Saturday, April 29, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Service Industries Ranked on Good Service
In a recent Harris poll, supermarkets, banks, and software companies ranked on top for providing good service to customers, while health insurance companies were toward the bottom. See the entire list here. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Sometimes TV News Stories are Prepackaged by Companies
Local news stations have been found to be using VNRs(video news releases) -- publicity pieces from corporations -- without telling viewers the source of the information. So what appears to be a news story, is really corporate propoganda. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Spyware Hides in American Idol Screensavers
Fans of American Idol may get something they haven't bargained for if they visit some Idol fan sites. Almost half of the Taylor Hicks' screensavers available for download contain spyware. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Some Levi's Have RFID Chips Embedded in Them
If you buy Levi jeans at a secret test location in the United States, your pants contain a hidden radio frequency identification chip (RFID) in them. Beep. Beep. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Pay by Text Message Coming Soon
PayPal and others are about to introduce a service where you can send money to someone or pay a bill or donate to charity just by sending a text message. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Phishers Copied Bank's Voicemail to Steal Account Numbers
The phishers are getting smarter and smarter. One group copied an East Coast bank's voicemail system and set up their own phone number for it. They then sent potential victims an email to call the bank immediately. Those who called were prompted to divulge account information. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.New Contest Scam Uses "Real" Checks
Most people are not going to fall for the old scam that you have won $100,000, and all you have to do is sent us $2800 for processing or taxes. Now a new twist... a check for the fees is enclosed with the prize notification. What's the catch? For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Interest at Web Banks Explode -- But...
Interest rates at online banks are nearing close to 5% on money market accounts. Should you take the plunge? The Wall Street Journals looks at some of the downsides. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.No Long Term Side Effects from Mercury Fillings
Two major studies recently released suggest that consumers with old-fashioned mercury fillings in their teeth don't need to worry about the mercury leeching out and causing negative health effects. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Sprint Settles with NYC Over Deceptive Ads
Sprint/Nextel settled a lawsuit brought by the NYC Dept. of Consumer Affairs alleging the use of misleading fine print in its ads contradicted the primary promises made in larger type. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Anti-Cellphone Laws Pass in States, Municipalities
Over half the states now have restrictions on cellphone use while driving, and more are considering it. Some localities have even passed their own ordinances. Enforcement, however, is spotty. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Ambien Linked to Unconscious Food Forays
Many people love the sleeping pill, Ambien. A side effect, however, may be sleep walking right to the refrigerator (or worse, to a fast food outlet). For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting."Maxed Out" -- A Debt Documentary
Here is a Newsweek interview with a documentary filmmaker who created a movie about debt, and how some people's lives are destroyed by it. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Check the Quality of Your Hospital
Several free online services let you see if your preferred hospital is accredited, and how well they do on several measures of quality. This story tells you where to find these resources. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Trade Your Books, DVDs, CDs, and More Online
Zunafish.com makes it easy for you to trade your stuff for their stuff, and it only costs one dollar. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
WSJ Survey: What Car Buyers Want
The Wall Street Journal just released the results of a major study of people considering purchasing a new car. About a quarter were willing to consider buying a hybrid, with women more interested in that type of car. When it comes to financial issues, people are most concerned about the rate of interest on car loans. The study shows many details for each demographic group. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
What Specs Will Computers Need for Windows Vista?
The new version of Windows, called Vista, is now slated for debut in January 2007. What if you want to buy a new computer now, though? What specs should that computer have to be able to run Vista successfully. The answer, unfortunately, is that it should have more memory, speed, hard drive space, and video capability than some lower end models on the market now. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
IRS to Track Tax Cheats Thru PayPal Records
If you have been transferring money via PayPal to a foreign account thinking "what a neat way to cheat Uncle Sam"... think again. The IRS has issued a subpoena to PayPal for such records. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Getting a Big Tax Refund? Stop Lending Money to Uncle Sam!
If you are getting a big tax refund, that is good news and bad news. The bad news is that you have basically given the IRS a tax-free loan of money for almost a year. Smart Money tells you have to correct this for 2006. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Sprint Begins Kid Tracking Service for Parents
It is 10 pm, do you know where your children are? With Sprint's new $10 a month tracking service, parents can pinpoint their kids' whereabouts online using GPS technology. They can run, but they cannot hide. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.IRS Phishing Scams Proliferating
There are more than five dozen scams coming your way via email suggesting that the IRS has a refund for you... and all you have to do is provide your personal information to get the money back fast. Don't buy it. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Best Buy Has Eliminated 2/3s of Rebates
Making good on their promise of a year ago to rid its store of rebates (and bargain hunters), Best Buy announced they are two-thirds of the way to their goal. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Some Fry, Hammer, Microwave their M/C PayPass
We've all seen the commercial where the runner jogs into a convenience store for a quick snack and pays just by waving his MasterCard PayPass near a cardreader. In and out in seconds, he is. Some other real people, however, don't like the idea of having your personal information sent by radio waves from your card to a card reader. They fear interception of the signal, for one. So, these anti-RFID technology types are coming up with simple ways to kill their card's chip, including zapping it with microwaves. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
New Technology Squeezes Movies into 50 Megs
DVD movies use up tons of disc space. Even with compression such as MPEG-2, the files are huge. Now a Massachusetts company has come up with a way to put 14 movies on one CD (not DVD). This could mean really fast downloads via broadband of movies in the future. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Use Real Phone to Route Calls Over Net
One of the pains of using free services like Skype that place calls from your computer to another person's computer is that you have to use your computer's microphone and headset for conversation. Now there is a device that will let you connect a conventional phone to your computer to make those calls more naturally. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Will Your Cellphone Spy on You?
Except on the net, it is hard for an advertiser to know how effective their promotions are. Now an upstart company is going to use specially outfitted cellphones to listen in to the background sounds when you use your phone. They will be able to tell if you are tuning in or out of commercials and programming, and other media. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Financial Firms Seek to Educate Kids about Money
On the heels of a study showing that kids nationawide flunked a financial literacy test, more and more companies are trying to get their money management curricula into schools. It is a freebie hard to resist. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.New MACs to Run Windows Software
In a move that boosted Apple's stock by nearly 10%, the company announced an add-on that will allow users to install Windows XP on its new line of MACs. At boot, one can decide whether to boot into Apple's system or Windows. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Consumer Reports Tests Car Running on Used Vegetable Oil
It is a dream come true. Running a car on used vegetable oil, obtained free from restauants. A converted diesel engine is all you need (along with a conversion kit). Consumer Reports says it really works! For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.IRS Seeks to Ease Sharing of Your Tax Information
Should the information on your tax return be available to anyone who pays the price to your tax preparation company? If proposed IRS rules go into effect, and you unwittingly sign a release form, everything on your tax form could be disclosed to third parties. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.New Credit Scores Could Still be Flawed
Personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary points out that the newly unveiled credit score formula to be used by all three credit bureaus could still result in widely different scores. How? They only use the data in their own credit files, and if data is inaccurate or missing, that will affect your score. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Study: Airline Quality Worsens
It may come as no surprise that a new study finds travelers are more unhappy with their airlines lately. Lost luggage tops the list of gripes. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Note: Some news links may expire one week after posting.Energy Star Label on Appliances Questioned
Like Mom and apple pie, seeing the Energy Star label on appliances is supposed to make you feel good about making the purchase. As it turns out, in some product categories, almost all appliances now have the label, diluting its value. Originally, only the top 25% of products in energy efficiency were supposed to get the prized sticker. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.
