Articles on Consumer Affairs

The Overdraft Protection Racket: Why Banks Want You To Overdraw, And How You Can Get Your Money Back.

I know banks are hurting for money right now, but no more than the rest of us. And one aspect of modern banking that I find most disturbing is how banks allow you to go overdrawn s

I Challenge You To Beat My Price.

Stateless systems are at it again. I’m a huge fan of their two biggest sites, BugMeNot (a way to bypass compulsory website registrations) and RetailMeNot (a vast coupon codes site)

Ordering Online Versus Calling it In: Which is Better?

Somewhere between the eight ball and the brick wall behind you, you find yourself stuck. Do you place your order for that product or service online, or through a customer service a

How To Make Your Own Soda, Tidy A Room In Three Minutes, Cure A Hangover And Become A Movie Extra. Phew!

I’m a big fan of Howcast. Their website is a treasure trove of information, and you can also find their videos on popular sites like Metacafe and YouTube. Sometimes their advice is

Could you determine someone's creditworthiness by his or her looks?

Today I read about an interesting study done by Rice University on the correlation between trustworthiness and looks. The researchers utilized the popular peer to peer lending sit

Where Oh Where Are My Worms? Be On Your Toes When Ordering From Small Web Businesses

As Main Street small businesses disappear, it's nice that we can still order from small companies online. However, spoiled consumers take heed: Not all small companies are created

Two More Crafty Ways to Steal From You - GPS Units and Cell Phones.

I got another one of those emails recently, from my mother-in-law this time. As usual, I began reading with skepticism and was ready to take it all with another monstrous grain of

California First Lady Maria Shriver Talks to Us About Help for Families in Tough Times

Working families all across the U.S. are feeling the tightening economy. “Day by day” is truly the only way to handle things, but did you also know that there is help? In additio

Where Did Your iPod Come From? The Story of Stuff

Do you know the difference between planned and perceived obsolescence? Do you know why high heels are fashionable with chunky heels one year, and thin heels the next year? Why is

Details of Obama's mortgage plan released - Will you benefit?

Today the Obama administration officially released the final details of the mortgage plan that was announced a few weeks ago. Here is a quick summary on what is in the plan and h

Scams: What the FTC Wants You to Know

Consumer scams are a dime a dozen (or in some cases, thousands of dollars a crime). What are the red flags that you should always be on alert for? Can even financially savvy spen

Oprah Asks A Great Question; What Can You Live Without?

My wife brought this to my attention. I’m not an avid Oprah viewer, but usually when I tune in I hear good advice. And with the help of financial guru Suze Orman, she’s asking fami

The Gettin'-Baptized-in-the-Watah Epiphany

In an average week, an average chunky-blooded professional American could easily spend up to $140 on a combination of drinks that come with meals such as morning coffee, herbal tea

Did your car break down? Check for recalled parts and fix it for free!

I drive a ten year old car and it has been out of warranty for quite a while. Over the years I have received recall notices in the mail for various parts of the car and got fixes

Credit Scores Across the Country: Which Third are You In?

CreditKarma.com recently released a report that concluded about a third of consumer's credit scores have increased (that's good) during a period of October 2008 until January 2009.

What should you do when you are asked to repay an overpayment of severance?

TechCrunch recently reported that the software giant Microsoft made mistakes on the severances it paid to its laid off workers. As a result, Microsoft sent out letters to an unknow

Countrywide tried to steal my parents' money - How you can avoid being a victim of mortgage servicing fraud

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about checking your mortgage statement, and interestingly enough my family was recently confronted with an erroneous mortgage statement. This is

A champion of savings over spending

We're subjected to constant barrage of unhelpful advice to the effect that what the economy needs is more spending. (The stimulus program is one piece of this.) It's kind of unde

Will Obama's new mortgage plan really reward responsibility?

Today President Obama announced a new $75 billion Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan to the world. It is touted as a plan that helps responsible homeowners who have not

Will the "Buy American" clause in the stimulus bill create or destroy jobs?

Tomorrow on February 17th President Obama plans to sign the $787 billion stimulus bill recently passed by Congress. One controversial portion of the bill is a clause for the publ