Articles

Dear Consumer Ed: My daughter is starting college in the fall. I want her to build up her credit. How can I help her choose the best credit card?

Dear Consumer Ed: I purchased a car from an auction and have since changed my mind about the car.  Can I return the car and get a refund?

Dear Consumer Ed: I saw an advertisement for radon testing. Do I need to have my home tested? How can I be sure that the person I hire to test and/or remedy any problem is reputable?

Dear Consumer Ed: If you enter into an agreement with a collection attorney to pay off a debt, can they charge interest per year?

Dear Consumer Ed: I received a letter from a private consultant offering to dispute my property taxes with the county. The value of my house has declined significantly in the last year and it is now worth much less than what the property tax bill shows.  Should I accept this offer?

Dear Consumer Ed: Is there a time limit as to how long from the time of service a company can bill someone?  For example, I received a service in 2006 and was just now billed in 2011.

Dear Consumer Ed: My 2006 car with 63k miles on it suddenly has a defective air bag floor harness.  The dealer wants $2700 to repair it.  Research shows this is a widespread problem with this vehicle, yet the manufacturer has not issued a recall.  Is there any recourse?

Dear Consumer Ed: 

Dear Consumer Ed: Last week I used my debit card to pay for $35 worth of gas.  The next day when I went to buy groceries, my card was declined.  I called my bank and discovered that the gas station had placed a $100 “hold” on my account, reducing my account balance to nearly zero.  Are they allow

Dear Consumer Ed: Can a vehicle recovery (repo) company hold the contents of the vehicle “hostage” for money? The finance company pays them to recover, so why should the company be allowed to take advantage of a consumer who has already suffered the blow of losing his car? Is this legal?