Frugal Living: 24 new messages in 10 topics

Friday, November 23, 2007

24 new messages in 10 topics - digest

misc.consumers.frugal-living
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living?hl=en

misc.consumers.frugal-living@googlegroups.com

Today's topics:

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Black Friday scams
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/d88b4ca08eaef9f9?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 11:51 am
From: "What Me Worry?" <__@____.___>

"The Trucker" <mikcob@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.11.23.19.22.41.473135@verizon.net...
> On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:52:03 -0800, Joe wrote:
>
>> http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/frugal-philly.html#bf
>
> The biggest scam of all is the "manufacturer's rebate" that takes several
> months and may not ever come. I have been waiting 6 months now for a
> rebate that I have decided will never show up. Its sorta like medical
> insurance: If you make it difficult enough to get reimbursed then the
> plaintiff will eventually give up on it.

Rebates should be outlawed. They are a scam.

Best Buy used to be one of the worst offenders, but now they (wisely) have
stopped using the rebate ploy:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/bestbuy_rebates.html

== 2 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 12:32 pm
From: SMS *

The Trucker wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:52:03 -0800, Joe wrote:
>
>> http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/frugal-philly.html#bf
>
> The biggest scam of all is the "manufacturer's rebate" that takes several
> months and may not ever come. I have been waiting 6 months now for a
> rebate that I have decided will never show up. Its sorta like medical
> insurance: If you make it difficult enough to get reimbursed then the
> plaintiff will eventually give up on it.

One of the biggest reasons for rebates is to prevent returns. Once the
UPC code is removed, most stores will not accept returns.

== 3 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 2:20 pm
From: sarge137

On Nov 23, 12:22 pm, The Trucker <mik...@verizon.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:52:03 -0800, Joe wrote:
> >http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/frugal-philly.html#bf
>
> The biggest scam of all is the "manufacturer's rebate" that takes several
> months and may not ever come. I have been waiting 6 months now for a
> rebate that I have decided will never show up. Its sorta like medical
> insurance: If you make it difficult enough to get reimbursed then the
> plaintiff will eventually give up on it.
>
> --
> "I know no safe depository of the ultimate powers
> of society but the people themselves; and
> if we think them not enlightened enough to
> exercise their control with a wholesome
> discretion, the remedy is not to take it from
> them, but to inform their discretion by
> education." - Thomas Jeffersonhttp://GreaterVoice.org/extend

Absolutely! I went to my local CompUSA last night for their 9:00pm to
midnight Thanksgiving day sale. Not a thing on their shelves, except
for a few very large already badly over priced flat screen TVs could
be had for "out the door" prices much below the normal list price. I
was looking at a HP Pavilion desktop with a shelf price of $499.99.
Reading the very fine print on the tag told me that I was really going
be charged $799.99, plus sales tax, then receive a $50.00 "instant"
rebate at the register, and a total of $250.00 in separate
manufacturer's and CompUSA mail in rebates. So that computer with the
$499.99 shelf tag was actually going to cost me slightly less than
$800.00 to take home. Having had previous experience with both
CompUSA and HP rebates, I know it'll take takes week, and at least one
complaint to get the checks.

While I was looking a sales clerk walked up. The exchange went
something like this:

Clerk: Pretty good deal isn't it?
Me: Yeah, it would be if I could take it home for that price. But,
I'll probably see my tax refund before those rebate checks.
Clerk: Well, I can check with my manager. Maybe we can work
something out.
Me: That would be great, thanks. By the way, tell your manager I
don't buy extended warranties for any reason.

I waited 15 minutes and went home. Never saw him again.

Regards,
Sarge

== 4 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 3:04 pm
From: clams casino

The Trucker wrote:

>On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:52:03 -0800, Joe wrote:
>
>
>
>>http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/frugal-philly.html#bf
>>
>>
>
>The biggest scam of all is the "manufacturer's rebate" that takes several
>months and may not ever come. I have been waiting 6 months now for a
>rebate that I have decided will never show up. Its sorta like medical
>insurance: If you make it difficult enough to get reimbursed then the
>plaintiff will eventually give up on it.
>
>
>
Got a rebate today from Symantec (filed 4 months ago). The name on the
check has significant spelling errors and the line for endorsement
strictly forbids a third party endorsement.

I can see where they will now reject the rebate because my correct name
(for proper deposit) will not begin to match the name on the rebate check.

== 5 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 3:38 pm
From: peter@nospamplease.dk (Peder B. Pels)

The Trucker <mikcob@verizon.net> wrote:

> On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:52:03 -0800, Joe wrote:
>
> > http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/frugal-philly.html#bf
>
> The biggest scam of all is the "manufacturer's rebate" that takes several
> months and may not ever come. I have been waiting 6 months now for a
> rebate that I have decided will never show up. Its sorta like medical
> insurance: If you make it difficult enough to get reimbursed then the
> plaintiff will eventually give up on it.

I agree, it's bullshit. It's a flashy sticker on the product that
entices you to shell out for aproduct, by making YOU jump through hoops
to get a mostly insignificant cash refund. After waiting forever.

I usually just avoid such products. Revently, Microsoft has been pulling
that shit on their peripheral products here in Denmark. No thanks. I
prefer Logitech anyway...

--
regards , Peter B. P. http://titancity.com/blog , http://macplanet.dk
Washington D.C.: District of Criminals
"I dont drink anymore... of course, i don't drink any less, either!

== 6 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 3:38 pm
From: peter@nospamplease.dk (Peder B. Pels)

What Me Worry? <__@____.___> wrote:

> "The Trucker" <mikcob@verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:pan.2007.11.23.19.22.41.473135@verizon.net...
> > On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 07:52:03 -0800, Joe wrote:
> >
> >> http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/frugal-philly.html#bf
> >
> > The biggest scam of all is the "manufacturer's rebate" that takes several
> > months and may not ever come. I have been waiting 6 months now for a
> > rebate that I have decided will never show up. Its sorta like medical
> > insurance: If you make it difficult enough to get reimbursed then the
> > plaintiff will eventually give up on it.
>
> Rebates should be outlawed. They are a scam.
>
> Best Buy used to be one of the worst offenders, but now they (wisely) have
> stopped using the rebate ploy:
>
> http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/bestbuy_rebates.html

Did they do so on their own accord? If that is the case, then the market
does seem to work toward pushing companies toward more ethical
practices.

--
regards , Peter B. P. http://titancity.com/blog , http://macplanet.dk
Washington D.C.: District of Criminals
"I dont drink anymore... of course, i don't drink any less, either!

== 7 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 3:44 pm
From: Meghan Noecker

On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:20:32 -0800 (PST), sarge137
<rbooth9858@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>While I was looking a sales clerk walked up. The exchange went
>something like this:
>
>Clerk: Pretty good deal isn't it?
>Me: Yeah, it would be if I could take it home for that price. But,
>I'll probably see my tax refund before those rebate checks.
>Clerk: Well, I can check with my manager. Maybe we can work
>something out.
>Me: That would be great, thanks. By the way, tell your manager I
>don't buy extended warranties for any reason.
>
>I waited 15 minutes and went home. Never saw him again.
>

Reminds me of when I bought a desktop computer at CompUSA many years
ago. They told me I could get an extended warranty for free. They said
something about having to lower the ticket prices of my items so that
the warranty would shop up on the receipt. Both my sister and I were
buying a computer, monitor, printer, etc. After about 5 minutes, they
came back with our papers to take to the register. A quick work of
math, and I could see they added $300 to the bill.

I mentioned it, and he said he would check them. Another 15 minutes,
and he came back. I added it up, and it was still $300 higher than my
purchase. He took it back again. Another 10 minutes, and he came out
and admitted that it would cost $300, but it was a good deal. I told
him to take it off. No way I was I buying an extended warranty.

My sister would have paid it, never noticing the problem. It makes me
wonder how many people fall for that scam, and how they can get
employees to do this without feeling guilty.

