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Watch out for delivery surcharges

If you’re ordering anything that requires a delivery to your home or office, you should keep an eye out for extra charges to cover the cost of gas.

These extra charges are often referred to as a “fuel surcharge” or an “energy surcharge.” Other businesses may simple call it a “delivery fee.”

Whatever the fee is called, make sure you are aware of it before you order a product.

I first noticed a “delivery fee” attached to my pizza order nearly a year ago when the cost of gas first started to climb. While doing some research about the fee, I was told by one local pizza shop owner that it wasn’t just the cost of gas to get the pizza to my house. The cost to the restaurant to have the ingredients brought in was increasing, too.

And so it goes, the cost is passed down from one customer to the next until it ends up in your final tab for that pepperoni pizza.

A year later — with gas at $4 a gallon — more and more delivery fees, and costlier delivery fees, are being tacked on to a multitude of services including flower deliveries, food deliveries and the shipping of online orders.

In some cases the fees are not disclosed and can lead to sticker shock for an unsuspecting customer. Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett found this to be a large enough concern that he issued a warning for consumers to be on the lookout for undisclosed surcharges. You can read that warning here.

You can also read this Washington Post article which talks about the increase in delivery fees. The article also mentions some cruise lines that ended up refunding money to customers who were filled for fuel charges after booking their cruises.

The key is to be aware of what you’re paying and how much you’re paying for delivery charges so you can make an informed decision about whether or not the delivery price is worth the service you’re getting.

Don’t try to keep government money sent by mistake

Are you one of those people who have not gotten your economic stimulus check yet?

If so, be patient. The IRS is still in the process of sending the payments to Americans via snail mail.

But, maybe you happened to get two economic stimulus checks? If you fell into that category, you need to take steps to correct the situation.

Some people were mistakenly sent two economic stimulus checks. If you are one of those people, you must return the money. The IRS tracks the checks and will find out if you cash a check or keep a deposit that was issued in error.

You should “Void” and return the extra check. Go to www.irs.gov to find out how you can return paper checks. (You can also find additional information regarding the economic stimulus checks at the IRS website.) If your tax rebate was made through direct deposit to your bank account and you received two deposits, call your bank and inform the bank of the error.

You can read more about the error here.

TransUnion settlement could mean free services for you

Anyone who has had a credit card or loan between 1987 and May 28, 2008 take note. There is a good chance that you will qualify to be part of a class action lawsuit settlement against TransUnion Corp.

If you’ve been keeping up with the blog this week, you’ll remember that TransUnion is one of three credit reporting bureaus. Lenders will use your credit report and score from one or more of the bureaus to determine how credit worthy you are when it comes to loans and interest rates.

The credit bureaus must adhere to federal laws that make it illegal for them to sell a person’s private credit information with the exception of certain situations, such as if the person has applied for a loan.

According to news accounts, TransUnion took data from their files to create customized lists of consumers that were distributed to retailers, lenders and other businesses. Those lists were used by the companies in marketing initiatives.

There doesn’t appear to be any danger of identity theft from TransUnion’s transgression. However, it created a hassle for many consumers who found themselves flooded with unwanted mail offers.

So, what now?

The lawsuit, the largest of its kind, is going to give an estimated 160 million Americans a chance to have free credit monitoring service from TransUnion for nine months along with a free credit score.

 Again, if you’ve read previous posts this week, you already know that you usually must pay for your credit score. This is a good opportunity to see it for free. But, it is important to note that your credit score can actually vary from credit bureau to credit bureau. So, if you’re in the market to make a big purchase — think mortgage — you may want to purchase your score from the other two bureaus as well.

The free credit monitoring service is good, too. Those who are eligible under the lawsuit will receive the service free for nine months. At the end of the nine months, the free service will end. You will not be asked to provide payment information at the start of the free service, so you won’t have to worry about “opting out” at the end or risk having your card charged. Of course if you decide you like the service you can sign up and continue it.

You can file your claim beginning June 16 by going to the settlement web site at www.listclassaction.com or by calling (866) 416-3470.

Scammers pretend to help those facing foreclosure

Homeowners who are facing foreclosure have become vulnerable targets for scammers.

