Consumer

Consumer Reports finds that holiday consumers shopping later and spending less
[Oct. 31, 2007] ‘Tis the season to give, but that’s not the case for all Americans this holiday season. According to a new Consumer Reports Holiday Shopping Poll, nearly one-quarter (23%) of respondents anticipate they will spend less than last year.

Consumer Reports warns shoppers could lose money when using debit instead of no-fee credit cards
[Sep. 18, 2007] Debit cards are rapidly becoming the dominant form of payment for consumers with spending topping $1 trillion for the first time in 2006—but many consumers might not realize they are standing to lose money when using debit.

Consumer Reports rates five largest Visa and Mastercard issuers mediocre in latest credit card ratings
[Sep. 15, 2007] The nation’s five largest MasterCard and Visa issuers — JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank, Capital One, and HSBC, which control about 80 percent of the market — earned so-so scores in Consumer Reports’ latest ratings of credit cards.

Consumer Reports poll: 89 percent of Americans want to restrict the use of Social Security numbers
[Sep. 6, 2007] As Congress and federal regulators consider proposals aimed at reducing the risk of identity theft, a national poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center reveals that an overwhelming majority of Americans want lawmakers to restrict the use and availability of Social Security numbers by businesses and government agencies.

Consumer Reports survey finds U.S. consumers lose more than $7 billion to online threats
[Aug. 8, 2007] The risks associated with using the Internet remain high according to Consumer Reports’s latest “State of the Net” survey. Consumer Reports projects that U.S. consumers lost more than $7 billion over the last two years to viruses, spyware, and phishing schemes.

Five ways to maximize your Back to School budget
[Jul. 27, 2007] For students across the country, the beginning of a new school year is just around the corner. And, if you haven’t started your back-to-school shopping yet, you may soon find yourself dealing with large crowds and pricey cash register totals. Back-to-school spending is expected to jump 6.9 percent this year, and families with school-aged children are expected to spend a total of $18.4 billion, an average of $563.49 per child

Consumer Reports survey of eBay users reveals online auction seller deception and pitfalls can be hard to avoid
[Jul. 27, 2007] With 100 million items on sale, eBay is the king of online auctions. But almost half of the eBay buyers that Consumer Reports surveyed encountered deceptions, according to a report in the August issue. Buyers indicated that some sellers took their money and ran, failed to disclose key details about the merchandise, or overstated the item’s condition.

Is getting paid to shop too good to be true?
[Jul. 20, 2007] In an exclusive report on secret shopping, ShopSmart magazine, the new shopping magazine from the publishers of Consumer Reports, found that while many jobs exist, consumers should be wary of scammers that have gotten into the game as well.

Giving the bounce to counterfeit check scams
[Jul. 9, 2007] It’s your lucky day! You just won a foreign lottery! The letter says so. And the cashier’s check to cover the taxes and fees is included. All you have to do to get your winnings is deposit the check and wire the money to the sender to pay the taxes and fees. You’re guaranteed that when they get your payment, you’ll get your prize.

No 'Free' lunch on credit report sites
[Jul. 7, 2007] Web sites aggressively advertising "free" credit reports are charging consumers for services they are unlikely to need, while drawing attention away from the site created by law to provide consumers with free credit data every year, says a Consumer Reports WebWatch study.

Consumer Reports rates airlines and JetBlue and Widwest topped surveys
[Jun. 21, 2007] Two smaller and newer airlines — JetBlue Airways and Midwest Airlines — topped Consumer Reports’ latest reader survey ratings of 18 airlines. US Airways and America West Airlines, which recently merged, were among the lowest scoring airlines in the survey. The results appear in the “Best Airlines for Today’s Busy Skies” article, in the July issue of Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports rates best hotels; Guest-gouging on the rise
[Jun. 17, 2007] The opulent Ritz-Carlton scored high in Ritz-Carltonoverall satisfaction while Homewood Suites and SpringHill Suites proved to also be excellent values, according to Consumer Reports’ latest survey that rates the best hotels for any budget.