== 8 of 8 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 3:53 pm
From: Goomba38

clams casino wrote:

> Got a rebate today from Symantec (filed 4 months ago). The name on the
> check has significant spelling errors and the line for endorsement
> strictly forbids a third party endorsement.
>
> I can see where they will now reject the rebate because my correct name
> (for proper deposit) will not begin to match the name on the rebate check.

I don't usually bother signing my name to the back of checks. I just
write on the back "For Deposit Only" and my bank account number. Never
once had a problem doing it that way and saves time.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Happy Thanksgiving MCFL
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/6eb202bfcb25db33?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 4 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 12:14 pm
From: "Don K"

"The Real Bev" <bashley101+usenet@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:vNt1j.100$Cj7.96@newsfe02.lga...

> I'm still getting cherry tomatoes from my vines, but not many. Some nasty animal got
> most of them earlier in the year, but it seems to have either moved away or been run
> over a month or two ago. It seems sensible to grow stuff that's expensive and/or awful
> at the grocery store, but squash? Yuk.

Squash soup was one of my favorites as a kid. It probably wasn't so much
the squash, but the chewy, over-cooked drop noodles that made squash soup
so good.

Don

== 2 of 4 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 2:59 pm
From: imascot

hchickpea@hotmail.com wrote in
news:gq1ck31lo44ripblq0es2cf2s4m3orock0@4ax.com:

>>>I've learned a lot from you all over the past decade +.
>>>During both lean times and good times, on my part, this group has
>>>been a wealth of knowledge, innovation and inspiration.
>>>
>>>Thank you all.
>>>
>>>..PC
>>I feel the exact same way PC.
>>Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy all the leftovers...the very
>>frugal part of the meal.
>>Dawn, geting ready to put the fruit salad together.
>
> Likewise to all. I do wish that many more of the core group members
> were still around, and/or that there was a way to rejuvinate some of
> the positive energy here. A few people mentioned mailing lists in the
> past, maybe that is an idea that could be revisited?
>
>

Hear, hear. It's depressing that there are more listings in my killfile than there are actual postings
worth reading.

== 3 of 4 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 4:16 pm
From: gheston@hiwaay.net (Gary Heston)

In article <slldk3tc2lgskln2vbuhn8jjs7t0u15746@4ax.com>,
<hchickpea@hotmail.com> wrote:
>On Thu, 22 Nov 2007 21:44:40 -0800, The Real Bev
><bashley101+usenet@gmail.com> wrote:

>> It seems sensible to grow
>>stuff that's expensive and/or awful at the grocery store, but squash? Yuk.

>Typically $1/lb at the stores, and often dry and tasteless. As for
>the taste of squash in general? <shrug> Some of us like it, some
>don't.

I liked the one which Mrs. Chickpea gifted me with last weekend; I ate
the second half of it last night. Much appreciated.

>>How's the drought treating you?

>Kinda complicated. Have a bumper crop of walnuts, kale and collards
>seem OK, and the recent rain has been a hinderance to some
>construction. Today looks bright and cool, the rest of the weekend is
>supposed to bring more rain.

It was bright, until my framing nailer jammed and we couldn't clear it.
Further work on the deck was much slower. Im looking for a local tool
repair place to see what they can do.

Gary

--
Gary Heston gheston@hiwaay.net

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/

Yoko Onos' former driver tried to extort $2M from her, threating to
"release embarassing recordings...". What, he has a copy of her album?

== 4 of 4 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 5:03 pm
From: nospam@nospam.com

On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 22:59:49 GMT, in misc.consumers.frugal-living imascot
<imnot@mycomputer.now> wrote:

>hchickpea@hotmail.com wrote in
>news:gq1ck31lo44ripblq0es2cf2s4m3orock0@4ax.com:
>
>>>>I've learned a lot from you all over the past decade +.
>>>>During both lean times and good times, on my part, this group has
>>>>been a wealth of knowledge, innovation and inspiration.
>>>>
>>>>Thank you all.
>>>>
>>>>..PC
>>>I feel the exact same way PC.
>>>Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy all the leftovers...the very
>>>frugal part of the meal.
>>>Dawn, geting ready to put the fruit salad together.
>>
>> Likewise to all. I do wish that many more of the core group members
>> were still around, and/or that there was a way to rejuvinate some of
>> the positive energy here. A few people mentioned mailing lists in the
>> past, maybe that is an idea that could be revisited?
>>
>>
>
>Hear, hear. It's depressing that there are more listings in my killfile than there are actual postings
>worth reading.
>
>J.

Do share your kill filters.. I've been gone for a while and all my filters are
gone.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Where did the 400 billion USD in subprime mortgage losses go
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/4b5ad94e9eb8e056?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 12:30 pm
From: SMS *

yassahmassa wrote:
> In article <47468dfe$0$79871$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
> SMS éz‰ ï * âƒ <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>> The loan companies made out very well
>
> No, they did not. Their executives made out just fine, but sub-prime
> lending companies and their shareholders are all facing bankruptcy. What
> do you think all the media fuss is about?

"Made" is in the past tense, not the present tense. The reason they're
in bankruptcy now is that it collapsed so fast that they could not sell
the loans that were already approved and funded. Most of these lending
companies sell 100% of their loans, they are in business only for the
fees and points.

> Whatever. Due to the "friendship", however crooked and corrupt, between
> George Bush and one of the primary architects of the current suffering
> and misery, don't expect Arnall's fortune to be diminished by a single
> dime, no matter how many families are ruined by his actions. Taxpayers
> are currently even paying his salary. What a great fucking country, eh?

Yep. First we bailed out the S&L crooks that got rich from Reagan's
deregulation of the banking industry, now we are suffering again from
the lack of regulation in the mortgage industry. The bandaids are
already making it worse. Lowering short-term interest rates further
devalues the dollar, plus it lowers interest rates paid on savings, plus
it increases oil prices, plus it lowers stock values.

The place to put your money when a Republican is president is in Euro's.

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 2:26 pm
From: "231" <231@alok.com>

PaPaPeng <PaPaPeng@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:25:17 -0800, SMS ???. ?
> <scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>> What's so strange is why the banks weren't taking the initiative to
>> renegotiate these loans, i.e. lowering payments by stretching out the
>> term, or lowering interest rates--anything to keep the buyer from
>> defaulting.
>
>
> That's because the banks and the investment houses don't actually own
> the original mortages. The banks and IHs may be the third, fourth or
> higher level owners of investment certificates. These investment
> certificates are based on the perceived value of the certificates
> issued by another (4) financial institution who may have valued their
> certificates they issued based on the investments they bought from
> someone else (3 &2). The original loan company(1) no longer owns the
> mortages it sold to bank (2) that bundled them into an investment
> block of subprime mortages.
>
>
> To get down to the roots of the problem a housing loan company issues
> loans. Its sales personnel hype subprime loans because their earnings
> and the loan company's is based on the size of the loan not the
> borrowers' ability to service the loans. These subprime loans are
> given on a higher interest rate to justify the risk. Some loan
> company or bank then bundles the loans together and sells them to a
> another bank or IH as a single unit of investment. The attraction is
> that its unlikely all of the loans will default at any one time. This
> will average out the good ones and still pay a good return. A key
> point to remember is that the original loan company no longer owns the
> mortages. The home owner has never met the new entity that he makes
> his monthly payments to.
>
> In good times this works. The primary owner of these bundled
> investments borrows money from another bank or IH using these subprime
> bundles as security. The figures look good and the lending bank is
> only too happy to lend to a large borrower who looks very capable of
> paying back the interest and the principal. The bank has a " loans
> issued" asset that is bringing in earnings and its own book value
> increases. This allowing it to borrow from other banks or to issue
> more loans. That's what banks do. And so on as loans multiply
> "assets" along the banking-financial system we have an economic boom.
>
> Now when the subprime cirsis broke the company holding the real
> mortages cannot pay the interest on the loans it borrowed from the
> banks to buy these bundled mortages. It goes belly up. At last
> count more than a hundred housing loan companies went belly up.
> "Since late 2006
> 189
> major U.S. lending operations have "imploded"
> http://ml-implode.com/
>
> The lending bank's only recourse is to seize the bundled mortages to
> recover its loans. This bank is not in the housing loan business. It
> will have trouble sorting out which mortage is in default, which one
> can be rescheduled and which can be foreclosed. It doesn't know what
> these mortages are actually worth now. The next bank that or the IH
> that accepted the bundled subprime certificates and invested in them
> doesn't even have the recourse to sieze the mortages. All they have
> are pieces of pretty paper. They can't force the issuing institution
> to make good and therefore drive them into insolvency and the investor
> loses all.
>
> If you can't follow the explanation so far neither can the banks and
> FHs and they have no idea of what they will eventually lose for they
> have no idea of what they do or do not own that is solvent. Morgan
> Stanley took a $3.7 billion write off. CITIGroup is in for $15
> billions. Everyone is waiting for more banks and FHs to announce
> their losses and that's only the first round. Revised figures are
> expected to be worse. In the UK the Treasury was foolish enough to
> try to rescue Northern Rock

