Home / consumerist.com rss archive / September-09-2007


Banks: Bank Wait Times Are Matter Of Perception
According to a McKinsey article entitled, "Bank branches that meet customer needs," Customer satisfaction, we know from our research, reflects perceived rather than actual waiting time. A three- to five-minute wait (or three to five customers standing in a line) will be acceptable if the branch provides interesting diversions and appears to be staffed efficiently.Does this describe your bank branch? We rarely set foot in ours, Washington Mutual, but when we do, the lines are often long and there don't seem to be any "diversions," beyond wondering idly who ever thought switching to a "kiosk" style of banking was a good and safe idea.

Above And Beyond: DHL: Our Drivers Went Home For The Night, But We'll Deliver Your Package Anyway
Kyle expected DHL to deliver his package by 3pm. When DHL failed to show, Kyle called to ask for an explanation. Without any argument, DHL refunded Kyle's full shipping costs and promised to track down his package.Well on rolls 4:30 and I don't have a call yet, at this point I am a tad frustrated. I call them back and tell them what is going on. The customer service representative is very understanding and calls the local office. Normally a company would put you on hold and get back to you with an answer. I was very surprised when he 3-way called the local office and told them what was going on. I was told that the truck had broken down. They said they were trying to get the packages loaded on another truck to continue delivery. Well it was getting late in the day so I prepared to have to wait until monday for my package. I received a call around 5 from another representative, they told me that the drivers are gone for the night, I saw this one coming. Here is were the real...

Mystery Box: Instruction Manual? Check. Battery? Check. Cords? Check. Camera? Whoops!
I purchased a camera from Target the day before my vacation. Later that night I opened the box and there was no camera! Everything else was in there the owner manual, battery, cords, etc. but no camera! I called Target customer service and they said to bring the box back. When I get there the manager said there is absolutely no way they can exchange for another one or give me my money back. She not only accused me of being a liar but also a criminal and made sure that security escorted me out of the store! She thought I was trying to scam them! Mind you I have my own business and purchased the camera on a Platinum Business American Express card. I tried for months now to dispute this with both Target and American Express and both have denied giving me another camera or my money back. Target's dispute is that I should of known by how heavy the box felt there was not a camera in there before I left the store. Please!!!! Come on! Like I said, everything else was in the box...

Florists: Class Action Suit Drives Scammers Into Bankruptcy
Missouri florists have bankrupted a New Jersey telemarketer accused in a class action suit of tampering with phone book listings to siphon callers away from local businesses. The telemarketer, TTP, purchased phone book listings under the same names as local florists, but did not provide an address; the listings appeared side-by-side, but when local callers dialed the number without an address, they were directed to an out-of-state call center that tacked on a handling fee and submitted the order to a different area florist."The primary objective of both lawsuits is to get TTP out of Missouri," said Gregory Leyh of Gladstone, the attorney for both class-action lawsuits. "TTP cheats by pretending to be a local florist so it can fool consumers and steal the legitimate business of Missouri florists. At least for now, TTP is no longer in the floral business in Missouri."TTP's president, Thomas Meola, said the company could no longer afford the cost of defending the lawsuits."This...

Telephony: Steer Clear Of The Call Forwarding Scam - Don't Dial *72
Cook County prison inmates posing as Sheriffs are scamming St. Louis households with calls that start with a request to aid someone who has just been in an accident by calling a number that starts with *72. The prefix activates call forwarding, allowing all incoming calls to ring at an alternate number; the calls are then billed to the victim.Police say the scam is not new, nor is it a local phenomenon. In 2005, the Arkansas attorney general issued a consumer alert addressing the call-forwarding con. And a few years ago, a group of inmates in Florida bilked residents of that state, making $50,000 in long-distance calls billed to their unsuspecting victims before they were caught, police said.The scheme has many variations, authorities said. Sometimes the caller poses as a telephone company technician and claims to need access to check a telephone line. He or she then asks whoever answers to input a code that is supposedly designed to give the "technician" remote access to the...

Health: How I Lost 14.6 Pounds Sitting In Front Of A Computer
After a year-and-a-half of blogging out of the comfort of my apartment, I was out of shape and overweight. I'm 5'11" and I weighed 220 lbs. Pants weren't fitting. I learned that buttons popping off pants didn't just happen in the cartoons. My family noticed my doublechins, my dad worried I had diabetes. Something had to be done, and I was going to use what made me fat, computers and the internet, to help me do it.I decided to put all my diet and workouts online to make me feel publicly accountable. I also figured that the idea that I was doing an internet project makes it seem less of a chore.METHODSCameraphone & FlickrI took pictures of what I ate, when I worked out, and my weight scale results and uploaded them to Flickr, a free photo sharing site. Traineo.comI entered my weight and workouts into Traineo, a free diet and fitness social networking site. Check out my profile here.Shangri-la DietI implemented the principles of the Shangri-la Diet, which mainly involves supplement...

Airlines: Fewer Delays On The Horizon
Several airlines are taking small steps to reduce the infuriating delays that have plagued airlines during their no-holds-barred fight to remain profitable. Airlines are still cramming their planes full of paying consumers, but they are hoping that building more ground-time into schedules and changing the way flights are diverted will alleviate some complaints. From the Wall Street Journal:Tempe-based US Airways decided in July to extend its operating day by 30 minutes, spreading flights out more and making four more aircraft available as spares.The airline added one additional plane to its East Coast shuttle operation, flying the same number of flights with more jets so delays don't affect the schedule as much.US Airways also added workers at its Philadelphia and Charlotte hubs to better handle passenger re-accommodation. The goal is to have agents meet late flights and hand customers new boarding passes, Parker said.American Airlines is also getting in on the fun:American...

Saving: Stash Your Cash In CDs Now
The Federal Reserve Board is expected to cut interest rates soon, and you can bet that banks will quickly follow their lead and slash rates on savings accounts and certificates of deposit. By purchasing a CD now, you can lock in favorable rates ahead of the Fed's September 18 meeting. From the Chicago Tribune:"Banks usually are really fast to cut rates and slow to raise," he said.Some experts are advising people to lock in longer-term certificates of deposit soon, at least with a portion of their savings, in case rates begin to slide."Locking in a CD is particularly attractive now," said Greg McBride, senior analyst at Bankrate.com in North Palm Beach, Fla. "The yields haven't yet reflected the idea of a Fed rate cut."If you have spare cashed parked in a high-interest saving account, consider using Bankrate's excellent comparison tool to find the best rate on a CDs before the Fed busts the cheap money party.Savers would be wise to lock in high CD rates [Chicago Tribune](Photo:...