Fricking Fees and Amazing Deals

Episode 6: Movie Theater Prices and Free Software Sites!

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:41:00 -0700

Fees: High Theater Tickets and Concession Prices!

In this episode, Scott takes on a different kind of hidden fee: Fee-tardiculously high prices designed to gouge consumers for corporate fun and profit. Scott picked as his first example of this the high cost of tickets and concessions at movie theaters.

Show audio here.

Scott comparison shopped the prices of Popcorn, Soda and Candy at Walgreens and 7-Eleven stores (locally in Denver, Co., prices may vary across the U.S., but we believe they are similar), and then looked at prices for the equivalent sizes at movie theaters run by AMC and United Artists.

He covers the huge differences theaters gouge you for in all the huge categories and also on ticket prices, anywhere from 200-500% more than what you would spend if you shopped at Walgreens and 7-Eleven first for the SAME items. You can save even MORE by shopping at a thrift store like Dollar Tree instead. And then staying at home and watching the movie on Netflix, Amazon, or renting it at Redbox.

Also, the Wall Street Journal recently reported that some movie theaters in NYC are now charging $20 per person to see some movies! That's bad enough for 1 or 2 people, but imagine being a parent and having 2 or more kids! It could cost you well over $100 just for one night at the movies!

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704513104575256801339372876.html?mod=WSJ_hps_SECONDTopStories

And further back on March 24, Barron's indicated there was a hike as follows:

A survey of 10 random theaters in major U.S. markets found a 4.1% 2D adult ticket price increase coming this weekend, with an average 8.3% rise for non-IMAX 3D movies, and a 9.9% hike for IMAX screens.

Source: http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/03/24/movie-ticket-prices-heading-higher/

So if you love 3D, you better, because you're paying MORE for the privilege!

NO Wonder people either eat first before arriving at the theater, sneak food in from outside, or just avoid movies altogether these days! Not to mention dealing with screaming kids and cell phones! There is even violence when you ask other people to be quiet and courteous!

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/03/09/man-stabbed-meat-thermometer-california-movie-theater/

Movie theaters claim as justification for these prices that more people are watching movies at home and online, but can we blame them? I mean prices were increasing steadily way before people started renting and buying cd's through Blockbuster and Netflix and now Amazon and I-Tunes and countless other sites. Isn't it really these theater's fault for being greedy and driving people to avoid the skyrocketing costs?

Deals: Free Software!

In Deals News, Elaine covers FREE useful software. Do you pay for anti-virus software? If you do, you're paying too much! Why? AVG anti-viral software gives you the same protection that you can get with such companies as Norton or McAfee (those are the most popular).

http://free.avg.com/ww-en/download.prd-afg

Another FREE useful software is Threatfire. ThreatFire is dramatically different to traditional antivirus software. Normal antivirus products usually need to have first identified and seen a threat before they can provide adequate protection against it. The protection is then provided via a signature or fingerprint update, which must first be written by an antivirus researcher. This creates a large window of time where threats are undetected and can therefore infect your PC even when you have antivirus software installed.

http://www.threatfire.com/

Continuing on with useful anti-viral software is Malwarebytes which is a site dedicated to fighting malware. Malwarebytes has developed a variety of tools that can identify and remove malicious software from your computer. When your computer becomes infected, Malwarebytes can provide the needed assistance to remove the infection and restore the machine back to optimum performance. I use this with my anti-virus software.

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

Do you enjoy having your bookmarks available no matter what computer you are on? Try Symbaloo. This program gives you a nice grid of buttons what are easily placed as YOU want it. Check it out!

http://www.symbaloo.com/

If you use Twitter, you may want to consider TweetDeck. With TweetDeck you can see your timeline feed as well as mentions, which is when someone mentions your twitter name. Many tweets have been lost or disregarded because you missed them on the traditional web-feed. TweetDeck is customizable to give you your Facebook feed as well. You may use it to follow the tweets all in one column for different hashtags as well.

http://www.tweetdeck.com/

Finally Scott also mentions two other great blogs for information on other free software:

Lifehacker.com and Makeuseof.com.

