When you're searching for carrental news and material, be certain to tap into every one of the sources at your disposal.

I recently flew to California to be with a loved one who was having surgery. I had a money order from 7-11
(Western Union) for $100 and the local 7-11 in Santa Cruz refused to cash the money order! With a WAMU Visa card, I went to the local Washington Mutual Bank.
The teller scanned the money order and stated it was, "Good," and expressed his concern that 7-11 refused to cash the money order. I asked for his help and he stated he did not think it would be a problem to cash the money order for me. I showed him my WAMU Visa card and stated that if there was a problem he could charge my WAMU credit card. He asked if I had a checking account with Washington Mutual Bank. I informed him I did not because there was not a local branch in my small town. He excused himself and returned stating, "I can cash your money order." He then stated that I would "simply" have to open a checking account with his bank and deposit $1! I showed him my local bank check book and asked him why would I want a checking account with his bank for one dollar when I live in Texas! It did not make sense! A friend later took me to her bank and I endorsed the check to her and recieved the $100. As I thought about the WAMU "deal", I began to wonder about the amount of MONEY they might have made on fees charged for being under the minimum account balance and for check printing, all for $1! Now this is scrapping the bottom of the barrel!

The biggest gotcha of all time has to be 2 year contracts from cell phone companies. They know that you can change carriers at any time...unless you're in the middle of a contract. If it wasn't for the fact that you can now take your phone number to another company, you're stuck with them. The story is, I got lousy signal strength and frequent disconnects inside my apartment while I had T-mobile. This is up until 2006 sometime. I called to complain several times and they asked me if I get service outside the building. Of course I said I did (because I did get service outside the building, though it was a weak signal)and so they said that it is not their problem. I said, ok then I'm cancelling my phone. Since I was still in a 2-year contract, I had to pay the $200 cancellation fee. I wasn't saavy enough or persistent enough to talk to a higher manager and get the fee waived. I did talk to one manager who wouldn't budge on it and then gave up. I think you have to sound angry/determined to get them to give in. I probably sounded too easy going also. Conclusion of the story is that I will never go back to T-mobile. Their signal sucks in many areas of California, especially when you go into buildings and there's frequent disconnects. Even though Verizon is more expensive, I hardly ever have signal strength issues. Still, I have a 2-year contract with Verizon. I don't plan to change carriers anytime soon, but I really hate that 2-year contract. The best part of the T-mobile story is that they put up a new cell site right across the street from where I lived a few months after I cancelled the contract. I bet the signal is super strong now, even indoors. And to boot, I moved to another city so I never did get to see how good the T-mobile service is in my building now.

I have been disabled since 1980 and did not recieve disability until now (2008), so what does that say about the so called USA. A major rip off is what they are....Take and take, but never give...what a joke the USA is!!!!!

It took me almost 30 years to get my SSD because of a siezure disorder...that should say everything about our issues and government and the so called U.S.

re: Best Buy 36 month 0% interest plan. Bought a flat screen but didn't purchase warranty that day. Was told that I had a week to purchase at intro price and it would go on same plan. Guess what. Not only did it not go on same plan but a shorter plan. Called and rep said he would correct this situation. Well he changed the time period but it went on a sub-account. Seems now in order to have money applied to sub-account I have to call each month to tell them how much! Can't believe the stupidity. Will be paying off the sub-account in short order and am not giving up on demanding that they deliver on their promises..
They will get tired of hearing from me..(Helps with the anger management program I have developed for myself.) Watch them all.

I think she is right to try and get there attention, Best Buy needs to remember that they have customers and if they lose something or something gets stolen they should call the customer and let them know. It sounds like she was giving them the benefit of the doubt until they were unrealistic. It does not sound like she was going for there throats, but I think she did the right thing. Best Buy needs to train there employees properly and make sure that when it comes to personal computers and other that customers bring to them to have fixed it should be treated as securely as the credit card records they keep, I don't even know now if it would be safe to use my credit card at Best Buy as a Best Buy shopper I did not know that they had blatant disregard for there customers personal property. I will not be shopping at Best Buy as after reading this article I do not think my information is safe with them. There are other stores who will appreciate my business while keeping information secure. I will keep checking to see the out come and if Best Buy apologizes that is the least they can do.

My latest GOTCHA:

Target's sale prices.

I was overcharged on four items last Saturday that were marked as sale items. I complained at the customer service counter and the rep promptly handed the cash refund back to me--no questions asked--as if this were a common problem.

Yikes!

John L. Johnson, Michigan

Its not capitalism!

Capitalism says you must compete for the customer's business against other businesses; this assures fair pricing and service. Capitalism is not "lets cheat the customer to steal there business". This is how the Japanese automakers are whipping the pants of the American automakers. They are selling real quality products, fair pricing, and good honest service. By the way they are not scamming the public with slick commercials as the US automakers are doing.

If you don’t like that, you can leave the country.

Wachovia, is the mother of all cheating banks.

I had auto-deposit and my company's account was with Wachovia. This was the scam: My pay checks came on the 10th and 25th of each month. My bills came on average 2 to 3 days before. As payments are made my account was debited consistently around 7 days after my paycheck came. Wachovia apparently notice the pattern and began delaying my checks with the excuse of "amount available" status and "amount release" status. They delay-time for my account to be credited had reach one to two days before my next pay check and of course I began bouncing up to 18 checks a month. After Wachovia took the NSF charges from my account they would release my check for payments. I have called and complained to no avail and showed them who was in charge by changing to Washington Mutual. WAMU has no funny business what so ever. Some of your readers might not be aware of this practice so be warn.

