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• Insurance industry participates react to Dateline's story on annuity sales practices
  • Insurance Industry Smears Dateline 

• This happened near the end of 2007: DirectBuy Acquired By Trivest Partners . What does it tell us about Trivest Partners? Nothing good!

• Be afraid ... be very afraid ... of Millennium Bank Kingstown Ponzi Scheme 

• American Airlines Dealfinder Is A Stinker 

• Why I dis Ralphs Supermarkets 
• I suggest you Avoid American Express Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card 
• Delta Airlines Snubs Nose At Sweepstakes Laws 

• Usbank Misstates Checking Account Advance Interest Rate 

• D M Bashor  aka Dana Bashor

• Traveling to Hawaii? Here's my Maui Reefdancer Recommendation .
• As the stories about DirectBuy mount, could this lead to a DirectBuy Demise ?
• Finally, here are my Ata Airlines Gripes 

• Once upon a time, I thought it was worth the effort, but I've had one too many bad experiences. I suggest you avoid them at all costs, because Tracfone Wireless  sucks.

• You must be nuts to pass up this offer. Learn All About Chase Fraud Detector 

• Bank lets you choose? Capital One Gives Customers Control Of Credit Card Overlimit Policy 

• Customer gets a refund of buying club membership fee after a complaint to the District Attorney's office: DirectBuySanJoseMercuryNews20070712 

• Check the Valassis insert in your Sunday newspaper... then read the Designer Checks Expose .

• Learn how Vending Machine Business Opportunity Seller Planet Antares Plays Search Engine Game 

• A new name for an old face in the "vending machine business opportunity" arena: Natural Choice USA bizop is now being marketed under the Planet Antares  name.
• Be very careful about sending money to Millennium Bank Kingstown 

• Join the Allstate Motor Club so you can get a "free vacation"? Maybe this is not such a good idea. Check the personal experiences at Vacation Ventures .

• DirectBuy claims that member satisfaction is "number one" priority. See DirectBuy Wcvb DirectBuy Response 20070522 

• See this great expose about DirectBuy at http://chriswondra.com/2007/03/19/direct-buy-a-consumer-report/ as well as our page here at DirectBuy 

• SkyBiz, an internet-based pyramid scheme cum multi-level marketing program, operated from 1999 until 2001, when it got shut down as a result of regulatory action. Victims may finally see some of their money returned. Last day for filing for a claim, at http://www.skybiz-redress.com/ is 3/31/2007.

• I thought that bankrate.com ought to be the cat's meow for finding the best certificate of deposit rates, but I finally tired of clicking through so many pages to get what I wanted, just so they could display more ads... so I decided to do it myself on a new web site: http://taxexemptbonds.net/BestCertificateOfDepositRates ... yeah, yeah, why this name? well that's a story for another time.

• Watch your mail for Insite Financial Corp Deceptive Mailing 

• Just surfing the web, I found about the incredible Computer Training Center Online Training Course 

• While doing some searches on the FCC-mandated compensation to payphone service providers, I realized there were Liars At The Federal Communications Commission 

• Follow instructions carefully and the call to a toll-free number could result in a $7 charge from Tel Seven  (also known as Tel7 Llc  and Calling Ten  and Caling10 Llc ).

• You'll laugh your ass off when you learn about the Prepaid Visa Acclaim Card 

• Read the Global Exchange Vacation Club Dossier 

• Money Transfers May Not Mean Lost Interest 

• National Magazine Exchange Strike It Rich V Sweepstakes 

• Etrade Bank Demonstrates Quick Transfer Incompetence 

• Publishers Clearing House Evidently Stops Spamming 

• Amazon Price Maintenance 

• Spam Defenders 

• Publishers Clearing House Seemingly Indifferent To Spam 
• Publishers Clearing House Denies Spamming 
• This is hardly news, but we want to spread the word: Publishers Clearing House Is A Spammer 

• Know before you go: Thunderbird Resort Club Getaway Package Reservation Confirmation  and Thunderbird Resort Club Getaway Package Terms And Conditions 

• I received this Demand To Apologize For Pentagono 

• Xerox Free Color Printer Spam 

• Efforts by DirectBuy customers to air their views at http://ratethatcompany.com are thwarted by "message board spam". We've cleaned out the worst of the crud, left the rest for edumacation.com visitors to view at DirectBuy RateThatCompany Comments .

• Learn About National Society Of Collegiate Scholars 

• View the US Bank Service Fees  for your state.

• Numerous lawsuits filed against DirectBuy customers for failure to make payments. Read DirectBuy Lawsuits .

• You too can solve your financial problems with the Power of People Network 

• They don't seem to care that we canceled once, we continue to be charged for membership in Spiegel Privilege Pass .

• Amoco Bp Expired Dormant Card Fee 

• Spam has been sent soliciting donations for the edumacation.com web site
  • Please be aware that these messages have not been sent by or on behalf of edumacation.com or anyone affiliated with edumacation.com.
  • The messages are being sent using a "botnet" consisting of machines that have been compromised by viruses and trojan horses.
  • By making it appear that edumacation.com is sending spam, the spammers hope to cause harm to edumacation.com (e.g. disconnection by ISP).
  • Please report this using the spam reporting mechanism provided by your internet service provider.

• You could enjoy the benefits of Spiegel Privilege Pass 

• I suggest Some Hotels To Avoid 

• What does it mean? Publisher List Name Entered Here 

• Details about some Permission Based Mailers 

• Why are there so many names for Dropship Design ?
• A look-alike magazine subscription invoice from Magazine Billing Services 
• This page is only a test: Toll Free Phone Numbers 

• The American Airlines web site boasts a "lowest fare" guarantee. To be clear, they are not guaranteeing the lowest fare across all airlines, just the lowest American Airlines fare.
• Why this is best described as American Airlines Lowest Fare Guarantee Is Worthless 
• Notice from Frigidaire warns Frigidaire Dishwashers Costly To Repair 

• Have you ever heard of phishing, tricking people into thinking a message you got is actually from a bank or some other institution where you have an account? If so, you might have a clue that validating the sender of a message is an important part (if not the key part) to thwarting such activity.
• MSN Hotmail has fnally enabled filtering based on the SPF sender id protocol, meaning that businesses that "publish" appropriate sender id records can do something to prevent these fraudulent emails from being delivered to some of their customers.
• It doesn't provide 100% coverage, but the effort is minimal.
• Therefore, I'm adding banks and other institutions that don't create the necessary SPF records to my Clueless Project 

• ChoicePoint File Disclosure Request 

• Let's Learn About Natural Choice Usa Vending Machine Business Opportunity 

• Quest For Energy Efficient Washing Machine 

• Getting The Most From Vision Service Plan 

• We add Better Business Bureau of the Southland to the Clueless Project 
• Frigidaire Warns Purchasers About High Repair Costs 

• Here goes: it's the Clueless Project 

• Buying Club Alert 

• How well are the credit bureaus doing when it comes to Compliance With Fair Credit Reporting Act ?

• Let's gather some information on the membership buying club known as Direct Buy 
• Your elected represenatives want to spam you, if you believe the Voter Emailing Company 

• Just Say No To Popups 

• Watch out for Microsoft Mousetraps 

• Before you get involved with them, you should read DirectPoint Media Llc The Whole Story 

• Sprint gives me some trouble canceling a new cell phone agreement ... they claimed I owed them money even though I had canceled within two weeks... I claim they committed fraud ... Sprint Cellular Service Fraud 
• Why is it that the Arizona Better Business Bureau Blows ?

