The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

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

Consumer Reports offers this year’s list of good and bad company policies and practices

This week, Consumer Reports unveiled its third annual Naughty & Nice List of company policies and practices.

The companies cover a wide range of industries, including automotive (BMW, Honda) apparel (Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Forever 21), and hospitality (Drury Hotels).

The annual Naughty & Nice list isn’t an overall Rating of a company; it’s a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” on a specific policy or practice. Companies not included on the list may have similar policies, Consumer Reports said in a statement.

This year, Consumer Reports is asking consumers to join the effort by submitting their own personal Naughty & Nice nominee via Facebook and Twitter (#CRNaughtyNice).

For the first time, Consumer Reports will also be setting up a booth at the Holiday Market at Union Square in New York City, offering visitors an in-person opportunity to submit their list and receive 24 hours of free access to www.ConsumerReports.org.

The Naughty & Nice Holiday List is based on input from Consumer Reports' reporters and editors who cover shopping, travel, hospitality, and telecommunications and visitors to the Consumer Reports Facebook page.

The following highlights some of the companies from the 2012 Naughty & Nice list:

Naughty

• Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster will mail you your tickets for free if you have 10 to 14 days to wait for them, but if you need them any sooner you’ll have to pay for expedited shipping. You’ll even have to pay $2.50 per order just to print them yourself.
• Time Warner Cable. It joins a list of other providers to charge a monthly fee – in this case, $3.95 – to lease a cable modem.
• BMW. Some BMWs don’t come with a spare tire or jack. The carmaker’s models now come with run-flat tires or a Mobility Kit, which can get you to help after a minor puncture. The disappearing-spare syndrome is spreading to include even economy models from Hyundai, Chevrolet, and others.

Nice

• Home Depot. Buy a new appliance from Home Depot, and it’ll take your old one off your property without charge. The delivery crew will also uncrate, set up, level, and test your new one.
• Oxo. The housewares manufacturer backs every product it sells with a no-exceptions pledge: If for any reason you aren’t satisfied, return it for replacement or refund.
• PNC Bank. In Consumer Reports’ survey of 10 large banks, PNC was the only one to offer a free basic checking account. In addition, it doesn’t require customers to maintain a minimum balance to keep the free account.

The full Naughty & Nice lists from this year, 2011, and 2010 are available online at www.ConsumerReports.org/CRNaughtyNice.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Last-minute Thanksgiving information you can use

How are your Thanksgiving plans shaping up?

Here are some last-minute tips you need to know:

Cooking mistakes

What should you do if you make a mistake when you’re preparing Thanksgiving dinner? If the gravy is lumpy, use a potato masher to smash the lumps or strain it. Don’t leave the potatoes in water. It will make them sticky. Keep your smartphone, iPad, or laptop handy and look for articles such as “The Five Biggest Thanksgiving Turkey Mistakes and How to Avoid Them” and “Top Five Thanksgiving Cooking Mistakes.”

Black Friday duds

Be sure to compare prices. While Black Friday often offers the lowest deals of the year, you might not be able to get one of the doorbuster items. Gift sets, holiday products, private label merchandise, and specially-created bundles can be filler items, merchandise that is fluff compared to the real deals. See dealnews.com’s “Watch Out for Black Friday Filler Deals” for more information.

Black Friday precautions

Bring coupons and ads to the store with you, read the fine print about limitations, be sure the deal doesn’t change at the cash register, and ask about the refund policy. If you have problems, ask to talk with the manager. Visit the Better Business Bureau's “Black Friday Bargains: Good Buy or Bust?” for details

Winter car tips

If you’re taking a trip, you might want to get a new pair of wiper blades and carry jumper cables with you. See shopautoweek.com’s “Prep Your Car for Winter Weather” for details.

Cyber Monday scams

Watch out for extremely low prices, blurry photos, little product information, no contact information, unsecured web pages, and bad reviews from consumers and the Better Business Bureau. Go to the BBB’s “Cyber Monday: Counterfeit Sites and Sales” to learn more about computer shopping traps.

Best wishes on Thanksgiving. I hope you have a good day.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Veteran’s Day information on presidential proclamation, veteran’s groups, and free items for vets

Veteran’s Day, which became a national holiday in 1938, is a day to recognize the contributions of the nation’s veterans.

In a proclamation, Pres. Barack Obama said:

In war and in peace, their service has been selfless and their accomplishments have been extraordinary. Even after our veterans take off the uniform, they never stop serving. Many apply the skills and experience they developed on the battlefield to a life of service here at home.

In the United States, there were 21.5 millions military veterans in 2011, 9.2 million of whom were 65 or older, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition, 17.2 million were non-Hispanic white, 1.6 million were women, 2.3 million were black, 1.2 million were Hispanic, 264,695 were Asian, 153,223 were American Indian or Alaska Native, and 27,469 were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

For those who are thinking about peace on Veteran’s Day, see the website of Veterans for Peace. The organization rings bells 11 times on Armistice/Veterans Day instead of shooting guns.

The Greater Seattle Chapter of Veterans for Peace received permission to march in the Annual Veterans Day Parade there.

For those thinking about the welfare of veterans today, see Veterans for Common Sense, a veterans’ advocacy organization. It says that Veteran’s Day offers the opportunity to raise awareness about the mental health needs of service members, veterans, and families.

And, on a lighter side, some businesses across the country are offering free items and discounts in honor of the men and women who have served this country. Check this out if you’re a veteran, active-duty or retired military personnel.

Kiplinger.com offers this list of businesses honoring the military, including:

• Applebee’s will be offering a free meal to military members.

• Olive Garden will say thanks with a free entrée for veterans and active military.

• U.S. National Parks will waive fees at more than 100 parks November 11 through 13.

• Knotts Berry Farm offers free admission for veterans and active military and one guest through Nov. 24.

• Big Lots will offer those with a military ID 10 percent off their purchase.

To find out what other businesses are offering free items to men and women who are serving or who have served in the military, visit: http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/kiptips/archives/veterans-day-2011-freebies.html.

If the offer is from a company with stores through the country, be sure to check to see if it’s providing the free item or discount in your community.

Best wishes on Veteran’s Day.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Looking for a cheap Thanksgiving flight? Get your ticket now and consider flying on Thanksgiving Day

Looking for a good deal on an airline ticket for your Thanksgiving trip?

Reasonable airfares won’t last long. Thanksgiving week tickets already are going up and more consumers will be traveling this year, increasing the competition for tickets, according to dealnews.com.

While the best time to buy a ticket is about six weeks before the date of travel, most consumers want to arrive at their destination before Thanksgiving Day.

Book your ticket now and fly on Thanksgiving Day, advises dealnews.com. Try coming back on Saturday rather than the high-demand days of Sunday or Monday.

Other tips include: flying into an adjacent airport and look for discounts and lower fares after midnight every Tuesday.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Finding a new place to have my photos developed is my best consumer experience this week, while a possible car problem is worrying

By Rita R. Robison

Like most people, my life is busy. I finally found the time to organize some photos to try out a photo processor, but I got worried when my check engine light came on.

My best consumer experience: Checking out Costco’s photo department

Ritz Camera closed its last store, the second of two, in my community. A big disappointment. With only two stores left in the state, a friend and I were lucky to get a photo book finished that we were working on.

I tried Costco. The photos were fine. That’s one of the photos above. I sell my photos on greeting cards, so I like to have excellent quality.

However, at Costco, their machines don’t offer many options for editing for 4 x 6 photos – minimal cropping, but no enhancing or changing the colors.

Most of the editing I do is cropping, and I can do that on my Apple computer before I take them on a disk.

My worst consumer experience: The check engine light coming on in my car

Today, just as I was approaching my acupuncture’s office, the check engine light came on.

Now, I know the oil light is critical. You must stop the car immediately. But I couldn’t remember about the check engine light. I worried about it during my appointment. It’s the Saturday before Labor Day. My mechanic isn’t open today and won’t be on Monday either.

When I finished my appointment, I looked in my car’s instruction book. It said the check light is about the emissions system. I need to get it checked right away. I’m relieved it’s not urgent.

It’s a good thing I don’t have a big Labor Day trip planned.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Great garden produce is my best consumer experience this week, while another power outage is upsetting

By Rita R. Robison

Luckily my power is back on, so I can cook garden vegetables.

