Jobless and Faceless

Consumer News • Consumer First Alert: You canceled your trip. Can you get your money back?

2020-06-21T10:09:02-06:00

WBAY.com - 6/19/2020 - Tammy Elliott - Frustrated viewers have reached out to Consumer First Alert about not being able to get refunds for trips not taken during the coronavirus pandemic. The Better Business Bureau received more than 53,000 complaints and reviews about this issue between March and May. Travel is the top coronavirus-related consumer complaint.Read more @ https://www.wbay.com/content/news/Consu ... 71431.html

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Sun Jun 21, 2020 10:09 am

Consumer News • The best direct-to-consumer kitchen knives in 2020: Made In, Material, Brigade, Aura and more

2020-06-15T20:34:04-06:00

Cnet - 6/15/2020 - David Watsky - The best kitchen knives aren't necessarily the most expensive, but it is true that high-quality knives are one of the most important purchases you'll make as a chef -- regardless of your experience or expertise. Sure, you'd be wise to have some pieces of quality cookware laying around, and a few well-placed kitchen gadgets help too, but it all starts with good, sharp knives. Think about it: There are very few recipes that don't require you to employ the use of at least a chef's knife, so why not have a set of really sharp knives that feel good in your hand? Read more @ https://www.cnet.com/news/the-best-dire ... s-in-2020/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Mon Jun 15, 2020 8:34 pm

Consumer News • Cars Most Likely to Need a Transmission Replacement and What to Buy Instead

2020-06-04T19:29:09-06:00

Consumer Reports - 6/4/2020 - Jeff S. Bartlett - Drivers naturally become concerned about reliability as a car ages, since the risk of inconvenience and unexpected expenses rises while the miles rack up. Most modern cars can make it to 200,000 miles with little more than routine maintenance and minor repairs for worn components. But Consumer Reports surveys show that some models carry a significantly greater failure rate than their peers. Read more @ https://www.consumerreports.org/car-rep ... y-instead/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Thu Jun 04, 2020 7:29 pm

Consumer News • Consumer Reports rates best garbage disposals

2020-06-03T18:54:39-06:00

AZ Family.com - 6/3/2020 - With most of us spending more time at home and in the kitchen, trash is piling up. A good way to de-funk things is to put less garbage in the can by using a disposal. Consumer Reports says a good garbage disposal pulverizes your food waste so that you can simply rinse it away. It just finished testing models that should make cleaning up your kitchen a lot easier. Read more @ https://www.azfamily.com/news/investiga ... 329bf.html

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Wed Jun 03, 2020 6:54 pm

Consumer News • Consumer Reports: Tips to make your food last longer during coronavirus pandemic

2020-05-21T19:44:30-06:00

ABC 7 News - 5/21/2020 - Now that we're limiting trips to the grocery store and food deliveries can be few and far between, managing the food we already have is more important than ever during the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to a recent study, the average American household throws away nearly a third of the food it buys. Consumer Reports tells how to cut back on waste by keeping the food we buy fresher for longer. Read more @ https://abc7news.com/7-on-your-side-foo ... s/6202834/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Thu May 21, 2020 7:44 pm

Consumer News • Best New Cars for City Driving Our top picks are easy to park, and they prioritize safety and fuel economy

2020-05-19T20:51:14-06:00

Consumer Reports - 5/18/2020 - Keith Barry - So you’ve decided to add a car to your city lifestyle. But which one should you pick? City dwellers need to take some special considerations into account when they choose a vehicle, whether it’s for making a reverse commute, shopping in the suburbs, or escaping to the country on weekends. If you’re buying a car to drive and park in the city, you’ll want: Read more @ https://www.consumerreports.org/new-car ... y-driving/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Tue May 19, 2020 8:51 pm

Consumer News • Consumer bureau draws fire for pro-business tilt during crisis

2020-05-17T13:38:49-06:00

Politico - 5/16/2020 - Katy O'Donnell - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is relaxing rules designed to shield Americans from abuse during the coronavirus crisis, saying the moves are necessary to give businesses flexibility during the pandemic. But with the agency facing an unprecedented wave of consumer complaints as millions of laid-off workers deal with their creditors, lawmakers and consumer advocates charge that the bureau is exploiting the crisis to further a pro-industry agenda. They’re demanding that it set aside all rulemaking unrelated to the crisis and take a more forceful stance toward businesses that could use the chaos to rip off consumers. Read more @ https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/1 ... sis-261394

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Sun May 17, 2020 1:38 pm

Consumer News • Coronavirus meat shortage: Freezing, defrosting dos and don’ts

2020-05-06T19:24:09-06:00

Fox Business - 5/6/2020 - Ann Schmidt - Meat processing plants in the U.S. are slowing production or stopping completely because workers are contracting the coronavirus, sparking fears of a meat shortage. To avoid running out of meat -- or even just to avoid having to go to the grocery store too often -- you can freeze your pork, chicken or beef. But there are specific techniques to follow, according to a report from Eater. Read more @ https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/c ... -practices

