Michael Finney's Consumer Blog

Did you get a prescription filled you never asked for?

The LA Times says investigators are looking into allegations that CVS pharmacy filled prescriptions nobody asked for. CVS says that's not its policy.

Consumers could get paid from e-book settlement

Good things come to those who read... money. An e-book settlement could put money in your pocket. The State Attorneys General sued five of the nation’s top publishers -including Apple - accusing them of fixing the price of electronic books. Three of the publishers are agreeing to a settlement saying a lawsuit would be too expensive to fight. If this agreement is approved by the courts, consumers who bought their books will get money back.. sometimes more than a buck a book. Of course there are a lot of details and fine print.

Here is where to keep up on what's going on:  https://ebooksagsettlements.com/

 

A secret way to get a bargain online

 When you are shopping in person you can always haggle over the price. Online, not so much... but there is a way to get a better deal: abandon your shopping cart. It is a not-so-well-kept secret that many online retailers will email discounts to those who fill up a basket and then don't follow up with a purchase.

Back to school sales guide

Back-to-school is big business and you can tell that by walking through a mall or flipping through a newspaper. The back-to-school deals are already popping up. For outbound college students there seems to be a rush on getting all your college and dorm room supplies TODAY! Slow down, take a breath and read this article from dealnews, it puts it all in perspective.

Wi-Fi tracking: Are your favorite companies following you?

When surfing the Internet you are being watched... closely. Now a similar technology is being rolled out that will do the same tracking in real life. The Wi-Fi on your smartphone is allowing companies to follow you around, then report back what you've been up to. It is not as exact as online tracking, but The Wall Street Journal reports that kind of accuracy may not be too far behind.

Has your Best Buy account been hacked?

Our friends over at The Consumerist are asking this question: Has your Best Buy account been hacked? "Have phantom orders been placed using your Best Buy website account that you had nothing to do with? Since the wee hours of this morning, we've heard from two separate readers who write that their accounts and credit cards were used to order downloadable content that was delivered to another person's email address."

Details --> http://consumerist.com/2012/05/has-your-best-buy-account-been-hacked.html

 

The big box stores next frontier

Best Buy has announced it is closing another 50 of its giant stores, but that doesn't mean the retailer plans on going away. Best Buy says it will continue to build its huge stores when necessary, but is looking more towards smaller neighborhood stores. Best Buy is competing with online retailers by bringing its merchandise closer to its customers. Best Buy isn't the only big box retailer to think small is good. Walmart is now expanding into urban neighborhoods and small towns with smaller stores. other major retailers are following the same retail road. Soon there may be no reason to drive across town to get the best deals.

GameCube owners better move fast

Attention GameCube owners! On April 3rd your game becomes 'vintage'. Why? On April 2nd Game Stop will no longer accept the trade of GameCube systems, games or accessories.

Quick tips to make your wardrobe last

Gasoline isn’t the only thing going up in price. Clothing jumped nearly 5% in January alone. With increases like that it is important to make your clothes last. Apparel Strategist is an online business journal of the US apparel and textile industry. It recently laid out some simple tips to follow if you want to keep the clothes you have.

Here are three.
1 Follow care instructions, they are not a suggestion, but a necessity.

2 Washing items inside out helps reduce fading.

3 Hanging up most clothes will make them last longer.

AT&T slowing down smart phones on purpose

Can AT&T really slow down my smart phone just because I use it? I get that question fairly often these days. Here is an answer from the courts. A Judge says it isn't fair for AT&T to sell a consumer an unlimited plan and then purposely slow down his phone because he uses it. AT&T ordered to pay $850.

>>Here's more info: http://consumerist.com/2012/02/man-sues-att-for-throttling-his-iphone-service----and-wins.html