Merry Christmas. I am working for a few more hours and didn't want to leave the building without a few thoughts on what I hope is a wonderful time for you.
I know many people hate this time of year. I am not one of them. I love the holidays. Any holidays. But, I especially like Christmas because now that I am an adult, I can celebrate it as I choose, and don't need to worry that Jews don't have trees. This one does.
Anyway, if you get gift cards tomorrow, please try to use them by Wednesday. I am not kidding. There are so many reasons I don't know where to start, so I will simply remind you:
A gift card is like cash: lose it and it is gone forever.
Some gift cards, like from Simon Property Malls and gas companies, lose their value if unused over time (something still unresolved despite a years-long federal court battle by our Attorney General's office) so, you don't want to lose out that way.
And, finally, who knows where the store will be Monday. Seriously, with so much bad financial news lately, you don't want to find out the retailer to which you hold a $100.00 gift card filed for bankruptcy while you were sleeping, deeming your card worthless. In such cases, it doesn't matter that state law says a gift card has to be good at full value for 7 years .. you are cooked.
As you may have guessed, I am not a gift card fan. What ever happened to cash?
Merry Christmas and, because I will be away from a computer for the next several days .. Happy New Year!

After doing two recent stories about Sears and their hundreds of unhappy customers, all complaining about missed service calls, unanswered messages and just generally poor customer service, I've decided to add a Sears entry to my blog so it's available to anyone who Googles Sears. Especially Sears management.

Dear Aylwin Lewis, President and CEO of Sears Holding Corporation,
First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am a senior member of the investigative unit we call 'Team 5 Investigates' here at WCVB-TV (ABC television affiliate in Boston). I advocate for consumers who otherwise cannot help themselves. As you can imagine, I hear from a great many unhappy people, frustrated they cannot solve their own problems. Honestly, Sir, some don't even try .. they just call me and hope I'll do the work for them .. but, in most cases, someone calls me when they are exasperated and feel they've exhausted all other options. Mr. Lewis, there are a lot of Sears customers who fit that description, and I am writing this letter because I am concerned you're not in the loop and don't know it. While you have some pretty smart public relations people, I fear they are more concerned about 'spinning' their response than solving the problems, and Sir, there are hundreds. If you've had an opportunity to read or see any of my reports, you know the complaints are all the same: people spend thousands of dollars for appliances that don't work, and then, they spend many hours waiting for technicians to show up or even call back. As you can imagine, these are not happy people.
When we first called Sears, your PR people acknowledged the problem saying there were too few technicians during your busiest season but that the ratio was becoming more balanced and complaints would ease, but, they haven't...and I am not sure you know. Well, actually, I hope you don't. I hope that as you are reading this letter you are thinking, ' holy cow, how could this be happening to so many Sears customers? Why hasn't anyone told me?'. I hope that is what you are thinking because I would rather not think you DO know that hard working people are being stiffed by your company, and you don't care.
I grew up in Massachusetts, Sir. I spent considerable time in your Natick Mall (now Natick Collection) store. Several of my high school pals and their parents worked there. Sears was the place you trusted. Sears built its reputation (and fortune) on the backs of working people. Those people still want to believe that if they spend their paychecks on a washer or dryer, that it will work more than a week, and, if a fluke occurs and the appliance breaks, an apologetic human on the other end of the Customer Service line will make sure someone gets right out to fix it...which is not happening. And, it's not just washers and dryers, Sir. If you check your records, you will discover that Zaida Crespo of Boston spent $5,100.00 on a furnace that didn't work for one minute after it was installed last September. I can't tell you how many times she called for service and lost time at work waiting for technicians who never showed up. Finally, after our reports (and calls to your PR people), I am assured the furnace will be replaced tomorrow. I really hope so. It's been very cold here in New England. Zaida has been using space heaters to keep herself and her pets warm. I can't imagine what that electric bill will be like. (I just had an idea Mr. Lewis .. maybe Sears could pay that electric bill ???? Any chance?)
Well, thanks for your attention, Mr. Lewis. I know you are a busy man. As a matter of fact, your PR people say you are too busy to do an interview with me, which is unfortunate because I am sure you'd be able to convince people to give Sears another chance.
Happy Holidays, Mr. Lewis.
Susan Wornick

As many of you probably know, my husband and I recently moved out of Natick .. to Needham. It was hard leaving my beloved hometown, though we love Needham. But, the point of this entry is not about that. It is about all of the junk mail I have received since becoming a public entry at the registrar of deeds. On the positive side, Domino's has invited me to come in and pick up a free pizza, but, the negatives are more numerous, and among them.. the worst are from companies trying to sell me something I don't need or already have. Like insurance. One piece of mail came from a company that didn't even put its name on the letterhead. All it says is IMPORTANT NOTICE....FINAL NOTICE...and asks that I fill out an application giving them essentially all of my personal information. Why, I thought..would I want to do that .. especially since I don't even know the name of the company ??? Do these people think we are stupid? Is there anyone inthe world who would simply fill out a questionnaire without asking questions like, "who are you?". I hope not.

