Elite 8 Announced in Consumerist.com's 'Worst Company in America' Tournament

LIVE TODAY: Time Warner Cable Versus Bank of America

NEW YORK, April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumerist.com's "Worst Company in America" tournament continues to chip away at companies that missed the mark on customer satisfaction and is now down to its Elite 8, which includes dark horse Cash4Gold and top-seeded Comcast. Fan favorites Apple and Ticketmaster are also advancing and will now face Bank of America, Time Warner Cable, PayPal, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, respectively.  The first match up, posted today on Consumerist.com, will pin Time Warner Cable against Bank of America.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100415/DC87215 )

The bracket-style, single elimination tournament, similar to the NCAA basketball tournament, is scaled down each week based on company match-up and Consumerist.com visitors' votes until the final round on April 23.  Consumers can log on to Consumerist.com today to participate in the 'Worst Company in America's' Elite 8.  Match-ups for this round of the tourney will commence on Tuesday, April 20.

"The bad practices of these companies have struck a nerve with consumers, whether it's suing whistleblowers in Cash4Gold's case or Apple's iPhone app store monopoly," said Ben Popken, Co-Managing Editor of Consumerist.com.  "It's great to see consumers getting involved and using this tournament as a means to express their dissatisfaction."

"The competition is heating up as voters become more and more vocal on their top picks," said Meghann Marco, Co-Managing Editor of Consumerist.com.  "Apple has been a real surprise so far, advancing to the Elite 8.  It will be interesting to see if they can hang with #2 seed Comcast."

Consumers can check back regularly at Consumerist.com for updated brackets and voting opportunities throughout the month of April.  The 2010 Grand Champion in Consumerist.com's "Worst Company in America" will receive the prestigious Golden Poo Award, a golden statuette modeled after a pile of poo.

Upcoming elimination dates:

• April 21 – Final Four
• April 23 – Championship Battle
• April 26 – Winner!

Ready? Set? Play ball! 2010 Elite 8 are…

Click here for direct link to bracket.

Here are the Elite 8 match-ups:

About Consumerist.com

The Consumerist is a subsidiary of Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports, and ConsumerReports.org, and the nation's leading not-for-profit consumer advocacy organization. Since its founding in 1936, Consumers Union has fought for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves. To maintain independence and impartiality, CU accepts neither outside advertising nor free samples. It employs a staff of "mystery shoppers" who buy products in retail stores around the country, just as any other buyer would, and then ship them to the Consumers Union labs, where technical experts test some 3,000 products yearly.

To further advance its mission, CU employs a dedicated team of grassroots organizers, advocates and outreach specialists who work with the organization's more than 600,000 online activists to change legislation and the marketplace in favor of the consumer interest. Consumers Union is also the leading publisher of information to help consumers choose the right products, stay safe, and protect themselves against unfair business practices. In addition to The Consumerist and Consumer Reports, CU's publications include ConsumerReportsHealth.org, ConsumerReportsEnEspanol.org, ShopSmart magazine, Consumer Reports on Health and Consumer Reports Money Adviser. CU's publications have received many major awards, including multiple National Magazine Awards, several Webby Awards and numerous awards for public-interest and health-care reporting.

SOURCE Consumer Reports