TWITTER Week of April 12, 2021 (see last week)
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Consumer World Original
Mouse Print* -- AAA Crams Sneaky Optional Charge onto Some Annual Paper Bills
Some 60-million people are members of the American Automobile Association, AAA, through various regional offices. At least in the Northeast, we have seen bills where, in addition to the annual membership fee, the motor club has tacked on an "optional" donation to its safety foundation. And to make matters worse, they have included that donation in the "amount due" -- perhaps going unnoticed. Has this bit of tricky billing hit your account? When you clickthrough, note the update embedded in last week's Amazon "list price" comparison story.
That is our Mouse Print* story this week.
Walgreens Administered 2nd Shots Late
For months, Walgreens did the unthinkable. They scheduled millions of second Pfizer vaccine shots FOUR weeks after the patient got their first shot contrary to the three weeks later protocol set by the manufacturer and CDC recommendations. Why did Walgreens violate the set protocol? Their chief medical officer said that since the drug chain was giving both Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, this was "the easiest way" to do it since the Moderna vaccine requires a four-week waiting period betweens shots. All Walgreens' patients should be livid. How dare they!
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KN95 Masks Look Alike But Filtration Varies Widely
All those white KN95 masks look alike, but despite their name, they are not all 95% effective in filtering germs. Some are counterfeit and some are just not up to standards. Look at the variation in effectiveness that CBC Marketplace found in masks for sale in stores and online.
Consumer Tribute
Belated Tribute to Judge Thomas A. Dickerson
Judge "TAD" as I called him literally wrote the book on travel law. It had a bent toward cases involving consumers who got screwed by travel companies. He was a prolific writer and I was always happy to give him space in Consumer World for his latest articles. He was a true champion for consumers, and sadly it took me three years to learn of his passing at age 74.
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Bargain of the Week
Get a Free Febreze Plug-in Air Freshener
This is a bit of an unusual offer when it comes to redemption. On this page, enter your cellphone number. You will get a text message with instructions and a barcode. Go to Walmart (only) and pick up a Febreze Plug-in (about $2.94) and go to the checkout. Have the cashier scan all your items including the plug-in and show a total on the screen. Before paying, expose the barcode that was in your text message for the cashier to scan. That will deduct up to $2.94 from your bill. Offer ends April 30 to sign up, and coupon code must be redeemed by May 14. (Deep details here.)
Mulch - $2 a Bag
This is the first big mulch sale of the spring at both Home Depot and at Lowe's. Two cubic foot bags are just $2 in an assortment of colors. Offer ends April 18 (Home Depot) and April 21 (Lowe's).
See also: Hot Deals
Consumer Reports
How Safe Is Your Tap Water?
Consumer Reports spent nine months testing tap water in 120 locations around the country. They were checking for levels of PFAS, arsenic, and lead. See their eye-opening results.
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