The Savvy Boomer

A Firefox add-on that can save you money

First of all, if you don't use Firefox, you should (you can download it by clicking on the Firefox button in the column on the right in the Software download section.)  It's faster than Internet Explorer, less prone to unwanted advertising and has thousands of things called extensions or add-ons you can choose from that will make your web browser easier and faster to use.  I found an extension a couple of months ago called "Retailmenot" which will give you coupon codes you can use if you happen to be looking at buying something on a site that participates in the program.

What I really like about it is that I had forgotten that I had installed it because I didn't go to to many shopping sites.  But when I did so before Christmas, up popped a little information box that said that there were coupons available for a site I was looking at buying something on.  I clicked on one and ended up saving 15% on my purchase.  Then recently, I went to a music site called Amiestreet to download some music someone told me about and up popped a coupon that gave me a $5 coupon which basically paid for the music download.

Another reason for boomers to consider online shopping

I am making more and more of my purchases online.  In the last year I have bought the following products online: hotel accommodation, airline tickets, clothing, computer peripherals and electronics.  The reasons for me are simple.  I save time, don't have to drive all over town, avoid crowds, can obtain items not sold locally and know immediately whether or not the item is in stock.  On the downside, sometimes it's nice to touch or try on what you are buying but if the comapny allows returns to their local stores, I can always do that if I'm not satisfied.

Consumer Reports recently made the following discovery from a survey they conducted:

"Readers who bought electronics products online were happier than those who bought at stores. That was the case for every product category we have data about. It proved especially true for digital cameras, audio gear, camcorders, DVD players, and digital video recorders."

It makes sense because electronics stores are often out of stock because they have so many products to sell.  If that's not reason enough, have you ever dealt with an electronics store salesperson?  They love geek speak and you always get the feeling that they are more interested in the customer next to you who is looking at a more expensive item.

Click here to read the whole article about the best places to buy online on the Consumer Reports shopping blog.

CANCEL RECURRING ONLINE CHARGES

Source: The Consumerist

Cancel Recurring Charges, Even When They Won't Let You

Recurring auto-biller won't let you cancel your account online?

Update the billing with a non-working credit card.

The next time the auto-bill comes around, the card will come back declined and the merchant will cancel the account.

Reader Timmus uses this trick all the time. To monkeywrench the system, he uses a credit card number of his that doesn't work anymore. If you don't have one, VISA test card number 4111 1111 1111 1111 could work, or even the magic of Google.

Timmus says, "Talking on the phone derails me from other things I need to be doing.  And I don't like caving in to their games."

His letter, which explains a bit more on why he's forced to use this method, inside.

 

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Timmus writes:

"As a home business owner, I find that I'm occasionally unable to properly close accounts online. In some cases it's because the company has intentionally omitted a "Cancel" button from their control panel, forcing me to call and deal with retention (I saw that a few months ago with our RingCentral account). In other cases, you get buffoonery like what I encountered this weekend with Verio, a web hosting service that we dumped a few months ago due to poor performance. Their entire control panel works flawlessly until you try to cancel. Their panel will repeatedly complain that your choice was invalid and to try again. No matter what option I picked or what browser I used, I couldn't go further than this screen. This is not the first time I've seen such shenanigans.

To some of you it's no big deal to pick up the phone and start making calls, but not me. Talking on the phone derails me from other things I need to be doing. And I don't like caving in to their games. So this is when I pull out my standby trick.

Remember that billing control panel that has no "cancel" option but allows you to update your credit card information? You simply replace your real card with a nonworking card number. You can use a long-cancelled card, use the Visa test number 4111 1111 1111 1111, or even Google one up (and I can assure you that most card numbers sitting on Google are dead as doornails, otherwise phishing wouldn't be so lucrative). The next time an auto-rebill rolls around, it will simply come back declined.

That's no biggie; I've been a merchant for 15 years and I see declines all the time.

Nobody cares.  Unless you update your billing information, your account gets closed.

I'd imagine the first reaction of anyone skimming this article might be "Oh noes! Fraud!" However these are all pay-as-you-go accounts where nothing is being provided on credit. By dropping a lemon in the system it simply shuts off the faucet. They close the account, the balance stays at $0.00, and we're all done. The trick has almost always worked for me (except on sites that do Verisign verifications) and in 10 seconds I can rest assured that the account will get closed before the next billing cycle and that I won't have to deal with accidental charges. I don't have to remember to call on Monday and go through the whole cancellation rigmarole -- boom, it's done."

SITES THAT CAN HELP YOU SAVE MONEY

Here are some articles that can help Boomers spend or invest their money a little more wisely.

SELLING YOUR HOME-10 QUESTIONS I ASKED WHEN CHOOSING AN AGENT from Dumb Little Man

25 BEST TRAVEL SITES from Kiplinger

7 TIPS FOR SAVING ON HOLIDAY AIRFARE from USA TODAY

POINTS.COM A website to manage, trade,use and redeem your various mileage and other point plans.

BUYING A CAR ONLINE

I remember about 15 years ago I attended a technical conference where someone talked about something called the Internet.  I was familiar with it because I was using a pioneer service called Compuserve.  People thought I was crazy when I told them I used it to book on line travel.  I told them that 1 day you'll even be able to buy cars on the Internet.  Even though it has been a reality for some time, I didn't know anyone who actually used such a service other than to get information. After reading this user's experience on Techcrunch, it seems like it is now an option to consider when buying a car. The author, Michael Arrington makes a pretty good case for buying a car on line as he details his experience with Cars Direct.  The point about not having to go through the price negotiation sham alone is enough to make me consider this option the next time I purchase a car.  Be sure to read the comments underneath the post as well as other on line car web sites are discussed.

 

 

BEAT THOSE 411 CHARGES

Remember the good old days when you dialed 411 and actually talked to an operator who gave you the number you wanted and if you gave him/her incomplete information, they would try and help you figure things out?  Really?  You do remember?  Then you are at least a BOOMER if not older. Anyway, those days are long gone and not only do you talk to a machine now, you have to pay up to $1.25 for it. 

Fear not, technology combined with your willingness to listen to a short advertisement will give you the required number for free.  It's a new idea from a company called 1-800-FREE411 and given the fact that they have raised over $60 million, one would think the phone companies will be keeing a close eye on them.  They claim they have already captured 3% of the 411 market (6 billion calls in the US per year.)

Unfortunately, as with a lot of new ideas and services, it is only available in the US at this point.  But, if the idea works and they start to make some money, you can bet you will see the service expand to other countries in the not too distant future.  Click on their logo above to get more details from their website.