Posts Tagged With ‘ Advertising ’

Until this week, I hadn’t heard about a potential safety problem with electric bicycles or “e-bikes.” An article in The Washington Post, “A Child’s Death Prompts Questions About Brake Safety on E-bikes,” caught my attention. A lawsuit filed against Rad Power Bikes by the parents of a 12-year-old girl who was killed in 2021 in an e-bike accident claims the company’s bikes are “inappropriately” marketed to children and contain “multiple design defects,” according to The Post article. Molly Steinapir was riding behind her friend when the two girls were going down a steep hill... Continue Reading

American consumers spend more than $25.9 billion on Valentine’s Day each year. It makes the holiday the third-priciest on the calendar for U.S. consumers. Valentine’s Day spending for 2023 is estimated to be $192.80 per person celebrating, according to a Valentine’s Day survey by WalletHub, a personal finance website. There is nothing wrong with getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit and surprising that special person in your life with a sweet note or small token gift, said Andrew Burnstine, Ph.D., associate professor of the College of Business and Management at Lynn University. But,... Continue Reading

A friend of mine recently received a $300 gift card under Comcast’s reward program. She thought she got it because she’s been a long-time customer. Since I’m a long-time Comcast customer, too, I thought it would be great to get $300 to spend, too. I went to the Comcast website and signed up for its rewards program. I saw a few program rewards that didn’t interest me, so I tried to communicate with the bot through the chat function. It didn’t work. I didn’t get any information about money rewards. So, then I did what I dread: I called Comcast. As I’ve written about many times, Comcast... Continue Reading

How do you pick out a bank? It’s more difficult than it seems. Many people choose a branch near them. But, banks can have practices that are detrimental to consumers who want to spend money wisely. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDIC has downgraded Transportation Alliance Bank or TAB Bank to “needs to improve,” a low rating that few banks get. The FDIC found that the bank committed unfair or deceptive practices that “impacted a large number of consumers over an extended period of time.” Through a “rent-a-bank” partnership with EasyPay Finance, the bank helped EasyPay... Continue Reading

February is a month of possibilities for sales: Some for Valentine’s Day and some for Presidents’ Day. Here are some ideas on what to look for from Dealnews.com: Valentine’s Day It’s likely that you’ll find some Valentine’s Day sales. Look for bargains such as 30 percent off on candy. President’s Day sales The other big shopping opportunity in February is Presidents’ Day sales. This year it’s on February 20, and you’ll likely to be able to save on some big-ticket items, including computers, major appliances, furniture, and mattresses. But you may be able to save on smaller... Continue Reading

It’s positive to see government agencies working to curb monopoly power. The U.S. Department of Justice and eight states filed a lawsuit on Tuesday charging Google with operating an unfair monopoly scheme in markets for advertising technology. The lawsuit alleges Google leverages control over advertising technologies that web display ads are bought and sold through, driving out competition and receiving profits that far exceed what could be realized in a competitive market. This scheme hurts advertisers, small businesses, website creators, and consumers, and deters innovation in... Continue Reading

One thing that financial writers recommend when you’re having money problems is to review your subscriptions. Sometimes subscriptions that you aren’t using anymore keep renewing or you didn’t realize you had signed up for one. “Negative option” programs include subscription services that automatically renew unless the consumer cancels, and trial marketing programs that charge a reduced fee for an initial period and then automatically begin charging a higher fee. “Consumers shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to cancel subscriptions they don’t want, and they shouldn’t have to... Continue Reading

Starting months before my 65th birthday, my mailbox has been swamped with advertisements for Medicare Advantage insurance plans. The ads are still coming in. And then there are the television commercials with promises of Advantage plan benefits that original Medicare doesn’t cover – vision, dental and hearing services, rides to doctors’ appointments, zero premiums. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? The advertising blitz surely has contributed to the doubling in Advantage plan enrollment since 2013, to 28 million last year. The plans are overtaking Medigap plans, which the nonprofit Commonwealth... Continue Reading

I spent quite a bit on having two Christmas celebrations with my daughters. Now that I’ve got a little cushion in my bank account again, what could I look for at January sales? I know it’s a great time for white goods, sheets and towels, but what other great deals may now be available. Holiday décor, holiday leftovers, small kitchen appliances, fitness gear, gym memberships, beauty items, TVs, soft home goods, Valentine’s Day flowers, winter clothing, and laptops are likely to be on sale in January, according to DealNews. See the details below: Holiday décor Maybe. Lingering items such... Continue Reading

Today I received an email saying that my Social Security number was going to be suspended. Scam. Ironically, it was “signed” by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. I wonder if he was chosen for the scam because he’s a Tea Party conservative from Texas who people may think would come after them in other states. I checked for other documents with Paxton’s signature. It was an exact copy. Social Security recipients may be seeing a big increase in this old government imposter scam because in their benefits are going up this month. Don’t take the bait. Your Social Security number is never... Continue Reading