Author: Meg Marco

We regularly get letters from people who are upset that their bank “unilaterally” closed a credit account they hadn’t used in years. They’re always quite surprised that the bank can do this, and usually want to get their accounts back. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. You really do have to use your account occasionally to keep the bank from closing it.

Santiago says:

This morning when I logged onto my BofA online banking site as I often do, I noticed that my old MBNA credit account was gone from the list of accounts. I wrote a message to customer service and their reply was that I should call the toll-free number. (Bank of America acquired MBNA in 2006.)

After some 20 minutes of ‘let me transfer you to the right department’ and holding, a lady by the name of Cameron told me something like “you don’t use, we close it”

Now, it is true that I have not used this account in a few years but I find it disappointing that Bank of America can unilaterally close a credit account. Especially since this has implications on my credit rating.

Please help, I would like this account reinstated.

Getting the account reinstated is going be tough. We have heard of one guy who got Chase to reopen his account, so it is possible that Bank of America might do the same. You’re going to need to try to escalate your complaint to the highest level of customer service support you can — and then cross your fingers.

For the rest of you, to avoid the hassle and potential credit score problems, it’s easiest to occasionally buy a pack of gum. Ya know?

Slate has an interesting article about food expiration dates and their meaning — which can be somewhat slippery. The basic idea is this: You don’t have to throw out food just because its past the “Sell By” date. You should inspect your food to see if it has spoiled and try to make a rational decision.

Is the food slimy and smelly? Don’t eat it.

From Slate:

The fact is that expiration dates mean very little. Food starts to deteriorate from the moment it’s harvested, butchered, or processed, but the rate at which it spoils depends less on time than on the conditions under which it’s stored. Moisture and warmth are especially detrimental. A package of ground meat, say, will stay fresher longer if placed near the coldest part of a refrigerator (below 40 degrees Fahrenheit), than next to the heat-emitting light bulb. Besides, as University of Minnesota food scientist Ted Labuza explained to me, expiration dates address quality—optimum freshness—rather than safety and are extremely conservative. To account for all manner of consumer, manufacturers imagine how the laziest people with the most undesirable kitchens might store and handle their food, then test their products based on these criteria.

With perishables like milk and meat, most responsible consumers (those who refrigerate their groceries as soon as they get home, for instance) have a three-to-seven-day grace period after the “Sell by” date has elapsed. As for pre-packaged greens, studies show that nutrient loss in vegetables is linked to a decline in appearance. When your broccoli florets yellow or your green beans shrivel, this signals a depletion of vitamins. But if they haven’t lost their looks, ignore the printed date.

You should not, however, feel free to behave like my father, who has a complete inability to tell if milk has gone bad. Having coffee over there is always an adventure.

Ignore Expiration Dates [Slate] (Thanks, Cy!)

Terry, who was annoyed that the Disney Store refused to sell his family less than $10 worth of stuff without ID, has sent an update.

Terry says that the district manager of the store called his wife at home and apologized “many times over” for the service the family received on that day.

Terry writes:

He said that everything just went from bad to worse. The employees are empowered to make the customer happy, and she should have said, “We like to see ID, however we understand your situation and it’s OK.”

The store has now been retrained and this will not happen again.

Also, A memo has been sent out company-wide, detailing the proper Credit Card acceptance procedures and this will no longer be an issue at any Disney Store.

Hey, good job Terry! It sounds like the Disney Store managed to keep a customer.

The new cool development in security technology is a portable bomb juice scanner that the TSA plans to begin using to detect traces of explosives on your hands.

From their blog:

Recently, we tested ETD technology outside its regular use at checkpoints and checked baggage areas, and confirmed its ability to be used in other areas of the airport like the gate to check for explosives residue on passengers. Why the move? Since the attempted attack on 12/25, we looked at ways to immediately strengthen security using existing technology and procedures in different ways. ETD is quick, good for security and cost efficient.

Sure, we’re improving the checkpoints with technology such as Advanced Imaging Technology machines, but we currently have ETD machines at every checkpoint in the country and this new procedure will help us beef up security. Explosive Trace Detection is a highly effective, proven technology.

