Would You Let Your Employer Tell You What Your LinkedIn Profile Should Say?

At what point does the tether between you and your job end? This is the conundrum facing one Consumerist reader whose employer recently told all staffers to edit their LinkedIn profiles to reflect the business' very specific branding message.

Mike tells Consumerist that employees recently received an e-mail straight from the top of the company, instructing everyone to change their profiles on the professional networking site so that the text describes the business in the exact same, sales-lingo-filled way across all staffers' pages.

"It's obviously marketing gibberish," writes Mike, "And I'm under the belief that we own our profiles and are under no obligation to conform. My profile doesn't say anything negative, I just don't want to have a bunch of embarrassing marketing speak in mine."

Mike says there isn't a direct statement in the e-mail that threatens employees with disciplinary action if they don't follow suit, but he tells Consumerist that his employer has hassled staffers who resisted previous, similar efforts.

The consensus around Consumerist HQ is that the only way it would be even slightly reasonable for a business to make this request mandatory is if the business requires all staffers to create a LinkedIn page. We've seen this in other places, like companies that require staffers to create job-specific Facebook accounts for the purpose of social media outreach.

Additionally, if your employer discovers that you are misrepresenting the company or your position in a publicly searchable forum, it could be within the realm of understanding for it to request a change.

But it's difficult to not look at LinkedIn as just another form of your curriculum vitae, which your employer has no right to edit.

We've asked LinkedIn to comment on this story and will update if anyone there has anything to add. In the meantime, tell us what you think in the poll below and in the comments...

by Chris Morran via The Consumerist

FTC Warns Against Scammers Trying To Cash In On Aurora Theater Shooting

It's been a week since a dozen people were killed and 58 others were injured at a late-night showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Co., and folks from around the world have been looking to donate money to help those affected by the tragedy. But before you hand over any cash, be sure it's a legitimate charity.

The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers to be careful and not donate money to bogus charities or groups that are not honest about where donated funds go.

"It's wise to be wary of charities that spring up overnight in connection with current events, like the theater shooting," writes the FTC. "Urgent appeals for aid that you get in person, by phone or mail, by e-mail, on websites, or on social networking sites may not be on the up-and-up."

Thus, the FTC has the following Charity Checklist that guides consumers through the questions they need to ask when considering a donation to any group:

1. Ask for the name of the charity if the telemarketer does not provide it promptly;

2. Ask what percentage of your donation will support the cause described in the solicitation;

3. Verify that the charity has authorized the solicitation;

4. Do not provide any credit card or bank information until you have reviewed all information from the charity and made the decision to donate;

5. Ask for a receipt showing the amount of the contribution and stating that it is tax deductible; and

6. Avoid cash gifts. For security and tax record purposes, it's best to pay by check – made payable to the beneficiary, not the solicitor.

The agency has more information at ftc.gov/charityfraud.

For those looking for a legitimate charity, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and the Community First Foundation have set up the Aurora Victim Relief Fund to meet immediate and long-term needs of victims and their families. GivingFirst.org provides details on this and other bona fide, related charities.

by Chris Morran via The Consumerist

Top Posts Of The Week(s) And Open Thread

• TSA Flags Man With World’s Largest Penis For Additional Crotch Screening

• Disabled Vet Says United Employees Kicked His Service Dog, Asked Him If He Was Retarded

• No, Best Buy Employee, I Won’t Come To Your House To Get My Stolen Racy Photos Back

• Who The &^#* Does This Restaurant Customer Think He Is?

• Homeowner Pulls Gun To Stop New Electric Meter From Being Installed

We're back! These are the most popular posts from the last few weeks of Open Thread hiatus. Were you sad that you didn't get to comment on them? Here is your chance! There was a post about tipping, after all.

To commemorate the occasion, here's the happiest cat photo we have. So happy that this cat's name actually is Happy.

by Laura Northrup via The Consumerist

Man Tries To Rob Cash Register, Opts To Put A Puppy Down His Pants Instead

What sets a quality retail thief apart from your run-of-the-mill shoplifter is their ability to adapt. Take for example, the man in NYC who, realizing that he couldn't crack open the cash register, saw possibility for profit by stashing a pricey puppy in his pants.

Luckily for the Internet, the entire thing was caught on tape.

You can see in the video that the man's accomplice distracts the pet store's cashier by calling him over to take a look at a pug.

While that happens, the thief attempts to open the register -- three times -- to no avail.

But rather than give up or escalate the situation to threats of violence, he sees an opportunity... in the form of a 10-week-old Pomeranian that retails for $1,000.

“The puppy is trying to get out, and he’s pushing it back in," the store's owner tells the NY Post. “Then he covered it with his shirt."

The store is now offering a $500 reward for the pup's return.

by Chris Morran via The Consumerist

Dish Tweaks Ad-Skipping DVR Service To Be More Broadcaster-Friendly

Back when Dish Network first released its AutoHop ad-skipping DVR feature, the service automatically recorded prime-time network broadcasts so that viewers could watch all their favorite NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox shows at a later date without having to fast-forward through commercial breaks. But now that Dish has been sued by those same broadcasters, AutoHop is slightly less "auto."

