My top 20 stories of 2015: Starbucks, Comcast, and more

December 31, 2015 Bob Sullivan 0
It was a busy year of hacks and consumer complaints. My Starbucks exclusive was the most popular story for the year.
It was a busy year of hacks and consumer complaints. My Starbucks exclusive was the most popular story for the year.

Starbucks’ app and gift card attacks. Comcast’s “free” modem, surprise fees, and free hotspot complaints. Mobile deposit problems.  Where the heck can families afford to live in America?  Why Ubernomics is destined to fail.

These topics and stories form the core of my most popular posts in 2015.  The list is fun for me to browse, and I hope it’s entertaining for you, too. Thanks again for reading this year, and here’s to a prosperous (or at least, more restful) 2016! On Monday, I’ll have some predictions for you about the new year, and beyond.

1 · EXCLUSIVE: Hackers target Starbucks mobile users, steal from linked credit cards without knowing account number
2 · Comcast modem upgrade acts like a computer virus email; some complain about surprise fees
3 · The next fraud wave: When banks cash the same check twice, you might have to pay
4 · Sane places to live in America? This one map will show you
5 · Gotcha! Why a 5-mile ambulance ride costs $800 — or more
6 · ‘Secret’ cell phone plans could save you 50%, so why are carriers embarrassed by them?
7 · Comcast brings cell-phone-like data charges to home Internet users
8 · How much does it cost to drive across country?
9 · Expedia warns users about ‘unauthorized access’ of name, phone, email and booking info
10 · How much money do you really need? Forget retirement, what’s your annual number? Let’s start with $100K
11 · The little girl who stole the show during the Pope’s visit; these pictures you won’t see anywhere else
12 · Do you live on under $60,000 a year? Tell me how
13 · Dealing with debt collectors: A simple Do’s and Don’ts list
14 · The 6 reasons Ubernomics could be fatal to itself, its customers, and mass transit
15 · New, dangerous computer virus uses an old trick you’ve probably forgotten about
16 ·  Pay higher-than-average property taxes? This map tells you (and who pays 7x the national rate?)
17 · For 40 million Americans, $100k income required to buy an average home; 1 in 5 need at least $75k
18 · Calculate the cost of (almost) anything; consumers can fight back with their own Big Data
19 · The big problem with those new chip credit cards that no one is talking about
20 · Eight cheaper ways to book hotels: The latest installment of the ‘How to Buy Anything’ series

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About Bob Sullivan 1687 Articles
BOB SULLIVAN is a veteran journalist and the author of four books, including the 2008 New York Times Best-Seller, Gotcha Capitalism, and the 2010 New York Times Best Seller, Stop Getting Ripped Off! His latest, The Plateau Effect, was published in 2013, and as a paperback, called Getting Unstuck in 2014. He has won the Society of Professional Journalists prestigious Public Service award, a Peabody award, and The Consumer Federation of America Betty Furness award, and been given Consumer Action’s Consumer Excellence Award.
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