Michael Finney's Consumer Blog

Free all-natural sweetener

Finney's Friday Free Stuff: This is one sweet deal. Sun Crystals sweetener.

Sign-up for your free samples

This giveaway is not conducted by 7 On Your Side. If there are technical problems or issues with the product, concerns should be directed to the offering supplier.

NOTE: More freebies to come! Watch ABC7 News at 5PM for Finney's Friday Free Stuff.

Free Nescafe gourmet instant coffee

Finney's Friday Free Stuff: Instant coffee smackdown! Nescafe calls out Starbucks with their free gourmet instant coffee.

Taster's Choice gourmet coffee single-serve sample pack

This giveaway is not conducted by 7 On Your Side. If there are technical problems or issues with the product, concerns should be directed to the offering supplier.

NOTE: More freebies to come! Check the blog again at 3PM!

Don't fall for the debt collector scam

Conmen are calling homes claiming to be debt collectors. Consumers are told they owe a bill and must pay up or be sued. Many receiving these calls are so in debt they assume they owe the money, some actually pay. Others know they don’t owe, but if the amount is small enough, pay it to avoid a hassle. The advice from here is simple: get control of your finances and don’t pay a bill you don’t owe.

Property tax scheme is back again

Get your property tax bill reduced for a small fee. Sounds like a deal, but it is a rip-off! As property values drop, so do many tax bills. By law, tax assessors must lower your bill if your home has dropped below the assessed value.  The bad guys know that and send out letters offering to help you get your property taxes reduced… for a fee. Don’t fall for it.

Assessors drop the tax bills automatically or if the homeowner still thinks they are paying too much they can ask for a reappraisal, all free of charge. One reason this scheme works so well is the envelopes these offers come in -- they are often designed to look like they were sent out by the government.

This latest scheme was first spotted in southern California 

Why restaurants want you to drink iced tea

Does it seem like restaurants are pushing their iced tea? There is a reason for that, they are! Iced tea is listed first on the beverage list, the server suggests iced tea and the beverage often comes in a much bigger glass than other drinks. What’s up with that? Money! Restaurants can make iced tea for as little as five cents a glass, so if they can get you to buy one, they are on their way to increased profits.

Have you noticed, too, that more and more restaurants aren’t bringing you water unless you ask? The hope is if you are thirsty you will ask for a beverage that costs money rather than drinking the free stuff.

Airfare war expands!

Airfare War expands! More great deals. Now American Airlines is offering $25 flights. When booking check all the other airlines too.

www.aa.com

How to spot a fake Twitter account

How to spot a fake Twitter account -- there’s more to it than just “who is following who."

Story from Online Journalism Blog

Southwest heats up airfare wars

This has been a slow moving airfare war, but most airlines have been rolling out cheap prices, now Southwest has jumped into the fight with flights for as little as $25!  There are deals from every location. Oakland to Las Vegas for $50 is one example. 

The website is hard to get through, but worth the effort.

www.southwest.com

Web giants take on Nigerian e-mail scams

Major tech companies are working with the authorities to finally start shutting down the Nigerian e-mail scam operations. Whew, about time!

Read the story at the Times Online

What recession? Oakley sells $4,000 sunglasses

$4,000 sunglasses go on sale today! Recession, what recession?! Oakley is releasing a new line of sunglasses made out of high-tech materials that take dozens of hours of labor.

I know you are going to want to buy these, so here’s more information from USA Today.