Episode 5 Aftercast: Gift Card Legislation, ETF Cell Phone Fees, Bank Overdraft Lawsuit in Australia and we read a consumer's letter about Qwest!

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sun, 30 May 2010 08:55:00 -0700

1:15 Continuing on regarding the gift card fees, Scott covers how the Fed's new gift card rules addressed and did NOT address many of these fees.

show audio here

Consumer Reports article here. Here are the new rules on the Fed's website.

7:00 we suggest solutions to these gift card fees, and also how to escalate to complain to the Comptroller of the Currency about a bank adding fees to their card.
Complaint Form: https://appsec.helpwithmybank.gov/olcc_form/

Contact Info Here:http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/contactus/index.html

8:50 Banking Reform Act Passes!
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/may/20/senate-passes-massive-bank-reform-bill/

13:30 Hearings on Goldman Sachs corruption and insider trading: Henry Paulson, former CEO of Goldman, was Bush's Secretary of the Treasury.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-04-27/goldman-sachs-grilled-in-senate-hearing-over-mortgage-business.html

An excellent Frontline PBS episode on how Rubin, Greenspan and Summers engineered the derivates market mess back in the Clinton administration. Rubin and Summers are still in Obama's cabinet!

14:05 AT&T raises their Early Termination Fee to $325! We read from this article, and then discuss AT&T and Verizon's games and collusion around fees for contracts.

18:50 Austrailian class action suit seeks money back for consumers from Bank overdraft fees. We read from this article. And we talk about how the banks rape us right and left with fees and high interest rates on loans and credit cards. Banks make $38 billion a year in fees.

23:55 We attended a local symposium on Saving Money in a tough economy hosted by our State Senator Morgan Carroll. Here is a summary.

Need help with an insurance issue? Did they deny your claim? Find your state insurance commission here.

We also mention Michael Moore's awesome movie Sicko about how health insurance companies are literally killing people by denying their claims. Elaine talks about Blue Cross / Blue Shield Anthem denying her claim in New York and Scott relates a story of one of his friends wiped out financially by medical bills.

We also talk about the National Healthcare legislation that passed, and while it is good in many ways, Elaine doesn't like the mandatory fee everyone has to pay to buy into it.

31:15 In our new Consumer Fee Letter feature, we read and respond to Sarah22Morrow's letter from the My3Cents.com website about a Qwest ETF they unfairly put on her account. They charged her a $200 fee for disconnecting! She says they promised to waive it and is watching to make sure she actually gets the credit. We review her letter and talk about the art of fighting fees and escalating to decision makers who can make them go away. Great letter, and way to go Sarah!

Scott and Elaine go on to discuss the death of customer service, and how it's important for these companies to empower entry level employees to waive fees. Elaine will be telling her story about the Verizon ETF on her account in an epsiode soon! Scott mentions it IS possible to get through to a CEO and get a personal response on your complaint, relating two CEOs that responded to him on previous complaints.

42:15 We then thank Sarah by giving her the executive contact info for Qwest:

Mueller, Edward (Ed) A
Chairman and CEO
Ceo/Coo
Qwest Corporation
1801 California St
Denver CO 80202-2658
Email: Ed.Mueller@qwest.com
Office: +1 303 992 1414
Assistant
Houston, Brenda L
Manager Administration
Executive office is on the first floor! Scott has been in the building :)

Also here is much more info about contact info for other Qwest contacts as well on Consumerist.com.

Remember folks, when it comes to getting what you want, you have to make up your mind, stand firm, don't back down and DON'T take no for an answer until you get what you want!

45:00 FInally Scott previews in the next aftercast he will be talking about the history of ATM fees and Elaine will talk about free software to protect your computer!

Episode 5: Gift Card Fees and More Great Deal Sites!

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sun, 30 May 2010 07:23:00 -0700

Thinking about getting a gift card from a bank with the credit card logo for a friend for birthday, or graduation? Think again!