According to Variety, two recent AutoHop tweaks seem to be concessions to litigious broadcasters:

• Rather than default to recording all broadcast networks, users select which ones to record.

• Now, when users are given the option to skip ads, the default is set to "no," instead of "yes."

The broadcaster lawsuits against Dish allege that the satellite provider is violating copyright law by editing broadcasters' content when it processes recorded content to remove commercials.

Some networks have responded to the AutoHop by refusing to accept ads for Dish.

by Chris Morran via The Consumerist

Virgin Mobile, Sprint, And The Phantom Voicemail

Brian is haunted. No matter what he does, a phantom voicemail is always there on his Virgin Mobile phone. Notifying him of its existence every fifteen minutes, without actually existing. Making his phone vibrate and give audio alerts. Providing him with constant reminders of something that isn't there. It's incredibly frustrating, and all Virgin Mobile can do is bounce him back and forth between them and Sprint.

He writes:

A month ago I switched phones on Virgin Mobile from the Motorola Triumph to the HTC Evo V 4G. Ever since I've used my new phone, there has been a voicemail notification saying I have 1 new voicemail…the only problem is I don't actually have a voicemail. I get audible and vibrating notifications of this phantom voicemail every 15 minutes or so.

I have been in contact with Virgin Mobile constantly, and they keep saying I will get a call back from their network engineers within 72 hours. I have yet to receive a call from them.

My new phone is basically a Sprint phone, so technical support has to come from Sprint – Virgin Mobile basically acts as the middleman relaying information between Sprint and me. Every time I call, there is a 72 hour period where Sprint responds to the problem.

I have literally spent hours on the phone with Virgin Mobile, and though I have been very patient with them, I'm tired of these same issues a month later. Why can't Virgin Mobile get their act together and fix this issue? Is it a phone issue? Replace the phone then. Is it an account issue? Fix it then.

I just keep getting told that Virgin Mobile's hands are tied because the support has to come from Sprint. I have and pay for service with Virgin Mobile, why can't they fix my simple problem?

I currently have to wait another 24 hours and am required to call them back to get any update.

During another reader's struggle with Virgin Mobile, we obtained the social media assistance address SaveMe@TheVirginAngels.com. Maybe that information will be helpful to Brian, or to another Virgin customer haunted by network problems and ineffective tech support.

by Laura Northrup via The Consumerist

Owner’s Manual Error Made My Steam Cleaner Self-Destruct

The Whirlpool Fabric Freshener is a device that lets you steam clean your clothes at home, or just quickly get wrinkles out of a piece of clothing without ironing it. The contraption isn't cheap, but is easy to store and very useful. Andrew purchased one last year, and used it quite a bit. He followed the instructions given for cleaning the system with vinegar every few months, and then....it stopped working entirely. What did he do wrong? He called up Whirlpool to find out.

As it turns out, the water-softening beads that are part of the system aren't compatible with vinegar. They swell up and clog the tubes, making the whole "steam cleaning" thing problematic. Oh. So much for that part of the manual telling customers to periodically clean the system with vinegar.

Andrew wrote to us in praise of Whirlpool:

Last Fall, I purchased a Whirlpool Fabric Freshener. It is a great machine for quickly removing wrinkles and odors from clothing. I used it a fair amount but not to excess.

The issues with the product began when I ran vinegar through the system to clean the scale from the boiler. Even though the instruction manual tells you to follow this procedure every six months (and provides you with a cycle cup explicitly for this purpose), after running this cleaning cycle my fabric steamer stopped working.

Realizing the 90 day warranty had expired, I checked the internet to find out if there was some way I could fix it. While there was no user serviceable parts, I did find out that running vinegar through the fabric freshener had ruined quite a few other machines.

It turns out that the vinegar interacts with the water softening beads found in the other cycle cup (for use with distilled water), causing them to expand and block the water tubes running to the boiler.

I called Whirlpool nine months after I purchased the product and left a message on their system. Within a couple business days a nice woman named [M.] returned my call and within minutes had started the process to ship (for free) a brand new fabric freshener, as well as a

return shipping label for the defective model.

I will admit I live in Maine and during my initial phone call mentioned the State's Implied Warranty Law but the speed that Whirlpool handled the claim tells me it probably

didn't matter.

I would like to thank Whirlpool and M. for a great customer experience.

P.S. If anyone else has this Whirlpool Fabric Freshener, be sure to not use vinegar in it.

Well done, Whirlpool, for taking responsibility for the manual screwup and replacing Andrew's Fabric Freshener. We'd promote this to true "Above and Beyond" status had the company gone out of its way to contact any customers they could track down through registration cards or other means in order to warn them not to use vinegar, but we still give you about a B- for offering replacements.

by Laura Northrup via The Consumerist