Consumer World Blog by MrConsumer

Imagine being in a bookstore. You pick up a book. Suddenly you handheld device comes to life and gives you reviews of the book. And where to get it cheaper. In a few years, this could be an everyday event. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Millions of people take Tylenol or acetaminophen each year for pain. If you take too much, it can cause acute liver failure. More of a good thing, is not a good thing, therefore. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

The FTC just reported to Congress that although the problem of spam is far from solved, the amount of spam being sent is less than before. The much derided CAN SPAM law allows marketers to send unsolicited email to anyone they like, as long as they remove the person's name from the list upon request. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Capitalizing on high gasoline prices, expect to see new subcompact cars introduced by Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. Names like Yaris and Versa may become as familiar as Camry and Civic. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Shoppers may be in for some nasty surprises the day after Christmas as stores implement increasingly complicated and restrictive return policies, including checking a â¬Sblacklist⬝ of â¬Sserial returners⬝ prior to a refund, or by imposing unexpected restocking fees.

Some retailers including KB Toys, Sports Authority, Express, and some Staples stores use a computer database by The Return Exchange of Irvine, CA to track customer returns. (Home Depot, Wal-mart, Barnes & Noble, and others reportedly use their own proprietary systems.) Typically, stores swipe the shopperâ¬"s driverâ¬"s license when a return is being made, and if the storeâ¬"s return limit is exceeded, the customerâ¬"s tendered return is denied. Most storesâ¬" posted policies do not warn shoppers of a cap on frequent returns.

Other stores are using increasingly strict but conventional means to curb returns. Items such as computers, digital cameras, and opened goods may be subject to limited return rights, restocking fees, shortened return periods, or no refunds at all.

For example:

- In October, Sears became the first major department store to introduce a broad 15% restocking fee on select home appliances, electronics, home improvements, household goods, lawn and garden equipment, and automotive items not returned unused with full packaging. In two stores checked, the new policy appears mainly on 6⬝ by 6⬝ signs in tiny print, and on the back of sales receipts. Some checkouts have old or missing signs. This inconspicuous disclosure may not comply with state posting requirements.

- Circuit City has a restocking fee on certain open items, but neither the specific fee nor the product categories are disclosed on store signs or on the sales receipt. Both direct shoppers to circuitcity.com for details. Also, their primary posted sign uses small white type on a yellow background, making it illegible for many people.

- OfficeMax will not accept returns of opened digital cameras, software, etc., unless defective. Non-returnable categories vary online versus in-store.

- JC Penney requires special occasion dresses to be returned with the â¬Sreturn tag⬝ still in place. (This thwarts shoppers from â¬Srenting⬝ dresses for one-time wearing.)

- Amazon deducts 20-50% for certain returns after 30 days. SmartBargains.com will keep any goods returned twice after 30 days, and provide no credit for such items. Buy.comâ¬"s â¬SEasy Returns⬝ policy is over 1400 words; its holiday policy posted late.

- OfficeDepot.com only offers identical exchanges on laptops, digital cameras, PDAs, projectors, and handheld computers returned within 14 days.

- Best Buy requires computers to be returned within 14 days instead of 30, they are excluded from their holiday policy, and certain items have a 15% restocking fee.

- Target offers no returns without a receipt, but will search their system for one.

â¬SThere may be many unhappy returns this year if consumers are slapped with unexpected restocking fees, or find themselves erroneously placed on a returns blacklist,⬝ said Edgar Dworsky, Founder of Consumer World®, the Internet's largest public service consumer resource guide ( http://www.consumerworld.org ). â¬SThere is also no excuse for retailers to fail to clearly and fully disclose their return policies to shoppers in advance.⬝

Some retailers relax their regular return deadlines at holiday time by extending the return period into January. Remarkably, in Consumer Worldâ¬"s spot check of in-store return policy signage, some stores failed to post the terms of their holiday policies. Nonetheless, some chains with generous regular or extended holiday return deadlines include:

- Amazon.com: January 31 (for most items shipped 11/01 through 12/31)

- Best Buy: January 8 (for camcorders, digital cameras, printers, monitors, projectors, radar detectors); Jan. 24 (all other items bou purchased 11/01 through 12/31, certain exclusions apply)

- Circuit City: January 25 most items (in stores, unspecified restocking fee on unspecified products)

- Costco: No deadline (except 6 months for computers)

- Kohl’s: No deadline (with receipt)

- OfficeMax: 14 days after Christmas

- Staples: No deadline for office supplies. (January 7 for tech. and furniture bought since Nov. 25)

- TJ Maxx/Marshall'S: January 7 (for purchases Oct. 30 - Dec. 7)

- Target: 90 days from purchase (15% restocking fee on portable electronics, digital cameras, camcorders; specially marked clearance items only qualify for current sale price)

- Toys R Us: 90 days (45 days for unopened electronics, video products)

- Wal-mart: 90 days most items (other items: 15 days (PCs), 30 (cameras), or 45 (PC accessories.))

