Welcome Mat (Wipe those feet!)

I’m a nice guy (and former longtime consumer reporter) who just can’t abide people and businesses who take advantage of me, my family, my friends, or the general public. As this blog grows we’ll be discussing scams, ripoffs,  bad deals, false or misleading advertising and the like. In other words…things that make us want to SCREAM and contact our local Better Business Bureau.

Remember…this is a discussion. That means we welcome all comments which aren’t personal attacks, libelous in nature, or just plain hateful.

Citi Cards = Shitty Cards

For those following the Mordue/Arpin moving disaster saga, this is actually the next installment. It’s the tale of a spastic plastic issuer which goes by the name Citi Cards (as in Citibank and Citigroup). If you are a Citi Cards customer…consider this fair warning if you have a payment dispute. If you’re not a Citi Cards customer and you receive an application in the mail or see one in a magazine, I have one word of advice. Run.

More Mordue/Arpin Lies

VP Andy Perring of Mordue Moving & Storage (Arpin Van Lines) has chosen to respond to my complaints to the Better Business Bureau and Illinois Attorney General by not only lying, but committing libel.

The Worst Move–EVER. A Warning.

The following is a letter I just mailed to a Mordue Moving and Storage in Illinois, Arpin Van Lines, and three regulatory agencies:

When “Do Not Call” Means “Feel Free to Call”

I imagine that, unless you’re a glutton for the worst kind of punishment, you signed up on the Federal Trade Commission’s “Do Not Call” registry long ago. As soon as the registry opened I signed up my parents’ land line and my cell phone. If memory serves, I have never been bothered by a telemarketer on my cell. Yet my mom gets multiple calls a day, at least 5 days a week, on her land line.

Gold (Don’t) Rush

Holy cannoli. Did you know that GOLD IS SOARING! That’s the “second coming” headline in a full-page ad in many newspapers this week. The folks paying for said advertisement: United States Rare Coin & Bullion Reserve. They tell us “…Americans everywhere are protecting their money by transferring it into the trusted security of U.S. gov’t gold.” Are your cousin Hank or your next-door neighbor doing it? Funny, neither are mine.

To Coin a Phrase:

The Curmudgeon is back (after a little hiatus). And he’s got yet another coin deal that’s making the papers. In other words, another one for you to pass up.

Free Credit Report (*)

Everyone loves a catchy commercial tune. For decades studies have shown that, if the tune stays in your head (no matter how good or bad it is), it’s an incredibly effective marketing tool. That’s why you have to give kudos to the ad agency that came up with the ditties for Freecreditreport.com.

Cramer Vs. Cramer (Vs. Stewart)

Last night’s battering of money guru Jim Cramer (CNBC, thestreet.com) on The Daily Show was an event which, if it had been a boxing match, would have been stopped well before the final round. If you saw it, you know Jon Stewart eviscerated Cramer, CNBC, and many CEOs, money managers, and financial journalists and commentators. He used a damaging “private” video of Cramer seemingly toeing or crossing the line of market manipulation, and exhorting others to follow suit.

Land of the Free (Plus Shipping, Handling, & Fees)

Just when you thought you were safe from another coin come-on, cue the “Jaws” music. The predators are at it again. We’ve got yet another newspaper ad carefully designed to look like a news story.

A “Safe” Investment? NOT.

Count your blessings and your money, gang. Those saviors of our savings, the folks who brought you the gold-gilded $2 bills, have come up with a new investment extravaganza for us. Yes, the World Reserve Monetary Exchange is offering something that’s so compelling…how could we refuse? One word…easily.