Cash4iPhones Offers $75, Changes To $8 After Receiving Phone

(Blake Patterson)

You might remember the name Cash4iPhones: we shared one reader’s conflict with them around the time of the last iPhone release. Consumers have two main complaints about this company. They claim that it sends high initial offers that plummet once your device is in their hands, and they are impossible to reach.

The same company does business under a few different names, which are variations on the same theme: CashForLaptops.com is another well-known site of theirs. The situation profiled in the New York Times this weekend follows the pattern we’ve seen before: a customer described his phone and mailed it in, and saw an initial offer of $75 fall to $8 once the company had his old phone. He tried to complain about the decrease in their offer, but found it impossible to reach a human being at the company.

The New York Times’ Haggler columnist wasn’t any more successful at navigating the company’s phone tree, but he was able to find contact information for their outside counsel, who contacted the customer and sent a check for $45. That’s not the happiest ending, though, since there are literally thousands of Better Business Bureau complaints against sites in the Cash4(gadget) family. This is apparently a company that doesn’t count on any repeat business.

The Shrinking Cellphone Offer You Can’t Refuse [New York Times]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Students Claim 11,327-Pound Rice Krispies Treat Holds New World Record

(ianqui)

There are some endeavors so inherently delicious, it’s a wonder more people don’t undertake them. But alas, not everyone has the means to craft a ginormous 5.5-ton Rice Krispies treat and steal the world record for doing so.

That’s where a team of students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison calling themselves Project 15,000 came in, reports Reuters, wrangling Rice Krispies cereal, butter and marshmallows into an 11,327-pound behemoth.

Though their goal had been 15,000 pounds (7.5 tons), measuring in at 10 feet by 10 feet by 6.5 feet tall, the group’s huge treat is more than 1,000 pounds heavier than the reigning champ, a 10,314 pound treat made in California back in 2010 recognized by Guinness World Records.

The students started mixing up the treat on Thursday with 9,000 pounds of donated marshmallows, 5,500 pounds of Rice Krispies and 900 pounds of butter, and finished the project on Sunday, using a huge wooden mold.

Pieces of the treat will now be cut up and sold off to raise money for Wisconsin charities. Extra cereal will also be donated to food pantries.

“We had an ambitious goal and we succeeded,” one of the project leaders said.

Wisconsin students’ Rice Krispies treat a snap, crackle, colossus [Reuters]

University of Wisconsin Students Say They Broke Record for Biggest Cereal Treat [NBC News]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Italian Pizza Association Threatens To Sue McDonalds Over Happy Meal Commercial

McDonald’s has drawn the ire of on of Italy’s pizza makers association for a recent commercial.

There appears to be a bit of a war brewing between Italian pizza makers and McDonald’s after the fast food company aired a commercial depicting a child overjoyed to receive a Happy Meal over pizza at a local pizzeria.

CNBC reports that the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (AVPN) – also known as True Neapolitan Pizza Association – treatened to sue the Golden Arches, saying the commercial in question is an attack on the country’s cultural traditions.

AVPN says in a statement that the commercial, which shows a family waiting at a local pizzeria being transported to a McDonald’s after the child exclaims that he wants a Happy Meal, is a “dishonorable attack against one of the symbols of the Mediterranean Diet.”

The company further claims that the fast food chain’s commercial suggests children don’t like pizza, as well as indicates that McDonald’s promotes an unhealthy diet and unfairly targets children with advertisements.

“It is obvious that the American colossus is trying to discredit its main competitor, but speculating on children’s health is just too much,” AVPN Vice President Massimo Di Porzio said in the press statement.

A spokesperson for McDonald’s tells CNBC that they haven’t heard from AVPN personally. The commercial, which first aired on YouTube in February and on Italian TV in March, was taken off the air on Sunday as previously scheduled.

Industry analysts say that McDonald’s latest ad was a fairly significant change from its traditional European marketing strategy that targets family dining and locally sourced products.

“There could be a very real risk of a backlash here, as the local pizza trade association has come out with all guns blazing and a section of the Italian public seemingly don’t need much encouragement in terms of pushing back against McDonald’s,” Bryan Roberts, director of Kantar Retail EMEA’s Retail Insights, told CNBC.

Italian pizza makers threaten McDonald’s over ‘attack’ [CNBC]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Sprint Set To Make House Calls With Launch Of “Direct 2 You” Service

Like doctors of yore carrying black bags filled with tools straight to an ailing person’s bedside, Sprint is rolling out its own version of the house call with a new service needlessly employing numerals instead of letters, “Direct 2 You.” Roving Sprint workers will be on the road to customers in need of help upgrading their phone, transferring information to a new device and recycling old phones.

Because everyone hates going to phone stores in person and having to wait for what feels like eternity to finally get someone to help you, Sprint says in a press release it listened to customer frustrations about the -in-store experience and is responding with Direct 2 You, which rolls out initially only in its hometown of Kansas City before an eventual nationwide rollout.

