptop should
have been optimized already, why didn’t she offer to give me that one
instead of optimizing the other one?

2. Wouldn’t selling an optimized laptop to a buyer that doesn’t want the
laptop to be optimized at non-optimized price would make a better
business sense than having to have Geek Squad spend time and restore it
to default? By doing this, unneeded resource is being used to restore it
to default.

3. Why must they optimize all of their inventory? Is this a way to force
a sale for the Geek Squad service?

4. Or, is this a way to make sure that we can’t return the laptop
without being charged restocking fee? Opened laptop carries 15%
restocking fee; thus by optimizing it, the laptop is already opened.
What if my friend decided to change his mind? Will I still be charged
restocking fee?

5. Is this also a way to hide returned item from being marked “open box”?

I just need an ETA because I’m working with schedule. By this time, it’s
already 8:10-8:15. This is starting to feel like negotiating with a used
car dealership. She then told me that it’d take more than 1 hour and if
I can’t wait that long then I should just cancel the order and buy it
elsewhere. After she told me that she just walked inside. I know she’s
busy, but you can’t leave a customer hanging. I also find that it is
definitely unacceptable schedule. It’d be 9:15-9:30ish by the time I
walk out of best buy. I had only a small lunch because I had to go to
Best Buy during lunch, and I was hungry. Additionally, I’d have an
unhappy wife because no one is helping her to take care our preschooler
and newborn. I also had a long day and have WAY too much time at Best
Buy. I also find that her attitude is rude and unprofessional. I decided
to draw the line and cancel the purchase. I might just take her advice
and buy it elsewhere.

I asked F. to page H. and tell her that I want to cancel my order.
He told me that she’d be right with me and help me with the order
cancellation. I waited, but she never came out. I saw Charles, the store
manager, nearby so I waited for him to finish talking to another
customer. I then told him that I’d like to cancel the order. I also
explained to him what happened and asked him my concern #4 regarding
optimized laptop. He told me that Best Buy have a way to make sure that
customer haven’t use the laptop, so optimized laptop which later
unoptimized at customer’s request can still be checked if the customer
used it already or not. He told me about a mechanism to check the uptime
of the computer and usage timer. Honestly, this doesn’t sound right at all.

1. He make a generalization that all vendors have this functionality

2. My 6 years working in IT, I haven’t heard or seen something similar

3. My 20 years experience using computer, I haven’t meet something
similar to this

4. He has no idea what I’m purchasing. I didn’t tell him what item I
purchased and/or show him my receipt.

This definitely sounds like a tactic to make me not buy an unoptimized
laptop and keep the inventory for people who want it to be optimized. I
don’t know if this is true or not, but I can feel a difference in
treatment between the first time I came into the store and after I
indicated that I don’t want optimization. I feel ignored, brushed and
scammed. I told him if he could help me cancel the order so that the
hold on my card can be reversed earlier. He told me that he can’t do
that and I just have to wait until the 8 days past. He added that NO ONE
can do it. This is where he is wrong. I know this for sure. I canceled
another online order earlier because I’d rather pick up the laptop near
my office than the one near my house. All it take is a phone call.
Beside, if Shelly knows that the store can’t cancel the order, why
didn’t she told me about it rather than making me wait for nothing?

I left the best buy with a real bitter taste in my mouth. I told my
friend what happened that told him to purchase the computer I have
confirmed available from Amazon.com. He is an Amazon prime member so 1
day shipping is only $3.99. He will receive his laptop on Friday and I
can help him set it up when it arrive. Now I am pondering if I should
stop shopping at Best Buy. My experience so far with Best Buy has been
positive, but it seems that Best Buy slowly becoming Worst Buy. It’s one
thing to try to sell optimization and extended service plan, but it is
another thing to force the optimization service down my throat. Worst
thing that they can do is ignoring and brushes your customer away.

Best Buy already lost this purchase and may lose me as customer
permanently. One thing definite is that I will not shop at store [redacted]
anymore. I will give other Best Buys another chance to keep me as
customer, but if this continues on, Best Buy in general will lose
another customer and all other customer that I might recommend to shop
at Best Buy. Best Buy used to be geek paradise, but it slowly transform
into a place that try to profit from ignorant general public and drive
away geeks who are already familiar with technology.

Thank you for your time. I have attached confirmation email and pickup
notice into this email. I hope you take this issue into consideration
and hope to hear from you in regards to this matter. In case that you
can’t open the attachment, my order number is [redacted].

We’ll let you know what (if anything) he hears back from the Supreme Geek Squad.

Fans of the adorable webcomic Kawaii Not were surprised to discover buttons made from comic panels for sale at Hot Topic. The problem? The artist sort of didn’t license the designs to Hot Topic, and they are copyrighted. Artist Meghan Murphy does sell her own buttons…and these aren’t those.

Check out the original cartoons of the puzzle piece and camera image.

In case you missed them, here’s a greatest hits collection of Hot Topic ripping off independent artists:

Hot Topic Likes Your Art So Much… They’re Selling It!
Hot Topic Steals Yet Another Design And Sells It As Its Own
The Hits Keep Coming: Hot Topic Is Selling Another Eerily Familiar Design

Kawaii Not [Official Site]
Kawaii Not [Facebook]
Stole Your Soul Camera Pin
I Don’t Fit In Puzzle Piece Pin [Hot Topic] (Thanks, Neka!)

