Should you hire a consumer advocate? 3 questions to ask
Here’s a familiar come-on: If you have an intractable problem with a business, you can “utilize our years of experience fighting fraud” to get a fast refund.
Problem Solved
Problem Solved is a weekly consumer column that fixes reader problems. From broken laptop computers to faulty kitchen appliances, nothing is off limits for this feature. Each story brings a fresh problem and solution in an engaging and succinct Q&A format.
A Territory Ahead gift certificate left behind
When Ed Probst tries to redeem an 11-year-old gift certificate, the company stonewalls him. How do you get a business to honor a debt from 2001?
Errors of omission: 3 tips on how to avoid a disclosure scam
They say the devil is in the details. Moyosore Otepola would probably agree.
Maybe DirecTV let this Genie out of the bottle too soon
Steve Lipscomb upgrades to a DirecTV Genie set-top box. But it doesn’t work right, and now the company won’t let him out of his contract or allow him to downgrade to his old box. What now?
5 summer travel scams no one warned you about — but should have
Watch your wallet while you’re on vacation.
Verizon won’t honor its “Triple Play” gift card offer
Steve Schuster signs up for Verizon service after it offers a bonus of $200 in prepaid Visa gift cards. But the plastic is never delivered, and now Verizon is refusing to pay. What now?
Surrounded by impostors, what’s a consumer to do?
You’re surrounded by fakes. The clothes you wear could be fake. The money you use? Not real, maybe. Even your “friends” on social media are sometimes fake. What’s a consumer to do?
Nissan dealership won’t honor its warranty on my used car
Reed Scott buys a lemon from a Nissan dealership. Now it won’t cover the repairs for the malfunctioning car. Can it do that?
Don’t be fooled by fake electronics: 5 tips
Ever had a “duh!” moment that you regretted for years to come?
Help! My Facebook account’s been hacked
Jan Walker’s friends are getting emails from someone else pretending to be her. Now Facebook has gone into radio silence and won’t help her shut down the impostor account. How do you get rid of your evil online twin?