Fraud artist sold fake insurance to nearly 150 Yukoners
May 9, 2006

A Whitehorse woman who pleaded guilty Monday to insurance fraud against nearly 150 clients had a 'sinking feeling' every time she heard a police, fire or ambulance siren, according to her lawyer... MORE»

murmur categories: scams, money

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism insurance fraud scam

posted by Tessa | 9:23 AM (ET) | Permalink

Retail group 'baffled' by July 1 introduction date for GST cut
May 4, 2006

A group representing Canada's retailers is upset with the federal government's plan to introduce its GST cut on July 1... MORE»

murmur categories: money

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism shopping GST taxes Canada

posted by Tessa | 11:01 AM (ET) | Permalink

Should you buy travel insurance?
April 28, 2006

It's the last thing most of us want to think of before we set out on that eagerly anticipated trip, but it's an unfortunate fact of travelling life that reality sometimes doesn't follow the posted itinerary... MORE»

murmur categories: travel, money, health

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism travel insurance health personal finanace

posted by Tessa | 10:21 AM (ET) | Permalink

Mortgage rates on the rise
April 21, 2006

Mortgage rates are on their way up for the second time this month as Canada's major banks began announcing across-the-board hikes, effective today... MORE»

murmur categories: home, money

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism mortgage banking mortgage rates real estate debt personal finance

posted by Tessa | 9:44 AM (ET) | Permalink

Gas pains: pump prices rise again
April 18, 2006

This won't come as a surprise to any motorist who's filled up recently - the latest survey of Canadian pump prices shows the cost of gasoline rose by almost four cents a litre in the past week... MORE»

murmur categories: cars, travel, money

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism cars fuel gas gas prices oil environment

posted by Tessa | 17:15 PM (ET) | Permalink

Most/least expensive cars to insure
April 18, 2006

If you're in the market for a new car, one of the often-overlooked expenses you ought to consider is the money you'll have to pony up to insure your new wheels... MORE»

murmur categories: cars, money

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism cars insurance autos auto automobiles

posted by Tessa | 12:07 PM (ET) | Permalink

Get ready for sky-high summer gas prices
April 12, 2006

The looming summer driving season stands to be an expensive one for motorists in Canada and the United States as gas prices look to remain high... MORE»

murmur categories: cars, environment, money

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism cars fuel gas gas prices oil environment

posted by Tessa | 10:30 AM (ET) | Permalink

Air Canada hikes fares on higher fuel charges
April 11, 2006

Air Canada said Tuesday it has bumped up fares on routes within Canada and to the United States citing high fuel prices... MORE»

murmur categories: travel, money

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism travel Air Canada airlines airplanes fuel

posted by Tessa | 12:49 PM (ET) | Permalink

New $5 bill coming this fall
April 4, 2006

A new $5 note with the same security features as larger denomination banknotes will go into circulation on Nov. 15, the Bank of Canada announced today... MORE»

murmur categories: money, scams

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism money counterfeit Canada Canadian

posted by Tessa | 14:27 AM (ET) | Permalink

IKEA's frugal founder leads by example
March 27, 2006

The guy who brought you the "Billy" bookcase -and probably most of the furnishings for your university apartment- isn't just the fourth richest man in the world... MORE»

murmur categories: money, miscellaneous

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism money IKEA

posted by Tessa | 10:02 AM (ET) | Permalink

Mobile shredders drive home fraud prevention message
March 27, 2006

Police set up shredding trucks outside two stores in Alberta to encourage people to destroy documents containing personal information in one of many events during Fraud Prevention Month in Canada... MORE»

No breakfast at Tiffany's for eBay
January 31, 2006

Tiffany & Company, the purveyor of fine jewellery, watches, china, stationary, crystal, and sterling silver phone dialling wands, is taking on auction giant eBay for facilitating the trade of counterfeit Tiffany items on the website... MORE»

murmur categories: money/shopping, services

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism eBay shopping auction business

posted by Tessa | 9:32 AM (ET) | Permalink

Watch out for phoney $5 bills
January 24, 2006

The Bank of Canada is warning people to be on the outlook for bogus currency after a rash of counterfeit $5 bills reported in Toronto... MORE»

murmur categories: money scams

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism money counterfeit Canada Canadian

posted by Tessa | 1:06 PM (ET) | Permalink

Loan company charged in criminal interest-rate case
January 20, 2006

The owners of a payday lending company in Winnipeg have been charged after an investigation revealed people were paying criminally high interest rates... MORE»

murmur categories: money, services

tags: consumers consumer news consumerism finances loans interest lawsuits

posted by Tessa | 9:19 AM (ET) | Permalink

Payday loan firm settles lawsuit over ‘illegal’ fees
January 10, 2006

A payday loan company at the centre of a class-action lawsuit will repay more than $1 million to thousands of clients who were charged upwards of 60 per cent in interest and fees for some short-term loans... MORE»

murmur categories: money, services

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, finances, loans, interest, lawsuits

posted by Tessa | 9:25 AM (ET) | Permalink

Top mistakes of home buyers and sellers
January 4, 2006

Thinking about buying or selling a house in 2006? Consider the top mistakes made by buyers and sellers in 2005, compiled by the folks at RIS Media (publishers of Real Estate Magazine)... MORE»

murmur categories: home, money

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, real estate, housing

posted by Tessa | 11:21 AM (ET) | Permalink

Old cellphones feed the hungry, says charity
January 3, 2006

[Happy New Year to all! I'm back, but frantic with lots of piles of work to catch up on. Blogging might be a bit sparse over the next few days.... Tessa]

