refund

Ring. Ring. Ka-ching! Lying About Your Telephone Tax

I haven't had a landline in years. I'm dead serious. Years.

So, I was bummed to hear that this year, the "sorry you were cheated initially when we taxed you too much" refund that we get back is for long distance telephone service.

Apparently, Americans who paid for long distance calling plans were cheated or something. By Ma Bell? Or the Baby Bells? Uncle Sam in conjunction with the Bell Family? It doesn't matter now. What matters is that, when you file your taxes this year, you can get back between $30 and $60, depending on the number of exemptions you claim.

Continue reading "Ring. Ring. Ka-ching! Lying About Your Telephone Tax"

Permalink | Add new comment

Track Your Refunds or Get Ripped Off

“Refunds” are supposedly different from “rebates”, although honestly, you might never know it, since both are difficult to obtain. I find that lately, I’ve had to harass the heck out of companies, particularly companies that primarily do business via mail order or on the internet, to get my money back even after returning a product.

In the past, when I treated money with a devil-may-care attitude, I’m sure I let dozens of potential refunds slip right by. I don’t believe that all retailers really want to rip off customers, but I don’t see refunds as a really high priority of theirs, either.

Continue reading "Track Your Refunds or Get Ripped Off"

Permalink | Add new comment