The Risk of Gift Cards:
Use Them or Lose Them
You asked for them. You got them. And now your wallet is stuffed with those ubiquitous gift cards. So now what? Go use them. That’s my number one tip. As American Express notes, “Someone gave you a gift card so you could splurge on yourself. Redeem your card sooner rather than later.” The sooner you use it, the less likely you are to lose it. If you have a store-specific gift card, using it as soon as possible will eliminate the problems that result when retailers unexpectedly close or go bankrupt. Read more…
Insurance Practice Hurts Consumers
Frank Progl thinks an educated consumer is a smart consumer. So he can’t understand why his dental insurance carrier is so resistant to his efforts to educate himself. “Try as I may, I can’t get the insurance company to provide the information I request,” he explained. Progl just wants a list of usual, customary and reasonable fees for dental services in his zip code. Read more…
Fake Electrical Products Pose Safety Concerns
Six in ten electrical contractors have significant concerns about counterfeit products, including circuit breakers that fail to trip when overloaded, extension cords that overheat and ground fault circuit interrupters that unsuccessful prevent burns and electric shocks. But more than four in 10 of those contractors concede they may not recognize counterfeits when they see them—and may even have unwittingly installed them in the past year. Read more…
Consumers Regret Gambling on Oil Prices
Many smart consumers are wondering what went wrong with their heating oil strategy. They negotiated fixed-price contracts with their oil dealers last summer, back when the price averaged $4.50 a gallon nationwide. Practically everyone expected prices to keep climbing. But prices fell instead. Read more.
Other News:
- Rescue Essentials When Disaster Strikes
- New Worry: Lower Credit, Higher Rates
- Scam Sweeps Blow Money Up the Chimney
