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Happy
Wednesday!
...and
thanks for signing up for your weekly Dose of
Dover!
I'm pleased
to be sending you your weekly shot of un-common
sense advice, ideas
and other observations.
You
know...this stuff comes together as a direct
result of your e-mails,
letters and
telephone calls from the radio shows, TV
segments and newspaper column.
[By
the way: We're a
day later this week because of the Labor Day
holiday; we'll
be back to the usual Tuesday delivery schedule next
week.]
Do
me a favor and put me out of a
job!!!
Forward
this e-mail to everyone in your Address
Book,
others that
will benefit from the information I've assembled
below.
Dose
of Dover #5
Wednesday,
September 4, 2002:
One of the biggest
sources of complaints to the FTC and Attorneys
General around the nation is also one of the
more seductive con games going...and if you
haven't been taken yet, there's still time!
What you need to know to
avoid ending up on the victim's list as a result
of biting on the latest great travel deal from
the Internet; the New
York Times had a great story about this very
real [and growing] problem that's definitely
worth reviewing.
Ben's Bottom
Line?
Here's 8 Tips To Stay Out Of
Travel-Related Trouble On-Line:
1.
Always Buy From Someone [a company] You Know.
If you've never heard of
them, do your homework...and never buy from a
company that solicits through spam!
2. Run A Background On
Unfamiliar Websites Through "Who Is."
This will let you know the name
at least of the company that owns/controls the
website. [Here's
the link for "Who Is" that you
can use on any website out there!]
3. Look For
Reliability Standards: This
means you'd better do your homework on the
company first, by checking out easy-to-access
sites like the Better
Business Bureau,
or check to see if the company's a member of a
reputable trade association such as the
U.S.
Tour Operators Association, the American
Society of Travel Agents or
the National
Tour Association.
4. Know All
The Costs Up Front: Ask
for a list of all fees or charges associated
with getting the trip you're interested in [in
writing, up front!] before you ever give anyone
a credit card number. Get it in
writing...paper your trail! Don't rely on
phone conversations because [I know this is hard
to believe] some people will actually lie to
you!
5. Avoid High
Pressure Deals: If
they ever use the "this offer expires
by ______" line on you, forget it!
6. Use A
Credit Card...NEVER a debit
card! And
always paper your trail, since some credit card
companies will leave you high-and-dry and
dangling out there after you've been stung.
Force the credit card company to earn their fee
and ridiculous interest rates by protecting you
against scammy deals you might get suckered into
signing up for.
7. Paper Your
Trail! Print out
all offers you bite on, on-line.
8. Remember:
There's No Such Thing As Free! That
word alone should make you wary...along with
other favorite phrases like "you've
been specially selected" or "you've
won a trip!" Use your head, will
ya?
BONUS TIP! Never
buy anything from a
company that uses spam. And
be wary of anyone that uses "pop-up"
windows...yes...I know it's a favorite device of
Orbitz.com and some other notables...but it
gives me another reason not to do
business with them!
If
you have an affinity for wearing athletic clothing
and (more specifically), numbered jerseys sporting
"88"...you probably don't even realize
that you're advancing the cause of the
Ku Klux Klan! That's
right: You could be supporting the ideas of Adolph
Hitler and the Nazis, right now in the year 2002!
It's a story that had me chuckling at the
absurdity of the concept of "hidden
messages," but apparently the folks in the
front office of mega-retailer Target are taking
all of this pretty seriously. You've
gotta read this story to believe it.
By the way: With
the NFL season opening up a week from today, I
think all of us are gonna take a look at all of
those wide receivers sporting the #88 with a whole
new attitude. And what's even more
insidious? The majority of people wearing #88 are
Black!!! Yet another example of using the
black man as a pawn in the advancement of a White
Supremacy Society!!! Yeah...you betcha.
Okay, maybe I'm overreacting just a bit...but if
you wanna hear something that'll make you laugh
and lighten the topic up just a bit, click
here!
