All Consuming

Car talk -- interpreting the pings and squeaks

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:41:07 GMT

Collection agencies push out phone companies for most complaints

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:11:16 GMT

Washington consumers don't like calls from debt collectors. Gripes about collection agencies have been rising in recent years but it took a single complaint to ultimately move the industry into pole position and bump out telecommunications, which previously held the top spot for at least a decade.

Who is watching you online?

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:49:58 GMT

If you saw a stranger peering into your windows at home or rifling through your desk at work, you’d call the cops. But many of us have no idea what happens to all the bits and bytes of information we send over our computers, iPhones and Blackberries. Take Facebook, for example ...

This week's events for savvy consumers

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:07:15 GMT

If you live in the Puget Sound and are planning to make home improvements, curious about the paperwork required to run a nonprofit or interested in data privacy, you may want to check out these events ...

General Tobacco products can no longer be sold here

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:31:02 GMT

General Tobacco products, including Bronco, Champion, GT, Silver and 32⁰ cigarettes, will soon be removed from Washington store shelves.

Public comments sought on Puget Sound Energy rate increase

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:16:34 GMT

Puget Sound Energy customers can comment on the company’s proposed electric and gas rate increases during a public hearing next week in Olympia or by e-mail. This is PSE’s first rate case following the sale of the utility to the Macquarie investor consortium which was approved by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) in December 2008.

2010: Time to eat healthy foods, exercise more and shed a few pounds

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:37:30 GMT

So my New Year’s resolutions for 2010 include getting fit. I’m in ample company (*high hat - ba dump bump*)... Tips for choosing a weight loss program or gym.

In debt? Know your rights when dealing with collectors

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 01:25:41 GMT

The Federal Trade Commission has a new animated video that explains rights consumers have when dealing with debt collectors. In related news, the Attorney General's Office settled our case with Topco Financial ...

Stores pay more when you sign at the register instead of using a PIN

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:30:15 GMT

"When you sign a debit card receipt at a large retailer, the store pays your bank an average of 75 cents for every $100 spent -- more than twice as much as when you punch in a four-digit code," the New York Times reported this week.

AG seeks bills to protect homeowners, used car buyers

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:13:43 GMT

Two consumer protection bills were among those previewed at a press conference today ...

Credit changes filling the mail

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:02:06 GMT

If you have credit cards, you’ve probably noticed a lot of mail lately. In addition to your monthly bill, creditors are sending notices about upcoming changes to your account. If you don't like the new terms, your option is to "refuse," which effectively cancels the card. But should you dump a card? It depends ...

KSER-AM to broadcast TeleTown Hall with McKenna tonight

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:51:05 GMT

Nearly 11,000 Washington seniors were on the phone last month with Attorney General Rob McKenna as part of a TeleTown Hall sponsored by AARP Washington. Public radio station KSER (90.7 AM) in Everett will broadcast a 30-minute edited version starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight. If you're outside the signal range, you can listen online at www.kser.org. ...

All Consuming’s letter to Santa

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:02:50 GMT

All Consuming's letter to Santa. Find out what we'd like him to bring consumers this Christmas ...

E-mail scam: Package delivery e-mail is a computer virus

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:58:43 GMT

It seems innocent enough: an e-mail that indicates a shipper such as FedEx, DHL or UPS tried to deliver a package to you. You’re told to print out an invoice. But opening the attachment or clicking on the link infects your computer!

Consumers bite at phishing scam

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:17:49 GMT

Thanks to John Stark at the Bellingham Herald for picking up a report out of Idaho about more than 100 people who were hooked by a phishing scam. The victims were duped by fake text messages informing them that their debit cards had been frozen and telling them to call a number to provide account information. ...

Complaints about DIRECTV signal a serious problem, says AG

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 01:14:43 GMT

DIRECTV has generated more consumer complaints to the Washington Attorney General’s Office than any other business in 2009. Since announcing our lawsuit filed yesterday, we’ve received 75 new consumer complaints about the satellite television company ...

Don't be deceived by 'free' credit report offers

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:52:28 GMT

Attorney General Rob McKenna says more needs to be done to protect consumers attempting to obtain the free credit report allowed by law. He joined 42 other state attorneys general in sending a letter this week to the Federal Trade Commission, in conjunction with the FTC’s proposal to help prevent deceptive marketing of “free” credit reports ...