Scott lists out 10 of the sneaky fees that these bank cards have that you probably aren't aware of!

Show audio here.

Bottom line, these gift cards are a BAD idea. Scott will further cover legislation passed in Congress that addressed some but not most of these fees.

Thanks to the Consumerist article for this information. Fed updated rules here.

Then, Elaine covers three great deals money-saving websites:

These are (www.groupon.com) Groupon, (www.weeklyplus.com) Weekly Plus, (www.livingsocial.com) Living Social, and (www.tippr.com) Tippr.

All of these sites work similarly to Restaurant,com discussed in a prior show. You can follow these on Facebook and Twitter or receive a daily email for a quick look at what is being discounted today.

Each site has a service, restaurant, summer camp, oil change, etc discount. The way it works is:

1) you sign up

2) you pick a deal that you are interested in

3) you buy the "deal" online

Groupon has a Today's Deal in addition to a "side deal". On their page, you will be told how must time is left to buy the deal. For how it works, there is a link from the page. (http://www.groupon.com/learn).

WeeklyPlus has a nice explanation of how it works. The link is on the upper right of the page. The price of the deal starts out as one discount, but as the days go by and more people buy the deal, the price goes down by levels.

Living Social has a daily deal. On the left side of the page, you'll find information on how it works. (http://livingsocial.com/deals/how_it_works)

Tippr gives you 3 deals per day. You can find their terms and how it works y clicking the How It Works button on the top of their page.

(http://tippr.com/how-it-works)

Each of these have deals from 50% to 90% off. You can subscribe to them by entering your email address and selecting your city.

Show audio here.

Episode 4 Aftercast: More on Cell Phone Fees, Fee-baits and Deals

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sun, 16 May 2010 12:54:00 -0700

Here is the audio to our latest show.

At 3:10, we discuss the problems with getting AT&T "Feebaits" on your telephone, and specifically refer to this article on the Visa Gift cards you get after 8 weeks of waiting - guess what, more hassles using the money they promised you.

http://www.moneyunder30.com/att-wireless-rebate-visa-gift-card-complaints

At 5:49, we give out the executive contact information for all 4 big cell phone providers that charge upgrade fees in case you want to contact them to complain, escalate complaints or let them know how you feel about their fees and "customer service" quality.

AT&T: Randall Stephenson rs2982@att.com or randall.stephenson@att.com 210-821-4105, x5, after the recording and pause, you are connected, ask for Mr. Stephenson's office.

Verizon: Ivan Seidenberg ivan.g.seidenberg@one.verizon.com 908-306-7000 x0 212-395-1000

T-Mobile: Robert P. Dotson robert.p.dotson@t-mobile.com 877-290-6323 Ex. 8025, 8025, 8024, 8023, 8021

Sprint: Dan Hesse Daniel.R.Hesse@sprint.com 703-433-4401

We continue then speaking about the great deals you can regularly get at Dollar Tree when you grocery shop.

24:15 Then, we reference how Bank of America is back in the news, getting hit with a class action suit for not working with homeowners to keep them in their homes as they promised.

25:10 We reference Michael Moore's movie Capitalism: A Love Story as a great film portraying the real impact on real people of the banking bailout and mortgage crisis.

40:40 We reference how it seems like the country is dumbing down and the movie "Idiocracy" as an example of it.

42:47 Scott previews that we are going to have a Credit Card Fee smackdown show in the near future as well as a big travel deals show.

50:15 Here are some hilarious youtube videos taking off on how banks really think and make decisions about policies and fees:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BBCdcxZHjc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBMFEgh01og
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBFpdtOezAw

Episode 4 - Cell Phone Fees and Gardening

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Fri, 14 May 2010 16:31:00 -0700

For this episode, Scott fearlessly takes on Cell Phone Fricking Fees.

The HandSet Fee!

Keeping your service but switching to a new handset? Tired of the old one? Well buying a phone isn't enough, no, you need to be PUNISHED for UPGRADING and staying with your cell phone company with a FEE.

