This is the same product sold at different prices. In one case, Dr. Leonards catalog sells the "Barber Magic" hair trimmer for humans is $12.99. But if you want to use it on a dog, it's only $7.99. Freakonomics tells us this is an example of "price discrimination." I'm just glad there's now a less expensive option for getting out my burs, mats, and tangles.

Just don't share your toothbrush [Consumer Reports via Freakonomics]

Ric Romero Reports: Battle Of The Dishwashing Detergents

How To Haggle

• Be open and friendly in your discussion with the salesperson, ask for them to "work with you" on the price
• Be discreet, don't broadcast to other shoppers that you're getting a deal
• Escalate to a manager if the salesperson isn't empowered to make a decision
• Do your research so you know the fair price to ask for
• Be creative, ask for free shipping
• Offer to pay cash so they don't have to pay a credit card transaction fee

Consumer Reports Calls You A "Pushover" For Buying The Extended Warranty Sales Pitch

Not surprisingly, the car dealers who sell the extended warranties disagree. A spokesman for the National Automobile Dealers Association likened the warranties to insurance for which, of course, policy holders as a group pay more than they get back to protect against the rare problem that is ruinously expensive.

Extended Car Warranties Are A Ripoff

Consumer Reports Top Auto Picks 2008

Here are the cars Consumer Reports says are standouts in 2008 for "performance, versatility, reliability, and safety."

Small Sedan: Hyundai Elantra SE ($18,000)
Midsized SUV: Hyundai Santa Fe ($27,000 to $39,000)
Luxury Sedan: Lexus LS 460L ($77,000)
Family Sedan: Honda Accord ($22,000 to $31,000)
Upscale Sedan: Infiniti G35 ($33,000 to $35,000)
Fun To Drive: Mazda MX-5 Miata ($27,000)
Small SUV: Toyota RAV4 ($23,000 to $30,000)
Minivan: Toyota Sienna ($24,000 to $37,000)
"Green" Car: Toyota Prius. ($24,000)

A good starting guide if you're looking to pick up a new car this year.

Top Picks 2008 [Consumer Reports]

The Secret Lives Of Consumer Reports Secret Shoppers

Stacking pints of ice cream on the floor of the supermarket is bound to make the stocker mad. You can't tell him that you're a Consumer Reports secret shopper and that you just need to make sure you get nine pints that came from the same production line on the same date. So Jon goes into his "Rain Man" routine, and starts chanting, "Count the vanilla, count the vanilla, gotta count the vanilla," and the eventually the stocker goes away. Such are the exciting times and lives of the 94 brave men and women who go undercover as everyday consumers to buy the products that get taken back to the Consumer Reports testing facilities, often concocting cover stories to explain, for instance, why they're buying five different kinds of washing machines at once. WIRED has the story.

[via BoingBoing]
(Photo: Getty)

AT&T Reps Don't Know Own ETF Policy

8 out of 12 AT&T customer service reps don't know their company's own early Early Termination Fee (ETF) policy. Consumers Union, publishers of Consumer Reports, called up AT&T to inquire about the policy and got several different answers. Some said that the ETF was halved after the first year of contract, while others said it went down each month. In fact, while AT&T has talked about switching to a pro-rated ETF, they haven't yet. Whether you cancel service 1 month into or one month before the end of contract, it will cost you $175. Consumers Union called the other major cellphone providers too, and they gave out the right information. Couple this news and the story yesterday about reps giving out wrong information about upgrading to a new iPhone locking you into a new two-year contract, and it plum looks like AT&T has a serious front-line rep training problem.

AT&T Sales Reps Gave Wrong Info On Termination Fees In Test [Smart Money via DSLReports]
(Photo: epicharmus)

Hi-Def TVs Cost Drops 40%, Quality Up

Looking to upgrade to a hi-def TV? Now is the time, says Consumer Reports. Price are down as much as 40% and quality is up. They tested a whole bunch of TVs and rated as Best Buys the Sony Bravia KDL-46S3000 $1900 46-inch and Toshiba Regza 42HL67 $1,150 42 inch LCD TVs. Based on their surveys, repair rates have been very low, and so they still recommend skipping the extended warranty.