My best consumer experience: Potatoes and kale from my garden

Last year, I tried to grow kohlrabi. The bugs attacked with a vengeance. The year before that, I planted cabbage. Also, a bug disaster.

This year, I decided to try potatoes. They’re doing well. In one hill, I could see potatoes sticking out of the ground, so I harvested some.

I’m going to make shredded potatoes and fried eggs. Yum, yum.

I’ve also cooked up kale several times and enjoyed a big pot of green beans. I’m also eating cherry tomatoes when I go out to do yard work.

My worst consumer experience: Another power outage

My electrical utility is Puget Sound Energy.

Last night, I experienced my third power outage in about six weeks.

In addition to the big snowstorm in January when my power was out for four days, I also had an outage on March 30.

When I called to report the outage, I had to enter my phone number or account number before I could talk to anyone. A recorded message told me twice that the computer couldn’t find my information.

When I finally reached a real person, he said that PSE was doing work on its accounts, so that was probably why the computer couldn’t find me.

The PSE employee had no idea when the power would be back on. He seemed unconcerned that I had no power. When I asked when I should call back, he said if my power wasn’t back on in two hours, I could call again. PSE might know something by then.

When I called back, a recorded message said four homes were without power and PSE would be fixing the problem.

Before I went to bed at 1 a.m., I looked outside. No PSE trucks had come to fix the problem.

This time, the power was out for six hours.

It looks like the new management at PSE isn’t able to provide reliable electrical service.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 10 consumer complaints in the nation

Cars, credit, and home repair and construction again topped the list of complaints made to state and local consumer protection agencies, according to a survey by the Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators.

Thirty-eight agencies from across the United States provided information about the most common, fastest-growing, and worst complaints they received in 2011. They were also asked about new types of consumer problems, what their biggest achievements and challenges were last year, and what new laws are needed to better protect consumers.

Top 10 complaints

1. Auto: Misrepresentations in advertising or sales of new and used cars, lemons, faulty repairs, leasing, and towing disputes.

2. Credit/debt: Billing and fee disputes, mortgage modifications and mortgage-related fraud, credit repair, debt relief services, predatory lending, and illegal or abusive debt collection tactics.

3. Home improvement/construction: Shoddy work and failure to start or complete the job.

4. Retail sales: False advertising and other deceptive practices, defective merchandise, problems with rebates, coupons, gift cards and gift certificates, and failure to deliver.

5. Utilities: Service problems or billing disputes with phone, cable, satellite, Internet, electric, and gas service.

6. Services: Misrepresentations, shoddy work, failure to have required licenses, and failure to perform.

7. (Tie) Internet sales: Misrepresentations or other deceptive practice and failure to deliver online purchases. Landlord/tenant: Unhealthy or unsafe conditions, failure to make repairs or provide promised amenities, deposit and rent disputes, and illegal eviction tactics.

8. Fraud: Bogus sweepstakes and lotteries, work-at-home schemes, grant offers, fake check scams, the grandparent scam, and other common frauds.

9. Real estate: Timeshare sales and resales, retirement communities, assisted living facilities, and real estate fraud.

10. (Tie) Household goods: Misrepresentations, failure to deliver, and faulty repairs in connection with furniture or appliances. Home solicitations: Misrepresentations or failure to deliver in door-to-door, telemarketing, or mail solicitations and do-not-call violations.

Other key survey findings

• The top five fastest-growing complaints were about fraud, debt collection abuses, Do Not Call violations, mortgage-related problems, and home improvement.

• The top five worst complaints involved mortgage-related problems, home improvement, timeshare sales and resales, Internet sales, and fraud.

• New types of consumer problems that agencies dealt with last year covered a wide variety of subjects, from bedbugs in apartments to penny auctions on the Internet, from gold buying companies to telemarketing and mail solicitations for home repairs disguised as “free” energy audits. Some agencies also noted that scammers are exploiting a new form of payment, prepaid card products, to get cash from consumers.

• Budget cuts and limited resources were most frequently cited as the biggest challenges that state and local consumer protection agencies faced last year. Another major challenge was the evolving nature of fraud and the fact that many scammers are located in other countries, complicating efforts to resolve complaints.

The agencies provided suggestions for strengthening consumer protection including:

• Prohibiting mandatory arbitration in consumer contracts.

• Assessing stiffer penalties for operating without required licenses or registration.

