Service Snitch: Consumer Reports, Buying Guides, Prices and Fees

Site Information

Affiliates

Storage Facilities: Your Loss Is Their Gain

Thousands of years ago, mankind had no need for storage facilities. None of us had anything more to carry than a hunk of flint and the spare loincloth, after all, and so we got along just fine on our own. Today, we're born into more than we can ever carry, and we don't stop buying, receiving, inheriting, and accumulating until we die. Since we have limited alternatives when our possessions outgrow our living space, and since throwing away or selling our belongings may not always be desirable, storage providers have scrambled to fill the void…and maybe make a few million dollars while they're at it.

Continue reading Storage Facilities: Your Loss Is Their Gain

Posted by admin on 12/29 at 05:53 PM - 0 Comments

Carpet Cleaners: Sucking Your Wallet Dry

Carpet cleaners have found themselves a happy spot, indeed. While their business practices are often every bit as dirty as those of plumbers and electricians (laborers who, despite their shared blue-collar image, boast far more training and expertise than carpet cleaners), public perception of the industry—or, rather, a complete lack thereof—has put carpet cleaners in the perfect position to clean up. How do they whisk away the stains that sully the reputation of other in-home workers? Well, we do the work for them. Anyone can tell a horror story about being exploited over a flooded basement or a faulty circuit breaker. Being exploited over a dirty carpet, on the other hand, does not make for scintillating dinner party conversation.

Continue reading Carpet Cleaners: Sucking Your Wallet Dry

Posted by admin on 12/29 at 05:41 PM - 0 Comments

Friday, September 01, 2006

Stock Brokers and Dealers in Financial Products: Tricks of the Trade

Save a few stragglers holed up in the mountains somewhere, few people nowadays go through life without investing money one way or another. Most of us have long-term financial goals in mind when we invest, such as retirement or our children's college education, and we pin our dreams for the future on stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other investments. For most individuals, even professional financiers, trading is done exclusively through a broker.

Continue reading Stock Brokers and Dealers in Financial Products: Tricks of the Trade

Posted by admin on 09/01 at 01:58 AM - 0 Comments

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Car / Auto Mechanics: Putting a Dent In Your Wallet

When you're looking to get your car serviced or repaired, you have two options: the vehicle dealership or an independent shop. As always, the choice involves a trade-off: independent shops usually charge a bit less than their dealership counterparts, but there's also less accountability and no dealer warranty. But no matter which lot you pull into, you'll run into the same time-honored tricks over and over again. In this article, we'll tell you what you need to know when dealing with auto mechanics, and what you have to do to protect yourself.

Continue reading Car / Auto Mechanics: Putting a Dent In Your Wallet

Posted by admin on 08/31 at 11:34 PM - 0 Comments

Mortgage Brokers: Banking On Your Money

The word “mortgage” is derived from a French word meaning “death pledge.” By contrast, today we see the mortgage as a dull and tedious fixture of everyday life. Few people buy new homes without mortgages, after all, and almost everyone takes out a mortgage at least once in his or her life. But beneath their ho-hum exterior lies a danger worthy of their sordid translation.

Continue reading Mortgage Brokers: Banking On Your Money

Posted by admin on 08/31 at 12:29 PM - 2 Comments

Wedding Planners (Bridal Consultants): Wedded To Your Wallet

Many of us women dream about our wedding day long before we even meet the man we will marry. From the time we are old enough to grab a few white sheets from the linen closet to wrap around our heads, we plan and perfect our wedding all the way down to the last petal. But when the moment finally comes years and years later, we often find that we don't have the time, the resources, or the know-how to realize our perfect vision on our own. With a huge emotional and financial investment at stake, many of us decide to place our trust - and our bank account - in the hands of a professional: the wedding planner.

Continue reading Wedding Planners (Bridal Consultants): Wedded To Your Wallet

Posted by admin on 08/31 at 12:26 AM - 1 Comments

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Optometrists / Eye Doctors: Seeing Profit

No part of the human body is more frequently taken for granted than the eyes. Vision is the first sense we rely upon to interpret our surroundings, but because our eyes are so essential to even the most mundane of our activities, we often forget how important they are, and don't always think to seek the best care for them. Even though eye care is arguably the most prevalent specialty of the medical industry, somehow we often forget that, too. After all, almost everyone will have to visit an optometrist at some point in their life, something that can't be said of orthopedists or podiatrists.

Continue reading Optometrists / Eye Doctors: Seeing Profit

Posted by admin on 07/22 at 09:52 AM - 0 Comments

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Corporate / Business Lawyers: Passing Your Buck

Corporate lawyers are typically the most talented in their field. Their prices are staggering, but so are the stakes: your company's profits, reputation, or survival. Most business decision-makers know little about the field of law and are not in a position to debate the merits of their law firm’s decisions. The fact that attorneys are experts in the art of intimidation also does not help matters. When you question one of the lawyer’s decisions, the response often involves a condescending barrage of legal terms, ending with a question about whether you’d like to lose your case, have your merger fail, pay more taxes, etc.

Continue reading Corporate / Business Lawyers: Passing Your Buck

Posted by admin on 07/20 at 11:37 AM - 0 Comments

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Caterers: Unappetizing Pricing

Catering is expensive. At some point or another you will be in charge of planning a very important special event and most likely you won’t be able to prepare and serve food for dozens or hundreds of hungry people. Caterers know that and won’t let you forget it. Because there is not necessarily any relationship between the price you pay for catering and the quality of the food or service, it is your duty to do a little investigation in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Continue reading Caterers: Unappetizing Pricing

Posted by admin on 07/12 at 10:52 PM - 0 Comments

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Used Car Dealers: Driven Towards Profit

In America, car dealers are not simply easy targets for mistrust, they are universal ones. Indeed, the only figure more loathed than the new car dealer is the used car dealer. By no means are all used car dealers crooks, but enough of them are to warrant suspicion for the entire industry. Too many victims of fast talking and shiny smiles will break the bank for a broken-down car while the salesman pockets the difference. So how can you tell an honest dealer from a crafty scam artist? How can you secure a safe, reliable used car for a reasonable price?

Continue reading Used Car Dealers: Driven Towards Profit

Posted by admin on 07/11 at 01:47 PM - 0 Comments

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Computer Service and Repair Centers: Fixing Until You’re Broke

When your computer slows down or stops working, you will frequently need to bring it in for repair. Your options will be either a chain store like CompUSA or Best Buy, or a local computer store. The process of repair begins the same way – you bring your ailing PC down to the repair location, where it is checked in. You leave with a receipt and the promise that you will be contacted with an estimate for the cost of repairs.

Continue reading Computer Service and Repair Centers: Fixing Until You’re Broke

Posted by admin on 07/08 at 12:10 PM - 0 Comments

Friday, July 07, 2006

Day Care / Child Care: Minding Your Money

In an age where both parents work 40 hour weeks, many families require child care. Child care is a booming business, but like any business, consumer exploitation and dangerous cost-cutting are rampant in facilities nationwide. So when selecting a child care center, what are you supposed to look for and what are you supposed to look out for? How do you keep your child safe from getting sick, hurt, or worse, and how do you keep yourself safe from getting ripped off?

Continue reading Day Care / Child Care: Minding Your Money

Posted by admin on 07/07 at 02:55 PM - 0 Comments

New Car Dealers: Driving Your Money Away

Car salesmen, like politicians, have become accepted in our society as a necessary evil. Their duplicity is accepted by the general public with a yawn and a shrug of resignation. But unless you want to stroll down the freeway every morning, you will have to deal with them.

Continue reading New Car Dealers: Driving Your Money Away

Posted by admin on 07/07 at 10:22 AM - 0 Comments

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Funeral Directors: The Morbid Truth

Many syndicates profit off of human suffering, such as therapists, pharmaceutical companies, and Haagen-Dazs. But profiting off of human death? That is the foreboding province of funeral directors. The death business is a remarkably lucrative industry, mostly because of the staggering 100% market penetration of death. Nothing may be certain except for death and taxes, but it's much easier to cheat on your taxes.

Continue reading Funeral Directors: The Morbid Truth

Posted by admin on 07/05 at 02:41 PM - 1 Comments

Cosmetic Surgeons: Enhancing Your Costs

In the beginning, Adam and Eve cheerfully romped through the Garden of Eden as bare and unabashed as all the other beasts. Man and woman were content with and even grateful for whatever flesh God had given them, and the Lord saw this, and it was good. One fateful day, however, the vile Serpent who lived in the Garden—later confirmed to be Joan Rivers—tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden Tree of Vanity. They did so, and afterwards, they looked upon themselves and saw they were ugly, and they were ashamed.

Continue reading Cosmetic Surgeons: Enhancing Your Costs

Posted by admin on 07/05 at 10:41 AM - 0 Comments

Page 1 of 2

1 2 >

Sponsors

Search

Categories