Listen as Scott describes the "handset fees" as they pertain to Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T. Additionally, he'll explain how CricKet keeps their costs low.

Each cell phone provider has a way to attach more fees just so that you can stay in business with them.

Beware when there are promotions for upgrading your phone, carriers will not advise you of them. You must advise the customer service person.

The downfall with AT&T is that they will issue rebates in the form of a credit card. Scott refers to them as "FEE-baits". See a story on MoneyUnder30 blog by clicking here.

Cell phone providers never used to have these fees as described in an article by Bob Sullivan of the Red Tape Chronicles. Click here to read the entire article.

On the Amazing Deals side, Elaine explains how to plant your own garden "on the cheap" compared to buying vegetables in the grocery store or worse yet - your local Sprouts or Sunflower Markets. By growing your own garden, even a "balcony or patio garden", you save money, trips to the store and best of all - it's organic!

Elaine has started her own "balcony garden" and advises on how low cost it is by going to the Dollar Tree for gardening items vs garden centers and/or stores such as Home Depot and Lowe's.

Ohio State University has a horticulture and crop sciences department with white papers online to assist with care of your vegetable "crops".

Listen to the podcast here

Notice Apple Itunes Subscribers!

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Mon, 3 May 2010 16:10:00 -0700

If any of our iTunes Podcast subscribers don't see all of our episodes on our Apple Store podcast landing page, please upgrade to version 9.1. Earlier versions of iTunes have a bug that will not show them all as per Apple Support. However, you can subscribe and get all of them downloaded via the older versions.

Episode 3 Aftercast: Bank fees, and how to avoid and fight them!

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sun, 2 May 2010 06:53:00 -0700

Okay, here it is, the information you've waited years for:
- How bank fees got so prevalent, what they are
- How to avoid them
- How to complain about them, escalating to top management (contact info)
- How to report banks to regulators over fees
- How to file lawsuits against them.

Show Audio Here.

Here are all the links / sources used in the podcast by timestamp when they are heard in the show and some useful information in between:

We start our aftercast with some outraged people who tell of their experiences with Bank of America, Wells Fargo (chanting from the protest on Wall Street - Wells Fargo this sucks! Where's our $25 million bucks!), Citibank, and Chase bank. Can you relate to these people? Are you mad as heck and don't want to take it anymore? Protesters walk Broadway in Manhattan, NY, they walked in Chicago, and other cities! Are you mad enough to want to join them if and when there is another protest?

Scott's pet peeve is FEES and specifically, in this aftercast, he takes on bank fees (credit card fees will be featured in another podcast). In this discussion, free checking (is there such a thing?), small print on bank notices, and other bank fees. Scott will take us through the fees and how to report these outrageous fees to many different agencies.

7:45: Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act of 1980:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depository_Institutions_Deregulation_and_Monetary_Control_Act

8:45: First National Bank of Chicago Teller Fee in 1995
http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/04/paying-cash-at.html

In 1995, First National Bank of Chicago started charging a $3 teller fee which forced people to use the ATM and profits doubled for 28%. Banking customers have become nickeled and dimed ever since.

10:15: Financial Times August 2009 on Bank Fees:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/43d18c68-851d-11de-9a64-00144feabdc0.html

Banks make $38 billion from fees yearly. Fees have nearly doubled since 2000 - Financial Times, August 2009. Banks made 75% of their money from fees, not interest.

13:20: PocketMoney checking account register software for Iphone:
http://www.catamount.com/iPhoneApps/PocketMoney.html

17:37: Coverage on the courtesy overdraft scam where fees and interest are charged to move funds to cover items

http://www.billshrink.com/blog/7898/bank-of-america-overdraft/

19:15: Usury references in the Bible:

http://www.tentmaker.org/lists/UsuryScriptureList.html

20:00: Usury defined:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usury

20:15: Fed Moves to Limit Overdraft Fees:

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/federal-reserve-issues-new-rules-restricting-overdraft-fees-on-d/19235338/

22:00: Banks move to limit Overdraft Fees:

http://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/index.php?s=43&item=8538

http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2009/09/24/wells-fargo-to-eliminate-overdraft-charges/

24:15: Red Tape Chronicles MSNBC Reporter Bob Sullivan Reveals BOA's ATM Denial Fee:

http://redtape.msnbc.com/2005/10/now_even_atm_de.html

Thank you to Bob Sullivan, Red Tape Cronicles, for revealing an ATM denial fee of $1.50 from Bank of America when he was over his DAILY withdrawl limit.