• Reputable companies sending spam? Zales Jewelers Spam 
• Rate increases starting February 2005 for MCI customers:
  • local telephone company billing: from $2.99 to $3.99
  • long distance directory assistance: from $2.49 to $3.49 per call
  • monthly minimum for most calling plans raised to $6.99 (currently $3.50 for basic plan)
  • arbitrary "carrier cost recovery fee" changed from 1.4% to $0.99 per month
  • new "additional line fee" of $2.00 per month

• Now airing.... ire for Doubleday's Literary Guild Book Club 

• Learn the truth about multi-level marketing: Network Marketing Research Web Site 

• Let's just call it American Express Brokerage Deceptive Practices 
• peculiar Reese Teleservices Prerecorded Call 
• Advertising Standards Around The World 

• Shopping for a new dishwasher and learned that there are Kenmore Dishwashers Unavailable At Sears 
• This company is an authorized dealer for Sprint PCS? National Wireless Solutions 

• Decline the changes in your Citibank credit card, receive a Citibank Phony Termination Letter 

• Big savings for pre-Thanksgiving shoppers? Or is it just a trap? Check out Worst Buy From Best Buy 

• Stayed at the Redding, California Amerihost Inn. Nice enough place. At the end, they add a dollar a day charge for the in-room safe. Their policy is to remove the charge on request. In short, they present you with a fraudulent bill. Various enforcement actions for surcharges not noted at the time of the reservation was made have gone against the hotel. Sooner or later, Amerihost will be bitten on this.

• Nasty popup ad from Vonage Holdings 

• Received telemarketing call about a health care plan from Physicians Health Group  or is it the Haney Group  or was it really from Innovative Producers??

• It occurs to me that some websites offer Silly Promises When Registering 

• I learn about the Americas Schools Program 

• I get some Ameriplan Spam 
• Evidently the Pentagono pyramid scheme is still alive, at least in some parts of the world... see Pentagono Pyramid Persistence 

• Earn money when you open a checking account, learn about Etrade Banking Exasperation 

• I enter cell phone hell going to a retailer named Freedom Wireless 

• Such a deal! A Visa card from Plains Commerce Bank 

• Am I over the edge saying that Sears offer of "convenience checks" at a 1.99% APR is fraud? See Sears Mastercard Convenience Check Offer 
• Deceptive mailing from Immediate Funding Inc 
• A lot of people like this place, but I choose to pan Cheesecake Factory 

• I am so tired of every internet site that wants to insert themselves into my computer: on my desktop, start menu, and 16 different places in my browser. I just did an install of Yahoo Messenger, which does all this stuff as the "recommended" default. Now here's my Yahoo Rant 
• Yet another misleading "college aid document" see Educational Assistance Council Opinion 
  • So many things in the mailing are clearly intended to give the impression that this is from a government agency or something like Educational Testing Service:
    • various indicia and other markings on the outer envelope suggestive of a government mailing
    • reference to a "National Policy Center" office located in Washington, DC in the cover letter
    • a claim that "Late applications will not be processed" as if this were some official college aid application
    • a requirement to "certify and attest" to the accuracy of the information provided on the form

• If you've ever purchased a product because there was a manufacturer's mail-in rebate offered, even though it's likely that you received the rebate that was promised, taken as a whole, you should learn Why Rebates Are Scams .

• Phone call offering free stay at David Walleys Hot Springs Resort And Spa 

• Just how much should you expect to pay for Sprint Pcs Free Nights And Weekends ?

• By the calculations used by TracFone Wireless, the typical non-prepaid cellphone service comes with service that includes hundreds of thousands of dollars of free airtime. ... see Tracfone Wireless 
• Woo hoo! California residents are in luck. Apparently, certain "incentives" must be offered to California residents even if they choose not to participate in a trial offer. Details are at Netmarket Free Digital Camera 

• It's just a big whine! If you're a Sprint PCS customer, you should be able to access your account info at http://sprintpcs.com ... if it's after hours and you call customer service at 888-211-4727 and figure out how to get it to connect you to a CSR without giving your cell phone (an adventure in frustration all in itself), and you find out they're closed, they'll refer you to the web site again.
• After calling Sprint Corporation's phone number of last resort, 800-877-5045, they'll tell you it's just the weekly Sunday a.m. maintenance. Which is fine, but if this is scheduled maintenance, there's no excuse that the web site doesn't handle the situation with an appropriate message.
• Sprint Sucks! See Sprint Pcs 

• This change happened last July, but who was paying attention? It's the Att We Say So Fee 

• Couldn't help myself... I ran across some kind of travel business that called it's contractual terms the Funjet Vacations Bill Of Rights  ... it's got a lot more words than you'll find in the first 10 amendments.

