• rnktel.com - new VOIP offering unlimited calling for flat fee
• sunrocket.com - new VOIP offering unlimited calling for flat fee
• ftc.gov - voice mail spam petition
• donotcall.gov - register your phone

Have you ever gotten convenience checks in the mail from your credit card company? They usually come in a batch of three and are offered as a “convenience” for those bills you’ve accumulated after the holidays. But they’re not convenient at all because each check has different terms and conditions than the other two. For example, one check might have zero percent interest while another is 9.9 percent for an unlimited amount of time. The big gotcha is what happens when you use one of the checks and continue to use your card at the same time. Let’s say the regular rate on your card is 15 percent and the convenience check carries 5 percent interest. When you send in money, you probably expect that it’s going toward the 15 percent balance. But the credit card company applies it to the 5 percent balance so that more of your outstanding money is at a higher interest rate. So, when doing convenience check offers make sure that you have no outstanding balances on the account and that you don’t use the credit card until you’re done paying off the “convenience” charges.

---

A similar situation is happening to consumers who own Lowe’s or Home Depot cards. These two competitors are in legal trouble because of their store credit cards, which are operated by GE. Both companies told customers that if they used their store credit cards, and spent a certain amount of money, they would have no interest for six months. The problem arose when people sent in their payments. GE applied the payment to the zero percent balance and no money toward higher-interest balances. Home Depot and Lowe’s have now reached an agreement, whereby people can choose which account they’d like the money to be applied to. Also, avoid “No, No, No” plans when buying things. Companies that do these plans avoid telling you when the deadline is for your free interest period. That’s because the interest on that purchase is retroactive (usually at 22 percent to 25 percent) to the date of purchase if it’s not paid off by the deadline. Also remember to send every payment by Fed Ex or UPS tracking.

There are four major phone companies in the U.S. that were facing competition because of all the new, innovative phone services popping up out there. The four majors are Verizon, BellSouth, SBC and Qwest. And for the past few years, they have had to fight for your business because of competition. But now, they have no need to care anymore about that competition. A court ruling in Washington, D.C. has made traditional phone service a monopoly again. The good news is that you don’t have to use traditional phone service anymore, thanks to Internet phone service or VOIP (voice over Internet phone). Clark has been using one of these services for the past few years and it has worked great. In fact, he went to Canada two weeks ago and he took the system with him. He plugged it into the hotel’s Internet service and, immediately he was hooked up to his home phone service. Better yet, more of them are on the way. One company - SunRocket.com is now offering unlimited flat rate calling for $200 a year. You pay the fee upfront and you’re able to make all the calls you want for an entire year. There is no need for traditional long distance or local service. It’s available in 50 cities around the country right now, and that number is growing. Another company – RNKTel - is offering the same unlimited plan for your entire life. For $1,000, you get unlimited phone service under the “Phone For Life” program. Read more about it here. It’s available right now in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and New York. The problem with these offers is that these companies could go under at any time. If and when that happens, you’re out of luck. There is some risk involved with any new technology, especially regarding telephones. But it could work out great.

Price relief is coming to a gas station near you. Gas prices have been zigzagging all over the place, which is not normal. So, there has been lots of uncertainty involving fuel. Recently, fuel prices have been dropping, and right now the cost of a barrel of oil is down about 25 percent. That’s way down compared to six weeks ago, and signs indicate that it could go down even more. Also, OPEC – one of the last oil cartels in the world - is trying to come up with a system that will “floor out” the wholesale price of gas. For a while, the wholesale cost of gas was about $55, but now it’s back into the low $40s. OPEC is scared the price is going to drop into the 30s, so the decision makers want to set a floor price for how low the price can go. The good news is that when wholesale prices go down, over time the price for consumers drops at the gas station. It’s an early Christmas present for consumers!

Almost 70 million people have signed up for the “Do Not Call” list. It’s been one of the most popular initiatives that the federal government has put into place. But telemarketers have been trying to figure out a way around the list ever since it went into effect. And, the lobbyists representing these telemarketers are apparently pretty powerful. They have been trying to sneak through an amendment to the law and they’ve convinced the FTC and the FCC to hear a petition about it. The petition would allow companies to leave pre-recorded “spam blitzes” on your voicemail or answering machine. The Feds have put up a complaint form for you to fill out, but what they say above it can be quite confusing. That’s ok, because all you need to remember is you don’t want the FTC to permit these phone calls. You don’t have to enter your address or much information at all, so you needn’t worry about being tracked or contacted. But please let your voice be heard. To get to the complaint, click here! Also, if you haven’t registered yet for the Do Not Call list, it’s not too late. Go to donotcall.gov and register every phone number you have.

Have you seen the food kiosks at restaurants that allow you to order food without waiting in line? They’re in Europe only right now, but they’re coming to the States, according to the Chicago Tribune. Think about how much that will increase the level and speed of service in those restaurants. A human will no longer take your order and people are actually happy about it.

---

Speaking of long lines, have you noticed that lines at video stores are longer than ever? Some of them are longer than the lines at airports. Why don’t video stores start using kiosks so people don’t have to wait in line for so long. We serve ourselves better than anyone else ever could, so why not let us do that when we rent movies too?

When two companies merge, what should you do? It’s become clear that you should head for the hills. Companies say they’re merging to benefit you, but it’s just a line. According to a recent study published in the Chicago Tribune, customers were unhappy 100 percent of the time when a company they did business with merged with another company. And that was two years after the merge happened. It’s not smart for the merging businesses either. Banks lose a quarter to a third of their customers when they merge. So, if you hear that a merger is about to happen, think about switching companies. There will be some hassle in the beginning but it will be worth it. You will experience nothing but customer-no-service after the merger.