• Providing consumers with greater legal protection from unwanted online tracking and other invasions of their privacy.

• Requiring that all businesses including online companies provide their names and other information to make it easier to identify and contact them.

• Regulating business such as Internet cafes and dating services.

•  Creating the equivalent of Interpol to help U.S. law enforcement agencies take action against scammers located in other countries.

The survey report features real-life examples of consumer complaints from agencies’ files and tips for consumers to help them avoid those problems and to let them know what to do if they encounter them.

The full report can be found on the federation’s website at www.consumerfed.org/pdfs/Studies.Top10ConsumerComplaintsSurvey7.31.12.pdf.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Completing a photo book is this week best consumer experience while Safeway customer service disappoints

By Rita R. Robison

As usual, one terrific consumer experience stands out while I’m still annoyed about another.

My best consumer experience: Finishing a 50-page photo book

This spring, I proposed to a friend to make a photo book of her historical exhibits and events, many of which I’d photographed. We spent more than 100 hours working on a draft.

Without any warning, Ritz Camera, where we were drafting our book and had prepaid for two copies, closed its store in Olympia, Wash. We had to go to Cameras West in Seattle, one of only two remaining Ritz Camera stores in the state, to complete our project.

The 20 x 20 books are beautiful. With help from the Cameras West staff, we were successful with our project.

My worst consumer experience: Low-quality customer service at Safeway

On my way back from Seattle after a session working on the photo book, I stopped in Federal Way at Safeway to get a sandwich.

While I was waiting in line behind a young man, a woman came up with a carton of eggs. She asked the Deli clerk to ring up her eggs because the checkout lines were long.

Despite the fact that I made several comments, the Deli clerk went ahead and served that customer ahead of the two of us waiting in line.

As I paid for my sandwich, I told the Deli clerk how rude it was for the woman to step ahead of us. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. I asked to see the manager. The Deli clerk said the manager had gone home.

Now, I’m good at consumer complaints. I’ve shopped at my neighborhood Safeway for more than 30 years. I know there’s always a manager at a Safeway store.

I continued asking for the manager. Finally, a manager, Kyle, appeared.

I explained what had happened. He asked the Deli clerk what had occurred. She laughed and said she was busy closing up.

Kyle said he’d see that the staff was trained on what to do when people crowd in head of other customers.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Food from my garden is this week’s best consumer experience, while dinner out disappoints

By Rita R. Robison

My garden makes me happy, but I had more bad consumer experiences this week than I would have liked.

My best consumer experience: My garden is beginning to produce

Although I planted my garden in June, I’m getting produce already.

When I returned from a week’s vacation, I found:

A few more raspberries.

Cherry tomatoes ready to eat.

Great looking kale.

A new wild strawberry plant in my backyard.

Unfortunately, I bought and planted pole beans instead of bush beans like I’d planned. I need to figure out how to stake them up.

My worst consumer experience: Dinner out at a Mexican restaurant

Since I was working on a photo project with a friend, I missed out on meeting my daughter, her family, and a friend for dinner. So, I had dinner while they went to the Wallingford Center to have cupcakes.

After checking with the waiter on whether a dish with chicken, mushrooms, and bell peppers wasn’t spicy, I ordered it. The dinner came with rice and tortillas.

The chicken dish was too spicy, as was the rice. The food made my mouth “burn.” I asked the waiter to bring me some less spicy food.

Right after I made my complaint, the waiter walked to another table across the room and asked the customers if they thought the rice was spicy. What a rude thing to do.

My daughter and her kids and friend came to join me. I ate part of my plain chicken and rice replacement dinner, then asked for my bill.

When I went to pay, the waitress asked me if I wanted any change. Normally, I would have said no, but the meal and service were so awful, I said yes. I knew I would be leaving a tip of some sort, but I thought the waitress was brazen to assume I would give a tip when the service was poor and the waiter was insulting.

The bill was about $17.50. I gave her a $20 bill.  

I was shocked when she got out a large white purse, took out some bills, and counted out $2 for me. Then she dumped out the tip jar and gave me about 50 cents from it.

I couldn’t believe it. I went to the table, put the $2 on the table, and left.

I think this restaurant should be nominated for a makeover from “Restaurant Impossible” on the Food Network.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist