The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Watch out for charity fraud, home repair scams, and price gouging following tornadoes in Oklahoma

Photo: Ks0stm

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt Tuesday issued a warning for Oklahomans and donors around the country to beware of charity fraud and scams following the severe storms in Oklahoma.

“For those folks around the country who want to donate funds to help families in Oklahoma, please be alert and only donate to reputable relief charities such as the Salvation Army or the Red Cross,” Pruitt said. “The first scam we typically see after devastation like this is charity fraud. We have more than 30 investigators in the field to help Oklahomans avoid scams, fraud, and price gouging as communities work to recover and rebuild.”

Investigators for the Attorney General’s Office ask that consumers who suspect charity fraud or experiences price gouging at gas stations, grocery stores, rental car companies, or hotels to call the agency’s hotline number immediately at 405-521-2029.

Over the next few weeks, criminals will shift focus to scams involving clean-up, removal, home repair, and tree trimming, he said.

“Home and business owners will want to quickly repair their property, but we urge them to be cautious and patient and to use reputable contractors,” Pruitt said. “We ask that residents pay particular attention to criminals known as ‘travelers’ who go from one community to the next to take advantage of vulnerable Oklahomans.”

Pruitt cautioned Oklahomans to be wary of repair services and contractors who:

• Solicit for work door-to-door.

• Offer discounts for finding other customers.

• “Just happen to have” materials left over from a previous job.

• Accept only cash payments.

• Pressure you for an immediate decision.

• Ask you to pay for the entire job up-front.


The Attorney General’s Office suggests the following tips for choosing a qualified contractor or repair service:

• 

Ask for referrals from people you trust.

• Try to do business with local companies.

• Request to see proof of certification and insurance.

• Check out the repair service with the Attorney General’s Public Protection Unit and the Better Business Bureau.
  

• Ask for customer references.

• Get written estimates from several companies.

• Don’t do business without a written contract.

• Get all guarantees, warranties, and promises in writing.

• Agree on start and completion dates, and have them in the contract.


For more tips and resources, go online to www.oag.ok.gov/oagweb.nsf/Consumer, or call the Public Protection Unit at 405-521-2029.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Getting the coupon price for a gift is my best consumer experience this week, while a letter from my bank with an error disappoints

It brought joy to be able to give a nice present to my great-niece. However, I was furious to get a letter from my bank with a mistake.

My best consumer experience: Getting the coupon price on a gift

When my sister and I went to visit my niece in the Fort Lauderdale area, we went to the mall for a walk before we headed to Bahama Breeze for dinner.

We went in the Justice shop, a store with clothes for kids and teens, which is the favorite brand of my niece’s daughter Savannah. My niece showed us two dresses that Savannah liked that were on sale.

When we finished our walk and went by the shop, I suggested we buy the dresses for Savannah for an early birthday present.

When the sales associate scanned the first dress, she said the dresses weren’t on sale without a coupon. They would be $50, not $30.

We were flabbergasted. We didn’t notice that a coupon was required. My niece had other coupons for Justice, but they weren’t valid until the next day.

We looked at each other and were getting ready to leave when the sales associate rang up the first dress at the sale price. Then the second one.

It turned out well, but we noticed as we were leaving the mall that none of the other retail clothing shops required coupons for their sales.

My worst consumer experience: Getting a letter from my bank with an error

This month, my mortgage is paid off. Hurrah.

However, I was very upset when I got a letter from my bank saying that I had requested my automatic payments be stopped, so I would be getting statements or a payment coupon book for future payments.

What? Doesn’t my bank know that I only have one partial payment left?

When I called on Monday, the person at the Payoff Office said the letter was a form letter that was generated. The bank can’t take a partial payment from my bank account so the letter was sent.

I told the banker that I’d paid thousands and thousands of dollars of interest over the years on the mortgage and I expected a higher level of customer service.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

More couples fight about a messy house than money

One of the first arguments I had after I got married was about housework. I didn’t like doing it much, and my former husband said he didn’t want to do it either.

About 40 percent of couples said they fight more about messes than money in a survey by ShopSmart magazine, a publication of Consumer Reports. 

“Our poll found that men and women have different opinions about being organized and dealing with clutter,” Lisa Lee Freeman, editor-in-chief of ShopSmart, said in a statement.

When it comes to common tasks including driving, watching TV, or remembering birthdays and appointments, returning items to their proper place is the top point of contention between men and women. ShopSmart’s poll found that when it comes to putting things away properly, women were a lot more likely to report being different from their partner, 69 percent, than men, 51 percent.

As to who’s the messiest in their relationship, 26 percent of women in the survey admitted that they were the messier partner compared to 39 percent of men who claimed to be. 

ShopSmart’s poll also reported on what people do when their partner leaves stuff out of place:

• 67 percent said they put the items away or cleaned them up themselves.