• Just try to enter an order online at Office Depot 
• A new web site rating scholarship services? See Educational Assistance Council Opinion 
• Cosmetics class action settlement: http://www.cosmeticssettlement.com/

• Are your investments being harmed by an ongoing Breach Of Fiduciary Duty ?
• Oh for sure don't miss out on the Chase Prestige Credit Card 

• Have you seen a TV commercial for the Senior Security Prescription Plan  that's offered only to a "limited number" of "state residents"? Beware!

• This was a couple of weeks ago, but it's an example of how consumers suffer illegal practices for years before the laws are enforced: Seller of "Girls Gone Wild" Videos Charged: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/12/girlsgonewild.htm

• Technical problems with Officemax Rebates 

• Complete incompetence at Drugstore Dot Com 
• Junk faxer Patriot Travel 

• A personal experience at Best Western Galleria Inn 

• Trendwest Resorts  fined for deceptive practices.

• One of three existing New York Yankees jerseys worn by Babe Ruth was cut up into one-inch squares. Who will join with me to Boycott Donruss ?

• Professional solicitor calls asking for money for the Deputy Sheriffs Of Santa Clara County .

• It seems to be oldies but goodies week here at Cagey Consumer... with solicitations we've seen several times before:
  • Global Publication Service 
  • National Student Financial Aid: Scholarship Scam 
  • Natural Choice Brochure 2003 

• While the suggestions that 50,000,000 Americans who signed up to be put on the "do not call" should give Judge Edward Nottingham a call seem trite, it would be hypocrisy for the judge to decree that the right of citizens to petition the government did not include the right to make their opinions known to the judiciary, by whatever might be the most economical or convenient method that happend to be available to them... so here's his work number: 303-844-5018
• Is there a bona fide free speech question for restricting commercial solicitations made to persons who don't want to receive them? While researching this question, I found an advocate for this position at http://www.toplawfirm.com/faxlaw.html
• That said, the free speech issue has already been decided with regard to unsolicited faxes, see http://www.techlawjournal.com/topstories/2003/20030321.asp

• Cagey Consumer receives Edifi College Financial Aid Services Copyright Violation Notice 

• Recently the FTC has taken action against several frauds commonly promoted on the internet:
  • advance fee loans: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/08/starcredit.htm
  • international drivers licenses: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/08/libertymall.htm
  • credit repair services
    • http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/08/nationwide.htm
    • http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/08/fyi0349.htm
  • web site billing fraud: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/08/mercury.htm
  • cell phone radiation protection patches: http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/08/rhino.htm

• Lawsuit filed against California hotels for failure to inform customers of Hotel Phone Charges 

• What's the truth about Better Business Bureau Reliability ?
• It said "Statement Enclosed" on the outside of the envelope from Wholesale Home Lenders 

• Received a solicitation for college financial aid planning from Edifi College Financial Aid Services 
• Did PayPal send an email asking for your the PIN number on your credit card? Did Earthlink claim to lose your credit card info and needs you to go to a special web site to re-enter it? After offering something for sale on ebay, were you asked to use the escrow service http://ws-trade.com ? If you responded to any of these inquiries, you've become a victim.
  • Here's one site about escrow service fraud: http://ws-trade-fraud.pgardner.net/
• The "don't dial 809" quasi-hoax has returned, being spread by local media... see DontDial809Hoax 

• Cross Media Marketing (also known as Media Outsourcing and Magazine Sweepstakes Limited ) settles with FTC for deceptive magazine subscription sales.

• Everybody needs Windows Media Solutions Spyware  on their computer, right?

• Received a lottery email scam, found some interesting warnings from the UK at Lottery Scams  

• Was that an automated call for the One Set Price Business Opportunity Seminar  ?

