Tag Archives: earn cash and prizes

State Government Responds to Hacking

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We got hacked a couple of years ago, and it was the weirdest thing. Somebody hacked B*st W*st*rn Hotels, where we had stayed in Ohio a couple of years earlier, and got our credit card number. But the hacker was some kind of weirdo Robin Hood character, robbing from the underemployed to feed the poor. We started getting Thank You notes from the Red Cross and the USO, acknowledging our contributions!

Now, this week in South Carolina, the Secret Service discovered that somebody has hacked the S.C. Department of Revenue! Social Security numbers, tax records… they aren’t even sure what has been jacked!

What is interesting is that the State is reacting by offering free credit monitoring by Experian.

Plenty of S.C. taxpayers were nervous over the weekend, flooding lines set up by Experian, the California-based firm hired to provide ID theft protection for taxpayers. The company added operators Monday, though it still was suggesting the fastest way to register for ID theft protection was to register online. Those who need to sign up for protection can do so until Jan. 31.

The state of S.C., via Experian, is offering a year of free credit report monitoring, which can be used to help even with past problems found in credit histories. But crooks could use the stolen data for many years.  The State (SC)

I guess the lesson for me is this: I always said “Who would ever hack little ol’ me?” The answer is NOBODY. But they would sure as heck would hack the motel chain or the restaurant chain where you use your Visa card. I don’t know if I am even affected but, trust me, I am registering TOMORROW. And maybe you should, too. Other than Experian, names include LifeLock and EquiFax.

Have you or someone you know ever been hacked? What did you do?

Kill Robo-calls, Win Money!

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Robo-calls are usually not this cute…

Did you read our piece on robo-calls last month? It’s right HERE. Go ahead, I’ll wait…

Anyway, I’m not one who responds to every problem with “There ought to be a law!” Besides, there are already laws on robo-calling, as well as a national Do Not Call registry. They just aren’t working!

So the government is getting smart for once, and asking for your help with “The Robo-call Challenge.” And they are offering a $50,000 prize!

The “robocall challenge” opens to the public on Oct. 25 and will close Jan. 17, 2013. The winner will be announced in April. The money will be awarded to the person, team or small company (it must have fewer than 10 employees) that develops the best robocall-blocking technology. The FTC says a successful entry must work, be easy to use, and be easy to implement and operate in today’s marketplace.  SFGate.com

Read the article for more info, and visit the FTC website.

Kill robo-calls, get paid…what could be better?

(photo: fitsnews.com)

Walmart vs. Amazon

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As they say, business it business. But it sure seems like Walmart has an axe to grind with Amazon! Last month, Wally announced they were no longer carrying Amazon’s Kindle. Now, they are going to compete with Amazon’s experimental same-day delivery.

Called Wal-Mart To Go, the service costs $10 regardless of the size of the order. The products will be shipped from the company’s stores, not from a warehouse or distribution center. Wal-Mart began testing the same-day service last week in Philadelphia and northern Virginia. It added Minneapolis on Tuesday and will add San Jose and San Francisco later this month. The trial will last through the holidays. Wall Street Journal

Amazon has been doing the same-day thing in 10 cities for a few years now. Amazon has about $35 billion in online sales each year, about 7 times Walmart’s take. BUT, Wally’s $5 billion is about 1% of their total sales. So, that kind of capital allows them to experiment to find ways to compete with the established leader Amazon.

Analysts say that Walmart is going to need that cash flow to make it work…

 “It can be three to four times the cost for the retailer to pick items and pack them from a store versus having a really efficient, automated process back in a distribution center.”  Wall Street Journal

So, what do you think? Does this sound like a good move for Wally? Or should they stick to what they know best and leave the online fulfillment game to the recognized leaders? Read the article, and have a great weekend!

MindField Milestones!

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What does it all mean?

A couple of milestones to mention today.