• 21 percent ask their spouse or partner to straighten up.

• 19 percent leave things as is until their partner puts them away.

• Women are twice as likely as men to dump messy or out-of-place items into their spouse or partner’s personal space.

In the survey, most men and women agreed on the two things that drive them crazy when they’re out of place: keys and bills.

The March 2013 issue of ShopSmart offers a report on organizing and more survey results from its national poll of about 500 couples about their attitudes toward household clutter.

For more information, visit www.shopsmartmag.org.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Sewing machine research is my best consumer experience this week, while a huge rain storm causes problems

In recent years, I’ve been skipping Black Friday. However, I enjoyed shopping Saturday.

What I didn’t like was a big rainstorm earlier this week.

My best consumer experience: Shopping for a sewing machine

My daughter wants a new sewing machine. She makes quilts and her old Singer has problems. The thread’s tension is hard to adjust, and it runs too fast.

I did some Internet research on sewing machines, and we visited a store that had a number of different brands to try.

In high school, I made most of my clothes. However, I didn’t sew much after that.

It was fun to see the new sewing machine technology. My daughter got a good idea of the kind of machine she wants to buy.

My worse consumer experience: A record rainstorm

Monday, I got nervous when the lights flickering several times. I was traveling the next day, so I rushed through my laundry.

It would have been a disaster if the power went out, and I had to take wet or dirty clothes in my suitcase.

On the evening news, I heard we had a record 2 ½ inches of rain. Three inches was predicted for Tuesday.

I’d just had my gutters cleared out when I had my roof cleaned. However, I worried about 3 inches of rain. That’s a lot of water.

At 9 p.m., I went out and looked in my gutters. Sure enough. Some more leaves and pine needles had accumulated.

I spent nearly an hour with my flashlight clearing stuff out of the gutters.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Getting my roof washed is my best consumer experience this week, while an insect problem is disgusting

Winter is coming, so I’m on getting ready.

My best consumer experience: Hiring a worker to clean my roof

Last May, I had a new standing seam metal roof installed. My plan was to wash it from a ladder using a soft brush with an extending handle.

However, I got caught up in visiting my family and a project in my yard got out of hand.

So, I decided to hire a worker to wash my roof. The warranty requires an annual cleaning.

The worker came at 9 a.m. He was done about noon. I paid him $300. He also cleaned the leaves out of my gutters.

I think I’ll hire someone every year to clean my roof. It might be too difficult to clean it from a ladder.

My worst consumer experience: Finding maggots in my yard waste bin

Last week, I made two mistakes.

First, after buying some salmon, I forgot to put it in the refrigerator. A couple of days later, I couldn’t find it when I wanted to cook it. There it was, in a bag, getting smelly.

Second, I took it out of the plastic wrapper and put it in my yard waste bin. We can put food waste, including meat, in with our yard waste.

What a huge mistake. I didn’t worry too much when it got smellier, but a few days ago, I saw maggots on the edge of my yard waste bin.

What I should have done, according to the article “How to Get Rid of Maggots,” was freeze the salmon until garbage day.

At first, I just wiped the maggots off the top of the bin. However, they multiplied significantly. So I washed the inside of the lid with vinegar. That killed them.

Maggots are fly larvae. When the waste disposal company empties the yard waste bin with the decomposing salmon, the problem should disappear.

I’ll wash the bin out well. If I have additional problems, I'll try killing the maggots with boiling water.

I read about some people who had maggots in their homes. Yuck.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Other uses for a salad spinner?

You can put your sweater in a salad spinner to drain out the excess water, then hang it up to dry.

That’s the advice given in a Huffington Post article.

The article caught my attention because I recently bought a salad spinner, an all-plastic $35 model at Target, for an unusual use.

I had a big yard project that got out of hand. When I decided to replace rotting weed fabric in my side yard, I raked the rocks into the dirt and weeds next to the fabric. The rocks got mixed with dirt and bits of weeds, moss, and straw. It was a big mess.

Buying a leaf blower helped. I used chicken wire to separate out the bigger rocks, then blew the dirt off. However, I still had to deal with the smaller rocks – usually sifting them through a piece of plastic screen door material.

Then, as I was working away, the idea of buying a salad spinner to separate rocks from the dirt jumped in my head. The results were pretty good. While the rocks were too heavy to spin, I could put them in the basket and shake it, and almost all of the rocks stayed in the basket. And, when I rubbed them against the basket, all the small dirt clots broke up.

However, when it started raining and the clay-type soil got damp, the salad spinner method didn’t work anymore.

Do you have any unusual uses for a salad spinner? If so, let me know in the Comment section below.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Chemical industry spending staggering amounts to continue to use toxic chemicals in food and consumer products

After posting an article yesterday about the Breast Cancer Foundation’s recommendations for reducing toxic chemical use to prevent cancer, it was discouraging to read a Common Cause report that says chemical interests are spending massive amounts to block efforts to strengthen the 36-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act.

More than $375 million has been spent since 2005 to elect and influence industry friendly political leaders to fight updating the act, according to the report.

“The dimensions of chemical industry spending documented in this study, 'Toxic Spending,' are staggering,” James Browning, Common Cause’s regional director for state operations and author of the report, said in a statement. “By following the money, we see how and why the industry has been so successful in blocking attempts to strengthen the Toxic Substances Control Act.”

In the current campaign, the industry has put $23 million into Super PACs, supporting its favored candidates or opposing its adversaries, according to the study. Chemical interests have spent an additional $2.8 million on their own political advertising.

Browning said the report probably understates the industry’s spending totals on political advertising due to weak federal disclosure requirements. It recommends strengthening disclosure requirements on industry political spending.

Andy Igrejas, campaign director for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, said in a statement that the report shows how the chemical industry continues to fight common sense limits on toxic chemicals:

Companies like Dow, DuPont, and ExxonMobil have constructed an elaborate political machine to shield their products from independent scrutiny, whether it's by the public or government scientists.

They are to blame for the lack of an effective chemical safety system in the country. They are also therefore to blame for that harm that chemicals have done to the millions of American families suffering any of the chronic diseases or conditions that have been linked to chemical exposure.

Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families is a coalition of organizations and individuals that is concerned about toxic chemicals in the home, workplace, and consumer products.

I recommend consumers join with the Breast Cancer Fund, Safer Chemicals, Healthier Families, the Washington Toxics Coalition, and other organizations to fight the efforts by the chemical industry to continue to use toxic chemicals in our food and consumer products.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Breast Cancer Fund offers tips for cancer prevention

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

I agree with the Breast Cancer Fund that it’s time to move beyond breast cancer “awareness” to prevention.

Early this month, the BCF launched a breast cancer prevention campaign. It urges women to:

• Chose safe cosmetics.

• Eat and live better by eating fresh organic food, hormone-free meat and dairy, and non-toxic seafood.

• Protect their family from toxic chemicals in plastics, cookware, toys, baby bottles, and child cups.

• Create a healthy home by choosing or making less toxic cleaning products.

• Make informed health care choices about treatments such as radiation exposures and prescription drugs.

• Protect themselves and the environment by evaluating sunscreens, avoiding dry cleaning, stopping the use of antibacterial products, and quitting smoking.

See the BDF’s “Which Chemicals Are Linked to Breast Cancer?” for more information.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: GE Profile front load washers due to injury hazard

GE Appliances is recalling about 62,000 GE Profile front load washers.

The washer’s basket can separate during use and break the washer’s top panel, posing an injury hazard to consumers, GE and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

GE has received 19 reports of washer baskets separating, including 10 reports of top panel breakage. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves GE Profile frontload washing machines with model numbers beginning with WPDH8800, WPDH8900, and WPDH8910. All serial numbers with these models are included in this recall.

The washers were sold in gold, red and, white.

 

The model number is located on the washer’s right side near the bottom and behind the door near the doorframe, which is visible when the door is opened.

Manufactured in China, the washers were sold at Best Buy, Lowe’s, Sears, The Home Depot, and other department and retail stores nationwide from July 2008 to August 2011. The cost was between $1,199 and $1,599.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled washers and contact GE for a free repair, the company and commission advise.

For additional information, contact GE Appliances at 888-641-9739 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.geappliances.com/products/recall.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Free shipping was my best consumer experience this week, while loss of my strawberry patch is upsetting

By Rita R. Robison

I was able to get free shipping from a firm that hasn’t offered any coupons or deals. That cheered me up. However, when the weather turned nice, my weeds bloomed.

My best consumer experience: Free shipping from New York firm

Since I have allergies, I order my shampoo and body soap, laundry detergent, and dishwasher detergent from N.E.E.D.S., a company in New York. That’s heavy stuff. Often, my shipping bills are high.

On my last order, I was able to get free shipping. The customer service representative also pointed out that the sale catalog I’d received had a $5 coupon. I dug through the recycling and found it – the last thing in the bottom of the barrel.

My worst consumer experience: Loss of my strawberry patch to weeds

I don’t use pesticides in my yard. Pesticides are harmful children, adults, and pets. I don't think consumers should use them.

So I pull the weeds in my yard by hand. This spring, when it finally warmed up, the weeds seemed worse than usual.

Last year, I had a nice strawberry patch.

Here’s a close up of some of the strawberries.

I picked these strawberries for a tasty treat.

This year, my strawberry patch has completely disappeared. In its place is a weed patch.

Maybe the cold weather killed the plants.

I have lots of weeding to do. Are the weeds worse this year, or did I not keep up with them enough in the fall?

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist