Consumer World: Everything Consumer

Week of August 20, 2012 (see last week) Text Size:

Consumer Quickies

Most Airline Complaints: United (5 times the next worst carrier, see page 39)

90-Year Old Woman Nearly Loses Her Bank Account in a Scam

New Service Checks Reputation of Sites Before You Buy

FBI Warns about Reveton Virus Acquired Just by Visiting a Website

Used Car Histories May Not Tell Full Story

Consumer Reports Names Top Detergents

How Long Can You Keep Stuff in the Freezer?

Does the Schticky Lint Roller Really Work?

Judge: Credit Card Cos. Using "Robo Testimony" in Card Cases

In Novel Case, Man Sues Debt Collector for Violation of Do Not Call

Tools for Parents to Control Kids' Texting

1000s Show Up to Get Prepaid Visa Expecting $500 of Free Groceries

NY Passes Law Banning 900 Number Prize Schemes

Mother and Son Shoplift $2-mil from Toys-R-Us

A Few Stories about Good Customer Service

Report: Dell Tech Reps Create Fake Contest to Sell Warranties

CR Survey: Apple Desktops Need Fewest Repairs

Shocking Amounts of Sugar in Certain Beverages (watch video)

Spirit Airlines Sued Over Usage Fee

Sunscreens Over 50 SPF Burn Money

If you buy a sunscreen over 50 SPF, you are wasting money. Experts say that an SPF of 100, rather than giving you twice the protection of one with 50, only gives you 1% more. And forget the "waterproof" claims you see on labels. The FDA is banning them starting in 2013. Here is the NBC report.

13 Things You Can Get Free

This is one of the better "free stuff" lists, with ways to get free wi-fi, free lessons, free stuff from your cable provider, free ebooks, free movie tickets, and more.

Hotel Chains Rated

Over 60,000 hotel guests were questioned about how satisfied they were with their stays. Here are the rankings of hotels in various categories from budget to luxury. Visit TripAdvisor.com for customer reviews of specific hotel locations.

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20 Ways to Save on Food

Yes, we all know that clipping coupons can save money, but here are some other ways to cut the cost of food, particularly important with the higher prices that are coming as a result of the drought.

Consumer World Exclusive

Mouse Print* -- The Straight Poop About Online Product Reviews

Shoppers unfortunately have to be skeptical of online product reviews. While they can provide great insights of actual product purchasers, they can also be manipulated by marketers trying to boost sales. See what one company offered MrConsumer to post a review online, and how he responded. That story is this week in Mouse Print*.

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Thanks for Good Customer Service

roses Post a compliment here (or read some) about specific companies that provided great service. [No whining allowed.]

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Bargain of the Week

Get $25 When You Load $25 on a New AMEX Prepaid Card

This offer is different from (and easier than) the one of a few weeks ago. Apply for a free prepaid AMEX "Serve" card, add $25 from your checking account or existing debit card, and almost immediately get $25 more added to the card by AMEX. For new customers only. After funds have been applied to your account and clear, you could theoretically eTransfer the $50 back to your checking account if you like.

Some New Cars are Cheaper than Buying Used Cars

Consumer Reports crunched the numbers to see if buying a used car was still a better deal than buying new. Surprise... in a few cases, the new car was less costly.

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