So as you travel, you might be asked for a swab of your hands at the checkpoint or gate. It’s painless and quick. The swabs are disposed of after each use and will not be used on more than one person.

You cool with this? Does it makes more or less sense than the whole “take off your shoes” thing?

Explosive Trace Detection Usage Expanded: Give Us A Hand [TSA Blog]

Our buddies over at the CR Money Blog noticed something odd about a new offer from Verizon. You can get FiOS for $89.00 for a year! Sounds good, until you realize that the prices goes up after 12 months– but the contract doesn’t end for another year.

From CR Money Blog:

You get an automatic increase to $109.99 a month, which the agreement locks you into for the next 12 months. That could be a nasty surprise if you’re not paying attention.

Why doesn’t Verizon simply say $99 for 24 months, which is what the deal actually works out to? Maybe it’s because it couldn’t display that big $89.99, which makes the offer look especially appetizing.

A $99 a month bundle isn’t all that unusual, but in New York, where Cablevision is the competition, the Verizon bundle is more expensive than the cable triple play bundle. Cablevision is offering $89.95 a month for a year with no contract that locks you into a rate increase after the promotional period is over.

Verizon FIOS offer: You’re locked in, but the price isn’t [CR Money Blog]

According to Reuters, Toyota announced today that it would add a brake-override system to all future cars. The system would cut power from the engine when the accelerator and brake pedals are applied at the same time.

The company also said it plans to form a “Special Committee for Global Quality” that would ostensibly prevent a repeat of the bazillion million car recall spectacular.

The president of the company, Akio Toyoda, will head the taskforce.

Toyota to Install Brake-Override System [NYT]

Our science-obsessed cousins over at Consumer Reports decided to test some AA batteries to see which ones were the best. The results? Generic CVS batteries suck! They took the fewest amount of pictures in CR’s digital cameras before giving out.

The best deal turned out to be a package of rechargeable batteries from Sanyo called “Eneloop.” The difference was huge. The Sanyo rechargeable batteries took over 400 pictures while CVS disposable ones took only 92.

Stay juiced: AA batteries tested in Consumer Reports’ labs [Consumer Reports]

Reader Bang’s says his wife wanted to surprise him (on Valentine’s Day) with a game. She didn’t know what console he had so she asked Best Buy for some help. They said he “probably” had an XBOX and sold her not only a game, but a non-refundable XBOX Live subscription. When the couple tried to exchange the purchase (he actually has a PS3), they say they were told the game could be swapped but they were stuck with the unopened, unused XBOX Live card.

Please help! My wife, over the Valentine’s, surprised me with Modern Warfare 2 for the Xbox and a 12 month subscription to Xbox Live that she bought at our local Best Buys. I own a PS3 and already own Modern Warfare 2 for the PS3. So you would think it would be simple to just return it?

Wrong!!!!

So we went to Best Buys and tried to return it. The CS rep told us he would take back the game but we are stuck with the Xbox game card. He flipped over the receipt and circled a statement in a big red marker that says “Best Buys does not take back consumable like phone cards. I explained it to him, that it was a gift and I have the original receipt, the game unopened and the game card was unscratched as well. My wife was getting livid as I explained the we don’t even own a xbox and she was told by the sales rep when she bought it that most likely I owned a Xbox and upsold her the 12 month subscription to Xbox Live with the game.

After arguing with him for 5 minutes and holding up a very long line of returns, he told me that I could speak to a manager. We waited 20 minutes for a manager and none came, we left with game and subscription card in hand. My wife and I were so embarrassed at that point and with the receipt being circled with a big red marker, I don’t even want to try to take it back to another store.

What makes me so mad is that over the past 10 years spending thousands at Best Buys and this probably being first return in years, Best Buys gives steady customers like me, the shaft. What’s even more sad, is that I have defended Best Buys to my family members over the past years when they had bad experiences at Best Buys.

Personally we would feel bad selling a nonrefundable item to someone who is a) buying a gift and who b) doesn’t know if it’s the right thing and is c) asking for help, but that’s probably why we are not CEOs or something by now.

Give your wife a big hug for us and then try Best Buy’s executive customer service. Perhaps they will be more flexible than the people you dealt with at the store.

Reader Kate is upset that she left a portable crib in the trunk of her Zipcar and nobody reported it to the lost and found. She realizes its her fault for leaving it there, but she’s upset anyway.

Kate says:

I love Zipcar. My husband and I have used Zipcar for years, and we’ve always been happy with the service. Apparently we just didn’t realize the service’s pitfall: other Zipcar customers.

About a week ago, my husband and I rented a Zipcar to visit a friend in New York City. We have an 11-month-old baby and we took our Pack n Play portable crib with us, in case we needed it. We put it in the trunk of the car, but nothing else was in the trunk of the car.

We didn’t use the portable crib during the visit (and in fact, never took it out of the trunk), and by the time we returned to our apartment, we’d forgotten it was even in the car. We returned the Zipcar to the garage and left the crib in the trunk.

It might seem absurd that it took us so long to realize that it was missing, but we have an actual crib at home, so we only use the PnP for travel. We didn’t realize we didn’t have it until the following weekend, when we needed it for a longer trip. At this point we called Zipcar and learned that we had two courses of action: Go check the car for the item (we did, and it wasn’t there), and report it on Zipcar’s Lost & Found forum (we did that also).

No dice. The crib is gone, and no one has reported it missing. Which means that someone who rented the car after we did took it. Am I the only one who thinks that’s bizarre? This wasn’t a wallet–it was a baby crib. Those things aren’t cheap, and they clearly belong to someone who (surprise!) has a baby. Wouldn’t you at least make a small attempt to return it to someone who probably wants it back?

I realize this is our own fault. We left the crib in the car. And we left it there for nearly a week. But it’s annoying to me that no one tried to return it to us, and Zipcar apparently isn’t allowed to contact previous rental customers to ask them about lost items.

The lesson: Don’t leave anything in your Zipcar, because Zipcar customers are thieves.

We hate to disagree with you, Kate, but from the tone of your letter it seems that you are new at forgetting things. We at Consumerist are not. Being the sort of person who leaves stuff places seems to be some sort of job requirement here.

So, let us draw from our vast, vast, vast experience losing shit and let you know that it is highly unlikely that someone “took” your crib. You see, people use Zipcars to buy groceries and move things. If you left an item in the trunk, there is a very good chance the next person was like, “What the HELL?! I can’t move my crap with this stupid crib in here!” The Zipcar lost and found policy doesn’t really cover things that are too large to fit in the glovebox.

At this point they probably left your crib in the parking lot or threw it in a dumpster. Is this the right thing to do? Who knows. It’s hard to require someone to mind your crib while paying for trunk space for themselves.

So, now that you’ve joined the ranks of the lovable but absentminded, you should realize that when we, the forgetful, leave our crap in someone elses’ space it is a burden on them and we should not expect said people to go out of their way to carry our weight.

Oh, and we would advise you to go back to the parking lot where you got the Zipcar and check the corners and fences and dumpsters in case it’s still there. Ben found his nice dress shoes in a Zipcar parking lot once. They’re still good. True story.

The Treasury Department now owns 61% of GM, but apparently the new owners are being stingy. The Detroit News says GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said Friday that the top 25 senior executives (whose pay packages are being reviewed by the Treasury) are “way, way, way” underpaid.

From the Detroit News:

“All I know is, right now, we are given our responsibility. And given the rigors of the job and demands and the accountability, I would say we are being paid way, way, way below market.”

Apparently this lack of pay is hurting GM’s ability to hire the best people. They were unable to find a CEO and instead just appointed their Chairman Edward Whitacre Jr. to the job.

Still, they’re not exactly broke.

Feinberg ruled in October that salaries for GM’s top 25 executives would drop by 31 percent, while total compensation would decline 20.4 percent. Just one other executive in GM’s top 25, beyond the CEO, was to earn more than $500,000 in cash.

“Right now, that isn’t a problem, but over time, clearly a company that undercompensates senior executives is going to have a retention or recruiting problem,” Lutz said.

Since Feinberg set pay limits last year, GM has hired a new chief financial officer, Chris Liddell, who will be paid in $750,000 plus stock awards. Special adviser Steve Girsky is being paid $1.1 million for sitting on GM’s board of directors and for advising Whitacre. His pay includes $200,000 a year as a director and a monthly grant of salary stock valued at $75,000, or $900,000 a year.

