Tag Archives: product testing

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?

Know that Return Policy!

Thanksgiving 2012 is a mere 30 days away. Do you know what this means? Right, Black Friday is only 31 days away!

People have made a sport out of this pre-dawn ritual. Bursting through the doors at 5am, racing to the toy aisle, etc. It’s chaotic and fun, but mostly chaotic. And in the chaos, mistakes are made, and returns become necessary.  And returns can be a drag!

If you fail to read a store’s return policy before shopping there, you could get stuck with an item that doesn’t work out. But if you fail to read return policies before gift shopping, it’s a friend or relative who could get stuck with an unwanted item. MoneyTalksNews.com

So how do you learn about a store’s return policy? What are some warning signs? Which stores have the best and worst return policies? That’s the subject of this article. But briefly, the author likes Costco, LL Bean, Nordstrom and Zappos. Not so much love for Babies R Us, Macy’s Kohl’s or Toys R Us.

Lots  of detail in the article, so check it out!

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)

New and Improved?

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I have spent some time in the world consumer marketing, and it’s amazing the amount of time and money that is spent trying to wring out just one more percent of market share. As a MindField member, you also have an appreciation for how much research it takes to decide if a product is a good idea or not.

The pressure to stay on top is huge, and coming up with innovative ideas that people will embrace isn’t easy, as illustrated by the countless number of market miscalculations and abject product failures developed by some of the biggest and most respected brands in the world.  MSN Money

So here’s a look at some ideas that didn’t quite click. Do you remember any of these?

Gerber Singles (1970s.) Ever feed a baby and sneak a bite of their food out of curiosity? Sure. Wouldn’t you like to have an adult-sized jar of mashed bananas for yourself? America said No.

Jimmy Dean Microwaveable Chocolate Chip Pancakes & Sausage on a Stick (2006.) Just because you CAN mash things together and put them on a stick…SHOULD you?

Heinz EZ Squirt ketchup (2000.) Ketchup in a rainbow of bizarre colors for you to get out of your kids’ clothes.

Ore-Ida Funky Fries (2002.) Apparently, the novelty of cinnamon-flavored, or tube-shaped or BLUE French fries wears off quickly.

Frito Lay’s Wow potato chips (1998.) Who can forget racing to the toilet during the summer of Olestra? An FDA warning on the bag is generally not good for business.

New Coke (1985.) The classic flop. Apparently, EVERY BIT of their research, blind taste tests, etc., told Coke that people preferred the new stuff.

Pepsi A.M. (1989.) It seemed like the dumbest idea ever back in ’89… a super-caffeinated soda to drink in the morning instead of coffee. Now, everybody does it.

Ah well, they can’t all be winners. Can you think of any other food items that missed the mark? There are more in the original article, so check it out!

(photo:  thehelicoptergroup.com)

Halloween by the Numbers!

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My house, every Halloween!

In my house, as a kid and as an adult, we always did it up for Halloween. And, looking back, I don’t remember ever dialing it down very much during hard times. Apparently, that is still the case in the US!

Here are some stats:

  • 70: The % of Americans celebrating Halloween in 2012.
  • 170 million: The number of Americans in the “Halloween market” this year.
  • 8 billion: The amount of $$$ we will spend for Halloween in 2012.
  • 80: The amount of $$$ spent by each person. Up $8 from last year.

So, how does Halloween avoid our belt-tightening?

Halloween has been one of the few annual events that we’re willing to shell out plenty of bucks for, almost certainly because of the escapism we feel by dressing up like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. We also have few qualms about dressing up our pets like Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. Time Magazine

And to illustrate that last point, the article says that we will spend $370 million on pet costumes this year, up about 25% from 2011!

So, how about your family? Is Halloween a big deal? Have you cut back on the spending the past couple of years, or not?

Fun with Checking Account Fees

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See? He’s winking. Dead giveaway.

Check out these dismal numbers!

