<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>washingtonpost.com - Consummate Consumer</title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/style/columns/consummateconsumer?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><description>Consummate Consumer</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>15</ttl><image><title>washingtonpost.com</title><width>140</width><height>20</height><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com</link><url>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/image/wp_web.gif</url></image><item><title><![CDATA[Old Adage Holds: Get It in Writing]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45309-2005Apr11.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45309-2005Apr11.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ On a business trip three years ago, Mike Shannon was bending down in the Miami airport security line to get out his laptop when a hurried American Airlines flight attendant collided with him. Pushing past him without apology, he says, she rolled her luggage over his tote bag and dismissed his pointed suggestion that she allow him to move out of her way.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Raising the Alarm on Rise in Counterfeit Drugs]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26552-2005Apr4.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26552-2005Apr4.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[One New York man recovering from a liver transplant discovered the Epogen he purchased at a drugstore was a fake  --  containing one-twentieth of the prescribed active ingredient. A California AIDS patient found that his human growth hormone prescription was counterfeit after reporting to his pharmacist that the injection left a burning sensation.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Losing Sleep Over Online Bed Purchases]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55447-2005Mar21.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55447-2005Mar21.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[When Alex Levin and Amy Stolls went bed shopping last August, they say they looked online and at a furniture store in Washington and found a hardwood sleigh-style bed called the Coronado. The price of the queen-size model, made by Lifestyle Solutions, ranged from $299 to $449.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rogue Movers, Stalking the Net]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35328-2005Mar14.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35328-2005Mar14.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[News last week of phony moving brokers shifting into high gear on the Internet is further evidence of a disturbing nationwide trend  --  rogue movers gouging customers with high prices and holding their possessions hostage until being paid.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[To Contact the CEO, Do Some Detective Work]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15557-2005Mar7.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15557-2005Mar7.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Finding  basic company information can be a hassle. That's what some readers said after the Jan. 11 column on resolving consumer problems by going straight to the company honcho to file an executive complaint ["The Ultimate 'May I Speak to Your Supervisor' "].]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Work-at-Home Ploys: Earning a Bad Reputation]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61640-2005Feb28.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61640-2005Feb28.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The "work-at-home" offers are everywhere now, from business cards stuck on ATMs to fliers tacked to telephone poles to newspaper ads and e-mail spam. Pay a modest fee and, they promise, you'll earn big money doing an unskilled job from home.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Car Thieves: Do They Have Your Number?]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42631-2005Feb21.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A42631-2005Feb21.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[A spam making the rounds warns that thieves have come up with this easy way to steal your car: "The car thieves peer through the windshield of your car or truck, write down the VIN from the label on the dash, go to the local car dealership and request a duplicate key based on the VIN."]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Rebate Check May Not Be in the Mail]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52798-2005Jan31.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52798-2005Jan31.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[When college student John Coleman bought a $100 Cingular wireless phone in early October, the $50 rebate offer was the deal maker. But after 14 weeks and no rebate check, he was having second thoughts.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[U.S. Mint to Coin New Rule on 'Commemoratives']]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34002-2005Jan24.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34002-2005Jan24.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Unscrupulous coin marketers are making a mint fooling naive consumers with ads that imply their unofficial or bogus products are authentic government-authorized coinage. So U.S. Mint officials say a proposed regulation, calling for stiff fines against scammers who misuse the U.S. Treasury or Mint name or emblem to deceive customers, is right on the money.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Warranty: Get It in Writing]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16735-2005Jan17.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16735-2005Jan17.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Five  years ago, Zhigang Wang helped his son, Ruojiang, and his family buy a sofa, loveseat and sectional from the RoomStore in Chantilly. The furniture cost $5,750 -- a big investment.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Ultimate 'May I Speak to Your Supervisor?']]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64483-2005Jan10.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64483-2005Jan10.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Bernice  McTigue experienced one of those "senior moments" in September, mixing up her commas and periods when paying her Verizon bill. Instead of $68.58, she sent the phone company $6,858.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Counterfeit Goods That Trigger the 'False' Alarm]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45994-2005Jan3.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45994-2005Jan3.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Shopping for a Gore-Tex jacket last November, Shane Gooding found  several deals on eBay. But he grew concerned that some of the jackets  might not have been the real thing.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trouble Can Come With Downloads]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30320-2004Dec27.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30320-2004Dec27.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Technology security experts warn that many of this holiday season's millions of newbie MP3 player owners don't know what dangers lurk behind some music.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Year Shoppers Left the Mall Behind]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62355-2004Dec13.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62355-2004Dec13.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Online  buying continues to snowball, according to the results of a recent America Online survey. This year, for the first time, Americans who regularly use the Internet for shopping -- researching or buying products at least once a month -- will do more shopping online than at shopping malls and stores, from catalogues and by phone, the survey found.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ding! The Sound Of Many Griping About Enterprise]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5988-2004Nov22.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5988-2004Nov22.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA["The same thing happened to me!" came a loud chorus of feedback from more than a dozen readers after the Oct. 5 column about Antonia Balazs's ding-or-damage dispute with Enterprise Rent-a-Car.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Credit Score: Are You Ahead or Behind?]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52889-2004Nov15.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52889-2004Nov15.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Rebecca Prather says she owns her Fairfax County home, has no mortgage and pays off credit card accounts monthly. So she was "shocked" recently when Allstate offered her a homeowner's insurance policy at its second-best rating.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA['Phishing' on the Rise, But Don't Take the Bait]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35429-2004Nov8.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35429-2004Nov8.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Jan Boldt can hardly believe the number of fake e-mail warnings she receives almost daily from crooks impersonating the security divisions at eBay, AOL, PayPal and other businesses. She usually deletes them without even looking.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bargain Hunting Via the Keyboard]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17305-2004Nov1.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17305-2004Nov1.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[With the voting behind us and the holidays ahead, some consumers begin shifting their attention today to finding bargains. Andrew Moss is counting on it.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Prescription Prices: What's the Big Secret?]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62807-2004Oct25.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62807-2004Oct25.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[When Barry Molefsky picked up a prescription at his pharmacy recently, he wondered why there's never a price list posted for prescription drugs so consumers can know the cost before buying, and maybe even comparison-shop.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Yo-Yo Deals: Stringing Car Buyers Along]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43629-2004Oct18.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43629-2004Oct18.html?nav=rss_style/columns/consummateconsumer</guid><pubDate>Tue, 19 Apr 2005 12:04:09 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Like many car buyers, when Bradley Nigh bought a 1997 Chevy Blazer four years ago at an Alexandria dealership, he signed the deal, filled out the credit application and other paperwork, then drove off the proud owner of a new vehicle.]]></description><author> Don Oldenburg</author></item></channel></rss>