The next great catastrophy will be the scandal that involves the credit card industry and the deceptive tactics they have used for decades. Switching all of your credit debt to a 0% interest card? You are playing right into their hands. If you haven't seen the Frontline program "the Secret History of Credit Cards" I highly recommend it. Here is the link:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/

I used to carry a Visa, MC and Amex card. The Amex was destroyed (gleefully) six years ago. Why? Because they are a company with no integrity. Seven years ago I used a moving company for a move from Pennsylvania to California. Most moving companies won't let you pay them with a CC because they don't want you to dispute the charges when your stuff shows up destroyed - but that's another "gotcha" - however I refused to use them unless they accepted payment via CC and they relented. Anyway, half of my stuff showed up destroyed and this dirty company refused to accept responsibility or step up and make financial reparations, so I filed an official claim with Amex and explained what happened. Amex denied the claim and responded that I needed to deal with the moving company. I appealed their decision twice, explaining that the moving company refused to cooperate or respond to any of my calls or letters and that it was their responsibility to take the company to task, yet they continued to deny the claim. I ended being out about $5K in damaged goods and Amex is out a customer for life. They can let me know if they find their soul and maybe I'll reconsider.

Don't use Best Buy revolving credit. They use a varying length billing period that drifts a couple of days every couple of months. So should you set up automatic payment through your bank around your paydays beginning or near end of month you are guaranteed to be hit with late fees a couple times per year. If your payment gets in too early it gets credited to the previous statement which you have already paid and the new statement goes unpaid. So even though you did pay, you get a late fee for the next billing period which you wont see until the following statement arrives. SNEAKY.

Watch your Verizon cell phone bill. At least twice in the last year I've been charged for services I did not order -- for instance, V-Cast and downloads that I did not make.

Hello, I am wondering about the deal on student loans, I have been paying for years and my bill keeps going up not down. A few years ago I had to leave my job and take care of my twins by myself ( one has disabilities) I called to find out about my payments being smaller and they would not work with me on top of the fact they told me that the reason my loan was never going to go down is they kept selling it which kept tacking on thousands more each time and it was legal for them to do so. Now I'm lost about what do or who I pay for a student loan I've been paying on for over 10 years, HELP ME I know they are going to take what ever income I have in the future and then some. I have contacted a bunch of goverment offices and I keep getting the runaround , I need to know who can help me....

I work for American Airlines, this company is hammering it's employees for even the slightest failure. Stealing from the company and you'll be fired (to be expected). However American Airlines "steals" from it's own employees all-the-time! The only recourse is to "grieve it" and the unions are swamped. It's been said that "companies that have unions deserve them". American Airlines stands out as one of the worst companies to work for -- by far!

I gave up satellite service for my tv over 6 yrs ago and have loved not paying that bill with losey customer service and lies ever since. I replaced it with a dvd player and $5 movies at Wal Mart (another sore spot but that is a different matter) and whenever there is nothing on the local channels I just pop in a movie. My next target is my cell phone as soon as my contract is up! Thank you Bob for all your inspiration.

Effective ways to dispute utility bills cable/dish bills R2

Do not get intimidated by the Utility companies

Start with the source - your local service provider.
Find an advocate. CUB, BBB, Etc.
Try City, State, National and Federal organizations.
Remember deregulated service providers are also required to follow local regulations.