According this May 23 article on Forbes.com, delinquent homeowners are getting tricked by brokers who promise to save them from foreclosure, but ultimately make of with thousands of dollars in fees or what home equity was left.

If you, or anyone you know, is facing financial difficulties and is in danger of losing his or her home, please make sure you know what kind of a company you are dealing with before you sign anything.

Surely you’ve heard the saying, “An ounce of cure is worth a pound of prevention.” This is one of those times where that saying definitely has meaning. There are some easy steps you can take to ensure you are dealing with a reliable company.

Research the company. Check their web site and any brochures or information they can offer. Ask questions. Ask for references from other customers who have used the company’s service. If they seem to avoid giving specific answers or references, you may want to reconsider doing business with that company.

Make sure you get all the paperwork involved with your potential transaction. Read all of the fine print and ask questions about anything you do not fully understand. Do not be afraid to ask questions. And do not sign anything that you don’t understand.

Check the company with the Better Business Bureau and your state Attorney General’s office. See if there are any complaints against the company and if, or how, those complaints were resolved.

Also, check with HUD, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which can direct you to reliable, HUD-approved agencies in your area that offer housing counseling. You can also call HUD to find an agency at (800) 569-4287.

Rely on your gut instinct. Remember the old adage of, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” If something feels wrong to you or seems too easy, take a step back and reassess your situation.

Remember there are reliable companies that can help you with your housing situation. Non-profit agencies like Advantage CCS (which happens to be HUD-approved) offer free housing counseling, including loss mitigation, for those who are facing foreclosure.

One other thing that I want to stress: It’s never too soon to get help. If you find yourself struggling to make your mortgage payments, don’t wait until you’re receiving foreclosure notices to call for help. Call for help at the first sign of a problem. Don’t ignore the problem, and don’t ignore paperwork from your lenders.

Watch out for tax rebate scams

This week I’ve written about what you can do with your economic stimulus check.

Today, I think it is important to address another aspect of the rebates: Scammers.

Unfortunately there are people out there who look for every opportunity to play upon the unwitting public and take their money. The economic stimulus check is no different.

The IRS has put out an official warning about the various scams out there. I’m going to briefly the cover the methods scammers are using. However, if you would like to read the entire new release from the IRS, click here.

Let me start by saying that the IRS never contacts people by phone or e-mail. Do not give out any personal information via the telephone or e-mail. In general, it is a good rule of thumb to not give out your personal information to anyone unless you are absolutely certain of whom you are speaking to.

One scam involves a caller who claims to work for the IRS and tells the targeted victim they are eligible for a large rebate for filing their taxes early. The victim is then prompted to give his or her bank account information and told that is the only way to receive the early rebate.

Another telephone scam again involves a caller who claims to be an IRS employee and who tells the victim they are calling because the IRS sent a check that has not been chased. The caller then asks for the victim to “verify” his or her bank account number. The caller may have a foreign accent.

There are also several e-mail scams circulating.

One scam involves an e-mail that tells the recipient he or she is eligible for a tax refund for a specific amount and instructs the recipient to click on a link to file their refund claim. The recipient is then asked to supply personal information. The bogus e-mail may also include paragraphs that appear to give the recipient the option to direct their refund to a tax-exempt organization.

A new scam that has recently surfaced involves an e-mail informing the recipient he or she will be audited. This e-mail may address the recipient by name, and instructs the recipient to click on a link and supply personal information. This information is then used by the scammer to commit identity theft.

A third bogus e-mail is addressed to businesses, accountants and “Treasury” managers and instructs the recipients to download information about tax law changes. The IRS believes clicking on those links will download malware — a malicious code that can take over the victim’s computer hard drive and give someone remote access to the computer or its passwords.

If you receive a suspicious phone call or e-mail, do not give out any of your information or click any links. Suspicious e-mails can be forwarded to the IRS. Start by reading “How to Protect Yourself from Suspicious E-Mails or Phishing Scheme,” and you will be given directions. You can find that link through the IRS web site at www.irs.gov.

You can also notify the IRS of suspicious phone calls by e-mailing phishing@irs.gov.

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