I will be the first to admit that I have never thought twice about throwing any and all pre-approved credit card solicitations into the trash. David Rhoads, Vice President of SureShred, a Diamond Certified company, warns against being so careless. He says that identity thieves can easily take these offers from the garbage, change the return address, sign it and get a credit card in your name.

This can be just the beginning of your troubles. Once you put something in the trash, it is considered public property and anyone can sift through it. Besides pre-approved credit card ads, you should also destroy credit card and bank statements, driver’s license renewal forms, hospital bills, Read more

There’s an abundance of information involved in any real estate deal, so it’s important that your agent is able to effectively communicate, explain the details of the process and answer any questions you may have. Ideally, you should be able to communicate on the same level and fully understand all the information that’s being presented to you.

Experience is also an important factor to consider when hiring a real estate agent. Relatively new agents may bring enthusiasm and other positive attributes, but if they haven’t completed at least 30 deals, they should be working closely with a veteran agent. Read more

Here’s a doozy. Have you seen this on a clothing care label? “Do not dry clean. Do not hand wash. Professional spot clean only.” Gary Casassa, owner of Marin Cleaners, Inc., a Diamond Certified company, usually sees these types of labels on high-end items such as evening dresses with beads and sequins. Customers don’t like hearing that even a professional dry cleaner can’t do a thorough cleaning on these items. Some garments become unwearable as a result.

The problem with professional spot cleaning is that it requires water in order to rinse out the spot remover. Also, spot cleaning can leave a small circle and/or a watermark. Mr. Casassa suggests that you look closely at those care labels before you spend a lot of money on a garment. Read more

The biggest mistake people make when complaining is that they don’t ask for what they want. Joe Ridout, Consumer Services Manager for Consumer Action, says you should be specific if you want your complaint resolved to your satisfaction as quickly as possible. Do you want a refund, a replacement, a discount, or an apology?

When talking to a customer service representative, a supervisor, or one of the super-supervisors (also called executive customer relations or retention specialists), Mr. Ridout advises that you stay away from making legal arguments. “If you appeal on the basis of fairness, that’s usually going to be more persuasive. Also some customer service reps are trained transfer complaints to the legal department once a consumer alleges the company is involved in illegal conduct, Read more

A credit score is a number that shows the amount of risk you are to a lender. It can range from 350 to 850—the higher the better. The easiest way to boost your credit score is to pay your bills on time. Jeannine Moore, Marketing Director for Consumer Credit Counseling Service of San Francisco, says the second most important thing you can do to improve the score is manage your credit balances in relation to your limits. About one-third of your score is based on what you currently owe lenders in relation to what you could possibly owe. Ms. Moore said she used to recommend not exceeding one-half of the available limit, but now things are tightening up even more and you should not exceed one-third of the limit. Read more

Most people don’t need the help of an accountant to prepare their taxes, according to Geoffrey Kulik, a Partner of Sterck Kulik O’Neill. But, Mr. Kulik says, many taxpayers wind up signing up for too much or too little help in March and April because they panic and decide on a professional based on who’s available rather than who can best help them.

Fall is the right time to decide how you’re going to prepare your taxes next spring. Taxpayers with complex returns can meet with CPAs to see if the firm is a good fit. Salaried employees with simple returns can interview preparers about their price and schedule requirements. For simple returns, Read more

The law was passed in 1974 to protect consumers who were pressured into signing contracts with pushy and unrelenting salespeople. The 3-day “cooling off” period allows you to cancel SOME contracts signed in California by midnight of the third business day. According to Laurel Pallock from the S.F. District Attorney’s Mediation Unit, “This has to be in writing in the contract and explained to you in advance of signing. You just tear off the form and send it back to the company, saying you want out.” Here are some types of contracts covered by the law: dental services, job listing services, home solicitation sales, employment counseling services, home improvement agreements, discount buying services, dating services, Read more