The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

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

Getting free shipping is my best consumer experience this week while new rules at health care offices irritate

By Rita R. Robison

I was pleased this week to save money on face and body soap, while a new Federal Trade Commission ruling was upsetting.

My best consumer experience: Saving money on shipping costs

Since I have allergies, I order some of my personal care products from N.E.E.D.S., a New York firm that specializes in items for sensitive consumers.

At last, they’ve begun offering free shipping and coupons.

On my order of a gallon of shampoo and body soap, I got my shipping costs of $11 canceled.

My worst consumer experience: Having to show my ID when I go to a medical appointment

It’s irritating. When you go to the doctor or other health care provider now, you have to show your identification. I went to two offices that I have gone to for 30 years, and I had to show the receptionist my driver’s license.

Apparently, it’s a new Federal Trade Commission regulation. The reason for the requirement, I was told, is that so someone else doesn’t use your insurance card.

It seems like more Homeland Security nonsense to me. You would think that the doctor’s offices I have been going to for 30 years would know me.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Shredding paper was my best consumer experience this week, while dealing with my electrical utility was frustrating

By Rita R. Robison

My paper shredder works now, which makes me happy. However, talking to my electrical utility is less than inspiring.

My best: Getting my paper shredder to work

Years ago, I bought a paper shredder from Office Depot. It’s never worked very well. Twice, I’ve taken it back to the store to see if they could show me how to get it to work. Both times, the sales associates were able to get it to run. The second one showed me a lever that needs to be in a certain position for the shredding to occur.

When I got home, I figured it out and shredded lots of paper. I was extremely happy. I shredded about a third of the recycling bin full of paper I needed to do.

However, I had a problem. When I was shredding receipts, I put too many in. It jammed the shredder.

I left it for a couple of weeks, but finally couldn’t stand the paper shredder on my dining room table or the recycling container in my rec room.

I got out a skinny fork to scrape out the jammed receipts, then a skewer. Finally, I used one of the ends of a large paper clip. It worked.

I finished the bin full of paper and dumped the shredded paper into my recycling barrel.

What a great accomplishment. I’m glad I persisted for years. I paid about $65 for the shredder and didn’t want to spend money another one.

My worst: Having a missing check

When I received the bill from my electrical utility, it said I owed twice the amount of my monthly payment plan. When I called about it, the company said my last check hadn’t been received.

The investor-owner utility’s service has declined since a foreign conglomerate purchased it. So I asked the sales associate whether the company lost my check. She was indignant, saying it wasn’t possible.

Maybe I misplaced the check before I mailed it. Maybe it was lost in the mail. However, it’s possible the utility lost it.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Sale on candy is this week’s best consumer experience, while trying to get a ticket with American Airlines disappoints

By Rita R. Robison

My best consumer experience this week, was finding two sales on Valentine’s Day candy. My worst was trying to use my frequent flyer miles with American Airlines.

My best: Getting a good deal on Valentine’s Day candy

When I went to Rite Aid and Target, I found sales of 75 percent off on Valentine’s Day candy.

My daughter, who lives in Madrid, asked me to get some for her family for next year. They don’t have the special heart-shaped candy there.

I also bought some valentines cards with candies attached. Valentine’s Day cards aren’t available in Spain, and this year, I mailed two sets for my grandchildren.

My worst: Trying to get American Airlines to issue me a ticket using my rewards miles

I have 39,183 miles in my American Airlines Advantage account. I had hoped to buy additional miles to put my point total up to 50,000 so I get a reduced fare ticket to Madrid later this year.

When I called about it, there weren’t many Advantage mile slots available. The ticket agent could get me to Madrid, but on my return flight, there only were slots available to Chicago.

Adding to the frustration, I had a five-hour layover at Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport.

It wasn’t looking good. I would have to pay $355 to buy the extra miles, and the ticket from Chicago to Seattle would cost another $220. I’d have to pay about $565 for a ticket and use up all of my Advantage miles.

Then I had what I thought was another brilliant idea. I have miles through the rewards programs on two credit cards. I had enough miles to get a one-way ticket to Chicago to get me back to Seattle.

