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Man Accused Of Rappelling Into Kmart Punches His Lawyer In The Face [Crime]
via Consumerist by Meg Marco on February 06, 2008
Here's an odd bit of retail-related crime.Peter Hafer is currently in jail, accused of rappelling into a Kentucky Kmart after closing in order to steal jewelry. Mr. Hafer requested a new public defender be assigned to his case, when the request was denied, he "snapped" and punched his attorney in the jaw."I just hit him," Hafer told WLEX, "I mean, pretty much... yeah. I just knocked him out....
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America's 10 Most Miserable Cities [Sadness]
via Consumerist by Meg Marco on February 11, 2008
Did you know there was an index to measure misery? Misery is defined as a state of great unhappiness and emotional distress. The economic indicator most often used to measure misery is the Misery Index. The index, created by economist Arthur Okun, adds the unemployment rate to the inflation rate. It has been in the narrow 7-to-9 range for most of the past decade, but was over 20 during the late...
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Stamps Increasing By One Cent May 12 [Mail]
via Consumerist by Ben Popken on February 11, 2008
Stamp prices are going up by a penny on May 12th to 42 cents. A Forever Stamp, however, will still get your mail delivered at the regular ol price of 41 cents (see how that works?). Other price increases set for May 12: Large Envelope (2 oz.): $.97 to $1.00, Certified Mail $2.65 to $2.70, First-Class Mail International Letter: (1 oz. to Canada and Mexico $.69 to $.72, First-Class Mail...
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Top 20 Consumer Fraud Complaints Of 2007 [Scams]
via Consumerist by Ben Popken on February 12, 2008
The FTC today released its top consumer fraud complaints of 2007. Based on complaints filed by consumers, identity theft is the number one complaint by a very wide margin, taking 32% of all complaints. The next closest complaint category was Shop-at-Home/Catalog Sales, which only took 8% of the complaints. Here's how the bastards break down:Rank | Category | Complaints | %20 Charitable...
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Study Says Payday Lenders More Prevalent In Areas Of High Christian Conservative Power [Usury]
via Consumerist by Chris Walters on February 14, 2008
A law professor and associate professor of geography set out to create the most comprehensive map of U.S. payday lenders to date. What they found, to their surprise, was "a surprising relationship between populations of Christian conservatives and the proliferation of payday lenders." And it's not a side effect of a poor population that happens to be Christian, according to the authors: "Our...
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Some Minnesota bars are getting around smoking ... [Cigarettes]
via Consumerist by Ben Popken on February 24, 2008
Some Minnesota bars are getting around smoking bans by holding "theater nights" and proclaiming everyone in the bar an "actor." State law allows performers to smoke during theatrical performances. [Star-Tribune via BoingBoing]
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Kelly's Will Rent-To-Own You This Wii For $948 [Poverty]
via Consumerist by Chris Walters on February 28, 2008
Here's a perfect example of what a ripoff rent-to-own or "lease-purchase" (to use the Kelly's phrase) arrangements are to the consumer. This $250 Wii console can be yours for only $79 a month, and after 12 months, it's yours to keep. By that time, you will have paid $948 for it. By comparison, if you charged it to a credit card with 18% interest, you could pay $23 a month and have it...
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Detained And Harassed At Walmart For Not Showing A Receipt [Receipt Controversy]
via Consumerist by Meg Marco on March 02, 2008
Reader J was detained and harassed by some Walmart employees on his way out of the store the other day. J had already put his receipt inside his wallet after purchasing a $25 shower rack when a Walmart employee demanded to see his receipt. J declined and continued exiting the store. That's when things got weird. First, he was grabbed by a Walmart employee, then another customer started...
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Complaint Remover Gets Rid Of "Negative Links," Including LOLCats [Free Speech]
via Consumerist by Ben Popken on March 05, 2008
Complaint Remover is a special service that says it gets rid of "defamatory" and "negative links" on the internet for you: The immediate goal of our service is to stop defamation by positioning links on the Search Engines and by appeals to law to remove negative information. We send cease and desist letters and if necessary, file legal actions against the perpetrators and Internet service...
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CNET Says Cheap HDMI Cables Just As Good As Pricey Ones [Hdmi]
via Consumerist by Ben Popken on March 11, 2008
CNET has weighed in and agrees with what we've been telling you: cheap HDMI cables are just as good as pricey ones. Do you really need to spend that much money on a single HDMI cable? Absolutely not--those cables are a rip-off. You should never pay more than $10 for a standard six-foot HDMI cable. And despite what salesmen and manufacturers might tell you, there's no meaningful difference...
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