Swiping Your Debit Card At The Pump Could Put A Huge Hold On Your Checking Account

Swiping Your Debit Card At The Pump Could Put A Huge Hold On Your Checking Account: "

When customers pay by debit card, it's a common practice in the hotel and restaurant business to put a hold on their account for an estimated amount of the purchase. That way, there is still flexibility for you to write in a tip or to cover any other ancillary costs. Now, more and more gas stations are taking this approach for debit card customers who swipe at the pump, putting holds in the range of $50 to $100 that can linger on your account for days.

The NBC affiliate in Chicago, the city with the highest gas prices in the country, put together a report on debit card holds and how you can avoid them.

The TV station attempted to find out just who is responsible for the exorbitant holds, but both the bankers and the gas companies pointed the finger at the other party.

Regardless, the one piece of good advice is this: If you're low on funds and an $80 hold is going to screw up your day, then it's best to settle up inside the station for an exact amount before you lift that pump. Paying in cash is obviously the easiest solution... until you get slammed with a $5 ATM fee from your bank.

View more videos at: http://nbcchicago.com.

Why Gas Stations Hold Your Cash Hostage [NBC Chicago]

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Pump Price Keeps Rising Even Though You Stopped Filling Up

Pump Price Keeps Rising Even Though You Stopped Filling Up: "

Seems like gas prices want to rise so bad, they're even doing at the pumps themselves. Kirkster captured on video a fuel pump where the gallons and cost on the meter kept rising even after he stopped filling up his car. As if $4 gasoline wasn't bad enough!

The phenomenon is known as 'meter creep' and what's probably going on is that the check valve is buggy and needs to be replaced. If you see this happen, you should notify the gas station so they can get it fixed. If you come back a week or so later and it's still not fixed, file a complaint with your local Weights and Measures department to come check it out.

Also, if you hang up the nozzle, the price should stop rising.

As if the Fuel prices were not enough [the370z] (Thanks to Jason!)

"

1-800-CHICAGO Actually A Phone Sex Line Run By Philadelphia Company That Isn't Comcast

1-800-CHICAGO Actually A Phone Sex Line Run By Philadelphia Company That Isn't Comcast: "

If you suddenly start seeing credit card bills with charges to 1-800-CHICAGO and your teen tries to tell you he's just really interested in information about Wrigley Field, well... he's lying. It's actually a number that connects the caller with a phone sex line, and it's just one of countless other seemingly innocuous 1-800 numbers that has been scooped up by a little company in Philadelphia.

According to an AP investigation, a company named PrimeTel Communications has spent the last decade grabbing up every decent 1-800 number it can get its hands on and now controls 1.7 million of them, around a quarter of all 800 numbers, in the U.S. and Canada.

Many of these numbers end up in the hands of A-1 Advertising, the actual phone sex business. The two companies share the same building, owners and executives, reports the AP.

Among the numbers these companies have that redirect to sex lines are 1-800-Metallica, 1-800-Cadillac, 1-800-Minolta, 1-800-Cameras, 1-800-Worship and 1-800-Whirlpool.

Here is our favorite anecdote from the AP story:

When New York City's Fire Department relinquished its toll-free fire safety hotline a few years ago because of an administrative slip-up, PrimeTel grabbed it the moment it became available. Soon enough, 1-800-FIRETIP was ringing into one of National A-1's phone-sex lines.

We know lots of people have a thing for firefighters but is 'Fire Tip' a phrase you want to associate with sex?

There is nothing illegal about repurposing relinquished numbers for phone sex or other adult services. However, the FCC has reportedly expressed an interest in just how PrimeTel has managed to acquire so many numbers in such a competitive marketplace.

Porn company collecting 1-800 numbers [Chicago Sun-Times]

"

Vicodin: The Most Popular Prescription Pill In America's Medicine Cabinet

Vicodin: The Most Popular Prescription Pill In America's Medicine Cabinet: "

With the White House and the FDA dreaming up ways to curb the pain-pill problem in the U.S., we got to wondering just what are the most popular (legal) drugs in the country? Thankfully, the folks at Time.com were thinking about the same thing, because they put together a handy/dandy list of the 10 most-prescribed meds, none of which is Viagra.

Topping that list is everyone's favorite post-surgery painkiller, Vicodin, or hydrocone with acetaminophen if you're into generics. According to Time, the drug was prescribed 131.2 million times in 2010, an increase of exactly 3 million from the year before. And we thought Dr. House had cleaned up this season.

Perhaps it was the introduction of the KFC Double Down last year, but 2020 saw a rapid increase in the number of prescription for the second-place drug on the list, Zocor (simvistatin), which is used to treat patients with high cholesterol. The drug was prescribed 94.1 million times last year, an increase of 10.3 million over 2009.

High blood pressure is the most frequent problem treated by the drugs on this top 10 list. ACE inhibitor Prinivil (lisinopril) came in at #3 with 87.4 million prescriptions. Calcium channel blocker Norvasc (amlodipine besylate) took the fifth spot with a respectable 57.2 million prescriptions written last year. And the 47.8 million prescriptions written for hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic sold under several brand names, were enough to get the tenth slot.

Antibiotics also scored multiple representatives on the list. Number seven drug Zithromax (azithromycin) was followed by old favorite amoxicillin in the eighth position with 52.6 million and 52.3 million prescriptions written, respectively.

The remaining three slots on the list were taken by: thyroid medication Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium), at #4 with 70.5 million prescriptions; acid reflux fighter Prilosec (omeprazole), at #6 with 53.4 million prescriptions; and diabetes drug Glucophage (metformin), at #9 with 48.3 million prescriptions.

America's 10 Most Popular Prescription Drugs [Time.com]

"

Company buys up 1.7 million 1-800 numbers, uses many for phone sex lines

Company buys up 1.7 million 1-800 numbers, uses many for phone sex lines: "

AP reports that PrimeTel Communications has, for the last 13 years, been buying up every desirable 800 number on the market. They behave not unlike domain name prospectors who do the same with web addresses, only they convert many of these numbers into phone sex lines.

The company now controls 1.7 million toll-free numbers, which represent about 25% of all 800 numbers in the U.S. and Canada. Among them: 1-800-Metallica, 1-800-Cadillac, 1-800-Minolta, 1-800-Cameras, 1-800-Worship and 1-800-Whirlpool.

AP reports that the connection between the speculation activity and the phone-porn activity is this: A-1 Advertising, an actual phone sex business, shares a building, owners, and executives, with the company doing the 800 number buying. More:

Critics of the company say it isn't the sex that bothers them, but the acquisition of so many numbers. Bill Quimby, whose company, TollFreeNumbers.com, specializes in helping businesses obtain easy-to-remember digits to connect with customers, said it can be a challenge to find a good match because PrimeTel has gobbled up such an outsized share of the supply.

'They started by getting numbers for phone sex, then getting good numbers in general, then they started taking all phone numbers,' he said.

A spokesman for the FCC, David Fiske, would not comment on whether the agency had ever examined PrimeTel's activities but said the commission is actively enforcing rules on number hoarding. PrimeTel appears to have benefited by grabbing numbers associated with famous names, like 1-800-Beatles, or numbers that have recently been canceled but are still advertised widely.

From the late 1980s until around 2005, teenagers who dialed the national hotline used by Teens Teaching AIDS Prevention would reach a call center in Kansas City, Mo., where other youths were waiting to answer questions about the disease. When that program ended, the number was soon routed to one of National A-1's sex lines. But the AIDS hotline number is still publicized by public health groups.

When New York City's Fire Department relinquished its toll-free fire safety hotline a few years ago because of an administrative slip-up, PrimeTel grabbed it the moment it became available. Soon enough, 1-800-FIRETIP was ringing into one of National A-1's phone-sex lines. The same thing happened to the Cook County Jail in Chicago when it canceled its toll-free inmate information line, and to rape counseling hotlines in Maine and New Mexico.

Porn company collecting 1-800 numbers (Associated Press)

Via Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who is totally awesome on Twitter. She comments,

I would have thought with so much free porn available on the internet that phone sex would have gone the way of the dodo bird.

You mean 1-800-SEXY DODO.

(via Consumerist, photo by Rob Beschizza via BB Flickr Pool)

"

Did Apple Really “Steal” Their iPhone Design From Samsung? [Pot, Meet Kettle]

Did Apple Really “Steal” Their iPhone Design From Samsung? [Pot, Meet Kettle]: "

Take a look at this picture. Take a good look at it. On the right? an iPhone. (I’m not sure which revision, really.They all look the same to me.) On the left? Well that’s a little fellow from Samsung known as the Samsung F700. The image alleges that the phone was announced in 2006 and released in February 2007, but only the latter is fact. The iPhone was announced and released in 2007.

So that begs the question: who’s really stealing from who? (If you didn’t know, Samsung is being sued by Apple for the Galaxy S’ resemblance to the iPhone.) Samsung clearly had something going with this design way before they thought up the Samsung Galaxy S and before we even knew of the iPhone’s existence. And the user interface isn’t looking too much different form iOS, either. (If we’re just talking about grid-based layouts.)

The answer: no one is stealing from anyone. Apple didn’t invent icons, nor did they invent the grid in which they sit. They didn’t invent the rectangle. They didn’t invent the touchscreen. They surely didn’t invent the nice looking button sitting at the bottom. And last, but not least, they didn’t invent phones.

And all of the same applies to Samsung and any other OEM. This image should serve as a good reminder that with innovation comes imitation. A standard is always set and manufacturers will always look to meet or surpass that standard. Apple can’t go around suing everybody because their phone was the first one that looks like it to be successful. Fall back, Apple – you really have no case here. [Thanks, Suriv!]

PS: Feel free to use this as ammunition in your court battles, Samsung – we’re on your side.

[Note]: Yes, we’ve seen the debunk article at Apple Insider. Even if Samsung did release the F700 a month after Apple showed the iPhone, it takes months for a design of any product to be finalized. Unless Samsung had some insiders at Apple leaking design information and documents, then it’s not right to say that the F700 copied the iPhone.

"

Shrink Rayed Noxzema Jar Has 2 Fewer Ounces, Bonus False Bottom

Shrink Rayed Noxzema Jar Has 2 Fewer Ounces, Bonus False Bottom: "

Last year, Noxzema scooped two ounces out of their signature blue jars after a minor redesign. Mike noticed that the jar still appeared to be the same size as the previous 14-ounce incarnation, so he did the only logical thing one can do in this situation: he attacked the jar with a saw to confirm that it did indeed have a false bottom.

He writes:

I took these photos last year when I noticed Noxzema had changed their packaging.

Amazingly, the packages appeared to be the same size but the new one

held two fewer ounces ( 12 vs. 14).

I suspected a false bottom and cut the new package open. Crudely. With

a tree-pruning saw.

My suspicions were correct. Think how much waste is being created just

to deceive the public.

But hey, at least it's still the 'same trusted formula' according to

the label on the new package.

"

Lawsuit Questioning Beefiness Of Taco Bell Beef Dropped

Lawsuit Questioning Beefiness Of Taco Bell Beef Dropped: "

The Alabama law firm that filed a class-action lawsuit in federal court against Taco Bell regarding the quality and contents of its ground beef--or 'taco meat filling'--has voluntarily dropped the suit. The original lawsuit accused Taco Bell of serving ground beef in its 'Mexican-inspired' meals that didn't meet the USDA definition of 'ground beef.' Even before the suit was dropped, Taco Bell was able to turn the suit into a marketing opportunity, describing the contents of that meat filling in detail, and taking out full-page ads thanking the plaintiffs.

In a statement, a representative of the firm said that Taco Bell has made the changes that the lawsuit was designed to bring about:

From the inception of this case, we stated that if Taco Bell would make certain changes regarding disclosure and marketing of its 'seasoned beef' product, the case could be dismissed.

Aww, a happy ending! Burritos with extra soy lecithin for everyone!

Lawsuit against Taco Bell resolved [Press release]

Lawsuit questioning Taco Bell's beef is dropped [AP] (Thanks, GitEmSteveDave!)