  • 39: the % of free, non-interest checking accounts. Was 76% in 2009.
  • 25: the % our service fees have risen since 2011, a new record (yay!)
  • 23: the % your minimum balance to avoid fees has increased since 2011.
  • 35: the average $$ of overdraft penalties. Up 1.4% from 2011

Why are all these fees on the rise? Many blame regulatory changes, such as restrictions on when banks can charge overdraft fees and fees charged on swiping cards.

“They are resorting to eliminating free checking accounts and instituting higher fees to help fill that gap,” he said. “If you ran a fast-food restaurant and the government told you that you can’t raise the price of a hamburger, you’d raise the price of soda and fries.” The Ledger

What can you do? Well, this article is full of useful tips, and you should definitely check it out. But some quick tips include searching out a smaller local bank or credit union, which generally have lower fees. Also, actually reading your statements. They REALLY count on you NOT doing that. Like, your free checking account that suddenly is no longer free and you wonder why? It was in your statement!

So, read the article. It’s worth your time. And tell us… are your fees rising? What have you done about it?

(photo: audiobooker.booklistonline.com)

Penny Auction? Bring a BUNCH of Pennies!

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Who wants an iPad for $19 and change? The answer is likely “Me me me me!!!” Well, that’s what “Penny Auction” websites like Beezid, Quibid and Bidfun advertise on TV during the late night Three’s Company reruns. But a new article at Yahoo News is offering that classic advice: if it seems too good to be true… But first, they explain how penny auction bidding works.

To sign up, you have to buy bid packs. The more you buy at a time, the lower per-bid price you pay. For example, you can buy a pack of 30 bids for $27 (that’s 90 cents per bid) all the way up to 1000 bids for $550 (55 cents per bid). Then you find an item you want to bid on, and start bidding. Each time you bid, it raises the price of the item by one cent and often resets a timer for another 10 seconds or so of open bidding. Bidding can be done manually, or you can set up auto-bidding, which will program the site to bid for you, usually at the last second.  Yahoo News

What’s the catch? The author lists several. First, to make a bid that raises the price by a penny, you are actually paying between 55 and 90 cents. Second, you get into a bidding war, make a bunch of bids, and end up not winning the item but still losing a bunch of money. Third, are you really saving? She provides an example where someone actually won an iPad for 83 cents, but used $300 in bids. That’s $301 total when, on that same day, you could buy the iPad on Amazon for $320.  Finally, just like those infomercials where they show you a dollar’s worth of crap, tell you it’s a $30 value and offer it to you for 10 bucks, it seems that some of these Penny Auctions are inflating the value to stir bidding excitement.

A final quote:

These sites bill themselves as “entertainment shopping.”  That’s like calling the craps table “entertainment banking.”   Yahoo News

But, as we say, that’s just one opinion. Have you used one of these bidding sites? What do you think? There’s more at the original article, so check it out. And have a great weekend!

(photo: quibidsreport.com)

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)

The Mall of the Future!

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How will shopping change over the next 30 years?

The way Blake Nordstrom sees it, fashion has always been about change — “creating a reason for the customer to buy something new” — and the next three decades will bring more of it. The next 30 years of retailing will be all about the customer’s interests. And it will be up to merchants to keep up with or anticipate their every desire.”  USAToday.com

Yes, he’s that Nordstrom. We don’t have any of those around me, but I have always heard stories of their legendary customer service. Nice to see that they are thinking ahead.

Anyway, what does the future of shopping look like?  It’s all about technology:

  • Digital fitting rooms with parametric technology that simulates your body type and gives you a sense of look and fit.
  • 3-D printers that will allow you to make products in their own homes.
  • Smartphone technology that lets retailers dig into your personal data to figure out their tastes and potential interests.
  • Cash registers disappear as all transaction occur using cell phones.

The thing is, every one of these things exist right now, so it makes sense that somebody is going to find a way to use it for (your) fun and (their) profit.

But don’t expect stores filled with touch-screens and robots rather than hangers and sales associates. Though one day the ideal shopping experience might not involve human contact, Nordstrom says, “we’re not there yet.”   USAToday.com

What do you think? Do these sound like improvements to you? What changes would you like to see in retail? Let us know, and have a great weekend!

(photo: befitbefabulous.ca)

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.