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Wed May 06, 2020 7:24 pm

Consumer News • A big drop in used car prices means this could be a good time to buy

2020-04-21T19:18:54-06:00

Consumer Affairs - 4/21/2020 - Mark Huffman - Granted, there’s no place to go if you’re working from home in a semi-lockdown situation. But if you think you’ll need a car or truck in the months ahead, industry experts say this may be an excellent time to buy. A report from Manheim, a subsidiary of Cox Automotive, shows that wholesale prices for used cars and trucks fell 11.8 percent in the first 15 days of April, compared to the first half of March. Year-over-year, the index that tracks wholesale prices was down nearly 10 percent. Read more @ https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/a- ... 42120.html

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Tue Apr 21, 2020 7:18 pm

Consumer News • Consumer tip: Online security when working remotely

2020-04-20T18:56:14-06:00

Marin Independent Journal - 4/20/2020 - Many of us are working remotely during the COVID-19 outbreak. Doing so ensures we’re doing our part to slow the spread of the virus. For those who can successfully telework, there are new concerns we should all be aware of in order to protect our online security. Start by following your employer’s security practices, as your home is now your office. Your home network router should be secured by encryption, which scrambles info sent on your network. If you don’t have this available on your home router, you may want to replace the router. Read more @ https://www.marinij.com/2020/04/20/cons ... -remotely/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Mon Apr 20, 2020 6:56 pm

Consumer News • These Are The Consumer Trends Currently Energised And Paused By Coronavirus

2020-04-06T18:11:32-06:00

Forbes - 4/6/2020 - Paul Armstrong - The constant hum of media updates and fickle, panicky populations make for a rough combination for businesses right now. The COVID-19 pandemic is paralysing strategic decisions at every turn but knowing how to navigate uncertainty is there is help to make decisions in times of uncertainty. Read more @ https://www.forbes.com/sites/paularmstr ... 586ab618cb

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Mon Apr 06, 2020 6:11 pm

Consumer News • Consumer use of pay-advance services rises amid layoff fears

2020-03-26T20:03:36-06:00

TB&P - 3/26/2020 - Ken Souza - Just like businesses are trying to secure financial life-lines, consumers who have early access to pay are tapping it more readily in the world of COVID-19 concerns, according to Jeanniey Mullen, chief innovation officer at DailyPay, a fintech company based in New York City. “We have definitely seen more businesses realize the value of the daily pay benefit. Some businesses that were in the process of getting set up with DailyPay asked to expedite the process so their employees could leverage the benefit during the height of the pandemic,” Mullen told Talk Business & Politics. Read more @ https://talkbusiness.net/2020/03/consum ... off-fears/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Thu Mar 26, 2020 8:03 pm

Consumer News • Choosing a VPN for Added Internet Security

2020-03-24T19:53:31-06:00

Consumer Reports - 3/23/2020 - Bree Fowler - Whether you’re working from home as a result of the coronavirus threat or just spending more time online, you may want to consider using a virtual private network, or VPN. A VPN, which is software you typically download, routes all the data sent to and from your computer or smartphone through its own server. That keeps anyone watching the traffic from knowing which sites you’re visiting. It can help mask your identity and location from snoops, too. Read more @ https://www.consumerreports.org/interne ... -security/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:53 pm

Consumer News • Avoid Coronavirus While Riding a Rented Bike or Electric Scooter

2020-03-20T04:34:46-06:00

Consumer Reports - 3/19/2020 - Ryan Felton - More cities across the U.S. have announced measures in recent days to limit the movement of people as a way to combat the spread of COVID-19: from school districts temporarily closing to restaurants being open only for take-out or delivery. If you live in a city, you might also be taking steps to avoid public transportation, where large groups of people can congregate. Indeed, in New York City, subway ridership has drastically fallen in recent days as fears of the novel coronavirus have spread. Read more @ https://www.consumerreports.org/electri ... c-scooter/

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Fri Mar 20, 2020 4:34 am

Consumer News • Warring Algorithms Could Be Driving Up Consumer Prices

2020-03-09T20:14:16-06:00

Harvard Business School - 3/9/2020 - Kristen Senz The widespread use of pricing algorithms is reshaping the nature of competition in online markets and potentially driving up the prices of retail goods, according to recent research. These automated, price-adjusting software programs may also be catching the eye of government regulators and antitrust authorities, who fear they could ultimately harm consumers by raising prices above typical competitive levels. Read more @ https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/warring-algo ... mer-prices

Statistics: Posted by McFurd — Mon Mar 09, 2020 8:14 pm