PREVIOUSLY:

Lawsuit: Taco Bell Ground Beef Is Really Just 'Meat Filling'

Taco Bell Thanks 'Meat Filling' Lawsuit Plaintiffs In Full-Page Ad

Taco Bell President Responds To 'Meat Filling' Lawsuit

Taco Bell Releases New Statement On Class Action: We're 88% Beef!

What Exactly Are Those Extra Ingredients In Taco Bell's Ground Beef?

"

Mother Claims 4-Year-Old Served Boozy Mudslide Instead Of Milkshake At Chili's

Mother Claims 4-Year-Old Served Boozy Mudslide Instead Of Milkshake At Chili's: "

There might be something wrong when a 4-year-old child doesn't want to finish a chocolate milkshake. A mother in Chicago claims that her daughter didn't want to finish her shake at Chili's because it was actually the sweet, boozy chocolaty concoction known as a Mudslide. The child was diagnosed with alcohol ingestion overdose, but did she take in the booze at Chili's?

The mother told NBC Chicago:

'She (waitress) tried to take the drink and leave the shake and I said no, leave the drink and go get your manager. And that's when I pulled out my camera phone and I took pictures. And after I took the pictures, I called the police.'

She filed a police report. The restaurant is investigating the incident, but does not agree with the family's version of events.

This is the third incident in recent weeks where a family has accused a chain restaurant of accidentally serving alcohol to a small child. The other restaurants accused were a Florida Olive Garden and a Michigan Applebee's.

Chili's Accused of Serving 4-Year-Old Girl Liquor [NBC Chicago] (Thanks, finalburden!)

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Lawsuit: Campbell's "Regular" And "25% Less Sodium" Tomato Soup Both Contain 480mg Of Sodium

Lawsuit: Campbell's "Regular" And "25% Less Sodium" Tomato Soup Both Contain 480mg Of Sodium: "


Here's a trick question: How much sodium does Campbell's '25% less sodium' tomato soup contain compared to regular Campbell's tomato soup? Would you believe that both contain 480 mg? And that the first one costs more? Four NJ housewives couldn't, and a federal judge has ruled that their lawsuit against Campbell's over what they call misleading labels can proceed.


Campbell's reply is that the '25% less sodium' claim is as compared to the average of 'all varieties' of condensed soup, not tomato. 'Campbell has complete confidence in the accuracy of our labels and our marketing communications and that they meet regulatory and other legal requirements,' the company told Reuters.


Below the big yellow '25%' and big white 'LESS SODIUM' on the front of the can in smaller yellow text it says 'than regular condensed soup.'


They may be right about meeting statutory requirements, but that doesn't mean a reasonable consumer can't still be mislead by the label on the front of the can. The lawsuit seeks class action status.


M'm! M'm! Salty? [Reuters]


PREVIOUSLY

Zero Nutritional Difference Between Campbell's 'Healthy' Tomato Soups And Regular, Just Higher Price
"

Debt Collector Can't Harass Through Facebook Friends, Court Rules

Debt Collector Can't Harass Through Facebook Friends, Court Rules: "

In a precedent-setting case, a court has ruled that a debt collector can't continue to contact a debtor's friends and family on Facebook about her car payments, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The debt collector had already emailed, texted her, and called her at home and work, according tot he lawsuit, 23 times in one day.

Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a collector can only get in touch with another person if they don't know where the debtor is. The law also bars the collector from telling the third person why they need the info or to talk about the person's debt. While the FDCPA, enacted in 1978, does not specify the use of social media, the same rules as for calling and texting apply, Mark Schiffman, public affairs director for the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, told the Orlando Sentinel.

This would also preclude debt collectors from posting messages about the debt on Facebook walls or sending messages to their friends to tell the debtor to return the calls. Also, you can't send someone a digital cupcake that when you open it it says, 'Mmm, tasty! Now that you've had a second free lunch, how about paying what you owe? Thanks, Knuckles and Chain Debt Collectors.'

Debt collectors must tread lightly on social media [Orlando Sentinel] (Thanks to David!)

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Walmart Declutters Aisles Per Customers' Request, Then Loses $1.85 Billion In Sales

Walmart Declutters Aisles Per Customers' Request, Then Loses $1.85 Billion In Sales: "

Back in 2009, Walmart surveyed its customers and asked 'Would you like Walmart to be less cluttered?' They said yes. So Walmart cleared out space and reduced inventory and customer satisfaction shot up. However, same-store sales plummeted, by Phil Terry's estimate, by $1.85 billion, and now Walmart has fired the team that put the idea into place and is spending hundreds of millions to undo what they spent hundreds of millions doing. But wait! Weren't they listening to their customers? Why weren't they rewarded?

It was a costly mistake that required lots of overhaul and refurbishing. 15% of inventory was removed from the stores. End caps were slimmed. Shelves got shorter. Gone were the big pallets of stuff stacked in the middle of aisles. Ah, it was more clean and open, more like Target - the strategy was put into place by a former Target exec, who is now a former Walmart exec - and sales dove. How could this be?

See, Walmart wanted to play like it was listening to their customers, but they weren't listening to the true signal. 'Walmart came up with the answer first, then asked customers to agree to it,' writes the Good Experience blog. This is the peril of listening to what your customers say instead of what they actually did. Turns out that while they enjoyed the increase in negative space inside the stores, what matters more to Walmart customers is a vast selection of cheap items.

This is the same strategy that Sam Walton pioneered and the company is now scrambling to return to.

Truly customer-centric strategies need to look past mere survey responses and instead examine what drives the real underlying consumer behavior. Otherwise you get this mess, which, really, writes the good Experience blog, 'ignores customers while attempting to fool stakeholders into thinking that the strategy is customer-centered.'

Walmart's $1.85 billon dollar mistake [Daily Artifacts]

Ignore the customer experience, lose a billion dollars (Walmart case study) [Good Experience]

"

USPS Puts Wrong Statue Of Liberty On Stamp, Doesn't Really Give A F*&k

USPS Puts Wrong Statue Of Liberty On Stamp, Doesn't Really Give A F*&k: "

You almost have to respect the USPS for screwing up this royally. First, they go and put the wrong Statue of Liberty on a postage stamp. Then, when told about it, they just shrug it off like a postal worker eating a sandwich at their closed window while a line of customers waits.

First, the Lady Liberty goof. Look closely at the statue on the stamp seen here. Sure, it looks like the statue rising out of the water just off the coast of New Jersey. But it ain't. It's the replica statue from the New York-New York casino in Las Vegas.

Then there's the response from the USPS, which says it picked the image from a stock photo service. 'We still love the stamp design and would have selected this photograph anyway,' a rep for the near-bankrupt relic tells the NY Times.

Stay classy USPS.

This Lady Liberty Is a Las Vegas Teenager [NY Times]

"

Study: Less Than 40% Of Bank Branches Willing To Openly Disclose Account Fees To Customers

Study: Less Than 40% Of Bank Branches Willing To Openly Disclose Account Fees To Customers: "

In spite of legislation requiring banks to disclose all fees associated with consumer deposit accounts, a new study from the Public Interest Research Group shows that only around four out of 10 bank branches don't make it difficult or impossible for consumers to see the full schedule of fees.Additionally, banks are reluctant to let customers know about the availability of free checking accounts.

For six months, PIRG sent people to 392 bank branches in 21 states and found:

1) Fewer than half (38%) of branches complied easily with the simple researcher request for fee schedules required by the Truth In Savings Act; only after two or more requests did a total of 55% percent of branches provide fee schedules as requested and as required by law. In a finding virtually identical to GAO's results, nearly one-quarter (23%) of branches surveyed refused to comply at all. Others provided often weighty piles of useless other brochures.

2) Despite the difficulty in obtaining full fee information, we found that free checking was available at half the banks visited (50%) and that an additional 29% offered free checking with direct deposit. The free accounts are widely available at small and regional banks and credit unions, a finding that has also been obtained by others. While some big banks have raised fees and restricted or eliminated free checking, some still provide it, especially with a regular direct deposit.

PIRG is suggesting to the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that the Truth In Savings Act be extended to the Internet, where banks should be required to post fees in a searchable web format.

Additionally, PIRG recommends that 'the most important savings and checking disclosures required by the Act be provided prominently in a tabular format, such as the 'Schumer Box' required for credit card disclosures.'



Since banks are so hesitant to be transparent about fees, the organization says consumers should review their bank statements and count their fees.

'Examine how many fees you pay. Shop around. Look for better accounts. Bank at a credit union, not at a bank,' reads a statement from PIRG on the results of its study. 'Credit unions are member-owned, lower-cost alternatives to banks and often offer the same variety of services. It is easier to qualify for membership than most consumers think.'

Big Banks, Bigger Fees: A National Survey of Bank Fees and Fee Disclosure Policies [PIRG]

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Which Sign of the Geek Zodiac are You?

Toddler Receives Alcoholic Margarita Mix Instead Of Apple Juice At Applebee's

Toddler Receives Alcoholic Margarita Mix Instead Of Apple Juice At Applebee's: "

Big mistake. Huge. Police are investigating a Detroit-area Applebee's after a toddler was mistakenly given margarita mix in the place of the apple juice his mother ordered along with his kid's meal.

The 15-month-old's mom ordered the apple juice for her son, but began to get suspicious when she says they took the drink from him after he'd ingested some of it, got tired and refused to eat.

'We took it from him and he kind of laid his head on the table,' Taylor Dill-Reese told local news WDIV 4. 'He dozed off a little bit and woke up and got real happy.'

Dill-Reese sampled what her son had been sipping before they left, and detected the alcoholic mix right away.

'The manager came up to me and he smelled it and he was like, 'I am so sorry ma'am, I just don't know what to do,'' she said. The police were called and the boy was taken to the hospital. Doctors said he could've been in danger of dying if he'd had the entire cup, but that he would likely be okay.

Applebee's corporate office emailed Local 4 a statement reading 'Obviously any situation like this is unacceptable and we take it very seriously. We are working with local authorities and conduction our own investigation so we can assess exactly what happened.'

Toddler Mistakenly Given Alcohol at Applebee's [WDIV Detroit]

"

Analysis: T-Mobile Gives You More For Your Dollar Than AT&T

Analysis: T-Mobile Gives You More For Your Dollar Than AT&T: "

As AT&T prepares to head into the regulatory review of its pending purchase of T-Mobile USA, the telecom giant's CEO has stated, however noncommittally, that existing T-Mobile customers should not see their rates go up. And according to a comparison done by our number-crunching cousins at Consumer Reports, many of those T-Mobile customers will be saving between $15 to $50 per month for similar service.

From Consumer Reports' report:

T-Mobile charges $50 per month for its basic 1,000-minute individual Even More Talk two-year contract plan, while AT&T charges $60 per month for its nearest equivalent Nation contract plan, which includes only 900 minutes. If we adjust for the difference in voice minutes, AT&T costs $16.67 more per month or $200 more per year for a comparable monthly allocation of minutes.

The more you buy, the bigger the price disparity. T-Mobile's two-line, 3,000-minute Even More Talk + Text (unlimited messaging) + 200MB data two-year contract plan for smart phones costs $140 per month. The closest AT&T FamilyTalk Nation plan costs $170 per month, after you add data and messaging to the base price, but delivers only 2,100 voice minutes.

Adjusted for the 900-voice-minute shortchange, this AT&T plan costs $50 more per month or $600 more per year.

A rep for AT&T points out that this math doesn't factor in rollover minutes, which AT&T offers and T-Mobile does not.

If AT&T is truly going to allow T-Mobile customers to continue on with their existing plans post-merger, some current AT&T customers may want to consider the possibility of jumping ship early to a T-Mobile plan so they can be grandfathered in.

However, there is the caveat that these grandfathered plans are usually voided when you make any change to the plan.

Writes CR's Jeff Blyskal:

So, we reckon, if you get married after the AT&T takeover and need a family plan without changing carriers, that won't be just a tweak to your individual plan: You'll be shopping for an AT&T family plan. Need to increase or decrease your minutes or trade up from a standard phone to a smart phone with required data service? Welcome to AT&T.