Yet again, business owners are accusing massive review site Yelp of extortion–and they’ve filed a class action lawsuit. This time, instead of guaranteeing positive reviews in exchange for cupcakes, the site is accused of contacting business owners and offering to remove their negative reviews for money. In a written statement, Yelp denied the allegations and noted, “Running a good business is hard; filing a lawsuit is easy.”

An animal hospital in Long Beach, Calif. filed the class action suit, alleging that Yelp representatives tried to sell the hospital an advertising package that includes hiding negative reviews. From the complaint:

Soon after the appearance of these negative reviews, Dr. Perrault and
Mr. Vargas began receiving frequent, high-pressure calls from Yelp advertising
employees, who promised to manipulate Cats and Dogs’ Yelp.com listing page in
exchange for Cats and Dogs purchasing an advertising subscription.

For example, on or about January 5, 2010, Cats and Dogs received a
Yelp sales call from “Kevin.” Kevin said that Cats and Dogs could advertise with
Yelp for a minimum payment of $300 per month, with a minimum 12-month
commitment. Kevin stated that if Cats and Dogs purchased a one-year advertising
subscription from Yelp:

• Yelp would hide negative reviews on the Cats and Dogs Yelp.com listing page, or place them lower on the listing page so internet users “won’t see” them;
• Yelp would ensure negative reviews will not appear in Google and other search engine results;
• Yelp would allow Cats and Dogs to decide the order that its reviews appear in on its
• Yelp.com listing page; and
• Cats and Dogs could choose its “tagline,” i.e., the first few lines of a single review shown on every search result page in which Cats and Dogs appears (for instance, Veterinarian in Long Beach”).

Dr. Perrault declined the offer, saying that he wanted to track referrals from Yelp for three months without ads, but might thereafter be willing to test Yelp’s advertising potential.

Within a week of denying Kevin’s advertising offer, the negative review from Chris R. reappeared on the Cats and Dogs Yelp.com listing page.

Have you noticed any similar Yelp oddities, either as a business owner or as a reviewer (negative reviews removed or pushed back)?

Yelp Class Action Website [Official Site]
Yelp Accused of Extortion [Wired]

RELATED:
Make $20-$40 A Pop Shilling On Yelp
More Business-Owners Accuse Yelp Of Review Extortion
Should Yelp Remove Reviews By Non Customers?

For some reason, this Tinkerbell keychain from yesterday’s Recall Roundup caught people’s attention and they keep pointing it out to us. Please stop.

Why do the Toyota car company and the Toyoda family that founded it have different names? It’s not because of transliteration magic exactly: it’s because the company changed the characters that form its name in order to have a luckier number of brush strokes, and aid in their quest for world vehicular domination. Or something.

The Washington Post spoke to some Japanese language experts in an attempt to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Writing “Toyoda” in Japanese requires 10 brush strokes, explains John R. Malott, president of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC, but writing “Toyota” requires eight.

While “8” is considered an auspicious number, “10” is not, said Malott, who visited with the company during his years as a State Department official. “Ten” consists of two strokes crossed against each other and resembles the “plus” symbol, or even a crossroads or an uncertain path. Not a good omen for a company.

“It’s a very Japanese way of thinking,” Malott said.

Why the car company is named Toyota, not Toyoda [Washington Post]

Josh got down to the bottom of his bottle of Walmart’s Great Value house brand laundry detergent and made a terrible discovery. Poor bottle design means that most customers aren’t using all of the detergent that they pay for. He found an extremely unattractive, yet effective solution to the problem.

Just wanted to let you guys know about this “Great Value” purchase that I won’t be buying again in the future. I was doing laundry today with my Walmart “Great Value” detergent when it ran out on me. What caught me off guard was that the bottle still had weight to it and I could feel liquid swishing around, but no matter how I turned the bottle and shook it, nothing else would come out.

So I decided I’d cut it open and see the cause. As you can see in the picture that I’ve included, the Great Value brand spout goes into the bottle about 3/4s of an inch causing you to lose out on a great deal of detergent. The holes for the liquid to run through are only on the bottom of the spout, not on the sides so you can’t access that extra liquid. I ran 3 extra loads of laundry on the detergent I poured out of my newly formed hole on the side.

I wonder how many people threw away bottles thinking they were finished.

A few years ago, another reader suggested punching a hole in the bottom of the bottle for the same purpose. My method for getting that last bit of detergent out has been to pour some water in the bottle, shake it a bit, and pour the soapy water into the washing machine. I also do this for the last few dregs of shampoo or conditioner in a bottle. I like Josh’s method better, though. Any other ideas for getting the most out of your detergent bottles (or other containers?)

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Stacey has an interesting question for the Consumerist hive mind. She wonders: when you are in the middle of a grave consumer injustice, how do you stay calm? How do you hold on to your temper and stay professional, whether on the phone or dealing with a company in person?

I have read enumerable stories of consumers facing completely
ridiculous, unethical, and even unconscionable issues. When consumers
get upset, they are often reprimanded by the readership for not being
professional – but as a very emotional person and someone who feels
great injustices should hold the responsible party responsible, how do
I hold my temper? I’m pretty good at not taking the problem out on
the representatives on the phone, unless the person cannot or is
unwilling to solve the problem. But when the company is clearly
uninterested in the law or the right thing, how to keep from verbally
releasing your frustrations?

Any advice for Stacey?

Andrew sent us this perplexing banner from MLB.tv. He saw it on the Atlanta Braves’ web site. “NO BLACKOUTS!” it proclaims. Then at the bottom: “Blackout and other restrictions apply.” Well, at least the banner ad is honest.