Research Blog : consumer

Be A Smarter Consumer

SuDocQueen@evpl — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:39:00 GMT

That’s what it says on the front of the 2009 Consumer Action Handbook, and that’s what this book is trying to help us all become. Created by the GSA ( U.S. General Services Administration) Federal Citizen Information Center in conjunction with several other federal agencies and corporations, the book offers a multitude of useful information and resources for the in-the-know and the wanting-to-know consumer.

The book breaks into IV sections. The first gives detailed tips for consumers on subjects that range from buying a car or TV to choosing health insurance and a doctor to how to protect oneself against identity theft and how to handle wills and funerals. The subjects are too numerous to completely list here, but each topic is addressed fully. The second section offers advice for filing a complaint, how to use Dispute Resolution Programs, and covers Small Claims Court as well as contacts for reporting fraud and safety hazards. The third part lists additional sources for consumer information, and the fourth is a long list of direct contacts for assistance from the government and corporate America.

We have two circulating copies of this little gem as well as a reference copy here at Central. Or, since those of you reading this obviously have computer access, if you prefer you can get the same information from the www.ConsumerAction.gov website. If the website’s information seems too chaotic and you’d prefer the information displayed the same way it would be in the book, you can use the PDF from the website instead. One nice little extra on the website is the Consumer News section. It’s a box situated on the right hand side of the main page and offers links to events of consumer interest like “Kolcraft Recalls 1 Million Play Yards Due to Fall Hazard” or “Five Tax Facts About Summertime Child Care Expenses.”

User manuals online

googler@evpl — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:22:00 GMT

It's actually not that hard to find recent user manuals online, using Google. But the MakeUseOf blog has linked to a site that not only provides access to a bunch of manuals in one convenient place, but also allows you to register and then store all of your virtual manuals in a "filing cabinet."

And, like many websites these days, the The User Manual Site is social and interactive, maintaining a community message board where you can ask for help and tips from other consumers who are using the same product that you are.

These features make it worth checking out, and as you acquire new devices, adding those manuals to your online file. If they don't have a manual you need, you might be able to find it elsewhere. There are other user manuals sites, like http://www.usersmanualguide.com/ and http://www.user-manual-search.com/default2.aspx, but when you're looking for manuals, the best way to find them is often to simply Google the name of the manufacture, the model number, and the word "manual."

A Good Time to Buy a New Car

kiya@evpl — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:18:00 GMT

A customer was in today looking for the book she used many years ago to buy a new car. The book gave a breakdown for each model, what the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price was, and what the vehicle actually cost the dealer, showing her how much room there was to negotiate a lower price.

We finally decided that she was looking for Edmund's New Car Guide, which isn't available in print anymore, but only because Edmund's offers a free car-pricing service online that is more up-to-date, and can offer more features.

When you look for Edmund's New Car Guide in our catalog, you will be directed to the website "Don't Get Taken for a Ride! at www.edmunds.com . When we went to the site, the customer found the details she remembered, including a feature that allowed us to specify exactly which options or option package she desired. Then, after giving her the MSRP and the Dealer's Invoice, it also used her zip code to look at market data to see what customers in the area have actually paid for the car recently, which turned out to be lower than the Dealer Invoice. Then it gave details on the various discounts and rebates available. Finally, it offered her an opportunity to send her contact information to local dealers so they could call her with a deal, knowing that she had seen this information, and had contacted other dealers as well. She decided to forgo that, but was quite happy to have the printouts from Edmunds in her hand to help her negotiate.

Other sources of information:

Another useful website: www.carinfo.com
Buying a New Car from the Federal Trade Commission http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps71484/newcar.pdf
A fun site for kids from the Science Education for Public Understanding Program http://sv.berkeley.edu/showcase/flash/car.html
Buy or Lease a Car without getting taken for a ride from Entrepreneur Press
Don't Get Taken Every Time by Remar Sutton

Consumer Reports Now Available Online

Bufkinite@evpl — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:06:00 GMT

One of the library's most requested resources, Consumer Reports magazine, is now available online. Not only do the magazine's articles appear here, all of the product testing and review information is archived there as well.

This is sure to become one of the most used databases available at EVPL. As of this writing, it is already number 8 on our "top ten" list of most popular databases.

Check it out!

Hard-to-find customer service

googler@evpl — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:47:00 GMT

It seems that the more prominently web-based a business is, the harder it is to contact customer service, particularly a human via telephone. A website called ContactHelp maintains a database of tricks for bypassing the customer service circus and getting to a real person. Just type the company name into the search box, and you'll get detailed instructions, written by a person who's had a successful contact, that tell you what number to dial and what will happen after you dial it.

