Last year I filed through fileyourtaxes.com, a participating company, and everything worked fine. This year, I went straight to fileyourtaxes.com to file again. I entered all my information (taking probably 1 to 2 hours total) and then at the end, after entering everything, I was told I’d be charged $32.75 for my federal taxes and $32.75 for my state taxes. After traveling around the website for a while I finally found a page that said that to use the freefile service, I had to land on their website by clicking a link on the IRS freefile site.
Government Policy
Enviga's Own Study Undermines Calorie Burning Claims
By 2.16.07
The study on which the Coke’s “negative calorie” drink Enviga are based was finally published this month in the journal Obesity. The publication’s editors were quick to question the strength of Coke’s deductions.
Thieves Rip The Doors Off Of A Best Buy With A Truck, Steal iPods
By 2.16.07
“I’ve never seen anyone pull hurricane shutters out like that,” said general manager Ole Goode. Goode said the outside is bad, but inside is even worse.
FTC Asks Court to Order Permanent Halt To Pretexting
By 2.16.07
The FTC asked a district court to announce a forever ban against businesses using false pretenses, or “pretexting,” to acquire customers phone records and then sell them to third parties.
Recall: Salmonella In Peter Pan Peanut Butter
By 2.15.07
Lids of jars with a product code beginning “2111” can be returned to ConAgra for a refund, the company said.
Microsoft Settles Class Action Lawsuit Vs Iowa
By 2.14.07
The Iowa antitrust case gained notoriety for the now famous “If I didn’t work here, I’d buy a Mac” e-mail sent by Microsoft executive Jim Allchin, who is now retired. The Microsoft in-house e-mail from 2004 received some notice after it was released as part of Microsoft’s document production for the case.
This lawsuit was one of the last state anti-trust lawsuits left unsettled, and Bill Gates was scheduled to testify. Alas.—MEGHANN MARCO
RIAA Tries To Avoid Paying Expensive Lawyers By Bullying ISPs
By 2.14.07
“The RIAA has sent out a letter to the ISPs telling them to stop making mistakes in identifying subscribers, and offering a ‘Pre-Doe settlement option’ — with a discount of ‘$1000 or more’ — to their subscribers, if and only if the ISP agrees to preserve its logs for 180 days. Other interesting points in the letter (PDF): the RIAA will be launching a web site for ‘early settlements,’ http://www.p2plawsuits.com”
That’s cool, just bypass the legal system with a scary letter and a website. ISPs aren’t going to fall for this, are they? Comcast? Verizon? Are you there? —MEGHANN MARCO
3 Steps To Sue Telemarketers And Win
By 2.14.07
has successfully sued telemarketers in small claims court and wants to share his secrets with you. For only $195 in filing costs so far, he’s received $6160.00.
Avoid Counterfeit Check Scams
By 2.13.07
Unwitting consumers are falling for a new twist on the old “advance fee scam.” In this variation, a consumer receives what looks like a legitimate check in the mail, either as “foreign lottery proceeds,” “prize money,” or even payment for goods via classifieds (which includes Craigslist and eBay).
Tax Season: IRS Owes You $60 If You Own A Phone
By 2.11.07
The New York Times reports how our victory in the Spanish American War will save you $60 on this year’s taxes. Last year Congress realized that Cuba was no longer occupied by the Spanish Empire. The war, funded by a 3% tax on all long distance calls, is over. No more measly one or two dollar “Federal Excise Tax” on your monthly phone bill. With the empire unlikely to strike back, Congress decided to drop the tax and refund the excise taxes collected over the last three years.
Airline Performance Down in 2006
By 2.9.07
The airlines posted a lower rate of on-time flights and more reports of mishandled baggage.
Warrant Issued For Verizon's Arrest
By 2.9.07
Just before Poodleman filed a motion to seize Verizon’s property, he received a check from the company.
First FDA Approved OTC Weight-Loss Drug: "Alli"
By 2.8.07
An obesity specialist in Washington, Dr. Arthur Frank, said Alli had a safe track record and could help patients lose 5 to 10 percent of their weight. On the negative side, Alli can cause annoying side effects including diarrhea and oily stools.
Texas Sues Sprint For Deceptive Billing Practices
By 2.8.07
The Texas Attorney General today filed suit against Sprint over their false and misleading billing practices.
Identity Theft Tops FTC's List Of Top Consumer Complaints For Seventh Straight Year
By 2.7.07
The FTC issued its annual list of top consumer complaints, with identity theft far outpacing all other categories.
Man Tracks Down And Gets Prosecuted Baggage Handler Who Stole His Camera, Delta Still Won't Refund
By 2.7.07
Delta won’t refund Charles’ money after his camera was stolen from his luggage by a baggage checker, even after he tracked the camera down on eBay and got the thief fired, arrested, and prosecuted.
Free No-Frills Tax Prep Software From H&R Block
By 2.6.07
H&R Block is offering Tax Cut Basic federal tax preparation software to directly compete with TurboTax. It’s free, for a price.
Almost 1 Million Easy-Bake Ovens Recalled
By 2.6.07
Hasbro is recalling 985,000 Easy-Bake ovens due to reports of children’s hands getting stuck inside the oven, resulting in burns and lacerations.