First, as represented in the totally awesome and NOT lame graphic above: 4MM. That means Four Million, as in MindField Online recently paid out its 4,000,000th credit to our panelists. That’s four million dollars since MindField’s inception in April 2004 – an average of $471, 000 a year. Over the past 5 years, however, our panelists overall have earned an average of $688,000 in credits each year.

To celebrate, we credited $25 to lucky number 4 million: CODY B. of MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA!

Meanwhile, “100K” also happened. That signifies $100,000 in Amazon.com credits our panelists have opted for since we introduced that new cashout method!  That took a surprisingly short 14 months, which means our panelists like the Amazon option even better than we hoped!

So, a big thank you to our panelists, and stay tuned for more excitement ahead. For example, we’re coming reeeally close to 30,000 Facebook fans. But you didn’t hear it from me!

A Little Place in the City

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Like, a reeeally little place. This is a story that asks “How much space do you need?” And also “How little space can you tolerate?”

In San Francisco, where the average studio apartment rents for more than $2,000/month, the city is ready to vote on a rule allowing developers to build apartments as small as 220 square feet in size. Roughly 10 feet by 20.

At a minimum 150 square feet of living space — 220 when you add the bathroom, kitchen and closet — the proposed residences are being hailed as a pivotal option for singles.  LA Times

They hope the micro apartments will go for $1200-1700/ month. Great for a city where over 40% of the population lives alone. However…

Opponents fear that a wave of “shoe box homes” would further marginalize families of modest means who are desperate for larger accommodations…. And buildings full of micro-units could cause a spike in population density that might strain public transit and already limited parks and public spaces.   LA Times

As for me, I have done the Saturday walking tour of IKEA, where the fake apartments get smaller and smaller, until “Here’s how you can cram into 300 square feet!” And it gave me the creeps!

So what do you think? Clever idea, or the most depressing idea ever? (Or both?)

Return of the Robocall!

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“Greetings, citizen. This is Marcy from Consumer Credit Counselors…”

This is something I haven’t thought of in forever, since I got rid of my landline. But apparently robocalling is back, big time.  Despite the big fuss, and the establishment of the “Do Not Call” registry…

Government figures show monthly robocall complaints have climbed from about 65,000 in October 2010 to more than 212,000 this April. More general complaints from people asking a telemarketer to stop calling them also rose during that period, from about 71,000 to 182,000.  Associated Press

Also, telemarketers are supposed to check the registry for Do Not Call requests each month, but…

…fewer telemarketers are checking the FTC list to see which numbers are off limits. In 2007, more than 65,000 telemarketers checked the list. Last year, only about 34,000 did so.  Associated Press

Part of the problem is that certain types of calls are exempt from the ban, like political calls (awfully good of the politicians to exclude those!), calls for charities, and informational calls (like the airline calling to tell you that your flight is delayed.) What the scammers do is start the call as a charity, then switch to a pitch for “learn how to clean up your credit rating!”

Also, technology is making the law obsolete. Spoof calls hide their true telephone numbers so that when you try to report them, or call them back, you get nothing.

So, what to do? I still get these calls from time to time on my cellphone. My policy is, if I don’t recognize the number, I don’t answer it. They can leave a message or not. Second, there is a website I use, www.whocalled.us, where you can type in the phone number and see if there are any complaints. Also, be careful whenever you sign up for, well, anything on the web. There are often little stipulations like “May we contact you at inconvenient times to tell you about useless products and services?” Finally, you can always complain to the FTC, which I am sure is super-effective. They are at www.ftc.gov or (888) 382-1222.

So, how about you? Are you in the Registry? Do you still get these calls? How do you handle it?

(photo: dailyautocrat.com)

Stupidity Fees?

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Here is the typical drill. A consumer is completely surprised and shocked by some retailer’s stated policy, so she complains on Facebook. A big firestorm develops, and maybe they do a story on the local news that goes viral on YouTube. The embarrassed company relents, apologizes to the consumer and changes the policy.

Yeah, well, that didn’t happen this time.

