Author: Meg Marco

It’s a media merger throw down! Ticketmaster merged with LiveNation because the thought of being able to buy tickets from more than one company apparently causes a breakdown in the fabric of spacetime. NBC is about to merge with Kabletown, wait, that sounds wrong, Xfinity, wait… Comcast, that’s it.

We know what Conan O’Brien thinks, but which one makes you sad inside?

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.

Living in the city seems much more expensive than the suburbs, until you consider transportation costs. Good points us to a new tool from The Center for Neighborhood Technology that maps the percentage of income various areas spend on transportation and housing combined. Turns out living in the suburbs can be less cost effective.

Something to research when you’re thinking of moving.

H&T Affordability Index [CNT]

GoDaddy.com, of the annoying Danica Patrick commercials, has announced that it will no longer sell .cn domain names. Why? It is not willing to comply with new rules from the Chinese government which requires domain holders to provide photo ID, says Wired.

From Wired:

Go Daddy’s top lawyer Christine Jones told Congress Wednesday that the new rules were an “attempt to exercise censorship on the subject matter hosted on domain names.”

“We were having to contact Chinese users to ask for their personal information and begrudgingly give it to Chinese authorities,” Jones said. “We decided we didn’t want to become an agent of the Chinese government.”

“We are concerned for the safety of current domain-name holders and about the chilling effect it could have for new registrants,” Jones said.

This comes only days after Google announced it would pull out of China and redirect Google.cn to its uncensored search engine based in Hong Kong.

Go Daddy Stops Selling Chinese Domains Over Censorship Concerns
[Wired]

Another banking showdown. CapitalOne, notorious for shady fees and now for raising interest rates ahead of the CARD Act, and Chase… well, we suppose this sums up how people feel about the banking giant.

So, Internet, we ask you: Which one makes your head explode like the guy in Scanners? (Warning: Head Explodes.)

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.

A woman who was hunched over chatting on her cellphone “discreetly” says the movie theater she was in is negligent because an arm rest fell down and smacked her in the head.

It apparently did give her quite a bump on the head because she was taken by ambulance from the theater to a nearby hospital, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Who knew? You go to the movie theaters and the arm rest is going to knock you out. It’s an unforeseen incident and you don’t want anybody to go through the pain and suffering I’m going through,” [the woman] told the Sun-Times.

The lawsuit claims the theater was negligent because it did not properly maintain the armrests.

When the Sun-Times asked her if she was rethinking that call (because she was probably annoying other people) she was unrepentant.

“I bent down so as not to disturb anybody,” she told the paper.

Armrest bonks cellphone user on head during movie: lawsuit [Sun-Times]

The FTC says that the person behind a deceptive robocalling operation that allegedly used prerecorded messages to “fraudulently pitch extended auto warranties to U.S. consumers” will have to pay $655,000 as well as “turn over the proceeds from the sale of his second home in Florida and two luxury cars, a Porsche 911 and a Lexus sedan.”

This is the second settlement with a car warranty robocaller, says the FTC. The case against 4 of 6 defendants still ongoing.

From the FTC:

The settlement order against Voice Touch and Dunne permanently bars them from both telemarketing and assisting anyone else in telemarketing. It also bars them from making a range of misrepresentations, including:

• that they are affiliated with a consumer’s car manufacturer or dealer;
• that the consumer’s original auto warranty is about to expire;
• that they are authorized to sell, and are selling, auto warranties that will extend the original manufacturer’s warranty;
• that they are selling warranties of any kind;
• the total cost to buy, receive, or use the goods or services they are selling;
• any material restrictions, limitations, or conditions on buying, receiving, or using their services;
• their refund, cancellation, exchange, or re-purchase policies; and
• the performance, effectiveness or any other key characteristics of their goods or services.

Finally, the order requires Dunne to cooperate with the FTC in its ongoing case against the remaining defendants.

FTC Settlement Also Permanently Bars Voice Touch, Inc. From Telemarketing [FTC] (Thanks, Sarah!)

Reuters is reporting that NBC and Comcast have secured financing for their proposed merger. And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.

From Reuters:

The financing includes a three-year credit agreement providing a $3 billion term loan facility and a $750 million revolving facility for NBC Universal.

There is also a bridge loan agreement to provide a $6.1 billion facility with a syndicate of lenders.

Comcast will own a 51% stake in NBC Universal if the merger is approved by regulators, and it now seems they are able to pay for it if/when it does.

NBC gets financing for Comcast merger [Reuters]

Evenflo Top-of-Stair™ Plus Wood Gates are supposed to stop your baby from plummeting down the stairs. Unfortunately, they do not do this, so they have been recalled.

The CPSC says:

Evenflo has received 142 reports of slats breaking and/or detaching from the gate. Three children gained access to stairs. One of those children fell through the gate and down five steps; another fell down one step. Injuries included four children who sustained bumps and bruises to the head and seven children who sustained minor injuries including scratches, scrapes and bruises.

Recall Info:
Evenflo models 10502 and 10512 Top-of-Stair Plus Wood Gates made from October 2007 through July 2009. The model number can be found on the bottom rail. No other Evenflo model numbers or gates are affected by this recall.

Sold at: Toys “R” Us, Burlington Baby Depot, Kmart and other juvenile product and mass merchandise retailers nationwide in the U.S. and Canada, and on the Web at Amazon.com and other online retailers from October 2007 through March 2010 for about $40.

What To Do: Call Evenflo toll-free at (800) 233-5921 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at safety.evenflo.com. You will receive a free newer model 10503 or 10513 Top-of-Stair™ Plus Wood replacement gate.

Evenflo Recalls Top-of-Stair Plus Wood Gates Due to Fall Hazard [CPSC]

Gizmodo, citing internal Apple documentation, says that the company is allowing customers to buy iPhones without an AT&T contract.

From Giz:

• Customers are not required to have an AT&T contract.
• Customers can only purchase one iPhone per day.

Is that easy. Then it’s up to you to unlock it. The price is $499 for the iPhone 3G 8GB, $599 for the iPhone 3GS 16GB, and $699 for the 32GB top model.

You into this?

Buy iPhones Without Contract Now: Official Apple Document Leaked [Gizmodo]

Computer showdown. The black hole that is HP’s warranty repair operation vs Dell’s inability to actually ship stuff a reasonable time after you order it.

Which one makes you want to burn down your own house? Oh wait, they both do!

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.

Mainstreet.com has put together a slide show of the most caffeinated “drinks” available on the market today. The really potent ones aren’t really made for drinking — they’re actually just liquid that you add to a regular drink in order to make it more caffeine-rich. The most potent one allegedly comes in a syringe-looking thing — because emptying something that looks like a syringe into a drink isn’t going to raise any eyebrows at work…

From Mainstreet:

#1: 5150 Juice
Caffeine addicts can inject their drug of choice quite literally with 5150 Juice syringes. The shot goes directly into the beverage of your choice, but because of its extremely high potency, you may want to stick with just one fix.

Caffeine per ounce: 500 milligrams

Price per 100 milligrams: 35 cents based on a 24-pack of one-ounce syringes for $42.

The Most Caffeinated Drinks [Mainstreet]

Yes, this is a fake news story from The Onion, but putting suicide prevention tips on frozen food is a pretty good marketing idea. I mean, if you kill yourself, you won’t be buying any more Stouffers’… right?

Exactly.

We get a surprising amount of letters from people who regularly make extra mortgage payments. (Extra payments sometimes confuse the bank and causes headaches.) It seems like it would always a good idea to pay off debt if you can afford it, but with current mortgage rates as low as they are.. does it still make sense?

The NYT’s Ron Lieber breaks it down:

The answer depends on two things: how likely you are to leave the extra money in savings and how good it would feel to wipe your debt out years earlier than your mortgage requires.

Does making extra mortgage payments work for you? If so, why?

When Not to Pay Down a Mortgage [NYT]

The cab drivers accused of scamming New Yorkers by using a rate meant for out of town travel say they have been vindicated by a statement from the Taxi and Limousine Commissioner. It’s apparently possible that some drivers were accidentally hitting the wrong button at the end of a trip, which would not result in the passenger being overcharged.

From the NYP:

These drivers did press a button that switched their meters to the suburban rate — but apparently did so accidentally and at the end of their trips, meaning their riders were never overcharged, Daus said.

“How can you overcharge a person at the end of a ride when you don’t get money for it?” Daus said, speaking at a City Council hearing yesterday.

“It could be accidental.”

The analysis of the data is not yet complete, but the TLC has added an alert system that informs passengers if they are being charged an out-of-town rate. No word on how many drivers of the 35,558 initially accused would be exonerated.

Cabs’ tabs show fewer cheaters [NYP]

Yes, it’s grocery shrink ray time. Behold Keebler’s Wheatables Toasted Honey Wheat crackers. The new look is pleasing and the package promises the same great taste… too bad there’s less of it.

Reader Grant says:

The price of the product was the same. When I got home I took a look at an old box of Wheatables and noticed that along with the new design the product was now 8.5 oz instead of 9 oz. I have included pictures as well. The new packaging is on the right as noted on the packaging.

We suppose now that there’s less of it, you can appreciate the great taste all the more.

Reader Eric wants to comment about the new design for the 2 liter Coke bottle. It’s a little thinner and taller and doesn’t fit in his fridge.

Eric says:

If you didn’t notice, Coke is making new 2 liter bottles. They are thinner and taller, and DON’T FIT IN MY FRIDGE. I wish to complain to Coke about these bottles. I hate them. They are slightly taller than normal 2 liter bottles, and therefore do not fit in my fridge.

It just so happens I just purchased one of these fancy new 2 liters filled with delicious Passover Coke. It fits in my fridge, phew. I’d hate to miss out on the “timeless magic” that is somehow captured in the new design.

From a Coke press release about the bottle:

“Along with Coca-Cola’s one-of-a-kind real cola taste, the iconic shape of the contour bottle is what people love most about the brand. They are both a part of its timeless magic,” said Hendrik Steckhan, president and general manager, Sparkling Beverages, Coca-Cola North America. “We want to offer our brands to consumers in a special way that fits their needs for all contemporary beverage occasions. When you enjoy your family meal together, sharing an ice-cold Coke from a contour bottle is just ‘the real thing’.”

Except Eric’s “contemporary beverage occasion” is gonna feature warm Coke because the timeless magic doesn’t fit in his fridge.

COCA-COLA PILOTS TWO-LITER VERSION OF ICONIC CONTOUR BOTTLE IN BIRMINGHAM AND CHATTANOOGA [Coca Cola]

Reader Gina writes in to let us know that her local Costco won’t take the $120 her boyfriend is trying to give them. You see, Gina and her boyfriend are honest people, and they contacted Costco to let them know the store had made a $120 error on their bill. Costco doesn’t want their money, however. It wants Gina’s boyfriend to have something called a “Happy Birthday.” What’s that?

Gina writes:

I just had to write in to share my boyfriend’s experience with Costco this weekend. He has been looking to purchase a SLR camera for months now. After a failed attempt to buy a demo model Nikon D80 from Best Buy (wherein they would not let him power up the camera to test it out and told him it didn’t come with a battery or strap) he moseyed on over to Costco to check out the their package deal, which came with the camera, two lenses, a memory card, strap and bag.

He was assisted by the Electronics Manager, who was able to knowledgeably address his questions. He made the decision to purchase the package and was told by the manager that he had a discounted one available, due to it having been opened as a floor model, which was, in turn, never used as such because one was already out on the floor. The package was originally going for around $820 and the opened one was selling for $700.

After being assured that the discounted package came with all the parts, he decided to purchase it. The manager and another employee went through the box piece by piece in front of my boyfriend to make sure that all parts were accounted for. He goes and checks out and then when he gets about halfway home, he realized that the price was funny. After making a few other purchases, his total on his receipt was way off…only $694.00.