Resolving billing issues
If you stay calm and collected you can effectively dispute utility bills, solve the problems and maybe recruit some free help along the way.
It is very common to find errors and various unknown or unauthorized charges on your telecom bill (Telephone, Cellular, Data-Internet Etc.). Review your bills monthly. (Telecom companies bill a month in advance).
Review your phone bill every month to be sure you are billed only for what you requested and at the rates you were quoted. Call your phone company if you have any questions.
Water and sewer bills should also be reviewed in detail, you may be able to reduce you sewer charge (especially if you are watering lawn, pool and pond) or if you have no meter, reduce the monthly charge based on size and consumption.
Many third party deregulated Gas and Electric suppliers who contend that they save you money, actually cost you more. Review the charges versus your local regulated utility company. Insist that they guarantee a lower price and savings over the local regulated gas or electric company. Verify the accuracy of the billing including quantity delivered (therms, KWH).
That king-sized electric bill or gas bill may be appropriate for a family of five, but no way is it right for just you and your spouse. (avoid estimated billing)
Or, maybe your cable/dish company is dunning you for a pay-per-view movie you never ordered.
Errors and overcharges occur from time to time on utility bills and cable/dish bills, and they're usually not in your favor. Sometimes, a quick call to the company can resolve the mishap simply. Other times, disputing a utility bill is not so easy.
Don't let a ridiculous charge send you into a fuming rage, venting your frustrations to the customer representative or screaming for a lawyer. Keep your cool and voice your complaint in detail.
Start with the source. (Your local service provider)
Prepare before you contact the company. Have your current bill, past bills and any canceled checks in front of you. Make sure you have your account numbers and passwords if there are any. Have a notepad and pen handy because you'll want to make notes throughout the conversation and also get information about the customer service representative.
Figure out by how much you want to get the bill reduced, but be realistic about what you would accept for a settlement. Then, contact the company when it's least busy. Friday mornings are good times to call. Avoid Mondays and the days after holidays, since those times are the busiest.
Create the mood. Firm and aggressive presentations work as long as they are not combative. Tell the customer representative you have a problem with the bill that both of you need to review.
When you talk with the customer representative do the following:
Write down the date and time you talked with the person.
Ask for the person's name, identification number and extension before you begin to discuss the bill.
Ask if there's a case number, and jot it down.
Go through the bill line by line to determine the cause of the problem.
Ask what the expected turnaround will be for the resolution.
Write down any price quotes and/or charge adjustments. Ask the customer representative to do the same in the company's computer database.
Call at a different time if you have problems with the representative. Speak to the manager if disagreements persist.
Follow up the call with a letter to the company. The information collected during the phone call should be included in the note. Make sure you sign it.
If all else fail, ask for a supervisor or executive appeals division.
If you are not satisfied. File a complaint with the Utility Commission in your State.
In order to win disputes with utility companies you must keep thorough documentation to prove your points.
Find an advocate.
Recruit support if your calls to the utility company are not sufficient.
You can locate your state's public utilities commission, which oversees utility companies, or get help through the National Association of State Utility Advocates, or NASUCA. This organization represents the interest of utility consumers before state and federal regulators in court. Also your state Citizens Utility Board.
"At the commission you can have an informal investigation and if you are not satisfied you can file a formal complaint," says Jay Draiman, a Utility bill auditor.
He explains that the commission informally investigates the dispute by contacting the company on your behalf. If the commission's answer is one that you don't like, you can file a formal complaint against the utility company. If the formal complaint doesn't make you happy, you can appeal the decision. At this point, he warns, courts of law, most likely a municipal court, are involved and a lawyer might be needed.
Some public service commissions address cable disputes. If not, Consumers for Cable Choice, a consumer advocacy group, says other alternatives exist.
"Most consumers don't know this, but they can call their local franchising cable board. That's the agency that has the ability and authority to adjudicate public complaints," says the auditor.
Not all municipalities or towns have a cable board. So, try calling the clerk of the county or clerk of the city in your area to find out who is responsible for cable complaints.
A visit to the attorney general's office may or may not help. The procedure for handling complaints varies with each office. Some offices, depending on the type of utility, might refer you to other state regulators, and others may attempt to mediate the dispute between you and the company themselves.
Try national and federal organizations.
Consumers can file a complaint with the Citizens Utility Board (which has attorneys on staff), Better Business Bureau, or BBB, a private nonprofit organization that monitors and reports marketplace activities to the public. The bureau sends the consumer's complaints to the company.
"If we have not heard from the company in 30 days, we close the case and suggest small claims court," says spokeswoman for BBB.
According to the BBB, it cannot force a reply from the company and it cannot administer sanctions. It can make a note of the company's unwillingness to respond in the company's reliability report that's provided to the public.
The U.S. government can tackle some of your problems.
Telecommunications issues can be handled by contacting the Federal Communications Commission, or FCC.
Consumers can file an informal complaint with the FCC and, if determined appropriate, the commission will send the complaint to the company or companies named. The FCC allows telephone companies only 45 days from receiving the complaint to respond to you and to provide a copy to the commission. The FCC reviews the response but doesn't issue a ruling or decision.
If the company's response doesn't satisfy you, you can make a formal complaint. This will involve hiring a lawyer and paying a complaint fee. File this type of dispute within six months of receiving the response to the informal complaint.
Consumers can also contact the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC, but the FTC's help depends on the circumstances. According to spokesman, the FTC only gets involved if a charge the consumer did not authorize is placed on the bill.
Contact you phone company about a dispute
If you have a problem with your phone service or bill, contact your phone company as soon as possible to try to get the problem resolved.
• Call the phone company’s toll-free customer service number or reach its cus¬tomer service center through the internet, if available.
• If you cannot get the problem settled to your satisfaction, with the customer ser¬vice representative, ask to speak to a man¬ager. A higher level employee may have more authority to settle your problem.
• Before you contact the company, be prepared. Gather up your bill, receipts or anything else you may want to refer to and don’t forget to write down when you contacted the company, who you talked to, and what that person agreed to do.
• Remember that sometimes it takes sev¬eral minutes to reach a live person at the phone company, so make your call when you are not in a rush.
If you contacted your phone company and it did not help you with your problem, you may file a complaint with the CPUC Consumer Affairs Branch.
The CPUC can help you with complaints about telephone service or the bill, including any charges that you did not authorize or if your phone service was switched to another phone company without your approval. You may contact the CPUC by phone, through the Internet or by mail:
• By phone: 800-649-7570
• Online:
http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/static/ forms/complaints/index.htm
• By Mail:
CPUC Consumer Affairs Branch
505 Van Ness Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94102
If your phone company and the CPUC were unable to help you, you may contact the FCC if you are questioning calls made from or to another state or from or to another nation. You may reach the FCC:
• By e-mail: fccinfo@fcc.gov
• Online:
complaint form: www.fcc.gov/ cgb/complaints.html.
• By mail:
Federal Communications Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554
• By fax:
1-866-418-0232
• By phone:
voice 1-888-CALL-FCC
(1-888-225-5322)
TTY 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322)
Understanding Your Utility Bill
With the introduction of competitive providers in the telecommunications, gas and electric industry, consumers may find it increasingly difficult to make sense of the various rates, fees and charges that appear on their bills. How can you make sure your utility bill is accurate?
• Carefully review your bill each month.
• Question and investigate any charges that you don’t understand.
• Read all flyers and additional materials included with your bill.
Many of our utilities provide information on understanding your utility bill right on their websites. Links to those sites are shown below. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission’s website provides valuable information to consumers on reading and understanding a telephone bill.
Compiled by:
Yehuda Draiman, Energy Consultant
Northridge, CA 91324
Email: renewableenergy2@msn.com

RAPID ECONOMIC STIMULUS PACKAGE: Put an end to the Gotchas!! pronto! It would instantly give every consumer in this country control over their own money again! I think Bob writes that hidden fees steal at least $4,000 annually from every consumer in this country a year. (I think it's higher.) Make it safe to be a consumer and an honest business again!!!

Everyone beware of the Pay Day Loan Companie's on the internet. I was alittle short on money for everything just before Christmas and these companie's just made it too easy to borrow from them. Now my checking account is seriously in the red because these companie's keep taking money from it even after I paid off the loan.

Hi, Bob. I found out about the book on Monday (through The Consumerist), got it on Wednesday, and finished it Friday. Nice work! I've been getting slowly into the habit of trying to reduce the fees that are levied against me by the companies I do business with, and I feel more armed to continue doing so after reading it. Only problem is, now I feel even more angry, after seeing what they're doing as a whole picture instead of in piece. Yikes! But, this is a great resource to have at our hands, and I'm looking forward to reading the blog going forward for more tips. I already have a friend in mind to give my copy to for her to read, and hopefully start recouping some of her costs from these companies. Thanks!

We are all slaves, I'm glad I left the US. I will not buy nor deal with American businesses. They are too crooked and greedy. It's the land of the greed.

Not only do corporations get us as you describe above, but they get us at the workplace, as well. Almost every employer I've ever worked for expects employees to arrive 15 minutes early to work each day. This is unpaid, of course, so if you work M-F, 9-5, you've given your employer over an hour of free work. It really adds up over the span of a year. Where's the outcry on THAT?

