Some of you may have heard of this fantastic site called The Consumerist. The site is all about being a good consumer, knowing how to stand up for yourself, and being a resource for those who’ve been screwed or seek advice. I’ve been reading The Consumerist for a little over a year (I think) and have seen many tales of success.

One of the biggest advantages to being a reader is that I know where to look for hard to find information like executives names and phone numbers. I can also find posts about how certain people went about things and can then “play my cards” based on that to either save money or avoid an ETF. The cool thing about being a reader is seeing a post about someone who’s been taken, only to be contacted by the offending company because they too read The Consumerist.

Today’s tale of success was from a reader who was stranded by Verizon’s Roadside Assistance Program (yes, they have one). Long story short, the plaintiff was left stranded 20 miles from civilization with an empty gas tank and a dead cell phone. He had to wait for someone to drive by and take him to town, then get his car towed to town to get gas.

Is this what it takes to get reasonable customer service? Should people really have to complain to the whole world in order to get action taken by a company? If that’s the case, this site is your best bet. In particularly difficult economic times, the Consumerist is a valuable resource for knowin’ when to hold ‘em and knowin’ when to fold ‘em.

If you choose to submit your story to the site, do so with a level head and give all the information you can. Don’t do this as a first resort, but as a last resort. Once you’ve compiled your story, email it to tips@consumerist.com and hope for the best.