However, again, I’d have another five-hour layover on the way home when I was really jet lagged.

I got ready to try to book the ticket on hold the day before it was going to expire.

When I called, I found I had to buy the $355 worth of tickets in advance before I booked the ticket. The ticket agent said there might not be time for the transaction to clear before I arranged for the ticket.

I threw up my hands and purchased a full-price ticket. I’ll use the miles for my next trip and try to get an Advantage ticket to use next year.

The airline analysts who said American Airlines would be instituting belt-tightening measures due to their bankruptcy filings certainly were correct. I’ve never had this much trouble arranging a rewards ticket with American previously. I’m disappointed.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Dining outside in the warm weather is this week’s best consumer experience, while having my flight canceled is the worst

By Rita R. Robison

My best consumer experience: Enjoying a dinner outdoors

When my sister and I went to Ft. Lauderdale to visit my niece, we had a nice dinner at Bahama Breeze, a restaurant that features food from the islands.

It was wonderful to sit outside in the nice February weather, visit with my niece and her family, and enjoy a tropical drink with six kinds of rum.

I plan to visit every winter. It’s great to get away from the rainy Seattle-area weather. When I got home, it was snowing and the next morning, snow had accumulated in my backyard.

My worst consumer experience: Having American Airlines cancel my flight

When my sister and I arrived at the ticket counter at Ft. Lauderdale to go home, we learned our flight had been canceled.

The ticket agent said I had been notified in an e-mail on Jan. 6, and we had been scheduled on an earlier flight. However, since I didn’t get the e-mail or I deleted it accidentally, we missed the flight.

The ticket agent scheduled us for a different flight. It left about the same time, but instead of a one-hour layover at Ft. Worth-Dallas Airport, we had to wait three hours for our connecting flight.

I wonder if American is canceling more flights due to belt tightening caused by its filing bankruptcy late last year.

I do know from now on, I’ll call to check my ticket a week in advance to make sure all the details are correct.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Getting my Mac to work is this week’s best consumer experience, while paying extra for a 3D movie disappoints

By Rita R. Robison

I was lucky to get my Mac working again. However, I wasn’t pleased about paying more for a 3D movie.

My best consumer experience: Figuring how to get my Mac running again

When I turned on my Mac Thursday morning, neither my mouse nor keyboard would work. Since I couldn’t Google for ideas or type anything in, I took the mouse and keyboard over to Best Buy.

A guy on the Geek Squad got the mouse working and said it looked like I’d dropped the keyboard, damaging the area around the switch. I told him to try to pry the bent part up, because if the keyboard was ruined, he couldn’t ruin it any further. He was able to make the repair.

I went to the library to write my blogs in case I couldn’t get my Mac to work.

Sure enough, despite the fact that the geek at Best Buy said the mouse and keyboard were working, I couldn’t get them to operate.

All along, I thought that something might be wrong with my Bluetooth. After stewing around for a while, I unplugged my computer. When it came back on, it said there was a problem with the Bluetooth. I held down the switch on the keyboard and both the keyboard and the mouse started operating.

I was relieved. I got my Mac back and didn’t have to pay a lot of money.

My worst experience: Paying extra to see a 3D movie

This weekend, I’m on a movie marathon to the Academy Award nominated movies so I can write about them before the big day.

One of the movies I saw Friday was “Hugo.” It was a good movie, but I had to pay $4.50 extra to see it in 3D. Disappointing. I didn’t really think 3D added that much to the movie.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Finding cheaper printer cartridges is this week’s best consumer experience, while a credit union error disappoints

By Rita R. Robison

Doing price comparisons on printer cartridges paid off this week. However, I found an error made by one of the credit unions I belong to.

My best consumer experience: Paying less for printer cartridges at Costco

While I was at Costco shopping, I checked out the price for the Canon ink jet cartridges I use. The warehouse store offers a package of three – two black ink and one colored – for about $50, around $17 each.

I usually buy my ink cartridges from Office Depot. I wait until I get coupons: $10 off is you spend more than $50 or $20 off if you spend $75. That cuts the price of the cartridges, about $25 each, but not as much as the Costco price. I’ve also purchased the cartridges at Target, also priced about $25 each.

My worse consumer experience: A credit union mistake

When I received my latest credit union statement, I didn’t see a reduction in my home equity loan for my January payment.

I called the credit union to see what happened. I thought the mail department might have made another mistake and send the payment to the wrong place again.

However, I remembered that I’d gone into the credit union to make the payment. The customer representative who helped me said the teller had placed the payment in my money market account instead of applying to my home equity loan.

This experience shows that it’s always a good idea to review your financial statements for errors.

Later, I was pleased to receive a note from a credit union employee, written on a yellow sticky, apologizing for the error. She’s attached it to my receipt.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Great photos provide a good consumer experience this week, while a big furnace bill disappoints

By Rita R. Robison

I’m getting joy this week in working on a photo project with a friend. However, I’m grumpy about paying a big furnace bill because the power outage wrecked a part in my furnace.

My best experience: Making a photo book for a friend

I noticed Kits Camera is having a sale on 12-inch by 12-inch photo books.

For years, I’ve wanted to make one for a friend who designs exhibits. We’re working on the book together. It’s fun and brings back a lot of great memories.

My worst experience: A big furnace repair bill

Several days after a power outage due to a huge winter storm, I came home and smelled something like electrical wires burning. A while later, my smoke alarm came on and off twice.

I called the fire department, but the firemen couldn’t find a fire. However, we figured out that when the furnace came on, the smell occurred.

Fortunately, a repairman was able to come that evening. I paid an extra $75 for an overtime cost.

The entire bill was $610. The power outage burned out a part in the furnace.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Airline trips were my best and worst experiences this week

By Rita R. Robison

It was surprising to me. My experience with American Airlines was much better than one with “top-rated” Alaska Airlines.

My best experience: A trip on American Airlines

I just returned from a trip to Madrid on American Airlines. It was a good trip. The planes were all on time, no delays. I was able to get the seats I needed – ahead of the wing and by the window – for my respiratory problem.

I had enough time to grab supplemental food so I could skip the airline food if I needed to. I packed my backpack lighter so I didn’t have to struggle to get it under the seat in front of me.

American Airlines, which recently filed for bankruptcy, had one of the lowest ratings in a Bloomberg Rankings analysis of operating performance and service charges.

My worst experience: A huge extra charge from Alaska Airlines

A few days after I returned from Madrid, I had a trip scheduled to Sacramento to see my granddaughter perform in a play.

My daughter checked my ticket and alerted me to the fact that it had a mistake. My return trip was 30 minutes after I landed in Sacramento.

I called Alaska Airlines, and the representative said she didn’t know how the problem occurred. Either Alaska made a computer error, or I made the mistake when I signed up for the ticket.

The representative said there was no way to determine how the error was made. But she said, it didn’t matter. It would cost $219 for different return flight – plus a $50 fee for the change. A whopping $269 additional charge. (The representative said she was doing me a big favor by cutting the fee to change the ticket in half.)

It was devastating. I had purchased the original ticket for a total of $101, a great sale price.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

By Rita R. Robison

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

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: A good price on Christmas gifts from the Gap

I’ve been using guest posts from dealnews.com on my blogs, so when I needed to order some Christmas presents, I decided to check its website to see if I could find some bargains. I found a coupon for the Gap that offered 30 percent off, even on sale items.

I selected a sweatshirt and a sweater for a reduced price. I received free shipping, too.

My worst: Difficulty finding a present for someone on a special diet

I wanted to buy my niece and her husband a coffee basket for a Christmas present. However, I couldn’t find a basket without cookies or crackers. They’re on a special diet that doesn’t include sugar or carbs.

I spent hours looking. Finally, on Amazon.com, I saw that the people who were looking for coffee baskets also shopped for Spanish wine. I decided to order three bottles of the wine from Wine.com.

I was satisfied with the choice. However, it was expensive to ship – $15.65. You couldn’t get free shipping unless your order was $100 or more. So much for freeshipping.com’s listings.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist