Saturday, April 30, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Kohl's Employee Delivers (literally) Extraordinary Customer Service
This is a story about a retail customer service associate who went above and beyond the call of duty. MrConsumer went to his local Kohl's department store in Massachusetts to buy a seven foot high and four foot wide black metal arbor. Everyone's garden should have an archway, right?
The good news: the store had it in stock on this, the last day of the sale. The bad news: the box was about two feet wide by eight feet long, and would not fit into MrConsumer's car. I asked if I could leave it at the customer service desk until next week to allow time for finding someone with a bigger car. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that I lived just in the next town, about five minutes from the store. The customer service person, Jane, asked where specifically. As it turns out Jane lives only four or five blocks away from MrConsumer, and she volunteered to deliver the arbor in her car after she finished work.
What? How unimaginably generous and unexpected! MrConsumer is going back to Kohl's shortly to load this monstrosity into Jane's car, and will write a letter praising her goodwill to Kohl's' headquarters.
The good news: the store had it in stock on this, the last day of the sale. The bad news: the box was about two feet wide by eight feet long, and would not fit into MrConsumer's car. I asked if I could leave it at the customer service desk until next week to allow time for finding someone with a bigger car. In the course of the conversation, I mentioned that I lived just in the next town, about five minutes from the store. The customer service person, Jane, asked where specifically. As it turns out Jane lives only four or five blocks away from MrConsumer, and she volunteered to deliver the arbor in her car after she finished work.
What? How unimaginably generous and unexpected! MrConsumer is going back to Kohl's shortly to load this monstrosity into Jane's car, and will write a letter praising her goodwill to Kohl's' headquarters.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.How the New Bankruptcy Law Affects You
Hopefully the new bankruptcy law won't affect you at all because you manage your money responsibly. If you get into financial trouble, the rules are stricter for filing for bankruptcy. This article describes the changes. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Misspell Google, Get Zapped with Spyware
For heaven sakes, you better spell Google correctly. If you don't, you could wind up on a site the fills your computer with spyware programs that install themselves automatically. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Supermarkets Innovate to Compete w/Wal-Mart
How do you compete with the 100-ton gorilla? You do something different. That is how supermarkets around the country are trying to compete with Wal-Mart. One is trying a tablet computer mounted on shopping carts, others are going upscale. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Epson Sues Printer Cartridge Competitors
Savvy consumers seek out cheaper alternatives to brand name inkjet printer cartridges all the time. The big guys don't like that, since they make a lot more money on a few ounces of ink than they do on their printers. Now Epson is suing several replacement cartridge companies alleging they are infringing on Epson's patents. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
French Court Rules Against DVD Copy Protection
Chalk a win up for consumers on the copy protection controversy. A french court has said that copy protection on DVDs violated a consumer's right to copy it to a video tape for his own personal use. The court ordered the particular DVD to be removed from stores shelves. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Last Chance to Buy Saving Bonds Before Rate Drop
Hurry.... the rules are changing for EE savings bonds on May 1. They will become fixed rate instruments -- probably fixed at a lower rate than today. Old bonds were adjusted every six months. Particularly today when rates are expected to rise, locking in a low rate is not the saaviest of financial moves. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Next Windows to Have a "Black Box"
Privacy advocates may not like this one, but Microsoft plans to have the equivalent of a black box running on your computer at all times, and should the machine crash, everything going on at that moment can be relayed to Microsoft. This includes the contents of documents and emails. You, as an individual user, will have the option to delete anything or not send the error log to Microsoft. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Don't Be Price-Shy: Haggle!
Do you always pay the asking price? Shame on you! It doesn't hurt to haggle... err.... negotiate. You might be surprised that people can even reduce their doctors' bills by asking for a discount. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Florida Psychic Jailed (She Didn't See It Coming)
So much for her psychic abilities when police came to arrest this rather surprised, self-styled soothsayer for conning a senior citizen out of $38,000. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Consumer Reports Launches GreenerChoices.org
To help consumers make more environmentally friendly product choices when shopping, CU has just launched a new website called GreenerChoices.org. Just in time, because a survey released last week suggests that nearly nine out of 10 shoppers consider environmental and health factors when making buying decisions. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
When Online Payments Go Awry
Many people have come to rely on online banking to pay their bills in a timely way, often automatically each month. Most times, it goes smoothly. But for this New Jersey consumer, his online payment to his credit card company virtually disappeared ... and then the nightmare began. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Don't Over-insure Your House
Borrowers across the country are being coerced by their lenders to take out more homeowners insurance than is actually needed to rebuild the house they are buying. Don't be bullied! For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.90% off on Books!
Books sales don't get much better than this. Over 3600 books are 90% off publishers' list price, and shipping is surprisingly inexpensive. (To Massachusetts, for example, five books cost only $3.20 for shipping. Your mileage may vary.) Make browsing easier by selecting categories of interest (on the left). Here are direct links to health and fitnessbooks, self-help books, family and relationship books, personal finance and business books, and other categories.
Top 5 Spam Scams
For March 2005, the top 5 spam scams included pharming, Google hacking, a fake FBI email, phishing, Nigerian money scams. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Entertainment Coupon Book Clearance -- $9.99
This is the sale that everyone waits for each year -- the big Entertainment Coupon Book clearance sale. These books normally sell for $25 to $40 or so, but now they are only $9.99 each. Each book is regionalized for dozens of major metro areas, and contains hundreds of buy one, get one free meal coupons, discounts on rental cars, certificates for $25/$50/$75 off many already discounted United Airlines fares, attraction coupons, half-price hotels, and more. Use one coupon, and book pays for itself. Order now while supplies last. Most coupons expire November 1. For more consumer news and bargains, visit Consumer World.
Bush Signs New Bankruptcy Law
The president signed the new bankruptcy reform law yesterday. It will now be more difficult for consumers to use the bankruptcy law to get out of their legitimate debts. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Wine's Health Benefits Exaggerated
Here we go again. Research that says something is healthy is later contradicted by other research. Today's reversal is on wine. The CDC now says the healthier hearts of moderate wine drinkers is probably related to factors other than their wine consumption. Go figure. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Being Overweight Not as Risky as Thought
Here we go again. Eggs are bad, eggs are good. Wine is good, wine is bad. Can't these researchers make up their minds? Now we learn that the CDC has exaggerated the death risk associated with being overweight. And even more surprisingly, being a little overweight appears to be LESS risky than being normal weight. Huh? For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
USDA Unveils 12 Online Food Pyramids
Well, the speculation that the USDA would do away with the old food pyramid (suggesting the amount of servings per day you should have from various food groups) was only partially right. Instead of a one pyramid fits all approach, they now have 12 different pyramids that vary based on your age, sex, and activity level. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.DSW Says 1.4 Mil Credit Cards Numbers Stolen
DSW Shoe Warehouse said that a security breach has caused 1.4 million credit card numbers of customers and almost 100,000 checking account numbers to fall into the hands of cyber-thieves. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Airline Sells Tix for $1.86 Roundtrip in Error
Here's a mistake that an airline actually honored (unlike other Internet seller that cancel orders over price mistakes). For a short time over the weekend, US Airways erroneously starting offering tickets for as low as $1.86 roundtrip online (plus tax/fees). They finally caught the mistake. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Pharming More Menacing than Phishing
Phishing. Pharming. What's with all the Phunny names? (Remember Price Pfister?) Pharming is the latest scam that secretly duplicates a well known financial website, and redirects you there WITHOUT your doing anything stupid like clicking a link in a phishy email. Beware. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Web Calculators Don't Always Add Up
Critics complain that health information on the Internet is often wrong. Now those in the know about money matters say to take with a grain of salt the financial predictions made by online retirement calculators. While some can provide good general guidelines, they are not designed to handle special situations. For more consumer news and advice, visit Consumer World.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Merchants Pay Higher Fees If You Use Hi-End Visa/MC
Here's a twist. If you use a loaded-with-perks Visa Signature card or Grand Mastercard to make a purchase at a store, banks are now charging those merchants a higher percentage of each sale. Stores are not happy that they have to pay for your extra perks. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.US May Abandon Food Pyramid
The food pyramid has been a nutritional education tool for decades, telling consumers how many portions of food they should eat from each of several food groups. Now it appears the USDA is going to abandon that old triangle, and come up with a new method of offering dietary advice. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Judge Overturns FDA's Ephedra Ban
Don't blame the FDA if you die after taking a diet or pep pill containing ephedra. A federal judge just overturned that agency's ban on ephedra. No word yet whether ephedra-containing products will be put back on the market. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.600,000+ Hoover Vacuums Recalled
Hoover is recalling over half a million vacuums because of a faulty switch that might overhead. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Retailer's Credit Card Records Compromised
It is all a big secret, but the Wall Street Journal reports that it might be Polo Ralph Lauren's store database of credit card purchasers that was compromised by data thieves last month. Credit card issuers are beginning to notify cardholders who shopped there of the possible problem. Some, like the GM MasterCard are offering replacement cards to be safe. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Preview CompUSA's Tax Day Sale
On Friday, April 15, not all is bad. CompUSA is having a big sale from 6pm to midnight. Some good deals, some not so good deals. In particular, "b" Netgear router, notebook adapter card, or usb adapter plug-in, only $4.95 each after rebates. Microsoft Office for Students only $99 after rebate (11pm to midnight only). For more consumer news and bargains, visit Consumer World.
Consumer Education Idea = Choking Hazard???
This one takes the cake. Someone in the UK had a good idea: print napkins with consumer tips, and then distribute them to the elderly via meals on wheels. The safety nannies in the UK, however, worried that the senior citizens would eat the napkins and choke on them. We broke away from the UK just in the nick of time. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.LexisNexis Data Breach May Affect 300,000+
Last month, LexisNexis said it had a data breach, and maybe 30,000 people may have had their personal information stolen. They have now upped the estimate to over 300,000 affected people. LexisNexis says they will notify the affected consumers. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
1 in 7 Interrupt Sex to Answer Cell Phone
Call it cell phone interruptus. Fifteen percent of Americans have interrupted sex to answer their cell phone. In some countries, nearly 1 in 4 have done the same. Maybe putting it on vibrate could better serve both purposes. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Monday, April 11, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Hatred of Spam Subsides
People are disliking spam less! Huh? Love thy spam as thy self. Bah humbug. Who answered this survey? Only spam lovers? People apparently are finding spam less offensive. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Top 12 Spam Producing Countries
Which country produces the most spam? China? USSR? Ukraine? Nope. The good old USA. Here is the whole list. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Minivans and Small Pickups Crash Tested
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just released their latest crash tests. This time, it was for small pickups and minivans. See which brands did the best. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Saturday, April 09, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Turn Pennies into Penny Sculptures
A engineering student decided to see how creative he could be by piling pennies into various self-supporting structures (no glue used). For more consumer news and diversions, visit Consumer World.Spammer Sentenced to 9 Years in Jail
There is justice in the world. A Virginia judge just sentenced a prolific spammer to nine years in jail for sending 10 million (or more) unsolicited commercial email messages a day. An appeal is expected. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Friday, April 08, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.DualDisc: CD on One Side, DVD on Other
The CD of the future may have a conventional music album on one side, and a DVD video on the other. The DVD portion may contain interviews, backstage video, etc., related to the music on the other side. This will add $1 to $3 to the cost. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Post Office Asks for 2¢ Increase
If the US Postal Service gets its way, a first class letter will go up to 39¢ next year. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Artificial Ingredient Replaces Salt, Sugar
How's this for a magic ingredient: use one version, and food manufacturers can reduce the salt in their products by 1/3 to 1/2. Use another version to replace up to half the sugar. It is not an artificial salt or sugar, but a chemical that tricks your tongue into believing you are tasting sugar or salt. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Dashboard Low Tire Pressure Warnings Coming
Starting with the 2008 model year, US cars will have to have a low tire pressure sensors warning drivers that tires are under-inflated by at least 25%. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Identity Thieves Go Wireless
If you go surfing wirelessly at a local cafe, someone may be eavesdropping on your data. Learn about the problem and how to protect yourself. For more consumer news and advice, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Beware Fake Bargain Airfare Sites
The latest scam to hit the Internet is a bargain airfare site (story doesn't provide the URL), which takes your personal information when booking a seat, but doesn't allow you to complete the transaction. You get no ticket, but they have your personal information! Beware. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
New In-Store Cameras Track Your Path
Most security cameras in retail stores are passive -- they just scan a set area. Now Sony has introduced a camera system that follows individuals around the store (to help the store better understand what people look at and what they ignore). For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
7 Myths about VoIP Phone Service
VoIP (voice over IP) telephone service seems to be all the rage these days, undercutting conventional phone service prices. Is it really all it's cracked up to be? For more consumer news and advice, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.EE Savings Bonds to be Fixed Rate
Series EE savings bonds used to have the interest they paid adjusted every six months based on market conditions/rates. Now, starting May 1, the rate in effect at the time of purchase will remain for the life of the bond. This is great in a falling market, but in a rising interest rate environment such as the one we have now, it is a bad deal for consumers. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Beware Virtual Postcards Bearing Viruses
Did a family member send you a postcard online? Probably not. But a scamster probably did and that postcard could contain a trojan horse. Beware and hit delete. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Gripe Site Can Use Trademarked Domain Name
Here's a win for the little (bald) guy. Seems this poor fellow had a bad experience at a hair replacement company and to get even, he set up a gripe site about them, using their trademarked name as his domain name. This got the company's hair up, and they sued the follically-challenged guy. The guy won, with the court of appeals allowing his use of the domain name since it was not a commercial site. For consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Airline Complaints Increased in 2004
There were more reports of lost luggage, late flights, and other airline complaints last year than the year before. Only AirTran, JetBlue, United and one smaller airline had fewer complaints than previously. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Best Buy to Phase Out Mail-in Rebates
Discount shoppers, listen up. First Best Buy said it wants to appeal to more profitable customers (and leave the bargain hunters behind). Now, they seem to be following through by beginning a two-year phase out of mail-in cash back rebates. Let's hope this is NOT a retail trend. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
US Proposes RFID Chips for Passports
The US government is proposing to embed radio frequency identification (RFID) chips into all new passports. Some privacy advocates are against this proposal. You can voice your opinion via an online form at the above website until April 4. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Top 100 April Fools Hoaxes
Enjoy!