I get TV through DirectTv.
A once very responsive company, it is not pretty unresponsive these days. An example...they stopped sending bills because I had an automatic charge that they required on startup. I upgraded receivers to new HD receivers....and when I have a problem with one of them, I go online to check my bill. Sure enough, they;ve been charging me for 4 receives for at least 9 months. I call and ask for a refund. They say I'm at faut because I didn't call them to let them know that they shipped and commissioned replacement receivers. Wha? I asked if their systems didn';t automaticlly pick that up when they issue a new security card. She said no, that it was my responsibility. Of course, how would I know when they didn't sent paper bills?

She did offer a refund of 60 days of the double charges, since 'thet's as far back as we can go". Total nonsense.

I could go on and on. They now want to charge a "Service plan" for receivers that they now rent to everyone. Excuse me, don't you warrant your own equipment? Why should I pay a service plan for something they manufacture (by a sister company, and is inferior to RCA, Tivo or other brand equipment), install and charge monthly fees for?

They hesitate to replace equipment that is malfunctioning, saying you can only get one replacement in a year...Ever since Newscorp bought them, it has gone downhill.

We all have to learn to read the fine print and then act appropriately. Not every company is trying to rip us off. But by being sure to read and verify charges, etc., on credit cards, etc., there is protection. I've had to use the credit card protection services recently when items posted to my account were not mine (but they all ended up being mine).

We all have to learn to read the fine print and then act appropriately. Not every company is trying to rip us off. But by being sure to read and verify charges, etc., on credit cards, etc., there is protection. I've had to use the credit card protection services recently when items posted to my account were not mine (but they all ended up being mine).

Dear Bob. I am with a cable comp. that every year in Jan. raises my bill from $30.00 to $60.00. I go down an complain and usually end up paying about $10.00 more. I recently had a service person come out to correct a problem with their service and I ask him why they do this? and he said they do this all the time and hope no one will complain and just pay the bill. Isnt there any laws against this? Who would complain to?

TRY THIS SCAM ON FOR SIZE. HAVE YOU EVER LEASED A VEHICLE AND WHEN THE LEASE WAS UP, YOU RETURNED IT AND RECEIVED A BILL FOR REPAIRS THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO BRING YOUR VEHICLE INTO A CONDITION THAT WAS PART OF THE LEASE AGREEMENT ON IT'S RETURN. GUESS WHAT FOLKS, IN MOST CASES YOUR VEHICLE WAS NEVER REPAIRED. IT WAS SENT TO AN AUCTION OR TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP AND SOLD "AS IS" AND NEVER REPAIRED EVEN THOUGH YOU PAYED THE BILL FOR IT. THIS PRACTISE IS REALLY COMMON IN TRUCKING COMPANY LEASES. I'VE ALREADY CAUGHT ONE COMPANY IN THIS DISPICABLE PRACTISE AND KNOW DOUBT THE REVENUE REALIZED FROM THIS COULD MEASURE INTO THE MULTI MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. IT'S NOT UNLIKE THE REVENUE COLLECTED FROM OUR ILLUSTRIOUS BANKING INSTITUTIONS FROM THEIR SERVICE CHARGES AND THE LIKE. THE SYSTEM IS BECOMING AN ENTERPRISE FULL OF THIEVES AND CHARLETONS OR "WOLVES IN SHEEPS CLOTHING" THAT FOR THE MOST PART OUR GOVERNMENTS SUPPORT.

The biggest "Gotcha Ripoff" is when you sign a form that says you agree to ARBITRATION. This is bad for the consumer in most cases. I've just taken a law class and the arbitrators usually favor the medical facility, business, ect. Meanwhile you, the consumer can not appeal the ruling & you have given up your right to have a lawsuit if necessary. So if you are forced into a corner agree to MEDIATION only as it is not legally restrictive and you, the consumer don't give up your rights. BE CAREFUL because this arbitration is creeping into alot of businesses now. When you see the power these credit card companies, utilities, banks, ect. all have it makes you wonder how are they able to have such control over us when we are the ones making them so profitable.

I am disabled and I've had horrible problems with bills from a physician's group who works within a hospital. Apparently the physicians groups sends the procedure codes to the hospital billing office, and the bills are issued from there. I've been getting bills for pieces of a single procedure multiplied two and three times in one day, even though it makes no sense. For example, I receive shots in both sides of my back, and the physician TOLD ME that he had split 200 units of medication between both sides of my back, yet when I received the bill, I was charged for 400 units of medication - and I was charged for the use of the fluoroscope and all of the other medical equipment TWICE! When I called the billing office to complain, the person on the phone just said the codes came from my doctor and all they do is put in the prices of the procedures. As you might guess, this became a point the finger game and no one would change my bill. So, I waited to pay until I received my Medicare statement, and Medicare didn't pay twice for the medication or the procedures either, so I paid only for my portion of the things Medicare paid for. I'm sure they'll send my account to collections, but I'm not backing down. I later found out that this hospital is being investigated by the state for billing for services not provided.

Dear Bob. I am with a cable comp. that every year in Jan. raises my bill from $30.00 to $60.00. I go down an complain and usually end up paying about $10.00 more. I recently had a service person come out to correct a problem with their service and I ask him why they do this? and he said they do this all the time and hope no one will complain and just pay the bill. Isnt there any laws against this? Who would complain to?

Well, I was just wondering; did they quit putting fuel gauges in cars? All one would have to do is look at that and they would know the car had been filled.

I continually tell my wife and kids to speak up when something is not right: send that steak back, tell the manager about inappropriate behavior by an employee, etc. They see me do it all the time. I think they find it embarassing at times but I always felt it my duty. I began doing this because I asked myself, "If I don't speak up, how will they come to understand that it isn't acceptable? Wouldn't I want to know, if I were running the business, how the customer felt?" I see it as my duty as a consumer and it is my effort (small as it is) to improve the system. After all, I have no reason to complain if I don't complain -- or something like that... ;-)

Scam - Shmam ... Here are three things to think about:

1) Your local library loves book requests. Bob's book can be read for free, just ask your library. I know, I'm in queue (#5) on the request list. I'll get a notice when it's ready to read.

2) Credit card companies hit businesses for a 2.5% ~ 7% discount plus a processing fee on purchases. Pay with cash and either ask for a discount, or be glad to put a little extra coin in the merchant's pocket (you'll also avoid those interest charges and late fees).