You've mangled that utterly. The problem with Northern Rock isnt that
they bought any of those securitized sub prime loans, the problem is
that they were borrowing on the short term money market and lending
on medium and long term mortgages and when the short term money
market dried up as a result of the sub prime fiasco, so that no one was
interested in lending anything in the short term market because they
had no idea who was about to incur billions of losses in due to those
securitized mortgages turning to dog shit, Northern Rock's source of
funds drived up.

> and may have to write off UK pounds 23
> billions (USD 47 billions) of tax payers' money.

No they wont. Northern Rock wont go down if the UK taxpayers provide the
cover for the lack of short term money and the nervous depositors who pulled
their deposits out when the problem with the sub prime fiasco became obvious.

> http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/23/northernrock.bankofenglandgovernor
> (follow the back articles at the bottom of the current one) .

Pity you cant actually manage to comprehend what those are saying.

> Governments and banking agencies have to unsnarl the banking system first.

Thats easy enough to do, and they have done that by providing that short term
money that no one else is prepared to provide because it isnt clear who is holding
much of the paper that has turned to dog shit as a result of the sub prime fiasco.

> Unsnarling individual mortage holders will have to wait.

They wont ever be unsnarled. Those who were stupid enough to get
sucked into loans that they couldnt possibly repay by lying about their
capacity to pay will default. In spades those who could barely manage
to cover their ARM payments at the sucker rates, when those sucker
rates end and they get to double or triple the interest rate they are paying.

> For more reading on the subprime and coming economic
> crisis go to Asia Times online at http://www.atimes.com/

The same mindless hysterical hyperventilation happened during the
most recent melt down in asia and it didnt in fact affect anyone but asia.

> Among the many excellent articles Mogumbo Guru writes
> hunorous articles on a serious subject and provides a good
> insight into financial and economics you won't get elsewhere.

Pity it hasnt helped you any.

> sample: THE MOGAMBO GURU
> More than 'sheets' hitting the fan
> We're talking about banks' balance sheets, and the numbers
> seem so horrific that we are suddenly thinking about banks
> going belly up. (Nov 20, '07) Full article in
> http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/IK21Dj01.html

Taint gunna happen, you watch.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: The Funeral Industry's vultures
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/94da65dee9d3d272?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 1:27 pm
From: donquijote1954

Just like the vultures benefit from the Law of the Jungle, the Funeral
Industry profits from some laws no less Darwinistic, and it engages in
eating the most vulnerable, ie. the old and infirm...

Case in point is how they sold to my mom a mausoleum package that
included her burial as well as my own burial --without me knowing! So
now that my mom passed away, I will not be able to sell it because
it's two continuous units and nobody would buy it.

How could there be a law that allows such injustice I don't know, but
I suspect it's all about money. Some well paid foxes --the lawyers--
wrote the law. And the vultures --the salespeople working on
commission-- can only be happy with it. How can an old lady defend
herself against such crafty, hungry predators?

I tell them to transfer my mom to a single unit, and they want to
charge me something like $2,000. I may as well jump with the sharks or
alligators. At least they eat out of need, not out of greed.