Good
news if you or someone important in your life is
on a tight budget and wants to stretch your
drug-dollars! Now
even some big shot researchers up at Stanford are
telling you what I've been saying for years!
Pill-splitting might not be such a bad idea after
all, and can actually deliver a lot more bang for
your pharmaceutical buck than you realize!!!
But you've gotta be careful. Read
this release from Stanford University...it
includes a list of medications that they think are
safely "splittable," but
don't (you) do anything in this
arena unless and until you've discussed it with
your doctor or a qualified medical professional,
first!!! Why?
Because not all medications lend
themselves to this practice. Of course, some
are in capsule form...others have a time-release
aspect to their formulation that could become
unstable and have some serious health implications
if you jack around with it and try to split the
dosage.
If
there's an older consumer in your world that's got
a credit OR debit card and lives by themselves,
you're gonna want to take away all of their
plastic after you read this next story!
A couple of Canadian scam
artists were indicted here in Los Angeles a couple
of days ago and charged with bilking elderly
victims out of more than $3 million in cash
by coercing these poor old (and usually lonely)
souls into giving up their credit or debit card
numbers over the telephone. Ben's
Bottom Line? If
anyone asks you to "verify" an account
number of any kind over the phone...credit or
debit card or bank account...hang up!!!
I
don't care what sort of "great deal"
you've got with your cell phone company, the
pressure to turn a profit is higher than ever
before, and now you're about to get
nickeled-and-dimed to death...unless you protect
yourself from your cell phone service provider:
You might think you're
just being a conscientious cell phone user as you monitor
your total minutes used, month to month. But
you'd better be careful, because some cell phone
service providers are starting to charge for this
service! Maybe you've gotten hot into text
messaging or use Directory Assistance from time to
time, your cell phone company's about to slap you
right where it hurts the most. In your pocketbook! Ben's
Bottom Line: You've
GOT to scrutinize your cell phone bill
closely...especially now! If you think you're
paying more, you probably are...and you shouldn't
be afraid to take your business elsewhere!!! I
found a decent side-by-side comparison website
[on/through cnet.com] that lets you plug in
your Zip Code to see what cell phone companies
serve your area....then you can compare all of the
assorted plans side-by-side.
By the way:
If you've been a loyal
customer to your cell phone company for a year or
more and spend over $100 a month, a phone call to
their Customer Service number [not from your cell
phone but from a conventional land-line] will get
you a new telephone just for asking!
Know your coverage going in: Here's
a resource that'll help guide you through the
heartburn...
Consumer's Union has a great [free]
publication: "The
Consumer Guide To Handling Disputes With Your
Private or Employer Health Care" which is a
terrific resource.
Dover's Rule:
Always paper your trail. And in this case,
organize a strong "appeal packet."
Get help from the experts! The Patient
Advocate Foundation is
a terrific resource.
And while you're
out nosing around and learning your rights...here's
some additional reading that you'll thank me
for, sooner-or-later:
Are
you responsible for Mom or Dad's debts after they
pass on? The answer may surprise you...we'll
be talking about it this week...put it on
your calendar: Sunday
morning, September 8, 2002, from 8-10a PT on
KFI-AM/640.
Think
of it as un-common sense,
delivered conveniently to your e-mail once a week:
And the best news of all? It's free.
Okay, maybe you're enlightened enough to already
be receiving your Dose of Dover; why not make a
friend, family member, co-worker, fellow [former]
cellmate--you name it--just as smart as you!
Send 'em this link: www.bendover.com/newsletter.asp so
they can get on board and get their own [free]
weekly Dose
of Dover.
Gotta
question for Ben?
Call in and get it answered live
on the air during his Sunday morning radio show
(8-10 am Pacific/9-10 am Mountain/10 am-12 noon
Central/11 am-1 pm Eastern, 4-6 pm GMT) on KFI-AM/640,
Los Angeles:
(800)
520-1-KFI [And
you can listen
live via the Internet,
no matter where you are!]
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