24:50: One Consumer (of millions) gets stung with the daily spending limit when shopping:

http://consumerist.com/2008/02/bank-of-america-wont-let-you-access-your-money.html

Even worse: Stranded when they cut you off when you are abroad:

http://consumerist.com/2008/06/bank-of-america-tries-to-ruin-your-vacation-for-your-own-protection.html

25:30: History of ATM's - They started out Free (Thanks to K.D. Weinert)

http://www.stopatmfees.com/newpage3.htm

29:45: The Wells Fargo Rewards Debit Card program Elaine describes:

https://www.wellsfargo.com/checkcard/rewards

The Wells Fargo Rewards Program is free if you ONLY register your credit card, but of course, when you try to register your Debit/Visa Logo card to that, there is a yearly fee of $12. This information comes directly from a customer service representative who I spoke with in the Rewards Dept. Even though you will get $1 reward for each $1 you put on your credit card, the debit card with visa logo is less than that.

30:15: Chase Leisure Rewards Program referred to in Short Show:

https://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/shared/assets/page/leisure_rewards_faq

30:30: How Points and Loyalty programs work:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyalty_program

31:15: TCF Bank $50 bonus promotion:

http://www.tcfbank.com/PersonalBanking/pb_checking_free_cash_50.jsp

33:52: Wells Fargo Coin Counting Program: CORRECTION: Elaine stated there is a program to only count coins on certain days and only for WF members. It was information given to her by her local branch of Wells Fargo. Although, when calling to check on this I was advised WF will count coins for no fee for either customers or non-customers IF they have a coin counting machine in the branch, but if they do not, then the tellers will not take the coins (they should) and will refer the customers to another branch. WF was unable to tell me if they have a policy spelled out on their website, and I could not find one.

34:15: WF and others charing non account holders $5 fee to cash checks drawn on their bank:

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2005/09/05/daily12.html

35:20: Regulations D Savings Fee Info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_D

39:00: Bob Sullivan's book "Gotcha Capitalism"

http://www.gotchacapitalism.com/

44:22: http://www.moveyourmoney.info is the site helping you find other smaller more local banks to bank with instead of these big 4 banks the fee you to death and took your tax bailout money, yet won't pay you decent interest or loan you money.

Huffington Post coverage: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/move-your-money-a-new-yea_b_406022.html

45:45: How banks play games with waiting to credit your deposit to your account:

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/chk/19991102.asp

This article also has 6 great tips to avoid this affecting you or making your account go negative.

46:09: Check 21: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Check_21

46:25: The Expedited Funds Availability Act: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedited_Funds_Availability_Act

46:45: Here is some good strategy for getting the fees waived:

http://money.blogs.time.com/2010/02/23/the-customer-service-confrontation-what-to-say-to-get-fees-waived/

Escalation Resources:

47:41: Federal Reserve Bank:

Consumer Complaint Form: http://www.federalreserveconsumerhelp.gov/consumercomplaint.cfm

Contact Info listed on that same page as well.

49:00: Office of Comptroller of the Currency:

Complaint Form: https://appsec.helpwithmybank.gov/olcc_form/

Contact Info Here:http://www.helpwithmybank.gov/contactus/index.html

50:00: Complain about a Credit Union:
http://www.ncua.gov/Resources/ConsumerInformation/Complaints/index.aspx
Pick the right category of Credit Union, then pick your state, and the contact info for the correct regulator will be revealed.

50:47: Karney Hatch's Video "Overdrawn" featured his successful suit against Wells Fargo fighting outrageous overdraft fees. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUXRBehEuH0
Overdrawn homepage: http://www.overdrawnmovie.net

51:45: Consumerist.com article link to web page for small claims court process in all 50 states:
http://consumerist.com/2008/01/suing-big-companies-in-small-claims-court-is-fun-and-easy.html
Direct link to the resource: http://law.freeadvice.com/resources/smallclaimscourts.htm

52:30 Kopelowitz & Ostrow law firm is another possible legal option: See if there is a class action suit and join it, or start a new one: http://www.bankoverdraftlawyers.com/how-to-avoid-bank-overdraft-fees.php

Social Media Sites to Publicize your story and complain at:

53:15: Consumerist.com: http://www.consumerist.com (Email your story to them, if they cover it, seen by thousands of people, but note, they redact the story so the actual location of the business isn't revealed.)

The rest of these sites do NOT redact stuff, which I feel is better.
Rip Off Report: http://www.ripoffreport.com
My3Cents.com: http://www.my3cents.com
PlanetFeedback: http://www.planetfeedback.com
Complaints.com: http://www.complaints.com
Epinions.com: http://www.epinions.com

These sites are geographically oriented. When other consumers search for that business, they just might see your review and not shop there! :)
Yelp.com: http://www.yelp.com
Google.com: http://www.google.com. (Look up the business and then you should see link for reviews, write a review, many others will see it.)
CitySearch.com: http://www.citysearch.com
Yahoo Local: http://local.yahoo.com/
Insider Pages: http://www.insiderpages.com
Think Local: http://www.thinklocal.com
Metromix: http://www.metromix.com
Ziphip: http://www.ziphip.com
Kudzu: http://www.kudzu.com

Bank Executive Contact and Salary Info:

55:00: John Stumpf, CEO of Wells Fargo:
Contact Info: http://consumerist.com/2008/09/contact-info-for-wells-fargo-ceo-john-stumpf-and-friends.html
Salary Info: http://people.forbes.com/profile/john-g-stumpf/85891
(Sarah is his personal assistant as per Elaine.)

57:00: Jamie Dimon, CEO of Chase Bank:
Heather Joyner, Resolution Specialist: http://consumerist.com/2010/03/having-a-problem-with-chase-bank-heres-where-to-turn.html
CEO Contact Info: http://consumerist.com/2008/05/contact-information-for-chase-ceos.html
Salary Info: http://people.forbes.com/profile/james-s-dimon/46630

59:50: Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America:
BofA is a finalist in Consumerist.com's Worst Company in America Contest:http://consumerist.com/2010/04/worst-company-in-america-overtime-rules.html
CEO Contact Info: http://consumerist.com/2010/04/reach-bank-of-americas-ceo.html
Salary Info: http://people.forbes.com/profile/brian-t-moynihan/10059

60:48: Vikram Pandit, CEO of Citibank:

CEO Contact Info:: http://consumerist.com/2008/10/reach-citibank-executive-customer-service.html

Salary Info: http://people.forbes.com/profile/vikram-s-pandit/19716

Also: 27 Citibank executive emails! :) http://consumerist.com/2009/03/27-citibank-executive-emails.html

62:07: Correction: I had stated that Vikram's share of Old Lane netted him $79 million, but two articles say he actually made around $162.5 million on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vikram_Pandit
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ausa1oLaMjBs&refer=home

67:05: Chase Bank Unemployment Card Fee Scandal:
http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/unemployement.debit.cards.2.1531314.html

Extra Resource Not Mentioned in the Episode:

Big 4 banks fee disclosures:

Chase:
https://apply.chase.com/oao/DisclosureRetriever.aspx?DI=aHR0cDovL2FwcGNvbnRlbnQuYmFua29uZS5uZXQvUlNJL0RlcG9zaXQvUEVSU19DT19BQlNGX0VOR19WMzEuZmRm

Wells Fargo:
https://www.wellsfargo.com/wfonline/deposit_acct_fees

Bank of America:
http://factsaboutfees.bankofamerica.com/manage-banking-fees/

Citibank:
http://www.citigroup.com/uae/gcb/info/docs/fin_charges.pdf

Episode 3: Bank Fee Smackdown Show!