The vultures...
http://www.liv.ac.uk/~sdb/Safari-2001/Images/457%20Vultures%20kill.jpg

Sorry, I put the wrong ones... ;)
http://www.dignitymemorial.com/DignityMemorial/Home.aspx?id=Home

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote

== 2 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 1:28 pm
From: donquijote1954

Just like the vultures benefit from the Law of the Jungle, the Funeral
Industry profits from some laws no less Darwinistic, and it engages in
eating the most vulnerable, ie. the old and infirm...

I tell them to transfer my mom to a single unit, and they want to
charge me something like $2,000. I may as well jump with the sharks or
alligators. At least they eat out of need, not out of greed.

The vultures...
http://www.liv.ac.uk/~sdb/Safari-2001/Images/457%20Vultures%20kill.jpg

Sorry, I put the wrong ones... ;)
http://www.dignitymemorial.com/DignityMemorial/Home.aspx?id=Home

WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
http://webspawner.com/users/donquijote

== 3 of 3 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 2:23 pm
From: gina <@troy.ln>

donquijote1954 wrote:
> Just like the vultures benefit from the Law of the Jungle, the Funeral
> Industry profits from some laws no less Darwinistic, and it engages in
> eating the most vulnerable, ie. the old and infirm...
>
>snip
I had a distant relative that was taken advantage of over the death of
of his wife.
They took the home and later resold it for around a 1,000 times the cost
for the funeral. The relative didn't get a dime of it of course. This
was back, in the early 70's.
It isn't as cut and dried as it sounds. The funeral home did a number of
deceptions and frauds. I didn't find out about it until a year after the
event.
They were very old and very susceptible to con artists and swindlers.
A couple of brothers sold 100 acres to a timber company because the
State raised the taxes beyond what their SS would cover. They asked the
timber company representative if 600.00 was too much. The guy whipped
out his personal checkbook and gave them what they asked. This guy has a
real conscience. His Employer is just as much a saint. This was in the
eighties.
Many times a Developer will come into an area he wants and will
influence the Development Commission/Council Members etc to change the
zoning and thus the taxes, as a way ,to force the sale of the property,
at his price. It's the same corruption as with imminent domain by
Developers through local/state/federal governments. If you have a valued
Natural Resource the Developers will be making contributions to your
Elected Representatives reelection campaigns and making promises.
The world is full of swindlers and liars and politicians.
You cannot trust many people and any business if they smell a easy victim.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: frugal identity theft protection?
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/7e3186bd31e81d7b?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 2:47 pm
From: "Mike M."

<frugle.ng.benalt@xoxy.net> wrote in message
news:d316521a-b6a3-44a7-a059-551cd4c90e24@s36g2000prg.googlegroups.com...
> Hello,
>
> I called up Equifax to put a fraud alert on my ssn and they
> automatically forward the request to the other credit agencies. It is
> on for 90 days and I had the option of 7 years. What happens is that
> anyone applying for credit using your ssn is informed of the fraud
> alert and you can specify your phone number that they can call to
> confirm it is legitimate. I was wondering what the down side is to
> having a fraud alert on yourself as it seems generally to be a frugal
> way of protecting yourself from scammers etc. It may not be perfect
> (they said that it won't help you if someone changes an address on an
> existing credit card or something for example) but it sounds helpful,
> though I imagine that I must be missing something...?
>
> Regards.

I'm not sure about Equifax's product, but I have been bombarded with email
offers from Experian (made the mistake of signing up for their free 30-day
trial offer - what an ordeal to cancel) regarding their security "freeze"
product.

It's not really a fraud alert (which is bad, implying you currently are/have
been a victim of fraud), rather a service that prevents creditors from
accessing your credit file without first obtaining permission (usually via a
PIN ) directly from you. Apparently once you provide the creditor(s) with
the PIN (say you are applying for a mortgage/auto loan/cc) they will then be
able to access your credit report. That aside, no one else (other than
yourself) can access your credit file.

