The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Watch out for scammers who target jobless consumers

It's hard to believe someone would steal money from a person looking for a job. But unfortunately, no matter how bad the situation, scammers see opportunity.

Many people looking for work have been ripped off by scam artists who promise a job, access to special job listings or interviews, or a way to make a big income working from home – that is, if they pay a fee or turn over their credit or debit card information. In the end, consumers are left with no job…and some are robbed of hundreds of dollars.

Here are tips from the Federal Trade Commission on how to avoid job scammers:

• Reject any company that promises to get you a job.

• Be skeptical of any employment-service firm that charges first, even if it guarantees refunds.

• Get a copy of the firm’s contract and read it carefully before you pay any money.

• Understand the terms and conditions of the firm’s refund policy. Make sure you understand what services the firm will provide and what you’ll be responsible for doing. If oral promises are made, but don’t appear in the contract, think twice about doing business with the firm.

• Take your time reading the contract. Don’t be caught up in a rush to pay for services. Stay away from high-pressure sales pitches that require you to pay now or risk losing out on an opportunity.

• Be cautious about purchasing services or products from a firm that’s reluctant to answer your questions.

• Be aware that some listing services and “consultants” write their ads to sound like they’re jobs when they’re selling general information about getting a job.

• Follow up with the offices of any company or organization mentioned in an ad or an interview by an employment service to find out if the company is really hiring.

• Be wary of firms promoting “previously undisclosed” federal government jobs. All federal positions are announced to the public on www.usajobs.gov.

• Check with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General’s Office, and the Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed about a company with which you intend to do business. You also may contact these organizations if you have a problem with an employment-service firm.
  

See the video "Don't Pay for a Promise," which offers details on how consumers can spot and steer clear of job scammers, and how to report rip-offs to the FTC.

To deal with scammers, seven cases have been filed against promoters of the job and money-making scams, including one that victimized more than 100,000 people, the FTC reports. The companies are:

• Government Careers Inc.

• Real Wealth Inc.

• Darling Angel Pin Creations

• Abili-Staff Ltd.

• Entertainment Work Inc.

• Independent Marketing Exchange Inc.

•  Preferred Platinum Services Network

Be sure to protect yourself as a boomer consumer when working with companies that say they can help you find a job.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Could we really be getting health care reform soon?

House and Senate Democratic leaders are edging towards reaching a deal on a health care reform package to take to next week’s summit on health care.

There are reasons for a glimmer of optimism, writes Greg Sargent on his blog The Plum Line.

Sargent interviewed leadership aides who said that Senate Democratic leaders are warming to the idea of using reconciliation to fix their bill after the summit – suggesting a solution may be taking shape.

Tweaks to the “Cadillac” tax, a tax on insurance premiums for policies that offer more than the standard benefits, are being discussed. The compromise bill that Obama would take to the summit would include a national health insurance exchange and tougher penalties on employers who don’t insure employees, leadership aides say.

Let’s hope that Sargent’s predictions come true.

Health care reform is badly needed for millions of American consumers who don’t have coverage and to curb the rampant increases in costs for those who do.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Why are snow thrower wheels still exploding four years after recall?

Consumers are still being injured by snow blowers or throwers made by MTD Products Inc., of Cleveland.

The recalled snow throwers were manufactured in Canada by an MTD subsidiary and marketed from July 2004 through March 2006, according to the October 2006 recall notice.

The recall targeted 130,000 snow throwers distributed through hardware stores, home-improvement centers, and retailers such as Sears and Kmart. The units bore several brand names – Yard Machines, Troy-Bilt, and Craftsman – and sold for about $500 to $800.

Injuries have occurred when the plastic wheel rims explode.

Although 65 to 83 percent of the snow throwers owners have been reached, this recall points that more needs to be done to protect consumers from defective products, reports Jeff Gelles in his Philadelphia Inquirer article “Consumer 10.0: Flaws in the Recall System.”

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission should use its access to product-injury data to be more proactive – for instance, to look across manufacturers and product categories for common design flaws that might be preventable, Rachel Weintraub, director of product safety for the Consumer Federation of America, said in the article.

It's not clear if plastic wheel rims could be such a problem, though they have been cited for years in recalls of products that include wheelbarrows, scooters, hose carts, and wagons, the article reports.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How’s the budget in your state?

In Olympia, the capital of Washington state, several thousand citizens from education, health care, labor, environmental, consumer, and good government groups rallied on the steps of the Capitol on President’s Day.

Called Rebuilding Our Economic Future, the coalition called for increases in revenue to balance the state budget.

Teachers and parents spoke about the need to restore funding to keep class sizes small and support early childhood education. College students and faculty asked for no further tuition hikes and increased financial aid.

State employees asked that the safety net not be cut further for families hard hit by the Great Recession. One big concern is eliminating the State Basic Health Plan, which would throw 65,000 low-income people in the state into the ranks of the uninsured.

Legislators favoring the passage of new revenues also spoke.

Last year, the Legislature cut $3.6 billion from the state budget for 2009 -2011. These reductions cut education and health care and programs for kids, the elderly and disabled, and the clean up toxic waste sites and protection of clean air and water.

This year $2.6 billion in cuts to state programs is being proposed. Lawmakers are looking at ways to increase revenue to prevent such deep reductions.

A dozen or so members of the Tea Party movement watched the rally from the steps of the Temple of Justice across from the Capitol Building.

Their group, smaller in numbers, called for cuts in taxes at another rally earlier in the day.

See “State Budget Shortfalls May Reach $180 Billion This Year” for details on what’s happening in states across the nation in these tough economic times.

The 10 states with the worst budget problems are Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Connecticut, Arizona, Nevada, Illinois, New York, Alaska, and New Jersey, according to ABC News/Money’s “Budget Nightmare: 10 Most Broke States.”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Tiny Love wind chime toys due to puncture and laceration hazards

About 600,000 Tiny Love wind chime toys in the United States and 200,000 in Canada are being recalled, the U.S. Consumer Product Commission announced Wednesday.

Distributed by Tiny Love Inc., of New York, and the Maya Group Inc., of Huntington Beach, Calif., the wind chime toy can be pulled apart exposing sharp metal rods. The rods pose puncture and laceration hazards to babies.

The firm has received five reports of babies exposing the rods, according to the commission. In one case, a 24-month-old baby received a minor injury when his cheek was punctured with the rods.

The recall involves wind chime toys sold separately, and with the Gymini Kick & Play Activity Gym and Tiny Smarts Gift Sets. The toy produces the sound of a wind chime. “Tiny Love” is printed on a tag on the toy.

Click here for the names and item numbers are included in the recall.

Wind chimes sold with other Tiny Love activity gyms aren’t included in this recall.

Manufactured in China, the wind chimes were sold at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, Target, Buy Buy Baby, and TJ Maxx stores nationwide from February 2002 through February 2010 for about $8 separately, $22 for the Tiny Smarts Gift Sets, and $70 with the Gymini Kick & Play Activity Gym.

Consumers should immediately take the recalled wind chimes from babies and contact Tiny Love to receive a free replacement toy.

For additional information, contact Tiny Love toll-free at 888-791-8166 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.tinylove.com.

To learn more about recent recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

Which consumer happenings cheered you recently and which ones made you want to scream or weep?



Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:



My best: Apple to replace my computer

In January of 2008, I bought an Apple desktop computer.

It’s worked pretty well for me. However, I’ve had a problem with the screen intensity of the iMac. It feels like the screen is "frying" my eyes after several hours of computer work.

I went to the Apple store in Tukwila, Wash., for two sessions to get the screen brightness dimmed beyond the lowest setting for brightness.

When it came time to buy a laptop to use when I’m traveling, I bought a PC. I didn’t want two computers that gave me eyestrain.

When I read on The Consumerist recently about a problem Apple is having with iMacs that have a yellow tinge to some of their screens, I decided to revisit the issue about my screen.

I called the manager of the Apple store and scheduled an appointment.

With my Sony laptop as a comparison, I explained the problem to the head of the technical department. I can use the PC for hours without eyestrain. I said I needed a new computer.

He said he couldn’t see anything wrong with my screen. I said, “Try using it for three to five hours.” I repeated my request for a new computer.

The technical manager said he’d talk with the store manager about what could be done.

When he came back, he said Apple would replace my computer. I was surprised and thrilled.

This consumer experience is a great example of how consumers need to be persistent when they have complaints. Consumers do have power, and they need to exercise it more often.

My worst: Low-quality customer service at Safeway

Last week, I wrote about a miscommunication on a prescription. I walked over to the Tumwater Safeway, and the prescription wasn’t ready. The order, through my doctor’s new computer system, hadn’t been received.

I did get a call Saturday to let me know the pharmacy had the order, but the medication, which had been ordered, wouldn’t be in until Monday after 2 p.m. That was O.K., but what happened when I went to pick up the prescription was surprising.

The pharmacy clerk was grumpy to me. She seemed to be uninterested in her job or having a bad day.

After I got out of the area as quickly as I could, I spoke to the manager. She said she’d talk to the clerk about how she works with consumers.

When I called Safeway later in the week to find about its soon-to-be-discontinued airline mileage rewards program, the customer service representative was much more pleasant. I gave her a compliment. She told me in a genuine voice that Safeway appreciates its customers. Consumers like to hear that they’re appreciated.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How to avoid fake foods in your diet

An important dietary tip is to eat food as close to its natural state as often as possible and avoid processed foods.

Along with eating natural foods frequently, consumers need to set as a goal for healthy eating selecting foods that are somewhat processed occasionally and limiting your intake of highly processed items.

For example, eat an apple as your first choice, applesauce as your second choice, and avoid apple toaster pastry.

Select an orange first, choose 100 percent orange juice as a second runner up and limit orange drink.

For strawberries, it’s fresh strawberries first, strawberry preserves second, and limit strawberry gelatin dessert.

For pineapple, its fresh pineapple for your first choice, canned diced pineapple as your second choice, and avoid pineapple cocktail cup

See Prevention’s list of “23 Fake Foods” for additional examples of processed items to avoid.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Baby boomers more pragmatic in tough economic times

The Great Recession has brought changes to the lives of baby boomers.

Boomers are less optimistic these days than other generations, a significant change from the optimism they’ve expressed and experienced in earlier decades.

The Boomer Project offers these recent research findings on boomer attitudes:

• Boomers are feeling poorer than they did a year ago.

• Boomers are less happy in their lives in general and their health.

• Boomers are the least optimistic generation about the next 10 years. Only half say the next decade will be “better” than the current one.

• Boomers had lower scores than other generations in the Well-Being Index.

• Only six out of 10 boomers “expect the future to be better.”  The score is based on 44 percent of boomers surveyed who say, “I expect the future to be better because I have become better at handling problems in the past couple of years.”

What to these research findings mean? The Boomer Project says:

Our sense is that middle age pragmatism is trumping youthful optimism in boomers. Despite countless warnings by their elders to save for a rainy day (lessons they learned thanks to the Depression and World War II), boomers didn't save and find themselves in [a] precarious financial position at exactly the worse time in their life – when they need to be saving for their retirement.

So hang in there boomer consumers. If you’re stressed about money, caregiving responsibilities, kids, and careers, be sure to check articles on this blog for ideas on how to destress and simplify your lives in these recessionary times.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How prepared are you for emergencies?

With winter storms gripping the East Coast and the Midwest, millions of Americans are dealing with emergencies of staggering proportions.

How are you doing? If you’ve been hit by blizzard conditions, were you prepared with an emergency kit in your car and enough food to eat until the roads were cleared? What did you do when the power went out?

If you haven’t given much thought to what you need to do to be prepared for an emergency, now is the time to think this through.

You may need to survive on your own after a disaster. Or, you may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and take essentials with you. You probably won’t have the opportunity to shop or look for the supplies you need.

A disaster supplies kit, a collection of basic items that members of a household may need in the event of a disaster, will help you be prepared.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s recommends kits be placed in the following locations:

For the home

• Fill your disaster supplies kit with essential food, water, and supplies for at least three days.


• Keep the kit in a designated place and have it ready in case you have to leave your home quickly.
  
• Make sure all family members know where the kit is kept.


• Stock up on supplies so that you can be in your home for up to two weeks.

At work

• Keep the kit in one container so it can be ready to "grab and go" in case you're evacuated from your workplace.
• 

Make sure you have food and water in the kit.
  
• Be sure to have comfortable walking shoes at your workplace in case an evacuation requires walking long distances.

In your car

• Keep a kit of emergency supplies in your car, in case you’re stranded.


• Fill the kit with food, water, first aid supplies, flares, jumper cables, and seasonal supplies.

See FEMA’s “Are You Ready? Assemble a Disaster Supplies Kit” for details.

Another resource is Kiplinger’s “Your Essential Emergency Kit,” which offers steps to protect you and your loved ones against natural and personal disaster.

Be a prepared boomer consumer and protect yourself and your loved ones during emergencies.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

I love Redbox $1 movies

Years ago, Olympia had a movie theater where consumers could see the older new releases for $2. I was sad when it closed.

Sunday I tried Redbox movies where movies can be borrowed for $1 each from a Redbox DVD rental kiosk.

Since I’ll be blogging about the Academy Awards, what I think of the winners and how well boomers did, I was pleased to find two of the nominated movies: “Up” and “Inglourious Basterds.”

I didn’t have any problems getting the DVDs out of the kiosk or returning them. The DVDs were good quality.

The only difficulty I had was that “Inglourious Basterds” was two hours and 40 minutes, longer than I’d planned. I missed the 9 p.m. deadline for returning the DVDs by about a half hour. I had to pay an extra $2 plus tax. Still, it was a great price for consumers for movie rentals, $2 each.

Redbox also had “District 9,” which I didn’t rent because I thought it was a zombie movie. I’ll need to go back and get it.

With more than 19,000 locations nationwide, Redbox rented more than 350 million movies in 2009.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist