Articles

Dear Consumer Ed:  I had a bill that went into collections. Now that I’ve paid it in full, will this continue to negatively affect my credit?

Dear Consumer Ed:  If I ask questions about an old debt that might have expired, will that make it active again? I’m not sure what the original debt was for before it was sold to a debt collector, and I need to find out the date the debt was incurred.

Dear Consumer Ed:  Since my original apartment lease expired, I am on a month-to-month lease. Can my landlord increase the rent by $150/month with only eight days’ notice?

Dear Consumer Ed:  Once your car is repossessed, how much time are you given to pay the overdue amount before your vehicle is sold? Also, how long does a repo company have to wait before getting rid of any belongings you left in the vehicle?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I have an old student loan debt that I defaulted on in 2004. It is still on my credit report. I thought the statute of limitation on debt was six years. Don’t they have to remove this from my credit report by law? Also, is a collection agency still allowed to garnish my wages for this?

Dear Consumer Ed:  Can a grocery store sell meat and other food without a date on it?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I need to get some more contact lenses, but my vision has changed since my last eye exam. I’ve heard about online and remote exams and thought this could be a convenient way to get a prescription while minimizing my risk of exposure to Covid-19. Are these exams accurate and legitimate?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I dropped my car off for an estimate at the repair shop, and they want to charge me an $80 diagnostic fee. They never disclosed this fee beforehand. Is this legal?

Dear Consumer Ed:  Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, my landlord has been forcing residents to pay their rent online, which incurs an $18 to $30 fee. Is this legal?

Dear Consumer Ed:  Is it legal for pharmacies and doctors’ offices to require me to provide them with my date of birth? I’m told they can’t look up my file without it, but it seems like I’m giving out my DOB on a daily basis and I worry about identity theft.