MetaFilter posts tagged with consumer

The business of online loyalty programs

Nelson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:10:01 -0800

A US Senate Committee just released its report on online loyalty programs. Combined, Webloyalty, Affinion, and Vertrue have made $1.4 billion in the past ten years charging customers $10-$20/month for marketing program memberships. Unfortunately, many of their customers (4 million this year) have no memory of authorizing the charges. A key enabler for signups is merchants passing credit card numbers directly to the loyalty program; the customer never has to enter billing data. Such "card on file" transactions have a conversion rate of roughly 4% (compared to 1% without). Many well-known Internet brands such as 1-800-Flowers, Classmates.com, Priceline, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Fandango, Buy.com, eHarmony, and Yahoo are paid $10 to $30 per signup to entice their customers to join the marketing programs. There's been a litany of lawsuits and settlements for years about these programs. In response the marketing companies have promised to change their practices, in some cases meticulously documenting page layout changes.

Everyone's Favorite Upstart Mom-and-Pop Search Engine Tries to Yank Watchdog's Funding

univac — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:57:24 -0800

Bob Boorstin, Google's Director of Policy Communications, wrote a letter to the Rose Foundation, suggesting that the foundation stop funding Consumer Watchdog, an outspoken Google critic. Google later apologized for sending the letter. The latest accusations involve claims that Google lobbied Congress to gain the ability to profit from the sale of electronic medical records, a claim that Google denies. Consumer Watchdog countered that Google should back up its denial by fully disclosing its lobbying efforts.

Retail therapy

infini — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 04:27:53 -0800

Apropos on Black Friday, Charles, Prince of Wales addresses the Foreign Press Association with a comprehensive lecture on the dangers of unchecked consumerism and the need for an increasingly holistic worldview in light of the global social, economic and environmental challenges. The credit crisis is a side effect of a throwaway society and consumerism is no cure for depression, he says, and we need to question the concepts of "Modernity" and "Economic Growth" we take for granted.

Tis the Season for Shoplifting

terranova — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:47:31 -0800

Tis the season for Shoplifting, when the unemployed, teens, professionals, kleptos, and political shoplifters jack, rack, nick, and stroke holiday gifts. The BBB anticipates a rise in light-fingered merchandising, but notes that on average, shoplifters get pinched only "once for every 48 times they steal." Retailers are fighting back in unusual ways. Wal-Mart, the oft-target of political shoplifters, aggressively guards its merchandise, while across the pond the Dutch approach the problem with bemusement.

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags.

jbickers — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:45:13 -0800

"This year, Americans are planning to spend over $400 on Christmas gifts. Instead of buying things we can’t afford, here’s a way to do something more meaningful." Via

The most banal, grotesque, ironic, twisted, or perverse creations of the capitalist marketplace.

sushiwiththejury — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:57:14 -0800

The Museum Of Weird Consumer Culture.
Richard Wilk's homepage. Wilk's book, Home Cooking in the Global Village, is online and free.

Buy

four panels — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:54:33 -0800

Luxury items, once made by European artisans, fetched a high price due to the craft of making the items by hand in small workshops. But now, although the prices are even more astronomical, the products themselves are really cheaply produced in Chinese factories, similar to those that make Gap socks, or baseball caps. Despite this, they continue to be worn as badges bought on thinning credit.

LIQUORICE ALLSORTS ARE SERIOUS BUSINESS

robocop is bleeding — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:08:42 -0800

When they came for the gummy bear, I remained silent; I have cavities. When they came for the red hots, I remained silent; I am allergic to cinnamon. But when they came for the liquorice allsorts, one man did not stay silent. And for that Bertie Bassett thanks him.

Roberts Supremes reverses 100 years of antitrust law

dejah420 — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 12:13:33 -0800

There's been much talk about the Supreme's decisions on desegregation and free speech, but another ruling with broad consumer impact has gone relatively unnoticed. In a 5-4 decision [PDF], the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 96-year-old ban on minimum pricing agreements between manufacturers and retailers. Dissenting opinion believes that this ruling will hurt consumers, raise prices and keep new retailers out of the marketplace. The 1911 ruling that was overturned was Dr. Miles Medical Co. vs. John D. Park & Sons which decided that it is always illegal for a supplier to dictate minimum prices to a retailer.

Now that's service!

Blingo — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 14:59:34 -0800

...no one here has any intentions of helping you with anything. I am the manager of all of Customer Service. There is no one higher than me that you will speak with.

Unpimp Your Credit Score, Say Yahhhh

poppo — Wed, 15 Mar 2006 06:57:12 -0800

In the last few years, Fair Isaacs, along with the FTC have made considerable effort in educating us in how our credit scores are derived. But is the whole system about to change? In a somewhat quiet AP story, the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Transunion, and Experian, announced they had agreed on a new common formula for generating your credit scores: VantageScore. [more inside]

Who Rules as Evil Empire?

FlamingBore — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 12:30:32 -0800

The Worst Company in America. Which company sucks most? The first two square off: Halliburton vs. Monsanto. Do your own research and vote.

Skål!