Cyber nightmare before Xmas

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:50:24 GMT

As shoppers gear up for the holiday season, so do cybercrooks. McAfee recently issued a list of the "12 Scams of Christmas." Among them: Fake invoces from delivery services, risky Internet searches and bug-ridden e-cards ...

Counterfeit software can infect PCs

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:38:48 GMT

Microsoft reported a surge of voluntary reports — more than 150,000 in the past two years — from people who unknowingly purchased counterfeit software that was often riddled with viruses or malware.

Swine flu for your computer!

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:17:33 GMT

An email asking state employees to register for a swine flu vaccination program is hogwash and can infect your computer ...

Lakewood police shooting – don’t be misled by fundraising calls

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:47:43 GMT

Our hearts were torn when four Lakewood police officers were killed this week. Many are looking for ways to donate money to help families of the victims. But some fundraisers may not be legit. ...

McKenna's top 10 shopping tips for Black Friday

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:37:14 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving! If you're one of the 134 million Americans expected to take advantage of Black Friday discounts, take along this holiday shopping list -- Attorney General Rob McKenna's top 10 tips. ...

11,000 Washington seniors on the phone with AG McKenna

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:33:21 GMT

Nearly 11,000 seniors from across Washington state were on the phone today with Attorney General Rob McKenna as part of a TeleTown Hall sponsored by AARP Washington!

Today Show spotlights post-transaction marketing

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 01:18:06 GMT

Following up on yesterday's blog post about Attorney General Rob McKenna's testimony to Congress about deceptive online sales tactics, I thought I'd share this report from the Today Show ...

Wells Fargo agrees to buy back auction rate securities

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:03:36 GMT

Wells Fargo will buy back an estimated $1.3 billion in auction rate securities that have been frozen since February 2008, the state Department of Financial Institutions announced yesterday.

Should you buy extra coverage for electronics?

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:38:14 GMT

Consumers will spend $1.3 billion on extended warranties this holiday season, says one industry report. Is the extra coverage worth it? ...

Shop online? Watch out for sneaky charges

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:31:16 GMT

Shop online? If you don't scrutinize each step of the checkout process, you may end buying more than you wanted. Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna took a leading role in encouraging Congress to get tough on companies that engage in deceptive online sales tactics. ...

Settlement fixes alleged hang-ups with Vonage’s billing practices

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:09:15 GMT

Vonage, one of the nation’s largest providers of Internet-based phone service, will refund eligible customers and pay $3 million to the states to resolve concerns about its billing and cancellation policies.

One bad email drains $500,000 from victim's bank account

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:14:57 GMT

Beware of an email that claims you need to reset your Facebook password. It carries a nasty virus that wiped out $500,000 from a Maple Valley computing business’ bank account ...

10 ways fake check scammers find you

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:06:26 GMT

According to the Consumer Federation of America, 1 in 3 American adults has received a counterfeit check, and of those, 2 percent actually deposit the checks and send money to the scammers. KOMO reporter Connie Thompson reports on 10 ways that phony check scammers track you down ...

Biz Tip: Cut credit card processing fees with 'interchange plus'

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:35:12 GMT

Hey, business owners, are you spending too much to swipe a customer's credit card? One possible way to whittle down those processing fees is to switch from tiered pricing, which most merchants use, to "interchange plus." ...

Bellevue forum offers free small biz tips

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:03:27 GMT

The IRS and the City of Bellevue's Office of Economic Development are hosting a Washington Small Business Forum from 9 to noon on Friday, Dec. 4, at Bellevue City Hall ...

U.S. House wants to speed up new credit card rules

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:56:05 GMT

The U.S. House voted today to freeze credit card interest rates and fees for nine months. The bill, approved 331-92, would accelerate the February enactment date of legislation already passed by Congress that restricts when and how banks can charge credit card customers ...

AGs tell Congress: Don't limit states' authority to protect consumers

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:06:33 GMT

As Congress considers legislation to create a Consumer Financial Protection Agency, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna is leading a group of 40 state attorneys general in urging federal lawmakers to uphold the role of the states in enforcing consumer protection laws ...

Grandparents still falling for 'wire me some $' scam

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:43:33 GMT

Cons in Canada are still preying on grandparents. Since All Consuming first alerted readers about the "grandparent scam" (also called the "grandchild scam") in summer 2008, people continue to tell us how they or their loved ones fell victim to the ploy. Attorney General Rob McKenna joined Consumerman Herb Weisbaum at the KOMO TV newsroom yesterday to issue another warning ...

Thumbs Up: Lynden restaurant owner thwarts scam

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 21:31:35 GMT

John Stark, consumer blogger for the Bellingham Herald, passed along this news release from a Lynden business. It's a good reminder that businesses are targets of wire transfer scams too.

Latinos at risk of being exploited by notarios

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:39:02 GMT

In most Latin American countries, a “notario” is a licensed attorney. But the similar-sounding English word “notary public,” which translates to “notario publico,” means something entirely different ...

New AGO Events Calendar

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 21:42:41 GMT

Where can I find a shred event? Where is Attorney General Rob McKenna speaking? Our new events calendar gives you the scoop ...

Lowdown on all those free credit report sites

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:21:43 GMT

By now, you should know that you’re entitled to a free annual credit report from each of three major bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. All Consuming recommends one Web site to obtain your free credit reports, Annualcreditreport.com. But what about all those other sites touting free credit reports?

Attorney General prepared to hammer dishonest home remodelers

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:22:20 GMT

Window sellers need to be transparent in their marketing. Roofers need to stay on top of the law. And home siding installers shouldn’t sidle up to consumers with inappropriately high-pressure sales pitches. That’s the gist of a letter sent Tuesday by the Washington Attorney General’s Office to more than 30 home remodelers around the state.

Check if your email password was hacked

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:26:48 GMT

Thousands of personal e-mail passwords belonging to Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Earthlink and Comcast users were posted online after a phishing sceme targeted users of Gmail, Hotmail and others, according to news reports. You can check if your account was on the list.

Talking to your kids about inappropriate Web searches

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:18:47 GMT

Miriam, a mother of four, wrote to All Consuming with a sensitive question about talking to her kids about their Internet searches. For advice, we turned to expert Linda Criddle.

New interest-free and stripped-down credit cards

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:07:06 GMT

I confess: I have credit card debt. If you’re like me, you’ve likely found that as soon as you pay down one card you need to use it to buy something else. Due to recent changes in laws regulating credit card companies, many card issuers are raising interest rates and fees for consumers with good credit. At the same time, banks have rolled out new cards including one with an interest-free feature for certain purchases and another with simple, stripped-down rules.

My gym closed. Can I get a refund?

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:26:50 GMT

The closure of several Bally’s health clubs has spurred complaints from consumers who want their money back.

Cookie monsters

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:31:21 GMT

You may have heard of cookies. They’re delicious morsels that come in flavors like chocolate chip and gingerbread, right? In this case, however, I’m talking about the itsy bitsy files that are deposited on your hard drive as you browse the Web. Some are harmless. Some are sleuths, tracking your every virtual move, then reporting that information to marketing companies. And apparently, many consumers who think they know how to delete cookies, are failing to sweep up some important crumbs...

REI sweepstakes scam ... and the origin of 'pulling your leg'

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:57:24 GMT

If you receive a letter in the mail saying you've won $150,000 in REI's "Consumer Promotion Drawing," don't quit your job. It's a scam.

Veterans target of prescription drug scam

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:05:56 GMT

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is warning veterans not to give credit card numbers over the phone to callers claiming to update prescription information.

Do the Puyallup with Rob McKenna!

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:49:19 GMT

Do the Puyallup Fair with Attorney General Rob McKenna on Senior Tuesday to get the lowdown on senior scams and identity theft.

Free fall shredding events

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:45:26 GMT

To avoid a real-life fright night, be sure to shred sensitive documents.

Settlement aims to insulate consumers from future window pains

Kristin Alexander All Consuming Blog Moderator — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:22:12 GMT

Our Consumer Protection Division lifted the curtain on a Seattle-based window installer’s allegedly deceptive sales practices and negotiated a settlement to insulate consumers from future harm.