3) Dump the cell phone, or the land line. A friend dumped his land line and internet service. He has a basic cell phone and uses the library's computers for internet servive. Added benefits: no political calls; no sales calls; and no charity calls; just friends and family. One more advantage, when too many folks get your cell number, just call the provider, switch to a new number and let the other one go dark! Finally, a truely unlisted, unpublished, telephone number without the fees!

This is why big business is pushing these "mandatory binding arbitration" screw clauses in their contracts. Freed from the fear of being sued (and often from the fear of a class action suit, as these mandatory binding arbitration clauses often prohibit class actions), businesses feel empowered to screw the customer. These arbitration companies are kangaroo courts, bought and paid for by the businesses they arbitrate for.

Please contact your elected Federal representatives and urge them to support The Arbitration Fairness Act of 2007, to make businesses more accountable to the general public.

One way to avoid outrageous bank charges is to just not do business with these large banks and credit card companies. To the extent I can, I avoid them whenever possible. For the past 20 years I've handled most of my financial transactions through a Credit Union or a smaller locally owned bank. Their rates are usually lower, small or no fees, no tricks, plus they are usually more customer oriented than the big guys. Sometimes their rates are not lower but I consider that a small price to pay to insure that I don't get ripped off. Credit Unions scare the heck out of big banks.

First off, it's not "Gotcha Capitalism". It's good old-fashioned "American Capitalism". Sorry, but if that simple truth hurts, then let me turn a phrase around for ya... "LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT!". God...do I hate that phrase... but somehow, here, it fits. We are in denial that the "American Dream", as it were...has been allowed to devolve to the point where it's really just a system where a few elite's feast upon the ignorant masses, to huge hand-over-fist profits, every minute of every day. We were here in the 1930's...and we are right back here again. The whole sorry affair is quite simply based on an old latin phrase, caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). Yes, that's right. A system based on the concept that it is not only OK, but indeed expected that to turn a profit you have to lie, cheat and steal from customers that were born wanting to take what they see and hear at face value. That should tell you everything you need to know.

Now if you don't like what I have said, but begrudgingly agree with it... you have one small option. The de-regulation boondoggle started in the Reagan Era... needs to be reversed. Not an easy task as far as we have come down the Neo-Conservative Superhighway... but it is the only answer. People have to actively take back their government from the facists. It's there if you want it. Do you?

It really does look like every industry on this planet is out to ravage their customers for every single penny. My wife and I bought round trip tickets overseas to Asia with our soon to be 1 year old daughter to celebrate her birthday with my in-laws. We paid $750.00 each for the adult fair and the tax/fuel surcharge was an additional $260.00, so that pushed it up to almost $1000 for each of our tickets. We didn't book another seat for our daughter as she is only one years old and we opted to carry her on our laps. Her ticket price was only 10% of our price ($76.00), but the tax/fuel surcharge for her ticket is still $260.00!!!! over 200% of the actual ticket price. Some one please explain to me the sense behind this pricing because I am OBVIOUSLY mentally unable to understand the logic behind the airline pricing system.

I'm getting yanged by Comcast, National City Bank, the gas company and the electric company, all at different times. The worst though, is Citibank with their late fees (for calling in a payment after 1:00 the day it's due), over balance fees (over balance because of previously mentioned late fees), etc. I had to finally declare bankruptcy because I kept trying to pay them instead of the house note. I can't say that I'm sad to hear they had to sell 20% of their company to foreign investors. TOO BAD, that's what you get for treating people like ATM machines.

We receive a combined bill for our AT&T landline and AT&T/Yahoo! DSL services. Last month, I checked our bill because the monthly total had suddenly jumped -- and discovered that we were being charged over $13 for long-distance service that we had cancelled months ago. (We had MCI long distance for a number of years, but cancelled it when they royally hosed us on several billings, and couldn't or wouldn't explain the screw-ups. We decided we could get by with pre-paid long-distance calling cards and my cell phone -- and have.) Now all of a sudden, AT&T has us on One Rate for $2.95 a month, plus $7 for "administration fee", plus assorted other junk fees and taxes.

I called AT&T, and of course, they outsource their customer service for this. After a long conversation, the CSR agreed to cancel our AT&T long-distance service, and even gave me a cancellation number. So we got the latest AT&T bill a couple of days ago, and it's SSDD. Long distance is still there, same charges. It's like I never cancelled it. Arrgghh! Another conversation with someone overseas.

And then there's my cell phone. I'm "grandfathered" into a cheap plan I took when my cell provider was still Southwestern Bell, which became Cingular. It's a regional plan, but doesn't give me any free long-distance outside my calling area. So AT&T gets back at me by charging me $4.95 for a "roamer administration fee" plus whatever roaming fees are incurred. I don't have to call outside my calling area too often on my cell, but when I do they stick it to me.

Yes, I have looked into other calling plans with AT&T (and other providers), but mine is so cheap I'll be d***ed if I'll give it up voluntarily! And "bundling" services isn't the bargain they claim it is, either. Again, I've looked into it, and we're better off buying each component separately. With the bundle packages, you have to take a lot of add-ons you may not want or use.

How about this one from Sears Card(owned by Citi Bank). I purchased some appliances on a 1-year-no-interest promotion and sent in my final payment to pay off the balance about a week before the year was up. Then a full week after they recieved my payment (I pay online, so is posted by next day) I purchased a TV set. They applied my payment that was supposed to pay off my old balance to the new purchase and hit me with the interest for the year-old purchase, even though the received my payment A FULL WEEK BEFORE I purchased the TV! Needless to say I paid off my entire balance that month and did not use again!

Have you looked at your auro repair bills lately?
Charges for shop supplies (rags that should be covered in the $70 labor rate which includes overhead)
How about the environmental disposal fees for more than just oil ( a coil)? Have you noticed that the estimate you get initiallly is sometimes over $30 more when they add in these charges. When you get an estimate ask about these charges.