Sprint-trained experts will drive around in Sprint-branded cars for appointments with customers at the location of their choosing, and move all their stuff from one device to another, as well as show them how the new devices work.

The company claims the new service will amount to 5,000 more stores in major metropolitan areas by the end of 2015.

“With our new Sprint Direct 2 You fleet of cars, it’s as if we are adding 5,000 additional stores,” Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure said. “However, these mobile stores will be continuously on the move based on customer demand.”

Customers eligible for an upgrade will get an offer via text or email, and can then call Spring to schedule an appointment for the service, which is free. Then a Direct 2 You worker shows up, sets up and activates the new phone and all that, and will also take old phones for recycling if wanted.

“We take for granted that it is easy to switch between different types of phones, but it actually is very complex,” Claure said. “By bringing the in-store experience directly to customers, we can make that change painless, worry-free and do it in the comfort of a location where the customer wants it.”

Of course, as with other services designed for house calls, there’s plenty of opportunity for an annoying experience — what if your driver gets a flat? Or heck, what if you’re stuck waiting for hours on end in some kind of service window purgatory? If the cable service industry has taught us anything about house calls, it’s that they’re not always easier than just showing up somewhere in person.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Why Solar Panels Are Suddenly Sprouting On Everyone’s Roofs

(Adam Fagen)

Have you noticed a lot more solar panels on homes recently? While an increase in solar panel installations can partly be explained by pointing out that people are more aware of energy conservation issues and want to save money, there’s a much simpler reason why there are more panels on roofs all of a sudden: they’re now super cheap, and aspiring solar panel owners don’t have to pay for the panels or their installation up front anymore.

One factor is that there’s a global glut of solar panels. The price has fallen significantly in recent years. During the last decade, industry and government in China realized that solar power would be important in the future, which it is. They responded to this prediction by building a huge number of solar panel factories and cranking them out. Factories began cranking out panels in 2009, leading to a massive oversupply. That cut prices worldwide, making it a lot cheaper to cover your roof with solar panels.

Of course, “cheaper” is relative. If you haven’t looked into it, you might not realize how expensive having solar panels installed on your roof can be. NPR’s Planet Money team hung out at an installation site on Long Island where covering a home with 41 panels would cost about $25,000 including installation. What do homeowners who don’t have extra cash and who don’t want to take out a loan to save money on their power bills do? It turns out there are companies that will bear the cost of installing panels, in exchange for a monthly payment.

This isn’t altruistic, of course: investors are putting up the money to put solar panels on roofs across the country. They’ll make that money back with interest. SolarCity gets to employ installers and sell panels, and homeowners get to pay slightly less for electricity over the next few decades while paying off the bill for their installation.

Episode 616: How Solar Got Cheap [Planet Money]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

19 Passengers Injured After Megabus Double-Decker Rear-Ends Stopped Truck

(Marcellina)

Taking a long bus ride can be uncomfortable enough without glass and people flying around everywhere inside. In the fourth Megabus crash in Indiana since October, 19 passengers were hurt when a double-decker bus driving to Chicago from Atlanta ran into a stopped semi-truck on the interstate.

According to state police, the truck had stopped due to construction and the Megabus driver apparently didn’t stop quickly enough in response, reports RTV6, striking the back of the truck and pushing it into two passenger vehicles around 5:30 a.m.

The unexpected wake-up bump sent some passengers flying, with one saying that the Megabus driver was “driving extremely too fast” when another car swerved in front of the bus at the last second, though the police say the cause of the crash is still under investigation.

“When (the car) cut in front of us, the driver put on her brakes and hit the semi on its corner, swiping it and busting the window,” she told the station. “The glass was everywhere. My seat cushion threw me three seats to the front.”

Out of the 63 passengers, 19 were taken to nearby hospitals, though were no obviously serious injuries reported, police said.

Stranded passengers were put on an IndyGo bus that took them to a truck stop to catch another Megabus heading to Chicago.

“Safety is our number one priority and Megabus is fully cooperating with the authorities with their investigation into the incident,” Megabus spokesman Sean Hughes said in a statement.

Megabus crashes on I-65 SB in Johnson County near Edinburgh [RTV6]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

PepsiCo Woos NBA Sponsorship Away From Coca-Cola After 29-Year Run

(compujeramey)

After staying married to Coca-Cola for almost 30 years, the National Basketball Association has decided to end the company’s official sponsorship of the league, and is running away with its rival PepsiCo instead.

Mountain Dew, Doritos, Ruffles and more will join Gatorade, another PepsiCo brand (which has been tied to the NBA since 1984) as the official food and beverage brands starting next season in North America, reports ESPN. That brings an end to the era of Coca-Cola, which had been in a relationship with the NBA since 1986.

The new agreement also includes the WNBA, NBA Development League and USA Basketball.

The terms of the five-year-deal weren’t disclosed, but an insider told Fortune that the effort is worth “significantly” more than the Coke partnership. Pepsi brings food to the table as well, something Coke couldn’t provide.