Consumer rights vary from state to state with respect to product returns. Generally speaking, a store can set up any return policy it wants, whether it is "all sales final", "merchandise credit only", or "all returns in 30 days". Most states require the policy to be clearly disclosed to the buyer prior to purchase, usually by means of a sign. Some states do not consider a disclosure that only appears on the sales receipt to meet this requirement. It is not unreasonable, however, to require customers to provide a sales slip or gift receipt to establish where and when the item was purchased, and at what price.

Tips for Hassle-free Returns:
http://www.consumerworld.org/pages/returns.htm

- To improve your chances of getting a full refund, provide a sales slip or gift receipt, and return the item in new condition, unopened, and with all original packaging material. Returns without a receipt are subject to the retailer's posted return policy, which might result in receiving only a merchandise credit for the lowest price the item has sold for in recent weeks, or possibly no refund or exchange at all.

- If the item to be returned is defective, some states such as Massachusetts, require the store to give the consumer his/her choice of one of the three "R's": repair, replacement or refund, irrespective of the store's posted return policy.

- Consumers who have a problem returning a gift, should first contact the store manager or customer service department of the retailer. If a satisfactory resolution is not obtained, then a complaint can be filed with the state Attorney General's office or local consumer agency.

Consumer World®, launched in 1995, is a public service, non-commercial consumer resource guide with over 2000 links to everything "consumer" on the Internet. Edgar Dworsky, the founder of Consumer World, is a former Assistant Attorney General in the Consumer Protection and Anti-trust Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office.

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Somehow, Money 101 is rarely taught in school. And rather than have kids learn the hard way when they grow up (and make money mistakes), parents need to take the initiative to talk about money and teach their kids how to manage it. This article suggests how. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Have you noticed how many people jump up to board an airplane when they say "elite status members only"? As more and more people are becoming elite fliers, their status is no longer that elite. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

If you are looking for an Xbox 360, forget it. Same goes for the Amazing Amanda doll. As is the case every year, top toys fly off the shelves quickly, leaving parents to scurry for alternatives. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

In another of the on-again, off-again studies where a food is first deemed good for you, and later discovered not to have the miracle properties once thought, a new study was released yesterday that suggests that a diet high in fiber will NOT reduce your risk of colon cancer. Fiber in fruits and vegetables is still good for your heart and overall health, however. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Nine courts have recently ruled that a federal 3% tax on cell calls is being inappropriately applied for calls based on minutes used rather than distance called. Are you owed a refund? Just try to get it! For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Most computers will soon have a chip called TPM that is the digital equivalent of caller ID. It is a unique number assigned to your computer and no other... and wherever you go online, they will know it is you. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Boy, are phishers getting creative. The latest: some eBay listings are being posted by crooks who embed a bit of javascript in the auction listings. When you click the link in the listing, you are directed to to a phony login screen, where your password and login will be stolen. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Microsoft and Wal-mart have suffered at the hands of critics as they became (too) powerful. Now some say that Google could become the next target, particularly as it relates to data privacy, security, and copyright issues. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Not to be outdone by eBay's Skype (Internet calling plans), Yahoo! said a new version of its messenger service will include long distance calling. They will charge one to two cents per minute, reportedly. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Despite thousands of articles published warning about "phishing", most Americans don't know what it is or how to prevent themselves from falling for the bait. This and more in a new survey just released. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

I better be careful what I say here because big brand name companies use services that monitor blog postings every few hours to see what is being said about them and their products. Did I tell you that I **Love** IKEA? For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Some call shopping "retail therapy." Well, there may be some truth to that because according to scientists we feel good when shopping due to the release of a chemical in our brains. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Has your favorite airline treated you well this past year? Many consumers say no, because complaints are up 29%. USAirways has the most complaints per passenger, and Southwest the fewest. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

A new study suggests that people who drink one or two alcholic beverages a day, have a signficantly lower risk of obesity. Those who drank four or more drinks a day had a 30% greater chance of getting fat. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Nerds, step aside. Real life "Sopranos" are invading the turf of hackers, according to this story. Organized crime appears to be alive and well and living in cyberspace. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

What happens if your Internet provider wanted to prevent you from visiting certain sites, such as competitors? They could do that. To prevent such actions, advocates are trying to get federal regulators to adopt a network neutrality requirement. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Pssst. Wanna buy a giftcard cheap? A number of websites have sprung up where you can put an unwanted giftcard up for auction, or advertise it at a discounted price. Of course there are significant risks in buying such cards: they may look good, but do you know if the stated value is really on the card, or if it has been used up? For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

A lawsuit has been filed against AOL in Illinois alleging that the company set up new accounts for people and billed them without their permission. The complaint also alleges that AOL made it difficult to cancel existing accounts. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

It may come as a surprise, but most cars that get over 40 miles per gallon are NOT available for sale in the US. This article explains. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

You no longer will have to leave your small scissors and toolkit at home under changes to airport security procedures that will be announced tomorrow. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

If you use another bank's ATM, you could get a double whammy: a fee from that foreign bank, and one from your own. The new, high average fee rate at ATMs not owned by your bank is $2.91! For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.