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:57:00 -0700

Here it is - the episode you've been waiting for!

We take time out dedicated to covering one of the most hated fees around - the BANK fee!

Scott reads a complete list of them, it is so long, he gets quite tired at the end lol!

This show is just a prelude to our in-depth coverage on bank fees, listen to the aftercast
for more info!

Show audio here.

Episode 2: Aftercast - Extended conversation on Fees and Deals

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 00:06:00 -0700

During this aftercast, we give you, our listeners, a "value-add" - Four different airline fees charts for researching fees before booking your flights.

Scott's favorite 4 airline comparison charts, other sites and more!

Listen to the show by clicking HERE

4) http://www.farecompare.com/how-to-shop/domestic-fee-chart.html- phone reservation fees, checked bags fees, seat location - updated January 2010 for American domestic carriers

3) http://www.expedia.com/daily/flights/airline-fees.asp - checked bag fees, seat selection, fees for extras (like soda and snacks), in addition to fees for pets, accompanied minor fees. - updated March 2010

2) http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/airline-fees-the-ultimate-guide.html?id=2623262American carriers, fees for one bag , additional bags, overweight bags, oversized bags, ticket change fees, booking fees (phone or in person), seat selection, in-flight food, blanket and pillow fees. Some of the offenders are American $8 for blankets and pillows, Jet Blue $7, Virgin America blanket or pillow $12.
While waiting to hear Scott's #1 pick, Elaine explains about her travels on Southwest. We discuss the benefits of shipping luggage by FedEx or UPS.

Scott's #1 pick is KAYAK!

1) http://www.kayak.com/airline-fees
Their chart is interactive! You can select which airlines you want to travel on, and a variety of other items.

Elaine explains to Scott how she follows Kayak on Twitter.

Scott has two websites for real time flight tracking and one for seat selection that he highly recommends. These are:
1) www.flightaware.com
2) www.flightstats.com
3) www.seatguru.com by tripadvisor

Flightaware and flightstats are competitors giving you approximately the same service. All you need is the airline name and flight number to watch the planes progress from start to destination.

Seatguru will show you the seating arrangement on the type of plane you are traveling on and assists you in seat selection.

Airlines really don't have to charge separate fees, as they used to put all of these fees within the ticket price. An itemized statement could list the fees.

A friend of the show, Michael, who is also a fan of ours on facebook, explained that if just one airline stops charging fees, people will flock to them and the other airlines will be forced to change the fees that they charge. Thank you Michael, that's totally the truth!

Scott explains that Secretary of Transportation, Mr. LaHood, is furious with Spirit and RyanAir regarding their fees. You can see the link to that article on our facebook page.

Elaine's favorites for the week were the FREE recyclable bag from Earthbound and the FREE Waffle cone from TCBY. We continue on with our conversation on bags, Entenmann's sells the recyclable bag but when you bring it to the store you get a FREE item at checkout. At Safeway, when you reuse your plastic bags, or bring a recyclable bag you get 5 cents per bag off your grocery bill (this is in effect in Colorado).

Scott's pet peeve this week is The Automated Checkout at the grocery store. 90% of the time, he is more efficient at the Automated Checkout, but if there is a problem, the person overseeing the automation is often not available to assist you. We discuss the good and bad points of using the Automated Checkout. Scott gives it a thumbs up, while Elaine gives it a thumbs down.

We welcome emails with your comments and suggestions - we might even read them on the air!

Episode 2: Spirit Airlines, RyanAir and Restaurant.com

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 23:25:00 -0700

Our show opens with Scott and Fricking Fees.

Last week it was bank fees, now the airlines! Who and what will be next?

Spirit Airlines is now charging $45 for a carry on bag that will be placed in the overhead compartment. How dare they! If you are displeased or outraged about this fee, please feel free to call Spirit Air - CEO Ben Baldanza 954-447-7965, or email him at: Ben.Baldanza@spiritair.com.

