Archive for August, 2008

Direct Line Takes You Straight to an Operator | Lifehacker

Credit-card companies killed Mythbusters segment on RFID vulnerabilities | Boing Boing

NWA starts charging today for first checked bag | Star Tribune (Thanks, Dave)

Not exactly poetic, but justice just the same. Who’s Smiling Now? Enzyte Scammer Gets 25 Years In Prison | Consumerist

Its good to be a well-informed voter.  Should Biden Share Blame for Foreclosure Crisis? | ABCNews.com

Consumers: We’re Mad As Hell And We’re Not Going To Charge It Anymore! | Consumerist

A son of Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden was paid an undisclosed amount of money as a consultant by MBNA, the largest employer in Delaware, during the years the senator supported legislation that was promoted by the credit card industry and opposed by consumer groups.
MBNA and its employees have contributed over $200,000 to Biden’s [...]

If Enough Banks Fail, The FDIC Could Run Out Of Money | Consumerist

Net neutrality is the idea central to the Internet that no content provider should have priority over any other. Consumers pay for the pipeline, which gives access to all the content on the web. There are no back roads online, just one, big, wide, information superhighway.
Some internet service providers—the telecommunications industry, mainly—want to relegate most [...]

Great tool for using the “snowball” method to pay off your debt. Debt Reduction Snowball Calculator | Vertex42 (via Consumerist)

While many businesses are suffering, the debt collection industry expects to make $14 billion this year, a projected 9.8% growth. “We’re in a record-breaking year,” says Paul Donatio of Transworld Systems, Inc. (recently acquired by NCO Group).
Individual debtors may be able to pay less, but collectors are still able to squeeze a profit. On the [...]

Nice write-up on rent-to-own.  Bad Credit? Why You Shouldn’t ‘Rent to Own’ | ABC News

New vidcast from Star Tribune columnists Kara McGuire and John Ewoldt: Dollar Duo: Textbook savings and more | StribTV

“Debt collection can be a stressful, terrifying experience. Know your rights to protect yourself.” Got bills? Attack the stack | ka-Ching!

Pete Barry was on the Morning Show with Mike and Juliet this morning. His advice on making sure you are not dealing with a rogue debt collector: make sure you get an address and phone number, at least.
But in the end, it can be hard to know whether the collector on the phone is legitimate. [...]

Why the OCC Can’t Be Relied on for Consumer Protection | Credit Slips

“Scammers masquerading as debt collectors and law enforcement officials have terrified consumers with threatening phone calls and bilked them out of thousands of dollars, officials with the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office say. ” Fake Debt Collectors Terrify Consumers | ABC News (via Consumerist)

The California Reinvestment Coalition put together this great little nine-minute documentary about the subprime mortgage meltdown. The focus is on California, but the message resonates anywhere. They include priceless footage from 60 Minutes of Alan Greenspan admitting he didn’t understand what was going on in the mortgage market until way too late [...]

FTC Bans Prerecorded Telemarketing Drivel | /.

8 Tips That Will Keep Your Refrigerator Healthy And Your Bills Low | Consumer Reports (via Consumerist)