HauteSecure.com - FREE download to protect your computer from malware
ChaCha.com - FREE mobile service that lets you text a question to 800-2-CHA-CHA
OCC.gov - File a complaint against your credit card company
ZabaSearch.com - FREE people and public information search

Verizon has hired a "Customer Care Czar" named Tom Maguire. This man is now empowered to cut through the corporate clutter and get the company refocused on the customer. It's funny that it takes an official job title to make this happen, but that's the reality in much of corporate America.

Verizon has about 46,000 employees in call centers around the world and here at home. But those employees have no authority to solve problems. As part of Verizon's new efforts, there's now a group of 90 people at the company's corporate headquarters called the "escalation team." Their sole job is to talk to irate customers who ask for an executive by name, and they're supposed to be empowered to be able to actually solve problems for people. Congrats to Verizon for trying to make a change.

It costs a wireless company about $400 to acquire a single new customer. Yet they lose existing customers over $10 discrepancies every single day. Simply put, it's foolish to spend tons on getting new customers and then abandon them when they're on board.

Sprint is a perfect example of this faulty logic. Their customer reps were penalized if they helped a customer, and managers got incentives to not help people. That's partly why Sprint lost more than 1 million customers in a growing industry last year. Meanwhile, Radio Shack reported lousy sales because they're a big Sprint vendor. Reputation matters.

Can Verizon's new czar make a difference? We'll see…

Clark loves free services and has 2 new ones to share with you. The first comes from a company called HauteSecure.com, which protects your computer if you mistype a web address. Too often criminals will register bogus domains that may be just one letter off from a legitimate address. When you hit those fake sites, your computer may become infected with a keylogger program. So the free download at HauteSecure.com protects you by blocking sites that could threaten your computer.

The second service Clark has discovered is called ChaCha.com. This free mobile phone service allows you to ask a question by calling 800-2-CHA-CHA. You then receive a text with your answer. It's like Google for your cell phone. So far the results have been hit or miss. While it worked well during a pre-show meeting, it returned a wrong answer when Clark tried it out on air by asking, "Who won the 1964 World Series?" He received a dud answer via text message -- The New York Yankees -- in about half an hour. It was the St. Louis Cardinals who beat the Yanks in 7 games!

CLARKONOMICS: Retailers and restaurants are both taking it on the chin in today's economy. We're "over-stored" in America with the square footage of retail space exceeding the population count. It's a symptom of the "shop 'til you drop" mentality. Fortunately, Clark thinks we're finally experiencing a shift in this kind of thinking.

Restaurateurs, meanwhile, have always had a tough time even in the best of economies. But now people aren't eating out as much, or they're trading down in meals, or they're using coupons.

So what's the takeaway for you? Beware if you're thinking about giving someone a gift card. The store or restaurant may not be there when they go to redeem it! This is a good year to give people cash or an actual gift because of these dangers. You might also want to check out Clark's no-gift-card certificate. Then again, the upside of not being able to redeem a restaurant gift card is that you'll consume 0 calories!

If you heard Clark recently talking about Chrysler, you know that he expressed concerns about the company's financial health since they're privately held and don't report losses like other automakers. In today's challenging economy, it's not uncommon for car companies to struggle with decreasing sales. Clark just doesn't want to see consumers having their warranties ignored in the event that the company folds. He was very careful to emphasize that he had no inside knowledge about whether Chrysler is ailing or not. How could he if they don't disclose that info?

Well, the Chrysler people got very upset with Clark and promptly contacted him. They sent us the following statement and asked that we read it on air and post it on the website:

  The statements recently made during the Clark Howard Show regarding   Chrysler LLC "going bust" and not honoring its vehicle warranties are   simply unfounded and untrue.

  There are no plans for Chrysler to go out of business, abandon its dealer   network, or default on its vehicle warranties.

  Chrysler has established long-term product plans and has shown its   commitment to its customer base and employees by forming strategic   partnerships, recently with Nissan.

  Chrysler LLC has ample liquidity. We are fully funded with working capital   to meet our present and future needs and objectives. We are putting our   capital to work effectively and efficiently, streamlining inventory,   improving current products and developing new and innovative vehicles.

Let's clarify something about Clark's original remarks made on April 2, 2008. He never said Chrysler is filing for bankruptcy. This rebuttal doesn't address his concern that dealers need to seek firm assurance from corporate that warranties will be honored no matter what. Buyers deserve more than just words; they need it in writing.

Clark remembers the calls he took from people when Korean automaker Daewoo went bust and didn't honor its warranties. Once bitten, twice shy. A lack of transparency sows seeds of doubt.