THE "FAMILY-SIZE" SCAM AT GROCERY STORES

I like to find a good value at the grocery store. I'm not afraid to get the "family size" of a packaged item to save money even though I don't have a big family. But I started noticing at least ten years ago that most grocery stores charge a higher price-per-unit for the bigger packaged items than for the smaller sizes of the very same brand and item. It used to be that "family size" meant a better value. Now they stick it to the families by sneakily charging higher prices. It is even more infuriating that they are doing this to consumers when taken into consideration the lower packaging costs to them for the bulk sizes. I don't know if it's the manufacturing companies or the grocery stores that are perpetuating this scam, but I have a suspicion it is both. I went cold turkey shopping at Wal-Mart six years ago when I noticed that they seemed to be one of the worst offenders (this being just one of the many grievances I have against them and their other companies--yes Sam's Club does it too!!!). I keep expecting to see something about this in the media, and am shocked that I have not.

Been waiting years for someone else to become angry at the paragraphs of fine print disclaimers flashed for a few seconds during TV commercials or the small "Results Not Typical" flashed during weight loss commercials. Being an American consumer is like being one of the sardines in the school swimming in a ball while the predators swim in and take what they want. Americans should have a consumer's strike and just not pay any bill until they get a fair deal.

I think credit card companies have too many fees, and are allowed to charge huge late fees, and sometimes initiation fees that are huge. They are like loan sharks and it is legal. How did they get so powerful financially. Lower income people who get behind often end up owing 5 or 6 times their original balance if they fall behind and sometimes an amount equal or more than their entire earnings for a year.

I went to FIRESTONE and paid $100 for a diagnostic on a 10 yr old vehicle that just broke down. They diagnosed the problem, I was reassured that they had found the problem and fixed for a total of $700. I OK'd the bill and picked up the car at closing, got 3 miles down the road and it conked out again. I paid another mechanic to look at the car - his diagnosis was it was doing the same thing that it was before I took it to Firestone and in addition it now had a short in the electrical system - against a part that Firestone installed. Firestone claimed there was another problem and refused to fix it. My credit card Cap One was of no help. After a 3 month dispute I still owe the money. And have a car that won't run. Firestone's service was substandard and so was CapOne's customer support - I'll never do business with either again. I recommend anyone do the same. Also, smaller auto shops have a better track record and if they loose one customer it hurts them, so you decide - go to a place where you have some importance to the business you're dealing with or go to a larger one where you're just a number.

I got bit by a gotcha the other day. I was on a trip to San Francisco, and a rock got kicked up and hit the window of my rental car. My American Express covers all car rentals, so that was not a problem. American Express reimbursed them for the damage as soon as Thrifty sent them the claim. The problem was Thrifty started sending letters to my home demanding payment of a $50 "admin fee" that had something to do with that damaged windshield. I received about 10 of these letters (each one increasing in its threatening language), and after numerous phone calls never did receive an explanation of what this "admin fee" was for. I filed complaints with both the BBB and the NC State Attorney General Consumer Protection Department. Thrifty responded to the BBB with some lame explanation about how its a general fee for handing paperwork, copies, etc. They never did respond to the NC State Attorney Generals Office (I know this because I received a letter from the AG's office stating as much). I eventually just paid it because they threatened to start sending it to collections. I will never rent from Thrifty/Dollar again!

You nailed it. Gotcha Capitalism is changing the way we live -- making us cynical and stressed out.

I don't buy anything anymore -- no cell phone, no cable, no airline tickets, no 'free meal' coupons. I've been burned every time and I hate it, so I just don't play. No DVD player, no flat-screen TV, no laptop, no Xbox, no nothing. The damned technology doesn't work and I hate wasting money on things that don't work. My kids feel we live in the Stone Age, but what to do? I don't have money to burn.

I recommend your blog to everyone. I really appreciate the tips and tricks you provide to help us navigate these shark-infested waters. Thanks!

It's not enough to read the fine print, watch our statements and give 'em hell every time these joker corporations pull this stuff. We need to spread the word among our friends and family. We need to organize and name names publicly. Unless we become highly visible and vocal, they'll be content to prey on those who are not as savvy. Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.

Gotcha fees are getting unbelievable. National City once charged me $10 for cashing a check that bounced. So basically I got penalized because someone else wrote me a bad check. That is only one of the many examples I could yell about, but to me it was the most surprising.

So glad you are doing this. I just got off the phone a while ago with a collect call provider that charged me 58$ for 2 calls totalling 24 minutes. Insane. They refuned me 30%. Most wouldnt say anything and swallow it. Your work has made me as determined as ever not to take it!

http://p2plendingwithprosper.blogspot.com/

I didn't realize I'd been trained to be a paranoid consumer until I called my cell phone company yesterday. I was calling because I knew my two-year contract was finally up and I wanted to know if the contract would be automatically renewed, and then if I would be charged more for not renewing my contract. Their response was "Of course not!" And then I felt silly (briefly) for calling, until I realized that these were legitimate questions... that if I didn't bother to ask, that that was when I'd get screwed. Defensive driving? We're all defensive purchasers now. And we have to be.

I did a quick analysis of my home phone and mobile phone bills. Turns out I'm paying > $250 per year in sneaky fees. http://cybercjh.com/blog/?p=35

I really hate all these back handed dealings. I check my accounts constantly for some one doing this crap, usually a "Prove it, it's only as good as the paper it's written on" demand gets it taken off. I've found cars are the worst at generating these things. I get at least one letter a week to extend my warrenty, warning it's going to go out. Then tons of letters to get my car serviced there, with a low rate where they find tons of things wrong with it they need to fix at an upgraded price (my car is 4 months old).

My wife and I only had Comcast problems in Portland, OR. There we had everything set up with one of their introductory offers for additional cable and internet for cheaper then basic and internet. With a 6 month offer we had a not on our door that they were not only canceling the offer 3 months in, they raised the extended rates by 20% for us! After calling a rep and issuing my polite but strongly felt concerns on their customer service they extended the period for a year. But it took awhile.

the biggest rip-off going now is guaranteed student loans. basicaly they sell you a dream of how taking these loans out will pay for itself and then some and super low interest rates. what they dont tell you is that as soon as you graduate they manipulate grace periods to force you to pay earlier and jack up these interest rates. they call your home and job threatening to garnish wages. they are allowed to garnish no more that 15% but when they call and harrass you the try to force you into 30% of your income or more with the threat that if you dont pay up what they want they will just garnish and take it.

Capital One, HSBC,insurance,what a rip.I have argued with these companies for over 3 years now.I became disabled while employed and had credit with these two companies.Filing claims,writing lettersand many phone calls later all I could get was the insurance was seperate from them although they endorsed the company and made untold Millions offering this service.The last time I talked to them they told me the bill was a matter of morals?

Speaking of cable...Charter Communications is the same way. They offer the decent teaser rate for 6mos then your bill will probably double. The last time I signed up for service, they wouldn't even tell me what the regular rate for service would be. The CSR just kept repeating the cost of the introductory rate. I've since been told by several people that at the end of the 6mo period you can call in and request to keep the introductory period and they'll give it to you for another 6mos. Not sure how long they'll keep it up though.

After 6 months of no coverage, I had just gotten health insurance but hadn't received my card (the first mailing was lost). I called a doctor's office here in AZ to make an appointment but told them I didn't know who the carrier was since I hadn't yet received the information from the agent. I was told I couldn't make an appointment without telling them who the carrier was. I told them I was waiting on paperwork and due to their wait time for them to see new patients, I wanted to book the appointment and was willing to pay cash if the information didn't arrive in time. What I was told is: If you have insurance but cannot provide it at the time of service, the doctor cannot take you as a cash customer. Flabberghasted, I said that was a ridiculous policy. Response: A requirement of the Insurance Company Policies - the Doctor's are excluded from seeing patients on a cash basis if they have insurance.
Stupidest thing I've ever heard, and another gotcha from the Health Insurance Industry.

Credit card companies are engaging in a "gotcha" that isn't apparent unless you look closely at your monthly statement. If you pay your balance in full and on time each month, you'll notice the following month there is a "finance fee" if you carry a $0 balance each month. That's because they continue to charge you interest between the date they send the statement and the date they receive your payment. The "finance fee" gets hidden as interest if you carry a monthly balance.

I have your book and you missed one of the ways (maybe a new one) that credit card companies (Bank of America DBA MNBA) tried to get me. I am paying off an ill conceived debt to them. I sent in the normal "minimum payment" + $10. When I recieved my bill last month, Surprise!, I had a $35 late payment fee added to the bill. It arrived 2 days prior to the payment date so I called and asked why I was charged a late payment fee. Seems the month before they used a 31 day billing cycle which upped my minimum payment to more than what I sent! By about $2.50 no less. They did waive the late fee but how many other unsuspecting smucks did not call!

This was also one of the CC companies that send an "increase in interest" notice in with the monthly statement along with all the other throw away offers. My credit record is over 30yrs long with NO, NONE, NADA black marks. They wanted to up my monthly interest from 9.9% to 28.99%. Luckly, I caught this one and told them to take their increase and shove it. I took the option to not use there credit card anymore and told them that they were to accept no charges from any source to this card in writing per thier instructions(any charge automatically ups the interest on the whole balance to the higher rate). About 3 months later, they charge $49 to the account for thier Credit report service ( the third time in a row they had done this even though we told them we did not want the service the previous two years). Of course they raised the interest rate. Needless to say, I had a terse conversation with the customer service department. I reminded them that we had cancelled the service 2 years prior and then referred them to my letter with the instructions that they were not to accept ANY charges to this account. I got the interest rate back down to 9.9% and will have it paid off by the end of the year. As for doing business with BAC or any other big bank.. forget it. My credit union works just fine for me!

Keep up the good work, and everyone who reads this, complain, complain, complain. Ask your favorite presidential candidate what he is going to do about this. CC companies and large banks are just fronts for the loansharks that used to loan money on the street corner!

BOB- I live in ST.LOUIS COUNTY, MO. They have a thing called HOMESTEAD ACT for disabled and SENIORS which is supposed to give some relief from your property taxes which keep going up every year, But they fail to tell you you have to re-apply every year and they dont do REFUNDS,and the amount taxes increase every year eats up whatever relief you may get,THIS IS GOVERNMENT AT ITS WORST. Good old U.S.A.- JOHN B.

U.S. Cellular - they took over my account when they bought out Primeco. There were always pretty good, til I looked at my statement last month and I noticed a $5.95 unlimited pic messaging fee. Pulled out some other old statements and the same fee was on these statements as well. I called customer service, they said this "feature" had started in March (I never asked for this "feature")- it's now January - I told them to reverse the charges and the "rep" tried to tell me he couldn't do that but he could give me a $25.00 credit. I told him to reverse the charges and he tried to tell me the reason they had monthly statements, for me to review and the constumer service available to help - basically like I was stupid or something for not having noticed this before. I got off the phone, called two more times until finally they reversed the charges. Even though, that is still nine months of my money they were able to earn interest on. I think the next call I make to them, I am going to ask them to give me a $100.00 credit. Thank you for your article.

Another Credit Company Lie - that they "protect" you when you make a purchase with their card, and it arrives damaged. They claim that they will refund your moneyfor damaged items, thus defending the customers right to receive what they pay for. Ha!

We recently recieved 2 handpainted ceramic platters that we purchased on vacation in Italy (cost over $400) which arrived shattered. The vendor promptly filed his claim with the shipper and was reimbursed for the damage directly. We were not allowed to file a claim with the shipper since the vendor already had.....so the lucky vendor has been paid twice for one purchase. Despite his promises to re-ship new platters, he clearly has no intention of doing so since he has had nearly 8 months to send them (but the moral deficiencly of the vendor is a topic for a different blog).

So we turned to Visa for the promised protection they so proudly tout, and filed the paperwork to dispute the charges. After spending hours writing letters, re-printing copies of our repeated emails to the vendor, re-printing photos of the ceramic fragments documenting the damage, and having to re-argue the claim three times, Visa has finally denied our claim because we did not return the merchandise to the vendor. Apparently in the small print, the rules for international disputes say you need to return the damaged merchandise to the vendor to dispute the costs. I tried to explain to them that spending $331 (my quote from UPS) to ship a box of shattered fragments back to Italy to have the vendor promptly throw the entire thing in the trash made absolutely no sense - and was an unfair requirement to expect us to comply with. We respectfully requested that they waive the requirement due to the stupidity of it, and later suggested that if they require the broken pieces to be sent back, that they should reimburse us for the cost shipping, after all it is not OUR rule. But the Visa Customer Disservice Department is unwilling and unable to see that this is a rule made to protect Visa and the Vendor - certainly not the customer. After all, who in their right mind is going to throw good money after bad for such a stupid requirement - and who is going to be able to return the merchandise in person to an overseas location? Hidden fees are one thing, but the credit companies dispute resolution process is clearly unfair and designed to protect not the consumer, but themselves and thier vendors. I would love to see some statistics on how many of these claims ever get resolved in the customers' favor - my guess is that people just give up and eat the costs for the damaged merchandise. Thsi is a truly unseen "fee" that must add up to even more millions per year that is never tracked, and that cost consumers money.

Booked a cruise on Celebrity Cruise line (Doesn't matter what line) last year and made a deposit.) They tacked on $140 for a "fuel surcharge" because "everyone's doing it." When I sail in December, if the price of fuel goes down, will I get it back? Isn't that raising the price after you've agreed to a purchase? Do I have a choice. Sure, I can cancel. But then I'm out. Gotcha.

I HAVE BEEN PAYING $4.99 A MONTH TO VERIZON FOR "INSIDE MAINTENANCE REPAIR" THAT THEY AUTOMATICALLY ADD TO MY ACCOUNT THAT I AM SUPPOSED TO OPT OUT OF. I CALLED A FEW YEARS BACK WHEN IT WAS CALLED "DIAGNOSTIC SERVICE" ON MY BILL AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS REQUIRED. NOW I'M BEING TOLD IT'S OPTIONAL. I ASKED TO PROVE WHERE I AGREED TO THIS AND THEY SAID, "PROVE WHERE YOU DIDN'T" $5.00 PER MONTH TIMES 6 YEARS = $360.00

Bob

I sent you this before, but I'll remind you of the problem I had with my local hospital's pharmacy charging upwards of 1500% the going rate on various drugs and supplies to its captive audience.

It's all predatory. They charge and then you have to prove you don't or didn't. The subprime mortgage mess is just a very big picture of what passes for service/industry these days. Don't hear too much about the Mafia anymore do you? Wonder where they went?

Here's another gotcha - clicking on and ordering this book via the msnbc web site where it's $14.95. You can get it for $8.18 through amazon.com.

Welcome to the Guilded Age of the Twenty First Century. Mankind is a species of contradiction. Even though it seems we are still evolving as a species we are also the only members of Charles Darwin's evolutional process that psychologically de-gresses at least more than once in every millenium enwhich mankind has been in exsistance as a dominate species, and in particular in the earlier years of every new millenium. More than one academic World Historian can confirm these findings enwhich a written record has been noted especially from the common era during the height of the Roman Empire which the foundations of our Capitalist system have been established.
The Roman Empire has been a great influence into the very fabric of our societies whole infrastructure
from our celebration of Christmas which used to be a religous holiday under the old Roman Calender as well as the measurement in guage of our Rail network to the core foundations of Government. So should it be a surprise that we should suffer the very same woes of the Roman Empire which intially finally fell in 1456 with the fall of Constantinople to the invading tribesmen of the Ottomen Turksmen. When scholars look back upon Rome they see our own society as well. I would advise to anyone whom would like to know the direction of our society only has to go as far as reading the Chronicals of the following Demetrius The Cynic, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Pliny the Elder, Eunapius and Dexippus, Livy, Cicero, Asinius Pollio.
I think by reading these ancient authors one can get a better grip on the various issues we in today's society face today and in the future.

Bob, in regard to the excerpt "Cable TV: King of the misleading come-ons", I have been playing the "Just Ask" game for the past 6 years with Time Warner cable. I have even cancelled my extended cable service for up to 6 months at a time, just to keep getting the one-year teaser rates for the extended cable package. I think the Cable companies would finally get the point if all consumers were willing to do this periodically. Whenever I call to cancel the extended channel package, I always give the cable company the "opportunity" to continue collecting some revenue from me instead of none. I also tell them that unless they are willing to give me a deal, to please cancel my service because I don't want to pay that much to be able to watch TV. Amazingly, it usually works! Over the past 6 years, I have been without the extended cable package for maybe a total of 9 months and have never paid full rates for cable TV service. Thanks for getting the word out there about this practice. In this arena, consumers really do have the power to change things.

Have you ever heard of being invited to a free lunch by a major retirement firm, whereby they will help you plan out your retirement with a starter fee of just $500.00? Proves there is no such thing as a free lunch! However, I thought this could work and signed up, transferring two IRA's into their care. I started looking into other services they touted but found them to be considerably more expensive than in the open market. I also noted the high cost being applied to the IRA account, often more than the interest in the account. It didn't take to long of this to relaize my mistake so I again went shopping and found a much better situation for the IRA's and transferred them again. Was this the end of the fees? Heck no! They managed to slap me with a huge transfer fee! Complaint letters went ignored, I must have been too nice. But hey, the new place for my IRA's in one quarter made more money than they did in two and a half years in the former! Beware the splashy adds about planning your retirement. It's hogwash and surely a lot more expensive than buying your own lunch.

very interesting. Now lets look at the current range of run the cost up issues. Carbon sequestering. There is a simple, cost effective means to sequester carbon, which is not harmful to the enviroment. The problem, no one will take it on and say what it really is. Easier to spend a fortune on a boon doogle which can be cost plus added to our bills, while ignoring the real solution. Bob: drop a line here on the blog if you are interesed in discussing it and I will email you with the basic idea. The problem is 2 fold, way to simple, with almost no cost, and it hurts the feel good systems and advertising.

Thank you Bob for the hard work. TO all the thieving Cable Company's especially Direct Tv and cohorts, Credit Card Hucksters etc.. you have been put on notice.

Those "1 month free, no risk guaranteed!" teasers are so 90's.