Consumer Issues

How can we avoid scams? One way is to steer clear from false advertising.

“If it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be true”, a phrase everybody knows by heart once they’ve been taken in by a scam artist. Now remember that the Web is a prime ground for scam artists. There is this site that everybody should look at before doing anything (like sending money or giving a stranger your credit card number over the phone).

Photo from Patrick McManamon’s Blog

Beware the False Advertising! Learn To Avoid These Scams

Scam #1: Buy Cheap, Sell High?

This site mentions among others, the famous John Beck TV ad that promises (it’s so easy) that anybody can buy a house for $125 (or some low figure) and resell it immediately for $40,000 (or some high figure). I am sure you have seen it, as it airs constantly. If it’s so easy, why tell everybody and his grandmother? Keep it to yourself and you’ll become a billionaire in a short time, right? Next, take a look at this article called “I’m an Idiot, I Think I Just Got Screwed”. The title is sufficiently clear to satisfy even an Inquisitor of the Middle Ages.

Scam #2: Work From Home and Become Rich

One time, I got curious about an ad on the web that promised to reveal a home business that would allow you to make $9,000 a month without investing a cent and without training of any kind (see 66noboss.com for the grim details). I then read the small print, which almost nobody bothers to do, and I discovered that “the incomes depicted are not typical and represent a small percentage of actual participants.”

They even admit that 14,000,000 Americans were participating in direct/home marketing schemes, according to the latest statistics. Do you have any idea what a small percentage means? Well, I don’t either, as they don’t bother to tell us. But what if they are talking about 5 individuals who got lucky by earning the advertised average income amount last year? That’s a small percentage, right?

They also announce on the front of their ad in big letters that 20,000 satisfied customers grossed over 1 million dollars (in how long, they don’t say). Well, we could interpret this in the following manner: maybe their entire group of 20,000 customers brought in the total of $1 million. If this interpretation is the one that’s true, then if you divide that million by 20,000, the result is a measly $50 per customer. Boy, what a business! It’s probably true, but how many people actually read the ad this way? If the ad had said “each”, then I’d be the first one to sign up. The whole set up reads like, well, a set up.

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Some consumer safety tips for the holidays.

In the last year or so, it seems that there has been a barrage of news about products we use every day having the potential to cause us great harm. From lead paint on toys to toxic pet food to BPA in our water bottles, the headlines are constantly bringing a new concern to light. Here are a few tips for buying safe and staying safe, both during the holidays and all year round.

Photo by igrigorik

12 Safety Tips for the Holidays

1. When buying toys, stick with brand names. With more to lose, larger manufacturers are more apt to keep with quality standards and safety guidelines, and are less likely to knowingly release potentially hazardous products. Larger manufacturers are also more likely to be ahead of the curve in product research and safety.
2. Avoid buying toys from deep discounters or dollar stores, as these are frequently produced in and imported from countries with far less stringent regulations. Though it’s a good idea to watch the bottom line by keeping costs down, we still need to make sure we don’t sacrifice our health and safety as consumers.
3. Watch out for toys on sale this holiday season. New regulations regarding the use of lead-based products were passed in August 2008, but don’t take effect until February 10, 2009. Some retailers may try to take advantage of this delay by using holiday sales to unload non-compliant merchandise.
4. Check labels. Avoid purchasing toys containing phthalate-laden PVC (these products may be marked with a recycling code of 3), as the chemical is believed to damage the reproductive system of boys.
5. If you’ve got a specific product in mind, check online retailers such as Amazon. Not only do certain sites offer a better price, but they will also e-mail shoppers if a recall arises for a product that is purchased. Check websites such as the federal government recall listing (recall.gov) for information on recalls.
6. Keep Fido and Fluffy safe, too, by thoroughly inspecting any toys that you buy for them. Many dog toy brands have ratings for toughness, or the size dog for which they are appropriate. Even so, check to make sure that there are no loose parts or seams, and always keep an eye on your pets while they are playing with their toys. Throw away toys as they begin to wear out to ensure that your pet doesn’t ingest something that may be harmful to them.

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Wondering how to tip and when to tip? Here are some helpful tipping rules to give you some guidance.

Once I met a British girl who ate at a certain restaurant daily, but only tipped once a week. She couldn’t understand why the waiters were so surly to her on the other six days. During the holidays, it’s hard for me to remember whom I should tip and how much to give out, so I’ve decided to review these guidelines for tipping.

How To Tip At Establishments

At restaurants, I check the menu to see if a gratuity’s included in the check. If not, I try to leave 15% to 20% of the bill. I’ve heard the rule of thumb that you can take the sales tax and double it, but since tax rates vary from city to city, it would be easier to just stick with the percentages. Luckily for me, my cell phone has a tip calculator built in!

Although I don’t go out for coffee or drinks often, if I encounter a tip jar, I’ll give a dollar or more based on the amount of my order. For food deliveries, I’ll tip at least a few dollars, but larger orders incur a bigger tip. And I was more generous with the pizza delivery person who ventured out during a storm when I didn’t want to pick up my order. Hopefully, I didn’t end up as a chapter in Waiter Rant.

How To Tip For Personal Services

Salon Service Providers: When my family members go out for haircuts, they’ll generally tip around 10% or more depending on where they go. As a holiday bonus, they might want to just double the cost of their salon service. During the holidays, a neighbor brings a gift that costs around $15 to $20 to her manicurist, but I’m sure the same amount in cash would be appreciated.

Child Care Providers: For child care workers like those at daycare facilities and in-home babysitters, parents I know have given cash as well as nice gifts. Something from GiftCertificates.com or gift certificates offering great restaurant discounts may also work. Some parents may even try to give an extra week’s pay or paid time off. In addition, it would be nice to have the kids personalize a card or let them pick out a small gift as well.

School Personnel: I’m not sure about the school’s policy on cash gifts for teachers; instead, I’d opt for either a modest gift or even a gift card to Buy.com or a place like Amazon.com. The gift card idea would also work for the bus drivers and drivers in the car pool who transport our children.

Gym Workers: What about workers at the gym or personal trainers? For some, it might be helpful to share an amount equal to a month’s membership fee. If that amount’s a bit steep, try a lower amount. Consult the management or fellow patrons if you’re unsure what’s appropriate.

Postal Workers: Our area sees a different postal worker on our route each week, so I hesitate to share a cash tip with someone I don’t know. Your situation might be different, but I’ll probably end up sharing a food gift instead, this year.

Tips While Traveling

On my last trip out of town, it seemed to take a dozen people to get me settled in. At the airport and hotel, I tipped the people who handled my luggage at least a few dollars per bag. Cabbies and drivers always seem amenable to a reasonable amount over the fare. According to one tipping guide, you can tip doormen at the end of your stay, but you might find better service if you tip a concierge in the beginning. At the last hotel I visited, the housekeeping staff seemed to change each day, so it may be better to leave a tip every day.

Traveling out of the country? Don’t be like my British acquaintance — do your homework before you attempt to tip anyone. You don’t want to tip too little if you’re unfamiliar with the currency, and you don’t want to inadvertently insult someone if tipping isn’t part of their culture. For example, if you’re headed to Hong Kong, check out a guidebook like Frommer’s Hong Kong before you go.

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Worried about the extra pounds you may pick up during the holidays? Here are some weight loss tips and weight management ideas to battle the bulge!

Each holiday season, it seems like I end up with a few extra pounds by the end of December. It’s been estimated that the typical Thanksgiving meal can contain around 2000 calories. To my shock, I learned that this is as much as I should consume in a single day! With food in the form of tasty concoctions and treats being a very common choice for gifts during this time of year, it’s no surprise that we all end up grappling with unwanted weight gain by the time the festivities are over.

But you don’t have to follow a strict diet or grueling exercise regimen to make sure you keep the pounds at bay. Even a few simple tricks can help you maintain your weight through all the fun and celebration.

I, for one, will be working to skip the holiday weight gain; I’m hoping to send the scale in the other direction with a few weight management ideas. Here are some thoughts to get me started!

Great Weight Loss Tips and Weight Management Ideas

1. Drink lots of water!

First and foremost, I’m going to keep up my habit of taking my reusable water bottle with me when I go out. That way, I can say “NO” to the minty milk shakes and other sugary drinks that tempt me while I’m out. I’m using a teeny bottle right now, but if I scale up to a larger water bottle like the ones from SIGG, I’ll stay refreshed for longer.

2. Maintain a food diary.

Earlier in the year, I used a food diary to track my portions and the calories I consumed for each meal. I fell out of the habit during the summer, but US News has noted that food diaries work because they make you accountable. Besides, I don’t want to have to write down that I ate 43 cookies at the parties I attended! Any notebook can work for this, but I especially like the looks of a Moleskine notebook. It would fit in a pocket or purse without screaming “she’s trying to lose weight!” to everyone.

3. Check out online sites for weight loss programs, tools and resources.

In addition, I can give online programs like FitDay another try. Most of them have resources like calorie counters, an online food diary, and more. Or I can program an online calendar program like Google’s to remind me to make healthier choices during this season. If I wanted to follow the example of other weight loss battlers, I could even set up a blog to challenge myself .

4. Don’t go out too hungry.

Before I head out to parties or to join friends and family at restaurants, I usually eat a little: I fill up on a small portion of yogurt at home. By doing so, I’m able to pay attention to the people I’m meeting rather than obsessing over the food. If I’m partially sated, then I’ll be able to eat lightly elsewhere. For instance, if soup’s on the menu at a restaurant, I’ll be able to have that, instead of something fried. Also, I’m making an effort to enjoy more vegetables and fruit.

When I’m out shopping, I’ll be taking a stash of almonds or some cubed cheese. These snacks will keep me away from the temptation of the mall’s food court and keep me focused on finding bargains.

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The cold and flu season doesn’t have to hit us hard. Stay healthy with common sense flu prevention tips and try frugal remedies and treatments to get us through a sick patch.

With the arrival of Google Flu Trends, one of Google.org’s projects, I started thinking about what I can do to stay healthy this flu season. In addition, I’d like to look at some ways to treat the flu if it strikes here, so how about hopping into the Anti-flu DeLorean with me?

The first line of defense for many people is the flu vaccine. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says that the vaccine is made to protect against the three main strains of the flu (for a given year), and that the season doesn’t reach its peak until January or February in the U.S.

Who should get the flu shot? In particular, the CDC recommends the shot for:

• children aged 6 months to 19 years
• pregnant women
• people with certain chronic health conditions
• those of us older than 50
• healthcare and nursing home workers
• and those who live with or care for people at high risk for the flu.

Do check with your doctor to see if you’re at risk.

Where to Go For Flu Shots

Health Centers: Unlike a few years ago, when our country dealt with a flu vaccine shortage, we should be able to find providers in a variety of locations. For example, the Tulsa Health Department offers the vaccine for free at health centers around my county. It may be worth a call to your local county health department to see what’s offered.

Local Pharmacy: Another source for the flu vaccine might be your local pharmacy. Walgreens has their In-Store Flu Vaccination Program. In the Tulsa area, the vaccine’s $30. It’s offered subject to availability, so call before you head over to your pharmacy. Don’t forget to ask if your insurance will cover the charge, because the pharmacy person I spoke with said that they didn’t accept our insurance.

Your Doctor: Of course, you can always try to make an appointment with your physician and pediatrician for the vaccine. While waiting for a family member to finish an appointment a month ago, I noticed a good number of people coming in for their vaccines.

Schools and Offices: Some schools and offices may also provide access to flu shots for students and employees. There are companies that will offer flu shots for free, as part of the overall benefits they provide their workers. Hey there, best company to work for!

Also, some health care providers may sponsor health programs to spread education and information on flu prevention. An example of this is Oklahoma’s Hillcrest HealthCare System, which sponsors the Don’t Bug Me program: the goal is to help kids understand the importance of washing their hands to prevent the spread of the flu. The program has a jingle that younger members of your family can try to sing, which can serve as a cute reminder for getting rid of those nasty germs (just don’t vow retribution on me if the song sticks in your head long after the end of flu season). You can also try these other cheap ways to watch your hygiene to help dial down infections.

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It’s that time of year when charitable giving is in the forefront. Here’s how to make your charity donations and contributions count for more.

Photo by Hamed Saber.

As the holidays draw closer, more charities turn up, seeking your help. You may begin noticing the use of provocative ads and images that are used to pull at your heartstrings. The question is — how much do these monetary requests affect you? Do you suffer from charitable guilt and wind up giving more than you can really afford? These are some pointed questions to ask, so I’d like to present some practical tips on the subject of charitable giving:

10 Practical Tips To Make Your Charity Donations and Contributions Count For More

1. Be aware of the power of advertising.

Charities are organizations that are run just like regular businesses. Marketing experts design their campaigns to effectively extract charitable donations from your pocket. So it would serve us well to carefully look at a charity of interest and review their history or progress, as part of the due diligence we do before committing to a cause. We shouldn’t be duped by glossy campaigns that appeal to our emotions rather than our intellect. See if most of your charitable donation is going to the cause rather than administrative expenses to run the charity.

2. Work with legitimate charities.

It seems straightforward enough — most of us realize that not all charities are legitimate. Many organizations exist out there that bill themselves as good samaritans. Unfortunately, not all have pure intentions.

We should avoid donating to questionable organizations. After all, noone wants to end up supporting a scammer with their hard-earned cash. So beware of telephone calls, door-to-door solicitors and unusual mailings. There are several ways to verify that a charity is legitimate, such as by contacting the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

3. Look into tithing if you belong to a house of worship.

If you belong to a congregation, then one avenue for giving to charity is through your church. Does your church require tithing? Certain houses of worship request a percentage of your income as a weekly donation. If you cannot afford the tithing requirements at your house of worship, speak to the powers that be. In most instances, tithing requirements are just guidelines. You certainly should not go hungry to meet tithing requirements.

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We may love the convenience of online bill pay and automatic deductions, but they’ve got a downside.

When our money travels along the ether, we don’t usually think about it much. But according to the Electronic Payments Assocation (or Nacha), the electronic payment network upon which our automated payments travel, the error rate for our money transactions occur at a rate of 38 for every 100,000 bill payments.

That doesn’t seem like much, but if it happens to you or to me, it’s one time too many. Just trying to fix the error by the bank would try the patience of Job (and he had plenty).

Almost everybody uses online bill pay systems and appreciates the convenience of automated deductions. You set it up and you forget about it. Hey, no writing checks, no spending on stamps and no forgetting to send the payment on time. There are however a few problems as indicated above, and others that escape even the careful watch of “Nacha”.

Why I Don’t Set Up My Bill Pay Account for Automatic Deductions

When I was younger and innocent (just a little), I decided to allow my home security provider (who then handled our home alarms) to automatically deduct his monthly fee from my checking account. After a couple of years, I felt that the service was lousy, their headquarters was 600 miles away and they didn’t have an office in my small town, so I told them to terminate the agreement. Little did I know that an apparently simple procedure was going to cause me so many headaches.

First of all, they demanded to know why I wanted to cancel: well, I had every right to do so after 2 years! Then they applied the usual trick of trying to intimidate me with the falsehood that my contract had not yet expired: well it had, 2 months earlier! Meanwhile, the payment kept going into their coffers. Exasperated, I sought a friend who worked at the bank and asked him to terminate the payment. He said that only the payee could do that. As a last resort, I sent an official looking letter with as much legalese I could muster to the security company threatening them with a lawsuit if they didn’t desist. They finally did, without a thank you note, can you believe it?

My takeaway here is this: be very careful to whom you deliver your checkbook which is what you effectively do when you set up automated deductions.

Except for very reliable large companies, such as house and car payments, I stopped automated payments to small outfits. Nowadays, I prefer controlling every monthly payment I have to my creditors such as the phone company, credit card company, utility outfits and whoever handles my memberships. Since then, I’ve had no problems whatsoever.

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