It also gives company hours of operation, email addresses, and links to customer service FAQs and knowledge bases when available. Plus it offers users the ability to rate companies and leave comments.

And if ContactHelp doesn't show the company you're looking for, try GetHuman. Between these two sites, you should be able to conquer the menu trees and get to a real human for just about any major brand.

Find the right used car for you

googler@evpl — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:16:00 GMT

Having second thoughts about buying a new car this year, but need to replace your old one? In the October 2008 issue, Consumer Reports said "choosing a three-year-old car instead of a new one can save you thousands of dollars over the first five years."

But choosing and buying a used car can be a little daunting. That's why CNET's Webware recently rounded up twenty-four websites to help you out. They include:

Carfax: Don't even consider buying that used car until you consult Carfax with its Vehicle Identification Number.

Cars.com: Research, reviews, general shopping advice, and more.

Edmunds: one of the most celebrated names in automobiles because of the depth and quality of its car reviews.

Kelley Blue Book: one of the most trustworthy resources for the real value of cars you're looking to buy.

Be sure to check out the whole article for more great sites. And happy shopping!

Peanut Butter Recall Information

Bufkinite@evpl — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:20:00 GMT

The Indiana State Department of Health is urging Hoosiers to routinely check the growing list of products and brands associated with the expanded Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) voluntary recall, which now has reached more than 2,000 items. A complete product listing is available here.

State health officials say salmonella is a serious disease. At least 677 people in more than 45 states have become sick and this salmonella outbreak has claimed at least nine lives as of March 5 of this year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 50 percent of the individuals who have become ill due to the current salmonella outbreak are children under 18.

State health officials want you to receive the following key messages:

You should NOT consume products on the recall list.
The recall list can be found online at: www.fda.gov
People without Internet access can call 2-1-1 (where available) or 1-800-433-0746 for information on the recall.
If the public finds recalled items on the shelves at local stores, they should notify the store manager immediately.
Any individual who has consumed a peanut-containing product and has the symptoms of salmonella should contact a health care provider.
Symptoms of salmonella include: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and fever.

More about health issues associated with Salmonella and the entire peanut butter recall are available on this FDA Web site. The FDA also provides the HTML code for a searchable Recall Widget that people can load into their own web pages. That's it below.

FDA Product Recall List

How to find how-tos on the web

googler@evpl — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:20:00 GMT

The "Webware" blog at CNET has an excellent post about finding how-to-do-it information on the web. For a variety of sites such as eHow, Howcast, and Instructables, the author assesses the quality of the instruction, the level of expertise and authority, and is especially concerned whether there are accompanying videos. You can learn how to do just about anything on sites like these, from tying a tie to installing weather stripping to making sure you follow proper etiquette in China.

While you're at CNET, check out their vast collection of product reviews. This is one of the premier sites for recent consumer-oriented ratings and reviews of all sorts of electronics and high-tech products.

Consumer Product Safety Commission Announces One-Year Stay on Implementation of Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

Bufkinite@evpl — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:08:00 GMT

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) was scheduled to become law on February 10th of this year, and it had librarians all over the country worried, in that it would have required every book in the children's library - and possibly in the entire library - to be tested for the presence of lead.

But on January 30th the Consumer Products Safety Commission released an announcement to the Federal Register staying implementation of CPSIA for one year, until February 10, 2010. Click here to read the announcement.

This give libraries a little breathing room, but only until 2010. We know the books in our collections are safe, and so the American Library Association is recommending that libraries be exempt from this law. Those interested in assisting libraries in the effort to get libraries exepmted from CPSIA's requirements can find more information here.

Your free annual credit report

googler@evpl — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 17:37:00 GMT

We often talk to people at the library who are confused about how to get their free annual credit reports. The source of the confusion is almost certainly the ubiquitous commercials for a site called freecreditreport.com. That site is owned by one of the standard credit bureaus, Experian, which has been in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission for its deceptive advertising. Many consumers attempting to receive their free credit report from Experian found themselves enrolled in their credit monitoring service, which is not free.

To get your free credit report, and nothing else, from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, use annualcreditreport.com. This is the only online source authorized to provide it. You can also order your credit reports by calling 877-322-8228. Many consumer advocates advise getting one credit report at a time, every four months, to monitor your credit on a regular basis, instead of getting all three at once.

The FTC wants to hear from you if you paid for what you thought was your free annual credit report.

For more consumer information, visit consumer.gov.