An Irish family of 5 was on vacation in Spain. On the return trip, they arrive at the airport and go to the kiosk to print their boarding passes. They discover that the airline charges a 60 Euro ($76) printing fee PER BOARDING PASS. Four hundred dollars and one heart attack later, the mom is complaining on Facebook, has a million-billion Likes, and is demanding justice.

How does the airline CEO respond?

“We think she should pay 60 euros for being so stupid. She wasn’t able to print her boarding card at an Internet café? At the hotel? She couldn’t get to a fax machine so some friend at home could print them and fax them to her?”  NBCNews.com

His point? The terrible bad printing fee is a stated policy. If you didn’t read the fine print, then you should pay the Stupidity Fee.  This particular airline, Ryanair, is one of those low-cost outfits. And part of the low cost magic is crazy weird fees like this one, such as bag fees, exit row seat fees, and even potty fees.

So, is this right? If it’s in the fine print, can a company do whatever it wants? How closely do you read the fine print? Should you have to? Check out the original article to read about the pros and cons, and let us know your opinion.

The Return of the Return of Layaway!

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Last year we blogged about how a bad economy and the credit crunch were leading to “The Return of Layaway” in your favorite stores. This year, there’s a new twist.

Same lame economy, but now it’s an election year. I heard on the radio that Wal-Mart is worried that with politicians buying up every moment of commercial time, they won’t be able to do the kind of advertising they need to make a profit at the Holidays. So, one thing they are doing is improving their layaway program to get your attention.

So, in addition to starting the program much earlier this year…

Walmart will refund the $15 fee to open a layaway account after customers make their final payment, and it will no longer charge a cancellation fee to customers who fail to finish paying for the item.  USNews.com

Other stores like Kmart, Sears and Toys R Us are joining in the fun, too. You can read all about it here.

What do you think? Were you planning to use layaway this year? Would this tempt you to? Let us know. And have a fun, SAFE Labor Day weekend!

(photo: fh.ext.wvu.edu)

Apple Slams Samsung

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Oh, Google Image Search. You never disappoint!

Apple vs. Samsung: it was the “patent trial of the century” and, last Friday, Apple won. Samsung has to fork over $1 billion, pending appeal.

The result is extremely complex and is, as of this writing, still being wrangled over in court. But the initial finding appears to be a whole lot of hurt for Samsung and a victory for Apple. The bigger question is, what does this mean for innovation and competition in the tech industry? TechHive.com

But the biggest question is, how does this affect ME? And, I guess, you too?

Some say it will force an industry with too many “me-too” copycats to dig deep and innovate in new and exciting ways, which would be good. Others say that many designers – often just one or two guys working in a garage – will be so afraid of lawsuits that they will choke up. And still others wonder how much change the consumer will accept. Specific example… what if you have to give up your Droid because it’s pinch-and-zoom function is too much like an iPhone?

Many people are seeing this situation as “Intellectual Property vs. Consumer Choice.”

What do you think?

Who is Really the Low Price Leader?

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For me, the perception of paying less is what takes me to Wal-Mart. I feel like the noise, the crowd and the hassle are worth it if I am saving dough.

According to this article, though, those savings may be an illusion.

Target this month had lower prices than Wal-Mart for the first time since October, according to research conducted by Bloomberg Industries. The Minneapolis-based chain also led by its widest margin since the monthly study began two years ago. The study examined the gap in average price across a basket of 150 like items at stores within five miles of each other.  Bloomberg.com

Apparently, the still-crappy economy has the two giants scrambling for customers, and the competition has heated up. Of course, there are other players, including Kmart and Amazon. Customer loyalty is up for grabs, and we will go wherever the prices lead us.

At any rate, Target is crowing, and Wal-Mart is saying “Yeah, but…” And it seems this whole competition  is for bragging rights, since we are talking about a savings of 46 cents per every hundred dollars!

What do you think? Target or Wal-Mart? Do you see a difference? Let us know…and have a great weekend!