Here’s Who Made Consumer Reports’ Nice and Naughty List

Consumer Reports is giving Santa a little help this year.

The magazine compiled a list of companies it says were naughty or nice based on the companies’ policies and practices.

The list comes with a couple of caveats.

“Although we cite companies by name, other businesses may engage in similar practices — for better or worse,” Consumer Reports says. “And praise or blame for a specific policy doesn’t mean we give a thumbs down or thumbs up … for everything else that company does or the way it treats customers.”

Here are some of the companies deserving a fat lump of coal, according to Consumer Reports:

• Amazon, for raising its free shipping minimum purchase to $35 from the long-standing $25.
• Best Buy, which maintains a database of return and exchange patterns and can block you from returning merchandise for 90 days if it doesn’t like your record.
• Fry’s Electronics, which doesn’t allow refunds on TVs 24 inches or larger.
• United Airlines, which, unlike many airlines, doesn’t allow early boarding for families with babies or young children.

And here are some of the good little corporate boys and girls:

• Bed Bath & Beyond, which goes above and beyond on price adjustments. Bring a receipt and a valid coupon and you can have the discount retroactively applied.
• Citibank, for offering late payment forgiveness and no late fees on its Citi Simplicity card. (Paying late can still ding your credit, though.)
• Sony, for routinely providing helpful and quick customer service over social media.
• T-Mobile, for not trying to profit from your old phone. It separates on the bill the cost for service and for the phone you got at a steep discount, and unlike other carriers, stops charging for the latter when you’ve paid in full.

What do you think of Consumer Reports’ list? Which company would you add? Comment below or on our Facebook page.