• Envelope stuffing scheme from Tel Trust  

• Fax spam message appears on the FDA site... read Executive Recruiters Fax Spam 

• Thanks to Publishers Clearing House, I learn about the Instatrim Negative Option Scam 

• USA Gold Credit card offer from Commonwealth Marketing Group 

• A great deal for a great customer... right! Us Bank Payment Skip 

• We Won! Or we would win, if only we agreed to buy a subscription from United Publishers of America 

• Before you buy a vehicle from Ebay Motors, be sure to check out the Ebay Motors Assurance Program .
• Have you been receiving Procter And Gamble Spam ?
• Problems accessing Hotmail? Check Microsoft Broken Redirect Links 

• Become a Mystery Shopper for Mercantile Systems And Surveys ? You decide.

• Solicited by a young girl from Teen Leaders of California, with phone number 877-306-0878 according to the poster she was carrying.
• Professional solicitor calls asking for money for the Deputy Sheriffs Of Santa Clara County .

• Professional solicitor calls asking for money for the Santa Clara County Peace Officers .

• You've read about Hollywood Movie Magic , now read about problems getting them to make good on offers for Movie Cash .
• You've been approved! Your credit card from Consumer Credit Services  is enclosed!

• You're promised free movie tickets with your purchase, but you may have to keep after them in order to actually get them from Hollywood Movie Magic .

• Privacy Notice from AT&T Universal Card aka Citibank
  • I got the latest version of the "privacy notice" for my Visa card. Does anybody want to get telemarketing calls? They could have included the form on the bill, or they could have made it separate but preprinted the account number, or they could at least have allowed it to be enclosed with your payment, or they could have allowed you to opt-out by phone or on the computer.
  • Any of those would have encouraged a higher response rate. So they chose to comply with the letter but not the spirit of the law by making it unnecessarily difficult to tell them that you don't want them selling your data unless they're giving you a piece of the action.
  • Read about your financial privacy rights at http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/privacy/default.htm
  • You can save the stamp by calling AT&T Universal Card customer service at 800-423-4343 to tell them you want to exercise your privacy rights.

• Woo hoo! Career counseling firm promises the moon and the stars for a few thousand of your dollars, settles with the State of Kansas. Unhappy Kansas customers can file for a refund before 10/28/2002.

• It's repeat offenders week at the Cagey Consumer's residence:
  • An invitation from Clifford S. Collins to attend the Natural Choice  seminar in Burlingame, California
  • A familiar-looking magazine renewal offer from Associated Publishers Subscription Services 

• What is J.C. Penney department stores offering in its Sunday ad promising "Ten to Spend"?
  • Read Penneys Ten To Spend 

• Is the fine print always binding?
  • The majority of Americans assume that if someone enters into an agreement, the other party has the right to hold them to it. The FTC found at least one judge who disagrees. Is Fine Print Always Binding ?

For the week of 7/7/2002 - 7/13/2002:

• Can the FTC keep up with all the fraudulent sites? Not likely.
  • At http://www.101funjokes.com/ there's a link promising a free 100 minute phone card.
  • The link takes you to http://www.rewardminutes.com/accessinfo4/ which pops up a notice that offers the "free 100 minute phone card" promising that "no credit card is needed"... but guess what, various charges will be added to your phone bill. Free?
  • Reach these folks at 800-843-1769
• Another "College Aid Application" came in the mail from the Educational Assistance Council ...
  • Their operation clearly depends heavily on making the application look as official as possible.
  • The cover letter warns that late applications will not be processed.
  • The envelope has numerous marks intended to suggest that this comes from an official government agency.
  • The contents does not include the disclaimer by postal regulations.
  • In spite of the fraudulent nature of this solicitation, the Better Business Bureau gives them a "satisfactory" rating.
• America West passengers get moved to American Airlines after making comment about drunken America West pilots.
  • Will America West passengers need to become more creative to play this upgrade game?
  • Suggestions about financial fraud and promiscuous flight attendants may be next.

