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Entry bubble The case of the missing mail

By: Jess | April 23, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

mail box

About two weeks ago my mail didn't show up one day. I thought it was a little odd because I usually get some kind of junk mail, circular or bill every day, but other than that I didn't think too much of it.

But then the mail didn't show up the next day, or the next or the next. It didn't show up the following Monday either.

So I called the Post Office to see what was going on. Because it was after hours, I called the 800 number and spoke with an extremely friendly guy who told me someone at my local Post Office would call me back by end of business the next day.

I wasn't totally sure if I believed that would actually happen, but to my surprise around lunch time the next day I got a call from my local Post Office wanting me to tell them what was going on. I explained that I hadn't gotten my mail in almost a week and no one had put a hold on it.

After assuring me he'd talk with my mail carrier, we hung up.

When I got home from work that day my mail was there. Not a whole bunch of it to make up for the days I missed, but something was there. And a few days later, I was surprised when I got a follow up phone call from the Post Office to check on the situation. The man on the phone told me my mail carrier said I just didn't get any mail those five days. I find that a little hard to believe, but at least my mail is coming again.

Overall I was extremely impressed with the customer service from the Post Office. They called me back promptly and fixed the situation really quickly. If you're having problems with your mail delivery, you can find more information on filing a complaint.

Feel free to share your Post Office stories in the comments.  

| Post a Comment | View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: jess   mail   post_office  

 

Entry bubble Earth Day and Going Green

By: Colleen | April 22, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

Today is the 39th observance of Earth Day.earthd ay

We all know that "going green" is on everyone's agenda today. This includes the makers of plastic bags, who have announced by 2015, plastic bags will be made with 40% recycled content. Doing this is estimated to save 463 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions and 300 million pounds of waste per year.

While this is a helpful step, some cities have gone as far as outlawing the bags altogether, and some retailers like Whole Foods and Trader Joe's have done away with them.

The earthday.gov website has a lot of great tips for living an environmentally friendly lifestyle. Doing simple things like turning off the water while brushing your teeth can make a big difference.

Do you bring your own reusable grocery bags to the store instead of using plastic? What other "green" tactics do you use daily?

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: colleen   earth_day   going_green   greenhouse_gas   plastic_bags   waste  

 

Entry bubble E-mail Scams and Fraud

By: Joanne | April 21, 2009 | Category: Money

Money Matters: Tips from the Federal Trade Commission

Have you ever opened your e-mail inbox to find a message from a wealthy foreigner who offers you a huge payment to help him move money out of his country? All you need to do is provide your U.S. bank account number.

Or maybe you’ve been nominated for the “Oprah Millionaire Contest Show” and all you need to do to is send money for your airfare and tickets to the show.

Perhaps you’re personally eligible for some money from the Economic Stimulus package and all you need to do is provide bank account information so that the money can be deposited directly into your account.

Sometimes these types of scam emails come from e-mail addresses you should be able to trust: fbi.gov, irs.gov, even usa.gov.

Does all this sound too good to be true? It is!

The sad truth is that many, many unsuspecting people fall for these scams every day, and they pay dearly for their mistakes. They lose thousands of dollars, have their identity stolen and worse. But because these scams really work, people will continue to prey on the unsuspecting.

What can you do? Be alert and use your head – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If you’re not sure if an email is legitimate or not, do some checking. A quick internet search can usually give you a pretty good idea. The Federal Citizen Information Center also lists fraud schemes and scams. If you don’t see it on the list, find yourself an alternate, trusted way to reach the alleged source of the email and find out if the offer is for real. You can report e-mail scams to the Federal Trade Commission. Your complaints help them detect patterns of wrong-doing, and lead to investigations and prosecutions.

| View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: e mail   fraud   joanne   money   nigerian   phishing   scam  

 

Entry bubble Ever Heard of Housing Discrimination?

By: Jake | April 20, 2009 | Category: Home and Family

Houses

The Department of Housing and Urban Development designates April as Fair Housing Month to spread the word about your rights when buying, renting or financing a home. This week is Fair Housing Education Week, where HUD representatives visit schools to teach children and their parents about housing discrimination.

The Fair Housing Act of 1968 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (including children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18), and handicap (disability) when renting, selling or financing a home. It also makes HUD the primary enforcement agency, so if you think you have a housing discrimination case, file your complaint with them. Keep in mind the law does not protect people who can't pay their rent or mortgages.

I wonder how much of a problem housing discrimination is. According to recent remarks from HUD's Secretary, there were more than 10,000 complaints of housing discrimination last year, though an older study estimates that there are 2 million instances of housing discrimination each year. I've never been discriminated against and none of my friends believed that they had been a victim of housing discrimination. Of course I wouldn't consider my friends to be a scientific sample, and most of them believed that housing discrimination would be hard to identify because it might not be overt.

So what do you think? Have you or anyone you've known been the victim of housing discrimination?

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: fair_housing_education_week   fair_housing_month   housing_discrimination   jake  

 

Entry bubble Scumbags Are Scamming the Elderly

By: Ginger | April 17, 2009 | Category: Money

Elderly woman counting out changeMy mom admits to being paranoid about ATMs, online banking, and shopping on the internet, so she won’t use them.  She says she feels safer doing things the old-fashioned way.  Mom may be paranoid about these "new technologies," but when it comes to dealing with people she is very open and trusting. That is why I worry that someone will take advantage of her.  I don’t want to scare her, but there is a whole bunch of other stuff out there to be paranoid about!

Lately, there are more stories in the news about the elderly being scammed out of part, or all, of their savings.  According to the FBI, the elderly are often seen as good targets because they often have a savings or a "nest egg", they usually own their homes, and often have good credit.  All of these things are appealing to a con-man looking for a mark.  Many elderly grew up in an era where being polite and trusting were the norms.  Con-men look to exploit these characteristics in people.  Con-men also may target the elderly because they feel they can physically bully and intimidate them more easily.

The FBI also reports that some elderly victims are less likely to report a fraud because they are too ashamed at having been scammed.  Some may not realize that they have been scammed.  In some instances elderly victims may not report the incident because they do not want to be seen as unable to take care of their financial affairs.  Often when the elderly do report crime, they have trouble remembering the details of what happened.  Con-men count on the fact that elderly victims may not be able to provide detailed information to investigators.

We all have loved ones that are elderly and we will all be elderly one day, so it is important to educate our loved ones and ourselves about scams being perpetrated on the elderly.  Perhaps something you read in the resources below will prevent you or your loved ones from being scammed.

Have you or a loved one experienced elder fraud?  Does anyone have any good tips to tell my mom to protect her from scams?

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: elderly   fraud   ginger   scams  

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