What snow?
Okay, so it's a mess...it probably took you hours to get home .. but, hopefully, you are now there, safe. I believe my husband will be on the Mass Pike for the rest of the weekend.
This is an especially hard day for people (and we all know them) who were heading some place warm today. Their flight has been cancelled and they're sitting in traffic in Saugus instead of West Palm Beach
What can you do if your flight is cancelled or delayed? In most cases, you have the right to a refund .. or you can rebook at no cost .. but, in some cases, there may be stipulations as to how long you have to use a new ticket...or by when you must make your new plans.
Many people are surprised to learn there are few federal laws protecting consumers... after all, this is a mostly unregulated industry...so, it is incumbent upon you to fight for yourself if you get stuck in a weather-related delay. Ask for stuff, like food, vouchers or hotel rooms if the wait is long. The airline doesn't have to do anything for you .. but, ask .. all they can say is no.
Here's something else weather related: entertainment. If the show must go on .. you must go to the show. If a theater presentation or sporting event goes as scheduled, it is highly unlikely they'll offer refunds. Even if the police suggest you stay off the roads, unless the Governor declares a state of emergency (and he's the only one who can), most venues will refuse to issue refunds or re-issue tickets. Fair? Depends on your perspective, I suppose. No way do you want to jeopardize the safety of your family, driving through a blizzard to see a show, but, the venues will argue they have to pay their people .. blame Mother Nature. And, please, let me know what she says.
I'll be back tomorrow. I have to go now. I have to walk home.

I want to talk to you about buying presents (or anything new) on-line. Yes, there are some good deals out there from reputable websites, but, there are hidden problems you may not know about.
For example, a viewer sent me an e-mail today about a great price she got on a hair dryer through Amazon.com. The retail price was $200.00, but she got it for $135. She was thrilled, until she tried to register the warranty. The manufacturer refused because she hadn't purchased the dryer from an authorized dealer.
Of course, the consumer was livid, because she couldn't get a warranty for her dryer, but, even more so, because there was no disclosure before the sale. I agree, if a website like Amazon.com is not an authorized dealer for whatever .. they should tell you, up front.
Before you make an expensive purchase, call the manufacturer to make sure the sale is legitimate. Depending on the product, you could be buying a knock-off or a fake. Not for me, I hope.

Today I want to whine .. about gift cards and give you 1 more reason why I want you to re-think them as gifts this holiday season.
As you probably know, I've already complained (a lot) about companies like Simon Property Malls, which (according to me and the Attorney General's office) break state laws by, among other things, charging fees. Well, here's the other thing: Bankruptcy.
Case in point: Bombay Company. The company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year and now I am hearing from angry people who can't use their gift cards. And, I am sorry to say, there is nothing they can do. Bankruptcy protects the company, not the consumer left holding the bag (or card, as it were).
And, here's my constant worry this time of year: if a company doesn't have a good season, it will file right after the holidays, and all the people who got gift cards will be stuck with worthless plastic.
I know, people argue gift cards are better than cash because they suggest more thought went into selecting the gift, but, if anyone asks (and I hope they do), I'll take cash.

There's a story in our news tonight about some of the outrageous ways credit card companies get our money. For example, let's say you have several accounts .. and, while you're pretty good about paying on time, you miss a due date on one. Only one. As you might expect, that company will likely pounce on the opportunity to use your delinquency as an indication of your uncreditworthiness (I think I just made up that word) and increase your interest rate, but (and here's the part that's really maddening) your other cards may do the same thing; they see you've missed a payment with someone else..and whammo..they up your interest rate, too. Why? Because they can.
Federal laws are not consumer friendly... essentially, they allow credit card companies to charge you whatever they like, whenever they feel like it. So, what can you do? Well, first of all, you can stand up to them and for yourself: threaten to pay off the balance and close the account. Whatever interest they get from you is better than none at all, so, many will back off and re-establish your previously lower rate. If they won't (and your credit is good), do it: find another company, transfer your balance and close the offending account.
Credit card companies are very competitive, they all want your business, so you should shop around for an account as you would for anything else.
And how can we change these usurious laws? Election reform. Really. I believe the nation's congressmen and women; the people who control these laws, would pay a lot more attention to consumer rights if they weren't concerned about the campaign contributions from some of the big banks. Think about it .. these banks are the credit card companies who are largely unregulated when it comes to charging interest and fees. Why is that, do you wonder??? Think about it, and if you come up with conflict of interest in Washington .. you may be onto something !! And, you may want to call your congressman to ask about it!