Articles

Dear Consumer Ed:  I told my mortgage lender that I would prefer to pay my property taxes in full each year instead of having a portion rolled into my monthly mortgage payments and held in escrow. Are they allowed to charge me a fee if I do that?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I am considering purchasing a vehicle from a rental car company. To make sure the car is in good shape, I want to have it inspected by an independent mechanic. However, the salesperson at the rental car company told me that they would charge me a $250 fee for doing that.

Dear Consumer Ed:  How long does medical debt stay on your credit report?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I purchased a brand new car in 2018. In cleaning out my car I found a rental agreement indicating that my car was used as a rental car for the dealership.  When I purchased the car it had about 400 miles on it.

Dear Consumer Ed:  I have frozen my credit with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion to help reduce my risk of identity theft. I just heard that I could be at risk of cell phone fraud because there is another credit reporting agency that keeps data on telecommunications and utilities accounts.

Dear Consumer Ed:  After filling out a feedback form about a fast food restaurant, I received a call saying that I had won a contest. I was asked to provide a faxed form, signed and notarized, along with my Social Security number for tax purposes. Does that sound legitimate?

Dear Consumer Ed:  We were recently talked into purchasing some expensive cookware following a very persuasive demonstration at a neighbor’s house.  We put a significant amount of money down and signed a contract to pay the rest. As soon as the cookware arrived, I realized I had made a mistake.

Dear Consumer Ed:  I make loan payments, which are reflected on my credit report. I pay every month, but sometimes the loan company skips a month and does not report to the credit bureau. Isn’t that hurting my credit, and don’t they have to fix that?

Dear Consumer Ed:  I have an old cell phone that I want to dispose of. How can I do this in a way that will not harm the environment and will prevent others from obtaining any personal information that is or was stored on the device?

Dear Consumer Ed:  By law, is it the landlord’s responsibility to provide a fire extinguisher and smoke detectors in the apartment?