This agreement won’t affect which products are sold in stadiums, and athletes will still be able to endorse different brands outside of Pepsi products. PepsiCo will now have exclusive rights of association with anything to do with logos and gear on a national level, however, with Mountain Dew taking the spotlight over Pepsi itself.

Coca-Cola isn’t going to be left totally alone to cry vats of soda tears over the loss, however, as the company announced yesterday that it’ll be the new sponsor of Major League Soccer in a four-year deal. PepsiCo and MLS ended their relationship in December.

Coca-Cola said in a statement that it will “continue to have a strong presence within basketball culture through our relationships with iconic players. We will also continue to be visible through ongoing relationships with individual teams and venues.”

PepsiCo partners with NBA, has deals with four major sports leagues [ESPN.com]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Sears Teams Up With Simon Property Group To Generate $114M In Revenue

(JeepersMedia)

As Sears continues to shake out all its piggy banks and check under every single couch cushion it has for spare change, the retailer chain is also looking to outside sources to help it raise some revenue. The company has teamed up with mall king Simon Property Group to create a new company that will bring in $114 million extra for Sears, money it sorely needs.

Sears Holdings Corp. says it’s creating a real-estate joint venture with Simon as a way to leverage its existing properties into moneymakers, reports Bloomberg.

Sears will transfer 10 properties worth $228 million to a new company that it’ll own jointly with Simon. Under a leaseback arrangement between the two, Sears will still be in charge of running the stores at those 10 locations, while Simon agreed to buy another property in Texas as a separate deal.

This is just the latest moneymaking plan Sears has thrown out there lately, along with CEO Eddie Lampert selling and spinning off assets like the Sears Hometown & Outlet Stores chain and the Lands’ End Brand.

Lampert said in a statement regarding the Simon deal that it’s “an important step in Sears Holdings’ continued transformation to a membership company, without the significant asset intensity of its traditional retail business.”

This agreement will allow the new joint venture to redevelop those 10 properties included in the deal, as well as lease space to other parties that could bring in even more revenue for the two companies.

“Sears Holdings will continue to operate these 10 stores and there will be minimal impact on their day-to-day operations or the overall shopping experience for our members,” Lampert said.

Sears to Gain $114 Million From Real Estate Pact With Simon [Bloomberg]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

20 apps para motricidad fina

via Educación tecnológica http://villaves56.blogspot.com/2015/04/20-apps-para-motricidad-fina.html www.bscformacion.com

Michael Bolton Serenades The IRS: You’re The Anus Of Our Country

Sir Michael Bolton reminds us all that without taxes, we can’t pay the salary of Colorado National Parks procurement assistant Brian Reed.

Since 2010, Congress has cut the budget for the IRS by around 20%, resulting in thousands of jobs being cut and millions of Americans unable to get much-needed help with their tax returns this year. This has had the effect of just making some people hate the IRS even more than they already did, but is this a case of kicking a man when he’s down?

On HBO’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver tried to make the case that there are plenty of reasons to dislike the IRS, but that cutting the agency’s funding is only hurting taxpayers.

“Is it any wonder that everyone hates the IRS? Dealing with them is obligatory; it often functions badly and it combines two of the things we hate most in life — someone taking our money and math,” explains Oliver, before pointing out that two of the reasons so many people dislike the IRS — high taxes and a byzantine, constantly changing tax code — actually come from Congress and not the IRS.

“Blaming the IRS because you hate paying your taxes is a bit like slapping your checkout clerk because the price of eggs has gone up,” he says. “It’s not her fault; she’s just trying to help you get out of the store.”

The recent cuts in staff and resources for the IRS means there’s an increased chance of individuals and businesses failing to comply with their tax obligations, whether it’s through deliberate deception or from not having access to needed assistance.

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen recently testified before Congress that even a 1% decrease in tax compliance translates to a $30 billion annual loss in revenue for the government.

“I’m not saying the IRS is a likable organization, but not everything that’s important is likable,” says Oliver. “Think of our government as a body. The IRS is the anus. It’s nobody’s favorite part, but you need that thing working properly or everything goes to sh*t real quick.”

To drive the point home, he brought out Michael “I celebrate the guy’s entire catalog” Bolton to serenade the IRS with “a song of reluctant support for their appropriate funding” to the tune of his 1989 hit “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?”

Here are some choice lyrics from the song:

“I guess you make people angry/ with the things you do and say/ ‘cause you make us give our money straight to you.

“But we need you real bad though it’s clear nobody really likes you/ you’re the anus of our country don’t you know?”

“You never miss your anus ’til it’s gone.”

“How are we supposed to live without you? We cut and cut your budgets ’til you bleed.

“How are we supposed to live without you? How will we pay for everything we need? Like Colorado National Parks procurement assistant Brian Reed.”

“How are we supposed to carry on… when the only way to practically collect revenue under our current governmental system pending a significant overhaul of the tax code which seems unlikely at best is gone?”

by Chris Morran via Consumerist