Zippo Understands When Your Lighter Just Doesn't Work Like It Used To
By Laura Northrup on December 3, 2010 8:00 AM
1 Comment
The Zippo lighter that Mark has carried around the world with him for the last 30 years just wasn't working like it used to. (I would say that it "lost its zip," but that's a stale pun and The Consumerist is far too dignified for that kind of thing.) He theorized that the reason could be the off-brand flints and fuel that he purchased for it locally. Zippo's representative agreed, and to test that theory, sent him some free genuine Zippo brand fuel and flints in the mail immediately. "You're probably the 'most-best' company in the world!" Mark wrote back to them. More »
(Suz)
Turn Two IKEA Chest Of Drawers Into A Captain's Bed
By Ben Popken on December 2, 2010 5:00 PM
22 Comments
Crafty gal Suz went a little nuts and decided to turn two chest of drawers into a bed. Measure carefully, saw them in half, throw a mattress on top, and boom, you've got yourself a DIY captain's bed. She walks you through how she did it, so you can play the home version of the furniture remix game. More »
Lowe's Recalls 11 Million Roman Shades & Roll-Up Blinds
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 4:51 PM
30 Comments
Roman shades and roll-up blinds have become the drop-side cribs of the home decor world. They're a known risk and there have been industry-wide recalls, and yet they continue to be made (shoddily) and sold... only to be recalled. This time, it's Lowe's Home Centers recalling just about every Roman shade and roll-up blind it's sold since 1999. More »
Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae To Take A Break From Evicting During The Holidays
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 4:28 PM
12 Comments
There are few things as depressing as having your house taken away from you on Christmas Eve, so the people at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are issuing a brief moratorium on evicting people from foreclosed properties during the holiday season. More »
What Is A Fatal Dose Of Four Loko?
By Ben Popken on December 2, 2010 4:00 PM
59 Comments
"How many Four Lokos would it take to kill you?" wondered Esquire. So they turned to a report in Forensic Science International that says the rare fatal caffeine overdose usually requires consuming over 5 grams. To reach that level it would take... More »
What You Have To Tip People Who Work For You So They Don't Think You're A Jerk
By Phil Villarreal on December 2, 2010 3:40 PM
186 Comments
If you're a mailman, you'll probably look just a little more kindly upon those who slip you $10 gift cards during the holidays, and may be willing to work just a little bit harder to keep them happy throughout the year. So think of holiday tipping as a way to buy goodwill that lasts year round and you'll find yourself more motivated to tip appropriately. More »
Comcast's Letter To The FCC About Netflix Tollgate
By Ben Popken on December 2, 2010 3:21 PM
54 Comments
Here is the letter Comcast sent the FCC after eyebrows were raised when Level 3 accused the cable company of setting up a effective tollgate to collect fees when L3 tried to deliver Netflix content to Comcast customers. More »
Crowd Gets Refund Because Steve Martin No Longer Wants To Be Funny
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 3:05 PM
61 Comments
The lectures and other events at NYC's 92nd St Y are a varied lot and can range from intellectually stimulating to downright hilarious -- and can be, on rare occasions, both. And that's what many in the audience to see comedian/actor/author/banjo-player Steve Martin were expecting. More »
Time To Make An Offer They Can't Refuse On ''Godfather' House
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 2:40 PM
20 Comments
Forget that Amityville Horror house they were selling out on Long Island. If you want to really live out scenes from a 1970s hit movie, there's a much cooler (and less creepy) house up for sale -- the Corleone estate from The Godfather. More »
Xbox Rewards Program Offers Online Currency For Online Activity
By Phil Villarreal on December 2, 2010 2:20 PM
13 Comments
Whenever a monolithic company concocts a rewards program, the inclination is to view it with a skeptical eye, as a Trojan Horse that will surely lead to exploitation. But at first glance, it's tough to find fault with Microsoft's seemingly benevolent Xbox Live Rewards program. More »
ATM Skim Scammers Steal Cards With Old Cassette Recorders
By Ben Popken on December 2, 2010 2:00 PM
26 Comments
Fraudsters are cracking open old handheld cassette recorders and using their components to build ATM skimmers that steal your credit card numbers. More »
Man Drives Into Light Pole, Sues Walmart
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 1:40 PM
127 Comments
A man who drove his pickup truck into a light pole in the parking lot of a New Hampshire Walmart has sued the retail giant for damages, claiming the placement of the pole is conducive to car crashes. More »
Would You Buy Your Christmas Tree Online?
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 1:19 PM
39 Comments
In November, Target started selling fresh-cut Christmas trees on their website, joining Costco in the growing number of companies who have turned to the web to offer holiday greenery. More »
Coupon Grandmaster Scores $1658.53 Of Stuff From Walgreens For $19.99, Donates All To Charity
By Ben Popken on December 2, 2010 1:00 PM
81 Comments
Epic is the only word to describe this coupon genius who bought $1658.53 of stuff from Walgreens for only $19.99. It took 6 hours to check out the over 100 transactions necessary to complete the purchase. Why did the manager gladly let him do this? More »
Report: Netflix Offering Big Cash For Access To In-Season TV Shows
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 12:40 PM
60 Comments
While Netflix has made a huge move in the last two years to expand its library of streaming movies and TV shows, the company has only been able to make a few deals that give users access to recently broadcast episodes. But a report in the New York Post claims Netflix is offering networks top-dollar for access to fresher content. More »
(SA_Steve)
Reader's 323,000 Hilton Points Zapped Out Of Existence
By Laura Northrup on December 2, 2010 12:20 PM
55 Comments
Due to the nature of Craig's work, he spends about half of his nights sleeping in hotels. If you're a hotel chain, he's the kind of customer you would want to work hard to keep. However, Hilton doesn't think so: since his work didn't bring him near any Hilton properties in the last year, they canceled his rewards account and purged all 323,000 of his HHonors points. More »
(Mica_R)
5 Weeks As A Container Ship Passenger
By Ben Popken on December 2, 2010 12:00 PM
32 Comments
For years, adventurous travelers have been able to sail around the world in a luxury cabin for not that much money by renting one onboard container ships. The rise of piracy has made it so a bunch of shipping companies have dropped that option, but you can experience the same thrill vicariously by checking out the dispatches from a Slate reporter who has taken the plunge and got herself in one of these sweet cabins. All is not beauty and mystery, there's work to be done. Like watching for pirates. More »
(SA_Steve)
Masturbating Walmart Shopper Banned From Any Store That Sells Kids Toys
By Chris Morran on December 2, 2010 11:37 AM
42 Comments
You may remember the story from September about the man in Florida who was caught red-handed (or at least sweaty-palmed) pleasuring himself to a Sports Illustrated magazine in the toy section of his local Walmart. Now it looks like the man has cut a deal that would keep him out of jail -- and away from the retail giant and any other store that sells toys for children. More »