The pay limits for GM’s top executives are understandable considering the firm’s stay in bankruptcy court last year, Lutz added.

“You can’t go through Chapter 11 and come out the other side and expect to have all of the same perks and comps as you did before,” he said. “We just hope it doesn’t stay this way too long.”

GM’s Lutz: Auto execs are ‘way’ underpaid [Detroit News]

There’s a lot of snow in parts of the country that don’t seem to get snow that often. Thankfully, The Awl has some f*cking instructions about how to f*cking shovel the snow.

What, you don’t have boots?! (Rolls eyes). Okay, put on your Aldo dress shoes and put each foot into a few tall plastic bags, doubling or tripling up. Duct tape those fuckers on around your calves. You do have calves, don’t you? Yell to nobody in the house in particular, “I’m going out to shovel!”

Get your shovel.

You have one of those bent “ergonomic” shovels? (Sigh.) Fine. A plastic thing from Target? I suppose. Real shoveling is always and only done with aircraft-grade aluminum.

Open the door but do not step outside yet. Stepping on the snow just packs it onto the step and makes clearing it harder. Shovel the top step snow onto the second step. Shovel first and second step snow down onto the third. Repeat until you’re on a cleared spot on the landing. Turn around. Now scrape all the top step snow down to the second. Then to the third. Continue until all snow from the steps is on the landing then shovel that off to the side.

Go inside and chug another a fucking glass of red wine.

Yeah, that’s basically it. Just keep drinking red wine until it’s over or you pass out and they make someone else finish. Wait.

Here are some real instructions from Consumer Reports Health. They also recommend frequently replenishing your fluids. Just sayin’.

Snow is coming—shovel safely [CRH]

It annoys some people that Target wants to scan their ID when they buy an M rated video game. Well, guess what? We’ve heard over and over that they don’t actually need to scan it. All they need to do is type your birth date into the computer. They’ll tell you they have to scan it — but if you hold your ground like reader “Wuuu” you can escape without being scanned.

Wuuu says:

I just want to share my experience regarding the purchase of a M rated Xbox 360 game at my local Target. With $50 worth of items in hand, I made it over to the electronics section and asked for a copy of Dante’s Inferno. Went the cashier rang up my game he asked to see my drivers license since I was buying a M rated game. I showed it to him after which he said he needed out of my billfold so he could scan it in the register. This is where I had a problem.

I refused after which he said the game cannot be sold to me unless he scanned it. I refused again and he said there was no way around it because the computer/register was asking for it. I refused once more and after some posturing on both sides I left my $50 worth of items and got ready to leave the store with making any purchases.

It was then I decided that I was not going to give up. I asked for the number of the district manager and he referred me to customer service where they could give me an 800 number. I told him this was unacceptable because I want to speak to someone with authority and not a $7 employee who would recite company policy.

I ask to speak to a store manager and he offered to get another manager. Again I told him that this was unacceptable because I wanted to speak with someone higher up in the chain of command. He then left and got a the store manager.

I explained to the store manager that I will not allow my drivers license to be scanned because it contains my organ donor information, my height, weight, color of my eyes, driving restrictions, etc, etc, and that was private and confidential and to scan it would be a complete violation of my privacy and Target did not need that information. I went on to explain my drivers license contains my age and that was sufficient proof of my age. I further explained even though bars may ask for ID they do not scan it. Nor does Best Buy, Walmart, Blockbuster, or GameStop and they are following the same state and federal law as Target does when it comes to providing proof of age. Although I have no problems showing my drivers license to prove my age, I absolutely refuse to have it be scanned.

The manager relented and said they don’t have to scanned but he will need to get a number off it to enter into computer/register. I accepted his offer and watched him type in my date of birth. I left the store with game in hand and Target made $120.

Sometimes being persistent pays off.

The ESRB (the organization that issues the ratings) is a self-regulating organization and not some sort of governmental body. Target’s compliance with its recommendations is strictly voluntary. There is no federal law restricting the sale of “M” rated video games to minors.

We’re not actually sure what Target does with the info they scan off your ID. Maybe nothing. But if it bugs you, try just saying “No.”

Manholes have been exploding more than usual in NYC lately. For those of you who have never lived in NYC, the street randomly explodes at pretty frequent intervals. Sometimes it’s a steam pipe, sometimes it’s electrical. Right now firefighters are putting out a Radio Shack that was a little too close to an exploding manhole/transformer situation. We have video of that, plus three other recent explosions.

After Radio Shack (note the calm disinterest of the people who pass by), we have a transformer explosion in Brooklyn. After that, an exploding manhole in Manhattan on 6th Street (between Avenues A and B). It’s surrounded by brave ConEd workers who we do not envy. The last one is on 29th Street. Enjoy.

A Radio Shack on Sixth Avenue Just Exploded [NY Mag]
Video: More Manhole Explosions! [Gothamist]

Kelley Blue Book says that they’ve commissioned a new survey showing that consumers who were considering a Toyota before the recall party started are now much less interested — and the effect seems to be growing. As each week passes and Toyota recalls more cars, people are thinking about buying… Fords?

From KBB’s press release:

Of those competing brands offering specific incentives to Toyota owners/shoppers, Ford is garnering the most consumer attention, with 16 percent of car shoppers saying they were not considering a Ford prior to the Toyota recall but now are (due to Ford’s Toyota-specific incentives). Chevrolet is in second place with eight percent saying they were not considering a Chevy prior to the recall news, but now are (due to Chevy’s Toyota- specific incentives).

So, is the damage permanent? According to the survey 49% of consumers who said they were no longer considering a Toyota say they are not sure if they will consider the brand again, even once Toyota’s problems are resolved.

Of course, all of this sucks for those of you who are trying to sell Toyotas. The Blue Book values of the cars are, of course, dropping.

Kelley Blue Book Values Summary for Toyota

* All Used Recalled Toyota Models: Used-car values declined 1-3 percent (depending on the model) on February 5, 2010, and will drop an additional 1.5 percent on Friday, February 12, 2010
* New 2010 Prius: New Car Blue Book® Value (transaction price) will drop by $1,000 – $1,500 on February 12, 2010
* Used Prius, 2009 and older models: Used-car value dropped 1.5 percent on February 5, 2010, and will drop an additional 1.5 percent on February 12, 2010
* Used Corolla, 2009 and older models: Used-car values dropped 1.5 percent on February 5, 2010, and will drop an additional 1.5 percent on February 12, 2010

Kbb.com: Toyota Brand Consideration, Vehicle Interest, Values Continue to Decline [KBB]

For years Burger King has been exclusively targeting young males with its advertising (a particularly gross example from Singapore is shown here). According to AdAge, the company has had a change of heart after same-store sales dropped 3.3% in the U.S. and Canada in the fiscal quarter that ended Dec. 31.

Now they’re introducing “lower-calorie “Positive Steps” combos” that will be advertised in women’s magazines.

AdAge also says that the company will be doing another Twilight promotion for their “female superfans.” A “superfan” is what the company calls people who eat fast-food nine or 10 times per month.

“The superfan is merely a term coined by Burger King to describe the fast-food hamburger-restaurant industry’s most frequent user,” Burger King CEO John Chidsey told investors during an earnings conference call last week. “To clarify, it’s not just 18- to 34-year-old males, it’s all ages and all household demographics, with over half of them having children. And interestingly, over 29% are 50 years of age or older.”

Burger King’s ‘Superfan’ Might Just Be Your Grandma [AdAge]

The AG of California recently pointed out that some of Target’s Valentine’s Day plush bears contained unacceptable levels of lead. A nonprofit consumer watchdog group tested the bears and turned the findings over the California AG, who in turn wrote Target a strongly-worded letter. Target has responded by pulling the toys while they investigate. The company says the Chinese-made toys passed testing.

“In this case, the laboratory identified lead levels nearly 10 times higher than those allowed under federal law,” the AG’s letter stated. “We ask that you stop selling the bears immediately and that you accept returns of the product, even without a receipt, as part of any corrective action.”

“We are locking this item at point of sale so guests are unable to purchase it while we conduct an internal investigation on the safety of this product,” [a Target spokesperson] said. “Target’s initial investigation indicates this product had compliant testing results when it was shipped.”

Target pulls Valentine’s toys over lead concerns [AP]

Reader Matt wants to share his technique for waltzing past the Walmart receipt checkers with a minimum of hassle. The secret? Be super nice, but don’t stop walking.

Matt says:

As a long time reader of the Consumerist, I have seen a lot of posts about the annoyances of Walmart greeters insisting on checking receipts. I have detested this practice as well, and Consumerist articles are what started me on my road to refusing to show receipts. I have learned a few tips from experience that I thought I’d pass on.

First, is that your significant other probably won’t be pleased. My wife always pretends she doesn’t know me whenever I refuse to show my receipt. She thinks it’s kind of funny, but she won’t back me up ever. She just keeps walking as if I were a stranger.

Second, and most important, is to be polite. I’ve found that being confrontational or refusing on almost any grounds turns it into a messy experience. I’ve found that what works best is when someone asks to see my receipt, I just smile cheerfully and say “No Thanks”, and keep walking. A majority of the time the greeter will just get a befuddled expression on their face as they try to figure out what to do. After all, they haven’t been trained to handle this situation, and because you aren’t really confronting them or doing anything to get their hackles up, they aren’t very likely to really stop you. Besides, how can you stop someone and be rude to them when they just smiled at you and were polite?

The other thing is to just keep on walking. Don’t try to avoid the greeter, don’t speed up, don’t slow down. Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do if the greeter hadn’t been there. If you don’t do anything to trigger basic responses in them, then the confusion over your courteous refusal will have you out the door before they know what to do about it. After all, confrontation doesn’t accomplish anything and the wasted time of a confrontation defeats the purpose of not showing your receipt in the first place.

I’ve found that it is far more satisfying to be super polite when refusing to show a receipt. Once you start to be at all rude, the greeters will become far more confrontational and things can spiral out of hand. The only time I have ever had a confrontation was one of the first times I ever refused to show my receipt. I hadn’t learned any of these tricks, and it wasn’t a very enjoyable experience, even though I did win out and didn’t show my receipt.

What do you think of Matt’s method?

The Washington Post is reporting that the ridiculously huge ETFs for the Nexus One are magically shrinking as the FCC continues to investigate the fees. Google has shaved $200 of the “equipment recovery fee” it charges if a customer breaks their contract with T-Mobile after a 14-day trial period.

The WaPo breaks it down for us:

Google’s “equipment recovery fee” applies to customers who break their two-year T-Mobile contract after a 14-day trial period and before 120 days. A $350 fee that applied to new T-Mobile customers was lowered to $150, while a $250 fee for existing T-Mobile customers upgrading to the Nexus One was cut to $50.

Customers would still have to pay a separate early termination fee to T-Mobile USA Inc. That fee is $200 for customers who break a contract after the 14-day trial period and before 120 days. After that, it is prorated.

Don’t worry, this has “nothing to do” with the investigation, says T-Mobile. The companies are just doing it randomly on their own because they are awesome. Or at least… that’s their story:

“We have been looking for ways to improve our customers’ experience, so we were able to work with T-Mobile to find a better solution for our customers,” Google said in a statement.

In other news, Google now has phone support for their phone — sort of. You can now inquire about that status of your order at +1-888-48-NEXUS (63987) between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Technical support questions should go to HTC.

Google reduces fee to break Nexus One contract [Washington Post]

Mass Effect 2 is an awesome game that you should buy immediately. In addition, it also offers solid electronics buying advice in the form of an alien shopkeeper.

Your character, Commander Shepard, asks the shopkeeper why he’s there if you don’t actually buy anything from him. (It’s all automated through a kiosk.) He replies:

“Customer Service. Sweeping up the store. Carefully explaining things to the technologically illiterate. It’s stunning how many people think light moves faster through expensive fiber optic cables than it does through cheap ones.”

A very smart person has cut out everything except the violence from the Super Bowl commercials. This way you can see Tim Tebow tackle his mom without worrying about boring controversy.

Enjoy.

[The Daily What]