TV Stars [Consumer Reports]

Best Internet, TV, Phone Service Providers

Lots of companies are pushing deals for their bundled internet, tv and phone plans, but which are best? Consumer Reports surveyed its readers and here's how they ranked the service providers:

Overall rating / Company / Rating for Internet / TV / Phone
250 Verizon FiOS 84, 84, 82
222 Bright House 75, 69, 78
222 Cox 74, 69, 79
221 Verizon/DirecTV 73, 74, 74
221 Qwest/DirecTV 72, 74, 75
221 AT&T/Dish Network 72, 70, 74
214 Cablevision 72, 65, 77
208 Time Warner 71, 63, 74
199 Comcast 66 ,62, 71
188 Charter 61, 59, 68

Despite occasionally setting a house on fire, Verizon FiOS is clearly tops, while Comcast and Charter are scraping the bottom.

Internet, TV, phone [Consumer Reports]

Top 12 Most Gas Saving Cars

Consumer Reports tested some new compacts and a sporty car and found twelve cars with the most fuel efficiency. Some of them even bring in numbers close to what the best hybrids can offer.

Rank / Car / MPG (overall / city / highway)

12. Mini Cooper S 30 / 22 / 38
11. Mazda3 30 / 21/ 42
10. Kia Rio5 SX 30 / 23 / 36
9. Hyundai Accent GS 30 / 23 / 36
8. Honda Civic EX 31 / 22 / 40
7. Honda Fit automatic, base 32 / 22 / 43
6. Toyota Yaris automatic, base 33 / 23 / 44
5. Honda Fit Sport 34 / 26 / 39
4 .Toyota Yaris, base 34 / 26 / 42
3. Toyota Camry Hybrid CVT 34 / 28 / 41
2. Honda Civic Hybrid CVT 37 / 26 / 47
1. Toyota Prius CVT 44 / 35 / 50

(Photo: Getty)

$40 Coupons For Digital TV Converter Boxes

If you have an older TV, you may be eligible for two $40 coupon good for the purchase of two digital converter boxes starting Jan 1, 2008. The boxes will probably cost $50-$70. New federal mandates will require all TV signals to go digital and that means you need to get a digital box, buy a digital TV, or subscribe to cable or dish-based programming if you want to watch TV after February 17, 2009. After the first of this year, you can get your coupons by calling 1-888-DTV-2009 or visiting dtv.gov.

ConsumerReports has more info about what this all means and which kinds of TVs you'll need the converter boxes for.

12 Least Satisfying Cars Of 2007

Here are the 12 cars drivers enjoy owning the least, according to a Consumer Reports survey of its readers, which asked, "Considering all factors...would you get this car if you had to do it all over again?

Rank / Model / % Satisfied
12 Chevrolet Aveo (sedan) 44
11 Ford Ranger 44
10 Mazda B-Series 44
9 Ford Freestar 44
8 Chevrolet Aveo (wagon & hatchback) 44
7 Chevrolet Equinox 41
6 Jeep Grand Cherokee (V6, gas) 41
5 Chevrolet Colorado (4-cyl) 40
4 GMC Canyon (4-cyl) 40
3 Bucik Terraza 34
2 Saturn Relay 34
1 Chevrolet Uplander 34

Bigger vehicles seem to dominate the list, perhaps their lower fuel economy leaves drivers sore at the pump in the face of rising gas costs.

Individual Insurance More Horrific Than Employer Plans

Consumer Reports' investigation found that, in comparison to employer offered insurance, individual insurance sucks and it's expensive. Here's the results of their survey, published in the January issue, asking consumers about their experience with both types of insurance.

Individual / Employer
71% / 53% Overall complaints with coverage
55% / 81% Insurance covered most costs
52% / 29% Premium is too high
45% / 31% Postponed needed medical care because of costs
41% / 28% Deductible is too high
26% / 16% Does not adequately cover costs of doctor's visits

Without fail, individual insurance is a much rawer deal than employer insurance, bad news for early-retiring adults, the unemployed, and the self-employed.

Amazon Pulls Fisher-Price Medical Kit After CR Lead Report

Consumer Reports deconstructs the ad for "restless leg syndrome" drug Requip in this amusing video. Restless Leg Syndrome, while a real condition, affects less than 3% of adults, but the ad offers a vague enough definition that it could apply to anyone. The ad does warn against some of the side effects, like nausea, diarrhea, drowsiness while driving and increased gambling and sexual urges. Consumer Reports tells us that in one Mayo clinic study, two people with no previous gambling history took it and subsequently went to lose over $100,000 in gambling. But, hey, at least their legs weren't restless underneath the roulette table.

Finally, an antidote to TV drug ads [Consumer Reports]