Consumer World Blog by MrConsumer

FDA Considers Having Calories/Serving Size on Front of Packages

2010-02-06T14:02:00.001-05:00

The FDA is considering requiring food manufacturers to use more realistic serving sizes for its food products, and posting the calorie count on the front of the package. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

AT&T/Apple to Allow Cheap VoIP Calls on iPhones

2010-01-30T11:39:00.002-05:00

IPhone users will soon be able to eschew AT&T's bucket of minutes in order to make cheaper calls over the Internent on their iPhones. Of course, you will still have to pay for a data plan. The savings are estimated to be about $20 a month. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Hulu Considering Charging for Watching TV Online

2010-01-23T07:43:00.002-05:00

The completely free ride for watching TV online may come to an end as word has leaked out that Hulu.com is considering charging $4.99 a month to access other than the most recent episodes of TV programs. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

New Hazard: Distracted Pedestrians on Cell Phones

2010-01-16T17:28:00.000-05:00

Don't look now, but pedestrians on cell phones are a hazard -- to themselves. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

How a Man with Cancer Successfully Handles Medical Bills

2010-01-09T12:00:00.001-05:00

A man learned how to work the medical and insurance systems when he was given two years to live. Here's what he did. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Dell Computer Buyers Upset of Delays

2010-01-02T21:00:00.002-05:00

Dell customers are not a happy bunch over the past few months, as delays for computer delivery have become commonplace. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

How Amazon Has Outsmarted the Sales Tax Man

2009-12-26T17:22:00.001-05:00

Amazon is a smart company and has a found a way not to charge sales tax to customers in states even where it has a certain presence. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Beware Unintended Consequences of Lower Interchange Fees

2009-12-19T10:47:00.001-05:00

Retailers pay about 2% to Visa or MasterCard everytime you charge a purchase. They are currently seeking federal legislation to lower the fee. Sounds like a good idea until you see what happened in Australia when the fee was lowered six years ago. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Mortgage Rates Hit Low but Banks Balk at Refinancing

2009-12-12T15:41:00.001-05:00

The good news and the bad news: residential mortgages are at an all-time low, but banks are reluctant to refinance many homeowners' loans. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

IRS Issues Guidelines on First Time Homebuyer Credit

2009-12-05T10:43:00.002-05:00

The IRS just issued rules on qualifying for the $6500 and $8000 tax credit for first time homebuyers. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

How to Comparison Shop for Medical Care

2009-11-29T13:16:00.002-05:00

The NY Times lists various web resources where you can find doctors who negotiate prices, as well as typical costs for different medical procedures in your area. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Some Twitter Tweets May be Advertising

2009-11-22T09:17:00.001-05:00

Don't look now, but ads are creeping into Twitter... and the Twitterer is paid for tweeting the ads. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Congress Considers Taxing Fees that Airlines Collect

2009-11-14T13:16:00.001-05:00

To add insult to injury, Congress is considering taxing all those new fees that airlines have been imposing on luggage, etc. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Debt Settlement Companies are Bad News for Most Consumers

2009-11-08T12:03:00.003-05:00

They promise you will only have pay 60 cents on every dollar owed. The trouble is, most companies that say they will lower your total debt fail to deliver on that promise. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

In Search of Higher Bank Interest Rates

2009-10-31T12:53:00.002-04:00

What we are being paid by online banks for our deposits seems to keep getting less and less. The NY Times offers some tips on finding the highest interest rates available (but they are still pretty low). For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Sometimes You Lose After Winning a Net Auction

2009-10-24T14:12:00.001-04:00

Most auctions are legit, but sometimes problems arise after winning an online auction. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Unredeemed Gift Cards Benefit State Coffers

2009-10-18T07:43:00.001-04:00

Some eight billion dollars a year goes unused on gift cards each year, and abandoned property offices in many states are the beneficiaries. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

10 Riskiest Foods for Food Poisoning

2009-10-10T14:21:00.001-04:00

Here is a list of foods that cause the most people to get food poisoning every year. (One in four Americans get food poisoning annually.) For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Feds Draft New Rules for Credit Cards

2009-10-03T11:42:00.000-04:00

Come February, the second part of the CARD act goes into effect further regulating credit card issuers' practices. The Federal Reserve has now published draft rules to implement the new law. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

So You Want to Buy a Foreclosed Home...

2009-09-27T07:20:00.002-04:00

Here is information on how to find foreclosed homes listings, and how to make sure you don't get stuck with a clunker. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

FCC to Push for Net Neutrality

2009-09-19T09:13:00.002-04:00

The FCC is expected to announce rulemaking to prevent Internet providers from slowing down connections for certain content. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

7 New Rules for First Time Homebuyers

2009-09-13T07:48:00.001-04:00

It is back to the future when buying a home for the first time. Some of the old prudent rules, like putting 20% down, are back. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Health Insurance Blues? Write the CEO!

2009-09-05T08:36:00.001-04:00

Some consumers who run into a stone wall dealing with their health insurance company have discovered that writing to the CEO can often bring results. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

Mortgage Rates Return to About 5%

2009-08-29T12:03:00.002-04:00

At least for the moment, mortgage rates have returned to about 5%, just in time for the fall real estate selling season. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.

More Ways to Call Home Cheaply When Away

2009-08-22T15:06:00.001-04:00

A travel reporter for the NY Times reviews several ways to call home from overseas and not have it cost you an arm and a leg. For more consumer news, visit Consumer World.