New Interview Techniques

New interview technique or bad company? I give you three examples:

1. Last year I interviewed with a large company to edit their English pamphlets. They called me late, but the interview went well, I passed the test they gave me, they offered me the job, asked me if I wanted to be paid in dollars or euro and never contacted me again.

2. Person B submitted a resume to another very large company, was contacted to schedule an interview, and then the company never called. He contacted them and they rescheduled, calling over an hour late for the rescheduled time.

3. Person C was contacted by yet another very large company--they sought him out--to schedule an interview. Lo and behold this company didn't call until the interviewee sent an email an hour later saying, ??? After a half hour passed for the rescheduled interview, person C again sent an email saying ??? and was called.

So the question is, is this a new phone interview technique? Seems common enough. Seems like it could be a MTV boiling-point-esque tactic to see how the interviewee holds up under stress and angering situations. What up, companies?