A national charity is calling on Canadians to ring in the new year by recycling their old cellphones ... MORE»

murmur categories: money, miscellaneous

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, charities, cellphones

posted by Tessa | 12:00 PM (ET) | Permalink

Creative giving: Suggestions for being charitable in the season of giving
December 5, 2005

‘Tis the season to be giving, but that doesn’t just include slippers for your mom. Many of us may want to embrace the spirit of the holiday season by giving to charities, but also have little extra in our wallets to do so... MORE»

murmur categories: money

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, charities

posted by Tessa | 12:53 PM (ET) | Permalink

Inside the Christmas-shopper’s mind
November 28, 2005

AdAge has an interesting article (registration required) about the mindset of the Christmas consumer, and how it’s changed over the past thirty-five years... MORE»

murmur categories: money

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, Christmas shopping

posted by Tessa | 11:35 AM (ET) | Permalink

'Buy Nothing Christmas' carollers bring message to mall
November 28, 2005

Cheerful demonstrators opposed to the commercialization of Christmas managed to sing six anti-consumer carols at a Winnipeg mall before security evicted them... MORE»

murmur categories: money, activism

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, activism, anti-consumerism

posted by Tessa | 9:51 AM (ET) | Permalink

Add GST to food, farm group says
November 2, 2005

The Goods and Services Tax should be applied to food, with the revenue given to farmers to help save the struggling industry, a farm group says... MORE»

murmur categories: food/drink, money/finances

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, groceries, taxes

posted by Tessa | 9:14 AM (ET) | Permalink

Boo! Halloween closing in on Christmas as top retail season
October 31, 2005

It used to be a night of trick or treating and some minor mayhem. But Halloween has suddenly become the newest shopping season, with total sales this year projected to top $1 billion in Canada... MORE»

murmur categories: kids, money/finances

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, Halloween, retail, shopping

posted by Tessa | 9:22 AM (ET) | Permalink

A new banking low: getting charged a fee when you don’t withdraw
October 27, 2005

You might think the banks make enough from the roster of service fees they already slip through your monthly statement, but apparently not... MORE»

murmur categories: money/finances, services

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, banking, fees, atm

posted by Tessa | 10:55 AM (ET) | Permalink

Natural gas bills could rise 50% this winter
October 24, 2005

Canadian consumers who use natural gas to heat their homes may be paying between 20 and 50 per cent more by the time winter reaches its coldest days, industry insiders predict... MORE»

murmur categories: money/finances, the environment

tags: consumers, consumer news, consumerism, energy, natural gas, heating, home

posted by Tessa | 9:49 AM (ET) | Permalink

Turning the tables on the credit card co.
June 29, 2005

Here’s a brilliant example of consumer heroism from the Houston Chronicle. A columnist with the Chronicle took his credit card company to task by dictating new terms and conditions, outlining how the creditor must act if they’re going to continue to enjoy his business... MORE»

posted 12:13 PM (ET) | Permalink

Gift card study confirms growing impact
May 25, 2005

The use of gift cards is growing so rapidly it's causing a shift in retail spending patterns, according to a study by Statistics Canada... MORE»

posted 10:38 AM (ET) | Permalink

New $10 note goes into circulation
May 19, 2005

New $10 bills with upgraded anti-counterfeiting features began changing hands yesterday, CBC Business News reports... MORE»

posted 9:18 AM (ET) | Permalink

Do cashiers check your credit card signature?
May 11, 2005

In my university days I worked as a cashier for a Canadian retailer. I was always surprised by how seldom cashiers (myself included – mea culpa) actually took the time to verify that a customer’s signature matched the one on the back of their credit card... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 12:16 PM (ET) | Permalink

Battle brewing over generic brand ink cartridges
April 28, 2005

Consumers have long been seeing red over the high cost of printer cartridge refills, and who can blame them? The ink in an average printer cartridge costs about $2.60/mL -- or almost 13 times the cost of the champagne... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:30 AM (ET) | Permalink

Class-action suit filed against payday loan company
April 27, 2005

A Calgary lawyer has launched a class-action lawsuit against a payday loan company, alleging that the industry gives loans with interest rates and fees that equate to 15,000 per cent a year... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:33 AM (ET) | Permalink

Gasoline prices hit new high
April 5, 2005

Pump prices at Canadian gasoline stations have hit an all-time high, according to a weekly national price survey... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 4:07 PM (ET) | Permalink

Manitoba to crack down on payday loan companies
March 21, 2005

Manitoba's NDP government plans to tighten controls on payday loan companies, including limiting the interest rates they can charge clients, CBC News Online reports... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:14 AM (ET) | Permalink

Repair or replace?
March 18, 2005

My dishwasher has been making a horrible noise lately – a rat-a-tat-tat grumble that lasts throughout the washing cycle, unless I stand in front of the machine and press the door firmly in two spots near the top of the thing... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:40 AM (ET) | Permalink

Ontario bill targets 'gender-based pricing'
March 15, 2005

Haircuts, dry cleaning and clothes could soon cost the same for men and women in Ontario if a bill currently before the legislature passes, CBC News Online reports... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 12:06 PM (ET) | Permalink

Canadians vulnerable to 'debt time bomb'
January 21, 2005

Canadians have been going on such a borrowing binge that they risk real trouble if they were hit by a sudden economic shock like a big rise in interest rates, according to a new report from CIBC World Markets... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 11:15 AM (ET) | Permalink

Air miles trump dollars as top currency
January 10, 2005

Unredeemed frequent-flier miles are the most voluminous currency in the world, worth more than the cash supply of dollars and pounds combined... MORE»

posted by Tessa | 9:41 AM (ET) | Permalink

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