Consumer World

Week of November 18, 2024
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Consumer News Quickies

Airlines Most Likely To Be Overbooked and Bump You



5 Most/Least Affordable States


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Undiagnosed Cognitive Decline Eats Into Seniors' Savings

Big eTailers Escape Liability for Some Unsafe Products

FDA Proposes End of Using Common Cold Remedy Decongestant

Beware: Hurricane-Damaged Cars May Flood the Market

Black Friday Travel Deals Have Begun

Who Keeps the Wedding Ring If an Engagement is Called Off?

CFPB Fines Navy Credit Union $15-mil for Overdraft Overcharges

Appliance Repairs Experts Name Brands to Avoid

States That Won't Tax Social Security and Other Retirement Income

Stop & Shop Removes Paper Bag Fee in MA

New Guidelines for Preventing a Stroke Issued

GoodRx Sued for Failure to Reimburse Independent Pharmacies

Medicare Premium and Deductible Rise in 2025

Chipotle Sued Over Skimpy Portion Sizes by Stockholders

Unraveling the Toilet Paper Size Game {Alternate link]

How Does Airline Luggage Get Lost? (WSJ Pass if needed)

Homeowners Association Fees Rising Dramatically (WSJ Pass if needed)

Car Repair Costs Skyrocket (WSJ Pass if needed)

Summary of US Food Labeling Laws

Some Big Lots Stores No Longer Closing

200 Most Common Passwords, So Don't Use Them

OH Bill Would Allow Suits About Bones in "Boneless" Chicken

Some Say to Get Energy Rebate/Discounts Before They Disappear

Buying a New Router or Modem Can Be Confusing But Save Money Renting

All Deli Sales Down After Boar's Head Recall

"Amazon Haul" Launched as Temu/Shine-Like Discount Site

Man Dressed as Bear Trashes Car in Insurance Fraud

Shoppers Cutting Back This Holiday Season

If Your Medicare Advantage Plan Closes, You Can Switch to Medigap Guaranteed

Hertz Apologizes for Charging for Miles on Unlimited Plan

Appeals Court: Fed Agency Can't Make Own Environmental Regs


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Top Stories

Consumer World Original

Mouse Print*-- Study: Consumer Attitudes About Shrinkflation

mouse print A new survey reveals how aware shoppers are about product shrinkage, what they do when they spot it, and whether they would just rather have manufacturers raise the item's price rather than shrink it. That story is in Mouse Print* this week.


Top 10 Tips to Bag a Black Friday Bargain

Black Friday Check out our annual list of tips to help you snare the best deals during Black Friday sales.


30 Ways to Save on Prescriptions

pill bottle Some prescriptions can be dirt cheap, but others can break the bank. This story shows you many ways to cut your prescription drug costs. For example, manufacturers often have programs offering discount cards or coupons that many people may not be aware of. A friend was able to get a $2,000 a month drug for nothing under one of these programs. Even better, the $2,000 value of each prescription helped lower his conventional (non-Medicare) medical insurance deductible and out-of-pocket maximum for the year. A warning for Medicare recipients who do not have drug coverage in their advantage or supplement plan: there is a one-percent per month penalty for that.


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MoneyTalksNews
Updated daily

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Consumer Protection Faces Uncertain Future

consumer protection Over the past few years, consumer agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have come up with various regulations and actions designed to protect consumers. These include bans on hidden junk fees and fake product reviews, requiring all inclusive pricing of airfares, requiring one-click cancellation of subscriptions, cracking down on annoying robocalls, requiring cable companies to clearly disclose all prices in advance, securing billions in refunds for victims of scams, and more. The worry is with a change in administrations, this new golden age of consumer protection may be dismantled.



Consumer Alert

Beware Staged Crashes for Fraudulent Insurance Claims

One type of insurance fraud involves a scammer staging a car crash in order to collect insurance money from an innocent driver. In this remarkable video, an innocent woman had her dashcam on and caught a fraudster backing up into her car. The good news is New York police caught one of the perpetrators and they are still looking for the others.



PAYWALL Note: We try to feature free stories that are fully readable. If you are blocked reading a Wall Street Journal story, get a free, renewable 3-day PASS. And if you hit the New York Times paywall, here is a three-day pass you can sign up for. For other blocked stories try a different browser and clear cookies of that site from it. Some newspapers may block you based on your repeated use of their site, or convert previously free stories to pay stories without notice.


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Bargain of the Week

Get a Google Nest Smart Thermostat Free (or Cheap)

If you want a smart digital Google Nest thermostat for free (or greatly discounted), a special program by utility companies in your area may have one waiting for you. Here is a state-by-state list and price (if any) they are charging.

Norelco Tripleheader Electric Shaver - $14.99 After Card Rebate

What a crazy price this is! Kohl's and Kohls.com has the Norelco 2200 cordless electric shaver for $24.99, but there is a $10 manufacturer's debit card rebate. So the net price is $14.99. If you buy two (and the rebate is good for two), you get free shipping and an additional $10 in Kohl's cash. (Pick up in store is free if available at your Kohl's.) To get the rebate, click here and enter promo code: 24-30153. (Must be purchased by November 24 for the rebate, and not good in RI or CT, and Kohl's cash offer ends November 21st.) Warning: don't expect this to be a workhorse of a shaver because it is not as powerful as models from yesteryear.

Join Rakuten, Buy $40 of Goods, Now Get Back $40

Rakuten, formerly eBates, has deals with hundreds of stores like Macy's, Target, Lowe's, Walmart, Dell, etc. to give you back a percentage of your purchase if you first use their link at Rakuten to begin your shopping. Periodically, they offer double or triple back, and last week, several stores including Dell were offering 15% back. On a computer, that's a great deal! Sign up through this link ONLY and if you spend $40 in your first 90 days of membership (free), you will get a $40 check. ++

See also: Hot Deals

Consumer Reports

Should You Use Synthetic Oil in Your Car?

When you change your car's oil, do you ask for conventional, synthetic blend, or full synthetic oil? Each one is more expensive than the previous one. Consumer Reports suggests when to use pure synthetic.

More from Consumer Reports
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