In other words, if you make any significant change to your T-Mobile plan, you'll be forced to "Rethink possible," as AT&T's current marketing slogan presciently warns shoppers, and you'll likely lose access to today's relative thrifty T-Mobile plans.

CR analysis: T-Mobile is cheaper than AT&T [Consumer Reports]

"

BofA Charges Fee After 3 Withdrawals To Discourage You From Making More Than 6

BofA Charges Fee After 3 Withdrawals To Discourage You From Making More Than 6: "

Here's a funny fee that I just found out about, even though it's been in place for at least a year. So, Federal regulation, Regulation D, prohibits more than six withdrawals per month from a savings account (ATM withdrawals don't count towards the 6). Most banks will just charge an 'excess activity fee' if you go over that amount, but Bank of America charges a $3 fee if you have more than three withdrawals in a statement period. When Paul questioned why, customer service told him it was a 'deterrent fee' to discourage him from hitting the Federal limit. 'That's like giving me a speeding ticket for going 27.5 miles per hour as a deterrent so I don't go 55,' he writes. The rep was unmoved by his analogy.

Savings Excess Withdrawal Fees [factsaboutfees.bankofamerica]

"

GoDaddy CEO Shoots Elephant, Sparks Stampede Of Customers To Flee

GoDaddy CEO Shoots Elephant, Sparks Stampede Of Customers To Flee: "

The CEO of domain name registrar GoDaddy is facing an online furor after the video he posted of himself killing an elephant in Africa went viral. After the elephant dies and CEO Bob Parsons poses next to it, villagers from all around come out to strip and devour the carcass on the spot. Many of them are wearing day-glo orange GoDaddy caps. As these images play in the video, 'Hells Bells' provides the soundtrack. Now a backlash movement has started for folks to switch their domain providers away from GoDaddy.

Here's a link to the graphic video, which may not be safe for your workplace.

'All these people that are complaining that this shouldn't happen, that these people who are starving to death otherwise shouldn't eat these elephants, you probably see them driving through at McDonald's or cutting a steak,' Parsons told MyFoxPhoenix. 'These people [Zimbabwe villagers] don't have that option.'

The hunt is an annual expedition Bob takes each year to Zimbabwe to help curtail the local 'problem elephant' population which trample the crops. In the second of the explanations he posted in response to the furor, he said:

I spend a few weeks in Zimbabwe each year helping the farmers deal with problem elephants. The people there have very little, many die each year from starvation and one of the problems they have is the elephants, of which there are thousands and thousands, that trash many of their fields destroying the crops. The tribal authorities request that I and others like me, patrol the fields before and during the harvest -- we can't cover them all, there are just a few of us -- and drive the elephant from the fields. The farmers try to run the elephants away by cracking whips, beating drums and lighting fires. All of this is ignored by the elephants. When my team catch elephants in a field (there are never just one) we typically kill one of them and the rest leave for good. After we kill an elephant the people butcher the elephant and it feeds a number of villages. These people have literally nothing and when an elephant is killed it's a big event for them, they are going to be able to eat some protein. This is no different than you or I eating beef. If at all possible we avoid elephant cows and only kill mature bulls. By just killing bulls it has no effect on the elephant social structure (as it is matriarchal) as well as the herd size. The reason is another bull quickly steps up and breeds in place of the bull taken.

I think there's a lot of complicated issues at stake, from conservation to imperialism to the conflict between human and animal populations over resources. But it's clear that posting a video of yourself shooting an elephant on safari and then people wearing baseball caps with your logo rip apart its flesh is going to make people upset.

'I kind of figured that this might happen. So be it, I'm not ashamed of what I did,' Parsons told myFoxPhoenix.

This isn't the first time the CEO has courted controversy. His company's SuperBowl ad submissions, featuring ample cleavage and sexualized scenarios that are supposed to be funny, have had difficulty getting approved by censors.

Bob frequently communicates with customers through a series of prolific blog and vlog posts. One of his recent vlogs was about how to be successful in life and was entitled 'Why YOU should NEVER SWEAT what OTHERS THINK about YOU.'

Elephant Hunt Controversy Surrounds GoDaddy.com CEO [MyFoxPhoenix]

Hunting Problem Elephant [Video.Me]

"