But it' not a free service - requires one-time fee and an additional fee
each time you "unfreeze" your file (I think for a 7-30 day period.) And you
have to do it with each agency individually - does not automatically apply
to the other two reporting agencies. I don't have any such services, but I
did sign up for the (free) opt-out service with all the credit reporting
agencies. May or may not help regarding fraud, but it did cut way back on
junk mail received...

Mike

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Combo bargain at Waffle House
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/74dad7c1a517d7ff?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 3:07 pm
From: clams casino

Ate at Waffle house last week. Two eggs with toast & hash browns were
$3.10 plus $3.59 for a side of country ham at $3.59 = $6.69.

The eggs & country ham were listed at $6.90.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Black Friday Shoppers = Fuckin Morons
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/e65b4a82e62cae7f?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 3:17 pm
From: bb90125@yahoo.com

What is wrong with these people? Half of them aren't even out there to
shop. They only go out just because it's Black Friday and they figure
they'll join the crowd of other mindless sheep who let the media tell
them what to do. Fucking Idiots!

== 2 of 2 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 4:04 pm
From: "Joe"

<bb90125@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:7395f21e-541b-4778-baad-9b63bb654ad2@i29g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> What is wrong with these people? Half of them aren't even out there to
> shop. They only go out just because it's Black Friday and they figure
> they'll join the crowd of other mindless sheep who let the media tell
> them what to do. Fucking Idiots!

PV?!? Is that you?
--

Joe in Northern, NJ - V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"
http://yunx.com/valk.htm

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg

Hillary Exposed:
http://tinyurl.com/2v4avg

==============================================================================
TOPIC: Free Book: Dismantling Cancer
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/f16fc986d6dec8b2?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 4:30 pm
From: "TheBestFreebies.com"

Request to be mailed a free copy of the book, "Dismantling Cancer"
by Francisco Contreras, MD.

--
The Best Freebies

All free products are available at http://TheBestFreebies.com/ and
are intended for families, businesses, and individuals residing in
the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

==============================================================================
TOPIC: www.200836.com---tanksgiviing day gift
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/cbce9aad201f47f6?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 4:37 pm
From: h200836@yahoo.cn

The website www.200836.com was aimed at that all the people in the
world can buy Olympic souvenirs anywhere anytime
The website www.200836.com was exclusively authorized by BOCOG to sell
licensed products of the Beijing Olympics
if you want to know any information about 2008 beijing Olympic
games ,please contact me or visit :
my website--www.200836.com
MSN:feiallen@hotmail.com
e-mail:sales@200836.com
yahooID:feiallen@yahoo.com.cn
QQ:846233546
Skype:a200836
ICQ:391836515
or leave your e-mail or msn-number or other contact methods
we can e-mail our souvenirs-list to you

==============================================================================
TOPIC: 24-Hour Fitness?
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.consumers.frugal-living/browse_thread/thread/c3ef45567d04c75d?hl=en
==============================================================================

== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 4:40 pm
From: The Real Bev

Local (less than a 1/4-mile away) is offering a Thanksgiving-weekend
membership special -- $600/person/3 years and then $29/year/person
thereafter. Spouse gets the same deal but at $500/3 years. The place has
been there for at least 5 years, looks decent, and we are able to go at
off-hours. I figure we can get the same rate after this weekend just by
being willing to walk, but I'm wondering if we can do any better price-wise.
A 24-hour facility several miles away also has a pool and spa if we feel
like riding our bicycles there.

We're only interested in the machines, not the classes --we deal with
aerobics on our own. I looked for reviews in misc.fitness.weights and
elsewhere and the biggest bitches seemed to be about the slobs who sweat all
over the machines and didn't wipe them off -- a requirement of the
establishment which is apparently not stringently enforced at some facilities.

Anybody have opinions?

--
Cheers,
Bev
---------------------------------------------------
Don't you just KNOW that there is more than one
Sierra Club member who is absolutely sure that the
dinosaurs died out because of something humans did?

==============================================================================

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Frugal Living

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Friday, November 23, 2007

24 new messages in 10 topics - digest

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