Closer inspection revealed that Costco had rung up the camera for the sale price of $700….and then mistakenly applied another $120 discount, bringing the total to $575. My boyfriend, being an honest sort of guy, called Costco and asked for the manager dealt with previously to let him know of the mistake. He offered to come back on Monday to pay the difference and was told by the manager, “Happy Birthday, don’t worry about it.”

I’ve been a longtime Costco customer, but have always had to drag the boyfriend in by his ears (forget about trying to get him in there on a Saturday or Sunday) and now he loves Costco more than he loves me, I think. After being disappointed by Best Buy one too many times, he is going to cancel his (well used) Best Buy card and make all of his big box electronic purchases from Costco. (Also in part due to Costco’s generous return policy on electronics and computers). So good job, Costco! You’ve earned yourself a hard to win customer and we both look forward to making more electronic purchases with you guys!

Oh, Costco. You are so nice.

The NY Post says that they’ve found a correlation between economic growth and same store sales at Walmart. Their theory is that as the economy improves, people run away from the big blue box.

Bentonville, Ark.-based chain is likely to post, for the first time in its history, four straight quarters of same-store sales drops. Coincidentally, the S&P 500 Index is up in each of those quarters.

It’s an odd relationship America has had recently with the low-price titan.

Research by The Post shows that in all but two of the last 13 quarters, Wal-Mart’s US same-store sales dropped whenever the S&P showed a gain — and vice versa.

The latest decline in same-store sales must be particularly frustrating for the chain’s executives — including Bill Simon, the head of US stores — because it is coming after the chain poured $1.17 billion into its massive “Save Money, Live Better” advertising campaign in the last three months of 2009 alone.

As marts rise, Wal-Mart’s US stores fall [NYP]

The NYT breaks down the different security risks by payment type. The takeaway? No method is perfect, but credit cards have the strongest legal protections for consumers.

Credit

“The strongest protections are when you pay by credit card,” says Carole Reynolds, a senior lawyer at the Federal Trade Commission. Under the Truth in Lending Act, consumers’ maximum liability for unauthorized use of their credit card is only $50, and when a card is used online, it’s zero.

If you report fraud quickly, banks will typically reverse the charges rapidly and without much fuss, though in these tight times banks are scrutinizing fraud claims more closely, says Avivah Litan, a payment-fraud expert at research firm Gartner.

Debit

If you report unauthorized charges on a debit card within two business days of discovering the problem, your liability is limited to $50 offline and zero for online transactions, Ms. Reynolds says. If you neglect to do that, but report the loss within 60 days of the date your bank sent the statement listing the bogus transactions, your liability is capped at $500 for offline transactions and remains zero online. If you miss those deadlines, however, you could end up in a bigger mess. Ms. Reynolds warned that your liability could be unlimited.

Paypal/Google Checkout

Shopping online using services like PayPal, Google Checkout and BillMeLater offer some useful additional security because you entrust your sensitive account information to one company and not to every online store you may buy something from. This can be a good idea, especially if you frequently buy from little-known merchants that may not have top-notch Web defenses.

But Ms. Litan warns that if your PayPal account is used fraudulently, it may be harder to get your money back than if you use a credit card.

The article offers one other good tip: If you’re scheduling automatic payments — do it with your bank rather than with individual merchants, “banks and their payment processors are generally better at protecting data than merchants.”

Which method do you prefer?

Reducing the Anxiety of Paying Online [NYT]

Reader Molly needed a cellphone charger. She ran in to Radio Shack to grab one and paid with cash — but the cashier wouldn’t complete the transaction without her home address, phone number and email address. She’s wondering if this is normal.

Molly says:

I went to a radio shack yesterday to replace my cellphone charger. It came to 10 and change including tax and I paid cash.

So I could not think of a reason why the woman at the counter insisted on collecting my home address, phone number and email address. I tried to decline, but she insisted the transaction could not be completed without the data being inputted.

I would have asked to speak to a higher up, but I had a cab waiting and just wanted to book it. I really don’t like handing out information like that, is this blanket policy or was she just crazy? If it is normal, is there away around this?

Different states have different laws about what information you are allowed to collect at the register, so we’ll just throw this one out to the crowd.

Is this normal at Radio Shack? Any tips for getting around it?