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bad consumer
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Gas
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bad consumer
fuel
The 11 Least Fuel Efficient Hybrids
A hybrid vehicle might be more fuel efficient than the non-hybrid version of the same car, but some hybrid vehicles can get as few as 19mpg. Check out this list of the least fuel efficient hybrid vehicles before you head out to the dealership. More »
gas pumping myths
Pump Gas In The Morning To Save Money? Nah.
Consumer Reports wants you to know that it's OK to sleep in, because you're not going to save money by pumping gas in the early morning. Why not? More »
gas prices
Sign Of The Times: $100 "Pay At The Pump" Limit
Reader Paul sends in this photo of a sign he saw at a gas station in Texas. First people were upset that gas stations were putting "outrageously high" holds of $100 on their cards when they paid at the pump. Now $100 is just the most you can buy at the pump without going inside and having them swipe your card. Sad. More »
shopflifting
Always Print Your Gas Pump Receipt As Proof Of Purchase
You probably wouldn't try to leave a retail store without a receipt, but you might not think about it when you're at the gas pump—after all, it's not like you're going to bring the gas back for a refund. But a reader points out that you should always have your proof of purchase just in case you end up in an awkward situation:
I pulled out of the lot, turned left, and I wasn't more than 200 yards away when a cop comes up behind me, lights flashing. I knew I couldn't have been speeding so I was genuinely confused. He said the woman at the United Dairy Farmers said I drove off without paying for gas.More »
gas prices
Oil Prices Drop, Sadly
The price of oil dropped $2.19 today, to $117.91, spurring a stock market and dollar rally. Sounds like good news. Except that it's dropping because the market thinks more people won't be able to afford to drive their cars as much. Who's up for a "staycation?"
Oil Prices Tumble Again; Stock Markets Surge [NYT] (Photo: hanapbuhay)
suvs
Ditching Your Gas-Guzzling SUV Could Be More Expensive Than You Think
SUVs are worth so little that it could take 15 years for a more fuel efficient vehicle to pay for itself in gas savings. Before rushing to trade-in your gas-guzzler, do the math and make sure it isn't economical to hold onto your unfashionable behemoth. Here are three questions to consider... More »
spirit
Spirit Airlines Drops $10 Fee For Ordering Tickets Online
As quietly as it came, the $10 "web convenience fee" Spirit levied for the favor they were doing you by letting you book online, has gone. The fee no longer appears in Spirit Airlines' contract of carriage. A small victory for common sense, though they'll probably just figure out a way to make it up somewhere else. How about $5 fee for takeoffs and landings?
[via BudgetTravel] (Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas)
gmac insurance
GMAC Insurance: Drive Less, Pay Less
People who drive fewer than 15,000 miles per year can save 13-54% on their GMAC insurance premiums under a GMAC Insurance's new Low-Mileage Discount. All you have to do is opt-in to let OnStar monitor your mileage. The average annual vehicle mileage is about 12,000 miles, according to the Department of Energy's Annual Energy Review '06, so it looks like most people with GMAC insurance and OnStar could save under OnStar’s Low-Mileage Discount Program. With the need to save every dollar on your car, this could be a good program for eligible drivers to check out by calling 1-800-GMAC-123 or going to gmacinsurance.com.
chrysler
For Chrysler, A "Full Tank Of Fuel" Is An "Additional Feature"
Reader inkjammer would like to let you know that Chrysler thinks of a full tank of gas as an "additional feature" — albeit a free one. More »
pain at the pump
Expert Says Gasoline Prices Could Drop To $3.50 Per Gallon By Labor Day
According to Phil Flynn, Vice President and Senior Market Analyst at Alaron Trading, gas prices nationwide have been recently reduced about $.05 per gallon and he says this is just the beginning. He predicts that gas prices could go down to $3.50 a gallon by Labor Day (Sept. 1st). More »
Midwest Airlines is cutting 1/3 of its flights. [620wtmj]
spirit airlines
Spirit Airlines Charges $10 Fee For Ordering Tickets Online
One of the major points of having your customers order online is supposed to be that it makes it a more efficient and convenient process for everyone. Not so at Spirit Airlines, which is now charging $10 roundtrip extra fee if you order your tickets online. They're calling this the "web convenience fee." More »
overcharged
Sorry, We Don't Know Why Our Pump Is Overcharging You
Reader Matt says he bought gas from a Sunoco station in New Jersey, but the price advertised didn't match the price he was actually charged. He even "double checked" to make sure there wasn't a separate price for cash vs credit. Matt says he tried to resolve the dispute with an employee, but that the employee "just kept saying he doesn't know why it's happening. So I just snapped a picture and left." What should Matt do? More »
free gas
What Would You Do For Free Gas?
Reuters has a wrap-up of some of the wackier gas-related stories of recent weeks, including the Nevada Brothel's free-gas-card offer, a church that's holding a weekly $50 gas card drawing during mass, and an Orlando father who pledged to name his baby after local radio hosts in order to collect a $100 gas card. There's also some gas thieves in Mesquite, Texas, who are siphoning from church vehicles, but that's not so much a "wacky stunt" as a type of criminal "preemptive charity." (""All he had to do was come and ask us and we would have bought him a tank of gas," said the pastor of one church.) More »
funny
Visine Would Cost $1,021 If You Bought By Gallon
You cringe over the price of a gallon of gas, but what about a gallon of Visine? An article in the September issue of ShopSmart shows that if you bought the eye drops by the gallon, the price would be $1,021. Steak sauce? $48. Secret Platinum, $189. Obviously, no one buys Visine by the gallon, except for maybe Cyclops (hey, that stick still burns). Similiarly, except for hobbyists, no one buys a dropper of gasoline. And there are cost-savings by selling and buying items in bulk. Still, makes you think...
ShopSmart [Official Site]
