Don't cry over spilled (or spoiled) milk anymore
Especially for consumers who do drink milk, but not a lot of it — Ultra Pasteurized Milk! One of my pet peeves is opening a carton of milk that I remember having just purchased, (to be completely honest, sometimes I forget how long ago I actually purchased it!), and pouring out totally spoiled milk that resembles rotten yogurt instead of nice fresh milk. Last time I did this it was so bad that when I poured it down the disposal, the disposal started gagging!
If this sounds familiar, the product, Ultra Pasteurized Milk, may be the answer to your problem. It has a shelf life of up to 70 days instead of the normal 18 days. Do beware that you can’t use it for making yogurt or cheese. All the little animals that make yogurt and cheese possible have been pasteurized to death — that’s why it doesn’t spoil as quickly.
If you don’t see it, ask your grocer for it. The taste is the same and except for the above noted exceptions, you use it the same. When I want milk (like with chocolate chip cookies), nothing else will do.
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VACATION MAIL SCAM SOLUTION: A regular reader of this column suggested an easy fix for this one: The U.S. Postal Service should require one if not two pieces of photo ID for anyone placing a vacation hold on mail. Problem solved! Thanks to one of my readers.
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CHECK IT OUT: The best movie I’ve ever seen taking a humorous look at scams is the 1967 “The Flim–Flam Man,” starring George C. Scott. Bet you’ll enjoy it.
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NEW LAWS NEEDED: I’m almost never a proponent of new laws, especially federal laws. On the other hand, something has to be done on two different subjects: 1. Enforcement of the “no-call” list; and 2. The fine print, especially on TV advertising.
The “no-call” list was created with great fanfare and chest beating by those who claim to represent us in Washington, D.C. The problem is, there is no attempt to enforce the law. As a result, some people are being called six and eight times a day by spammers using the telephone.
The phone companies, wired and wireless, should also be held accountable for exposing all of us to the epidemic of spam calls, which make many afraid to answer their phone. Some hardcore penalties with major fines might persuade these robo-call companies to be a little more careful about who they call. Maybe even some substantial jail time for repeat offenders and abusers.
The second area that the feds should get involved is the small print, at the bottom of the page on TV commercials. It’s bad enough that the TV providers increase the length of commercial interruptions (and VOLUME) as a program goes on. The small print that is literally flashed at the bottom of the screen is illegible. Even if you have a large-screen TV with the highest resolution available and freeze the screen, you still can’t read it; I’ve tried. Of course, each seam and lacing on a football or dimple on a golf ball can easily be seen, but you can’t read the small print detailing the legal disclaimers for the product, medicine or service. What’s up with that? The standard should be that all fine print should be readable by any high school graduate with normal eyesight during the course of the commercial. Is that asking too much? I don’t think so.
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LET’S TALK MORE EQUIFAX: Sorry, I’m in Equifax overload. However, this is important.
If you get a call from Equifax, it is almost surely a scam call. Hang up! By the company’s own admission, approximately 143 million credit records have been exposed to hackers. For Equifax to call all of those affected, they’d have to hire a zillion people to make those calls. They’re not doing that, nor will they do that in the future. The real scammers will attempt to spoof or “phish” consumers into thinking they are talking to a legitimate Equifax employee or representative. (The word “legitimate” and “Equifax” are rarely used together anymore. It’s their own fault!)
Protect yourself; no one else will. Don’t take these calls; hang up immediately.
The Equifax website is in a permanent state of collapse due to the number of people attempting to log in. As an alternative, go to Lifelock, a legitimate company, and sign up for a year of their basic protection. It will cost you about $9 per month for a year. It’s cheap insurance when you consider what an identity thief could do to your bank account, savings account, or credit record. For those without computer access, you can call Lifelock at (800) 416-0599.
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DISAPPOINTED: A number of consumers have reported Alaska Airlines is not allowing passengers to bring clothing donations with them, for free, on trips to Mexico. This is unfortunate. The severe earthquake that recently struck Mexico has been overshadowed by the back-to-back hurricanes that have devastated Texas and Florida. Allowing travelers to bring a reasonable amount of clothing donations, on a space-available basis, seems to be a good way for an airline to generate a lot of very favorable PR. To me, it looks like someone in the Alaska Airlines PR department was asleep at the wheel.
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NEW BLOG and WEBSITE COMING: I’m not good at website design or blog writing. I am getting help from professionals. Sometime in the next 3-4 weeks there should be a great website for consumers to go to. This will include “Bill’s List.”
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REMEMBER: I’m in your corner.
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I have many more interesting cases that I’m working on as The CDA Press Consumer Guy. Call me at (208) 699-0506, email me at brookshomes@gmail.com or fax me at (866) 362-9266. Also include your full name and a phone number. I am available to speak about consumerism to schools, and local and civic groups.
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Bill Brooks is the CDA Press Consumer Guy, an active Real Estate Broker and Owner of Bill Brooks Real Estate.