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  • SUPERMARKET DIGITAL-ONLY OFFERS
    LEAVE SOME WITHOUT VALUABLE DISCOUNTS
    • At a time when consumers are especially focused on saving money at the supermarket, some shoppers—those who are tech-challenged or digitally disconnected—are unable to access “digital only” sale prices advertised in weekly store circulars. Is there anything you can do?


  • CHILD IDENTITY THEFT:
    ARE YOU PROTECTING YOUR KIDS?
    • Identity thieves don’t just victimize adults; they also target children. About 1.4 million children in the U.S. become ID fraud victims each year. Parents need to be aware of this very real threat, and take steps to protect their kids.


FTC PROPOSES NEW AD GUIDELINES TO STOP MISLEADING ENDORSEMENTS – Today’s consumers rely on endorsements. All too often, these endorsers don’t disclose that they are compensated for their praise. The FTC plans to strengthen its guidelines for traditional media, as well as social media influencers.
Consumerpedia, Episode 20: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO TRUTH IN ADVERTISING? – False or deceptive advertising costs American consumer billions of dollars a year. In this episode, we’ll explore some of the tricks advertisers use to fool us, explain why some big-name celebrities are on the group’s Wall of Shame, and provide tips on how to spot misleading ads.
GOOD NEWS: CREDIT BUREAUS CHANGE HOW THEY REPORT MEDICAL DEBT – Tens of millions of Americans have seen their creditworthiness plummet in recent years due to unpaid medical bills. That could change, now that the three major credit bureaus voluntarily decided to significantly change how they treat medical debt.
ROBOCALLS ON THE RISE: HOW YOU CAN FIGHT BACK – For years, we’ve been promised that new technology would solve the problem – but the phones keep ringing! Right now, almost one-third of all calls are robocalls.
FEW FUNERAL HOMES POST PRICES ONLINE, CONSUMER ADVOCATES URGE FTC TO REQUIRE IT – Two consumer groups visited 1,046 funeral home websites in 35 state capitals and found only 18 percent posted their general price list. Consumer groups, including Checkbook, believe online price disclosure should be required to help cost-conscious consumers who don’t want or can’t visit numerous funeral homes to get paper price lists.
Consumerpedia, Episode 19: ESTATE PLANNING TASKS AND TIPS – Most Americans don’t even have simple wills, and even fewer have living wills or designated healthcare surrogates. In this episode, some basic do’s and don’ts when it comes to planning what happens after you leave this world. We hope these tips will save you hassles and money – and enable you to avoid some common mistakes.
BUYING YOUR LEASED CAR COULD BE A SMART MOVE RIGHT NOW – At the end of their lease, many people turn in that old vehicle and lease another one. They like driving something new – and it doesn’t make economic sense to buy that old ride. A shortage of new and used cars has changed that economic equation, at least for now.
FORD NO LONGER ALLOWS CUSTOMERS TO BUY THEIR ELECTRIC VEHICLES AT END OF LEASE – Lease an all-electric vehicle from Ford and you no longer have the option to buy that car or truck when your agreement ends. As of June 15, Ford eliminated the purchase option for new leases on the F-150 Lightning, E-Transit Van, and Mustang Mach-E.
‘INTEREST-FREE’ CAR REPAIR LOANS CAN TURN OUT TO BE VERY COSTLY – Many auto repair shops work with third-party lenders to offer on-the-spot “free financing.” Unfortunately, these offers can turn out to be costly loans, with interest rates sometimes as high as nearly 200 percent.
FREE WAY TO OPT-OUT OF POPULAR PEOPLE-SEARCH WEBSITES – Discover’s “Online Privacy Protection” program makes it easy for its customers to remove their personal information from 10 popular data-collecting websites. My test drive found that it did a good job.

 

         

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