Rothko — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:10:35 -0800

Similar to the US Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Council of Norway, or Forbrukerrådet (PDF) strives "to achieve a balance of power between the consumer and the provider of products or services." This week, the council filed a formal complaint, citing several violations of Norwegian law in the fluid terms of service attached to iTunes music file downloads.

to buy or not to buy, that is the question.

crunchland — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 08:49:03 -0800

Organic Foods ... Consumer Reports spells out which organic foods are worth buying, and which you should skip.

Inky milk ?

elpapacito — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 15:25:51 -0800

Possible "contamination" of some baby milk-based products 30 million liters of big-brand name milk were recalled in Italy and other EU countries because of contamination by traces of ITX (ISOPROPYLTHIOXANTHONE) which is a product used in packaging printing.Tetrapack issued a press release (Italian language) in which they declare they are not going to use ITX for printing anymore as a precautionary measure. According to a memo sent to an italian consumer-oriented tv show(italian), Tetrapack acknowledges that 1200 more products use packaging with the same printing technology. What about their recall and is it happening worldwide ? [Google News query]

Security smackdown

afroblanca — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 17:25:53 -0800

Howard Schmidt thinks that developers should be accountable for security holes. Schneier responds.

Cloture for Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005

airguitar — Tue, 08 Mar 2005 19:09:21 -0800

A Senate bill to overhaul federal bankruptcy laws, a top priority of retailers, auto lenders and banks, cleared a key hurdle Tuesday afternoon. Sixty-nine senators -- nine more than needed -- voted for "cloture," a procedural move that limits debate. Republican leaders hope to push the bill to a final vote by the end of the week. Earlier, the Senate turned back a controversial, abortion-related amendment that has scuttled p r e v i o u s efforts to pass bankruptcy legislation. The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 was first introduced in 1998 as The Consumer Bankruptcy Reform Act.

Class action suit fun time !

elpapacito — Fri, 28 Jan 2005 10:54:20 -0800

Got certain DVD ? Join class action, get replacement ! Apparently MGM mislabeled (or simply sold ?) from 1998 to 2003 a few hundred DVD titles as Widescreen format while they were not really Widescreen. As one must respect MPAA they must respect our looking in this list to see if our dvd titles are in the list and our joining class action. Let's not be on the receiving end for a change ! (via HardOcp (SFW))

Buy Nothing Christmas

Doohickie — Sat, 11 Dec 2004 22:10:48 -0800

The perfect Christmas gift for the geek in your life. Or maybe you need something for your new niece or nephew? Then again, this site may have all the stuff on your gift shopping list.

global poverty solutions: consumerism

stbalbach — Tue, 03 Feb 2004 22:42:00 -0800

If the poor get richer, does the world see progress? The global "consumer class", defined by those who make $7,000 or more in local currency, is growing quickly but making it even more difficult for the worlds poor to get ahead. 1.7 billion belong to the consumer class while over 3 billion survive on less than $2 a day. Will the growing tide of new consumers in the developing world contribute to the solution of global poverty or simply add to the problem?

Oh no Credit Card troubles again

elpapacito — Tue, 25 Nov 2003 10:25:45 -0800

More problems with credit cards...after you canceled one Apparently some credit card company may not take you seriously when you say "I want to cancel this credit card". If the account of the credit card is not "terminated" you may still be charged, even after receiving a letter from cc company confirming you its cancellation. You may also receive "accidental charges" of stuff you never ordered. One more link inside.

Bankruptcy bonus at K-Mart

elpapacito — Wed, 09 Apr 2003 14:41:41 -0800

If you're still working for K-mart A bankruptcy bonus may be delivered to you soon. 1. Work for some company 2. ??? 3. Bankruptcy 4.PROFIT!

Airline Evildoer

elpapacito — Fri, 28 Feb 2003 08:56:02 -0800

Purchasing an one-way airplane ticket with cash May trigger airport security alert on you. No credit card ? Bad Guy ! Credit Card ? Good guy ! Unofficially sponsored by VISA or Amex ?

busbyism — Thu, 10 Oct 2002 08:04:20 -0800

People are talking. Now, someone's listening. Late-from-the-gate tech startup BuzzMetrics "analyzes, measures, monitors, & influences the unaided consumer discussions that naturally occur in online communities." If that's not spooky enough, they continue: "Some consumers have more influence over public opinion than others, but targeting them has always been extremely difficult." BuzzMetrics is happy to identify negative posters and research their posting histories, among other services. Does this toe an ethical line? Does it change how you post to online conversations? Oh, yeah -- they're hiring.

blueshammer — Mon, 16 Sep 2002 14:10:17 -0800

Robots vs. bunnies! Dust bunnies, that is. Roboticist Rodney Brooks, who you should know because you should have seen Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, co-founded iRobot, which is releasing its first consumer model this week: Roomba, the vacuuming robot. Even once you've seen it in action (which, of course, I haven't), it's probably not going to convince that the future has arrived or get you thinking about the moral rights of robots, but every consumer tech movement has its watershed, and maybe this will turn out to have been a Big Step for getting robots in our daily lives. The author notes that iRobot "hopes that one day Roomba will do for vacuuming what dishwashers did for dishwashing."