Articles on Consumer Affairs

Product Feedback Is Worth Your Time

Taking time to give quality feedback is an opportunity that can often reap great rewards. Go ahead and let companies know how you feel.

Revive Old Toys for Extra Christmas Savings (and Sanity)

It has officially begun. My four-year-old has tuned out the real world in favor of loud Saturday morning commercials advertising the best of mu

Black Friday...black in more ways than one

Today, November 23rd, is Black Friday. A day that as a Wisebread writer and bargain hunter I love. There are deals everywhere, we all get a chance to save a bit of dough before

This Year’s Hot Toy is Next Year’s Trash

Our commitment to saving money has always prevented my family from buying the current year’s “Hot” toys. Every year that I hold tight to the de

“I see dumb people” – Learn to cold-read like a so-called “psychic.”

I don’t believe in psychics, palm readers, telekinesis or mediums. Not because I’m a huge skeptic but because I’ve been researching them for years and have found NO evidence that t

In Search of Safety: A Mom's 8-Step Guide to Toy Selection and Everyday Use

As the mom of two boys, I can tell you that there are two kinds of toys: 1) those that are inherently dangerous (such as ATVs, BB guns, and lead-tainted toys) and 2) those made

Optical Illusions That Make You Fatter and Your Wallet Lighter

One of my best friends told me that the key to food portion sizes was this: "Eat from small plates, drink from taller glasses." And optical illusions are at the root of it.

Colorado and World Series Fans Will Just Have to Wait

It has been a disappointing day of online turmoil at the Colorado Rockies website

Trade versus localization

Localization--eating locally grown foods and buying locally produced goods--has become trendy just lately. For the past twenty years, though, globalization has been the dominate f

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Recall

You don't have to throw out recalled products! In fact, sometimes it's a lucky break to see an old toy recalled, because you can usually take it back for a full refund.

Don’t Cash That Insurance Check; It May Not Be Yours

Did you get an unexpected payment from your insurance company? Health insurance overpayments and mispaym

Cracking the Infamous McDonalds Monopoly Game

Your chances of winning McDonald's Monopoly game are all based on the odds of finding one particular piece from each set.

Can a vacuum owner be protected?

“Does the (Good Housekeeping) Seal mean anything?” was a question posed by Ivan, a Wise Bread reader and vacuum consumer. Having had a bad experience but now hopeful for a performs

Where Are my Photos? Picturebug Goes out of Business

Today I received a notice that Picturebug is going out of business.

Canadians are Getting Fleeced by Their Own Dollar

The buck stops here. For the first time in over three decades, the Canadian Dollar has surpassed the U.S. Dollar. And by the end of this year, predictions are that

Legendary rock band Radiohead charges "whatever you want" for latest album

It's making huges waves through the music industry, which is hardly surprising. Organizations like the RIAA have been trying, and failing I think, to crack down on illegal musi

Confessions of a Former Payday Loan Junkie

Can you say “Cash in a Flash?” That’s all I was concerned about when I began financial suicide using payday loans 9 years ago. I

The Not-So-Private Parts

Raise your hand if you’ve never used Google or any of its services, don’t belong to any social network (including sites like Flickr, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc.), don’t have (

Are you giving burglars the key to your home?

I’m lucky enough to know, both personally and through friends, some very nice guys in the local police departments. So when they reveal methods of criminals, I am all ears. This ti

How to Deal With Collection Agencies

Turn the collections process to your advantage by following these 9 suggestions.