Cheers & Jeers - personal finance

Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine, Dec, 1999 by Kristin> Davis

Mad as heck, some customers decided not to take it anymore. When National City Bank in Pittsburgh imposed a $2 fee for deposit slips, customers practically rioted. "Enraged depositors were screaming and throwing things at stunned tellers," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Within weeks, the bank ditched the fee.

MILLIONAIRE MANIA

What Next, "Queen for a Day"?

You might have been a millionaire if you had known which group won the first Grammy award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance on February 22, 1989--Metallica, AC/DC, Living Colour or Jethro Tull.

That was the lone million-dollar question during the two-week summer debut of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? on ABC. Hosted by Regis Philbin, the program--a kind of $64,000 Question adjusted for inflation--turned out to be wildly popular, attracting a total of 115 million viewers during its two-week run, and it looks like it will ignite a game-show revival on prime-time TV.

Aside from ABC and its parent company, Disney, the big winner during the show's debut was Richmond, Va., lawyer Michael Shutterly, who answered 14 questions correctly to earn $500,000. But he wisely declined to venture a guess at the million-dollar stumper above. The correct answer, Jethro Tull, came as a surprise to those who know that Tull is neither a hard-rock nor a heavy-metal band.

REVENGE OF THE CUBE DWELLERS

Groovy! Dilbert's Visa Rules

First USA's Austin Powers Titanium Visa has a shagadelic look. MBNA's Elvis Presley Visa generates contributions to charity and provides discounts at Graceland and Heartbreak Hotel. But our vote for the niftiest vanity card of the year goes to NextCard's Dilbert Visa.

The card is pitched to "cube dwellers who choose Internet technology over paper bureaucracy," says Richard Goebel, NextCard's director of business development. You have to apply for the card online, at www.dilbert.com. If you also elect to get your statement and pay online, you're rewarded with a "reverse fee"--a credit of 50 cents a month. And the card has no annual fee and no late or overlimit charges.

Best of all in our opinion, you can design your own card, with a picture of Dilbert, the pointy-haired boss, Dogbert or Catbert, and give yourself a title, such as "King of My Cubicle," "Evil Director of Human Resources" or "Supreme Ruler." Take that, Dr. Evil.

CROOKED-GAVEL AWARDS

It's the American Way: Do Something Stupid, Then Sue Someone

First, Cynthia Haines of Marin County, Cal., gambled online and charged her wagers to her credit cards. After she lost more than $70,000, she sued Visa, Mastercard and Providian Financial Corp., arguing that she shouldn't have to pay her debts. Her rationale: Because online gambling is illegal in California, she shouldn't have been allowed to use the cards in the first place.

Then there was Lee Williams of Southfield, Mich., who sued an area tattoo parlor, Eternal Tattoos, for branding him a "villian." Neither Williams nor the tattoo artist was sure how to spell the word "villain," and Williams didn't realize the misspelling until a friend teased him about it afterward. He subsequently spent $1,900 to have the tattoo removed and is seeking $25,000 in damages.