TheState.com: Stretching Your Paycheck: Shopping

How to complain -- and get results

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:10 EST

The journey from the check-out lane to the family garage can be bundled with regrets, especially if purchases fail to live up to advertised promises or expectations. That's what happened to a friend of mine, Deborah Gilbert, a photographer. She purchased an outdoor canopy that was difficult to assemble and was missing a few parts. It was a do-it-yourself nightmare, she said.

But by filing a complaint directly with the manufacturer, Gilbert received new parts, company assistance and an apology. Here's how she did it:

�Go to the manufacturer Although retail stores and distributors are often willing or able to help with defective merchandise, I've had superb responses from manufacturers. Locate contact information on the package or visit the company's Web site. From small food items to large machinery, most reputable companies provide a toll-free customer service number.

�Stay calm "I was polite. They were polite," Gilbert said about the canopy company. In plain but polite language, she told them that the canopy was difficult to assemble because key parts seemed to be either missing or in-compatible.

�Use humor She tried to provide a funny, but accurate description of her attempts to wrestle with the horizontal and vertical parts of the canopy. "I had to fight with it," Gilbert told the customer rep, adding that she would have to start a weight-lifting program in order to successfully assemble the canopy.

How to make sure your card rewards you

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:10 EST

Some rewards cards will pay you cash, but often there�s a ceiling on the maximum payout each year. Other cards promise points for every purchase, but they may expire after just a year. Still others reward some purchases, such as gasoline or travel, far more than food or pharmaceutical purchases.

The rules for rewards and cash-back cards can be confusing, according to separate studies released last week by Consumer Reports and Bankrate.com. Unwary consumers may be better off passing on some of the rewards programs out there, they conclude.

That�s because the rewards and cash-back cards often carry much higher interest rates than non-rewards cards and may have so many restrictions that it�s hard for consumers to claim a payout.

Consumers who don�t pay their cards in full each month, for example, may find that �if the (interest) rates are high, the cost to carry a balance will often erase any savings the rewards program may offer,� said Amanda Walker, senior project editor at Consumer Reports.

The study published in Consumer Reports, the monthly magazine of the nonprofit Consumers Union in Yonkers, N.Y., found that 85 percent of Americans participate in at least one rewards program. Some offer rewards at a particular retailer, others double as credit cards that can be used anywhere, it said. About 3 percent of those surveyed participated in 10 or more programs.

Try a toy rent-and-return program

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:10 EST

If you're a parent who's tired of buying your kids new toys, only to see them forgotten or collecting dust in a matter of hours or days, now you can stop buying and start renting.

That's the premise behind a new online toy rental company, BabyPlays.com. That's right, you borrow the toys and then, when your kids have had enough of them, simply return them and receive new ones.

BabyPlays.com, which opened for business on Oct. 1, is the brainchild of Lori Pope, a Houston mother of four, including 16-month-old identical twin boys.

"I kept seeing my younger kids get bored with the stuff that they were playing with. They would nonchalantly poke their finger at them and express a lack of interest because they had outgrown them," Pope says. "I thought, I just want to belong to some service so I can get some toys, not have to own them and add to the clutter I already have, and then send them back for more toys my children would be interested in playing with."

After searching but not finding any such service, she started her own.

Look for free lifetime warranties

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:10 EST

Whether or not to buy ex-tended warranties is a hot topic in consumer circles. Here's an even better approach: buy products that come with extended warranties or lifetime service guarantees at no extra charge.

From backpacks to bedding, a variety of stores and manufacturers offer free lifetime guarantees. Here's a sample:

JanSport: Sally Parrott Ashbrook, www.danandsally.com, writes about the JanSport back-pack she purchased in the eighth grade for $50. "Years later, it's still going strong," says Sally, who is in her late 20s. JanSport's Lifetime product guarantee for its back-packs, bags and luggage covers manufacturer defects, but not damage from accidents or normal wear-and-tear. However, the company will repair broken zippers free, regardless of fault.

Lands' End: This product line of clothing, linens and home furnishings comes with a generous return and product guarantee, clearly spelled out on the company Web site: "If you're not satisfied with any item, simply return it to us at any time for an ex-change or refund of its purchase price."

Hammacher Schlemmer: This 160-year-old catalog company backs its products with a generous lifetime warranty in which the company will either replace or re-fund a product. The accepted reasons for product returns include: unwanted gifts, shipping damage, ill-fitting merchandise, wrong color, defects and late arrivals. A company representative said Hammacher Schlemmer will re-place or provide a credit for merchandise � ranging from Turkish bathrobes to electronics � that breaks or wears out.

What to do if you feel economically vulnerable

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:10 EST

With the stock market's recent selloffs, job cuts, declining home values and all the talk of a recession, Americans are no doubt feeling poorer and more economically vulnerable.

Can't do anything about that, right?

Yes and no.

We can't control Wall Street.

We can't control the housing market.

20 tips for being frugal and fabulous

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:10 EST

Buying all the best brands? Not so frugal. Picking through your neighbor's trash? Not so fabulous.

With the country's economic health on the line, how can you save money without suffering style? Here are some ideas to live the fabulous life while still being frugal:

� Do your own darn toenails. The only people who might look at your feet closely enough to know the difference between a DIY pedicure and a fancy spa treatment won't judge you for it anyway, suggests Megan O. Steintrager, 35, an editor in New York. Use pale colors; a bright red coat might show if it's out of the lines. And besides, sandal season is months away.

� It's all in the packaging. Refill fancy-brand soap dispensers with generic liquid soap, says Jeanne-Marie Hudson, 36, a marketing director for a publishing company. Or buy a heavy ceramic or sleek metal pump you can use again and again. Few can tell the difference, and you give guests (and even yourself) the illusion of luxury without having to pay for it.

� Eco-shredding. New York writer Lexi Dwyer, 31, saves shreddings from her paper shredder to use as packaging for fragile gifts. And if it's colored paper, it might even look cool inside a gift bag. It's green and frugal all at once.