So you suspect your health/auto/home insurer is run by the devil, but you’re not sure whether the alternative you’re considering is any better. Kiplinger Finance has posted a helpful article on how to find the complaint ratio of an insurer via the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ website. Update: here’s how to file your own complaint.
Check Your Financial Health In Two Minutes
By August 26, 2009
Is there anything more entertaining than having a website assign a letter grade to your financial status? Yes, but whatever it is, it would likely involve spending money you don’t need to spend, at least not if you want to get a good grade. Unlike in-depth financial evaluation tools, Money’s “Your Financial Health” widget just asks for big picture numbers that you can probably enter without needing to open up your budget or spreadsheet app—so it only takes a couple of minutes for you to find out how worried or proud you should be.
AloofDoof Sends Alerts When Ads You Like Appear On Craigslist
By August 19, 2009
Reader Sedo just sent us a link to aloofdoof.com, a website that lets you set up keyword searches on Craiglist. We haven’t tested it, but it appears to be similar to WishRadar for Amazon. Sedo writes,
Sears Customer Service Runaround Results In New Sander
By July 13, 2009
Can we tag a story “above and beyond” if the customer service cycle is so screwed up that it eventually works out in the customer’s favor? When jpodbuild tried to get his Craftsman sander repaired or replaced, he couldn’t get anyone on the phone who could actually help him—eventually he would end up back at the first number he’d called. He decided to show up in person and let the store manager handle the phone calls. New sander!
Four Financial Tools All New Parents Need
By June 27, 2009
The baby’s on the way! You’ve got a crib, toys, and a rapidly approaching delivery date. So what else you do need? Kiplinger shares the four must-have financial tools that no new parent should go without…
By June 19, 2009
Use this calculator to figure out just how much paint you need for your room. [MyHomeIdeas.com via Lifehacker]
TOSBack Keeps Track Of Changes To Terms Of Service Policies Around The Web
By June 8, 2009
It’s difficult enough to parse a lengthy TOS for one web-based service, let alone for dozens, or to keep track of when and how they update them. It would be nice if some public-service website out there would keep track of this stuff for all of us, wouldn’t it? Last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) did just that with the launch of TOSBAck.org, “the terms-of-service tracker.” It tracks TOS agreements for 44 different services, including Facebook, YouTube, Amazon, Twitter, and eBay.
Reach Real Customer Service Faster With GetHuman's iPhone App
By June 5, 2009
Gethuman, the awesome website that lists shortcuts to help find your way past automated menu trees and reach live people, now has a free standalone version for iPhone and iPod Touch owners. [gethuman]
By June 5, 2009
The next time you’re looking at hotels online, try www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com. Our readers recommend both sites for helping you figure out which hotels you’re being offered on Priceline or Hotwire. (Thanks to bohemian and picantel!)
Check For Unredeemed, Matured Government Bonds
By June 3, 2009
A PR person just contacted us on behalf of the U.S. Treasury Department to point out that there are $16 billion in unredeemed bonds that are no longer earning interest. “Specifically, there are 40 million Series E savings bonds purchased between 1941 and 1978 that are over 30 years old and therefore have fully matured. They can be cashed out today for at least four times their face value.”
Buy American? Sure, If You Can Afford It
By May 27, 2009
Is it possible today to buy U.S.-made goods in mainstream, reasonably-priced stores? The answer, ABC’s John Donvan learned while reporting a “Nightline” story to be broadcast tonight, is a rather emphatic “no” when it comes to clothing, and otherwise “maybe.”
By May 18, 2009
If you own a G1 phone from T-Mobile, Google has added a special barcode scanning feature to its Product Search page just for you. Yeah, you’ve already got other barcode scanning apps, but this one integrates with Google’s search functionality so you can scan and see product search results in Google immediately. [Phandroid]
Convert Your Favorite Snack Into Sugar Cubes
By May 5, 2009
This website displays photos of soft drinks, smoothies, candy, and even vegetables next to little piles of sugar cubes that represent the total sugar in them. This is a great service, because if you ever go into space you can simply use this site to pack a baggie full of an equivalent amount of cubes. Then you can enjoy your Space McFlurry without worrying about liquid contamination of the spacecraft.
By April 23, 2009
If you have an iPhone or a G1, Google has just announced a new version of their Product Search specially formatted for those phones. Here’s a video demonstrating how the mobile version looks and functions. [Google Mobile Blog via IntoMobile]
Sears Clarifies Craftsman Tools Warranty
By March 25, 2009
Earlier this month, we noted how a reader was having trouble getting Sears to properly honor the lifetime warranty on his Craftsman tools. Now David Figler, a vice president of the company, has responded and said, “We stand behind the warranty—complete satisfaction—period.” Below is his email, and a portion of the memo he sent to Sears stores on the matter.
Brian Manages To Replace His Rusty Craftsman Sockets At Sears
By March 16, 2009
When we broke off from our Sears Craftsman warranty saga last Friday, Brian had been told there were no replacements on tools that have rust on them, which wasn’t what Sears told us the last time we had warranty questions. Over the weekend, Brian found more evidence that Sears can’t get its warranty language straight. But there’s some good news, too: he dressed up a little, cleaned off the sockets, and went back to Sears. This time he got a different associate who seemed to have no problem swapping out the tools, and who never mentioned the supposed “three per day” rule.
Gazaro Rates Gadget Sales Based On Historical Price Data
By March 16, 2009
If you’re shopping around for a TV, computer, camera, or other consumer electronics gadget, you may want to add Gazaro to your online toolbox. The service, which is free but requires registration, tracks items that are listed on sale, then rates the sale price by comparing it to the item’s pricing history. It’s an easy way to quickly scan a list of current sales and see which ones are actually good deals. We like it, but there are still some areas that could be improved.