• Beware the free seminar, it may be a disguised sales pitch:
  • Financial planning seminars focused on senior citizens are a frequently-used scheme to sell annuities that generate high commissions: http://www.naplesnews.com/02/07/business/d769955a.htm
  • Seminars such as those run by Natural Choice  are designed to convince attendees to spend thousands of dollars on a business opportunity.
  • Out of work? If you attend a seminar by a career counseling service, you may hear about how their services can help you. Cost: about $5,000, depending on your target salary.
• Bangalore Magazine published a series of stories about Amway in India in 1998.
  • Links to those articles became broken when Bangalore Magazine went off the web/
  • Thanks to the Wayback Archive, links to those articles are again available at http://cageyconsumer.com/amwindia.html.

• MCI Worldcom accounting fraud
  • The culture of dishonesty had long been shown in MCI's dealings with customers. Isn't it reasonable to expect that if management encouraged lying to its customers, it would also encourage lying to its investors?

• Travel promotion company settled with 15 states over a year ago for questionable practices.
  • Has this caused them to mend their ways? Vermont doesn't think so. They recently filed suit against Cape Canaveral Tour And Travel .

• It's that time of year when students are likely to knock on your door asking for help to win a contest or scholarship.
  • Before you agree to help, read our Youth Field Sales Alert .

• FTC admits difficulties chasing down anonymous web site fraudsters
  • Didja ever notice how caller id never works for those annoying telemarketing calls? That's because the Feds let the telemarketers set up their phone system that way. So if you want to complaint about a telemarketer that refuses to identify himself, you lose. Now the Feds have figured out such anonymity hampers their own law enforcement efforts on the Internet. See http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/05/whois.htm for the whole story.

• Is the government acquiescing to business demands for Government Silence ?
• There's always time for an Att Rant 

• Never mind that National Bank Drafting Systems  thinks San Francisco is in southern California
  • What you really need to know before spending 15 grand is whether they'll back up their income representations of earning a six-figure "executive income" within one year. The answer is "No way, Jose!"
• The FTC publicizes enforcement actions against Etch-a-Sketch and a bogus credit protection service
  • The Cagey Consumer thinks the FTC needs to do a better job... read the Ftc Rant 
• MCI tries to increase revenue on overpriced calling cards.
  • Read more at Mci Rant 

For the week of 4/14/2002 - 4/20/2002:

• An operation that sent out post cards offering credit cards with a $5,000 credit limit, Capital Choice Consumer Credit , has been sued by the FTC.
  • Customers paid Capital Choice hundreds of dollars to activate the cards, then discovered they were only good for buying merchandise offered by the company.
• Class action suit against Hertz for overpriced refueling charges settled, customers get $10 coupons good on future rentals!
  • Good example of bad class action and lame court decisions. Courts, blind to Hertz's unethical business practices, will enable Hertz to protect itself from future claims in exchange for worthless coupons.
• You should be seeing a decline in the number of those Work At Home Signs  on so many phone poles.
  • Beginning 5/1/2002, the company predominantly responsible for those signs will fine reps who post unauthorized signs.

• FTC takes action against fraudulent magazine solicitation practices by Media Outsourcing aka Magazine Sweepstakes Limited 
  • Cagey's comment: According to the complaint, this company has been violating the Telemarketing Sales Rule since April 1997. That's five years they've had to scam people, and it's unlikely anybody will go to jail, nor are consumers likely to see anything more than a tiny recovery of their losses.
• MCI institutes a minimum fee on basic plan customers who signed on because the plan had no monthly fees or charges... read my rant at Mci Complaints 
  • It was only two years ago that MCI eliminated the monthly fee on its basic plan, after a much-ballyhooed effort by the FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/cib/consumerfacts/Lowvol.html [Wayback archive] ... but if you think MCI did this because the business realities made such plans impractical, you might be surprised to learn that MCI continues to offer a plan without monthly fees or minimums.
• Received in the mail, a college aid application from the Educational Assistance Council.
  • This organization has purportedly been operating since 1979. We're not sure how long they've been sending out official-looking mailings, but the U.S. Postal Service should be taking prompt action. Somewhere there's a postmaster that accepts their bulk mailings. A cursory examination of the outside of the envelope should raise enough suspicions for the postmaster to alert the postal inspectors and keep the post office from becoming a co-conspirator in this fraud.

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