RyanAir starts charging for use of the lavatory. This is so they can take out 2 out of 3 restrooms and add 6 extra seats. If you are really interested in calling the CEO to complain, Michael O'Leary can be reached
(this is an international number and you will need to check the access code from your phone company) by calling: +35312480856. Tell Michael that you will NOT put up with his fee. It should be noted that RyanAir doesn't not have operations within the United States nor to or from.

What kind of fees will they dream up next?

Reclining fees, use of floatation device fee, sitting near the emergency exit fee?

Listen to our aftercast for Scott's useful information on cool websites for travel planning and in flight fees.

Elaine's Amazing Deal of the Week is found at www.restaurant.com. With FREE registration, this site will send you emails on their specials each week. The email Elaine received was advertising 70% off their regular price of $10 for a $25 certificate. She discusses how the deals work, and creative ways to use the certificates. Take a friend, your spouse or give to someone who really needs a night out for dinner. Listen to the podcast for ALL the particulars and how Scott and Elaine have used the certificates.

Listen to Episode 2 by clicking HERE

Episode 1 Aftercast: Extended Discussion about Fees and Deals

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Fri, 9 Apr 2010 20:56:00 -0700

After each main episode we will have an aftercast featuring us shooting the breeze about these topics, unedited, and fun!

In this aftercast, we discuss, in a relaxed way, the points made in our podcast on fees and deals and more. We laugh about Wells Fargo and how they charge you to pay your bill, those click through participation required "not so real deals". We poke fun at dial up services and having a home phone vs not having one. Our discussions lead back to planning ahead and how to use that for saving money.

Please see our facebook Fees And Deals page for Elaine's savings on purchasing her patio set as mentioned within this aftercast.

Coupons can be obtained from just about anywhere, your neighbors and friends, online, coupon sites, as well as company sites.

Our discussion then leads to commercials from national fast food or chain stores. It's all about having a coupon or getting a deal from a "franchise" vs "corporate" store. Sometimes the franchise does NOT honor a deal that a corporate store will. How do we know the difference? We discuss Subway and their current deal for their foot long sandwiches.

Again, we go back to a discussion where Starbucks (*$) doesn't honor their own coupon where you buy something and get something free or at a discount. We discuss the names given to the sizes of drinks there. Why can't we just say small, medium, or large?

Perky Cups was next up and how they advertise. Perky Cups is a "coffee" shop where women in bikini tops serve your order to you. Have any of you been to Perky Cups? Do they have shirtless men as well?

Scott initiates conversation on reducing portions, smaller burgers, buns, where companies make more money by "super-sizing". Elaine contributes with a discussion on Dryer's (Edy's on the East Coast) ice cream packaging sizes.

BEWARE over buying in the store! If you are single, have coupons, there is a sale at the store, would you buy 20 boxes of cereal?

As always, we appreciate your suggestions and comments. Please consider sponsoring us - email us!

Show audio here.

Episode 1: Wells Fargo Mortgage Fee and NOT SO REAL Laptop Offers

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sat, 3 Apr 2010 06:50:00 -0700

In this episode I really let Wells Fargo have it for whomping it's mortgage customers with a stupid fricking $20 fee if they call in to pay their mortgage. Paying your bill should be FREE.

Then, Elaine exposes those NOT so real "Laptop Offers" on the internet. Read the fine print: "Participation is Required..." and the laptop is not really a laptop...

Listen in here for details.

Our Introductory Show!

feesanddeals@gmail.com (Scott and Elaine) — Sat, 3 Apr 2010 06:45:00 -0700

Hey Everyone - Welcome to our Fricking Fees and Amazing Deals blog site!

In this first episode, we set the stage and explain to you what this show is really all about:

Exposing stupid fricking fees that waste your time and money, AND covering Amazing deals, and "not so real" deals, and telling the difference.

If you have any feedback for us, feel free to comment here or email us at feesanddeals@gmail.com.

Scott

Show link here.