June 2011 – Mouse Print*

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Is a 15% Discount Worth the Loss of Your Privacy?

June 27, 2011 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

X-10, a seller of electronic gizmos, offers customers a 15% discount if you “like” them on Facebook.

Once you click the “like” button, a pop-up is revealed indicating what X-10 wants in return for giving you a 15% discount:

*MOUSE PRINT:

So, if you click “allow”, you are agreeing to give them your name, username, picture, list of friends, access to all your profile information, along with permission to write on your Facebook wall, send you junk mail, and review your data even when you are not online.

Seems like a pretty serious invasion of privacy for a lousy 15% off. I say, no deal.

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Exterior House Painting — Only $899?

June 20, 2011 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

Everyone seems to be getting in on the Groupon-like “deal of the day” promotions. The latest is home improvement contractors. Here is one for an unbelievable deal on having your house painted.

Only $899 to paint a whole house? How is that possible when it costs thousands to paint most homes? For one, they limit the size of the home that can be painted for that price to those that are 1600 square feet or less. That disclosure is very clear.

There is, however, a surprising catch in the fine print.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Nothing like promoting a price for a paint job that doesn’t include the paint!

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Asterisk-Free Checking!?

June 13, 2011 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

Huntington Bank has a clever new advertising campaign promoting “Asterisk-Free Checking”. So many banks promise what sound like great accounts, but then you find all kinds of hidden charges and minimums buried in the fine print.

Not with Asterisk-Free Checking, they say:

[wposflv src=https://www.huntington.com/free/video/HuntingtonBank_AsteriskFree_Rev.flv previewimage=http://www.mouseprint.org/wp-content/avert/huntingtonasterisk1.jpg width=425 height=250 title=”Asterisk Free”]

A whole host of services are provided with this account, including “Free Online Banking and Bill Pay”. However, if you are planning to use Quicken to do online banking and pay bills, it is not free.

*MOUSE PRINT:

There is a $2.95 a month charge for “PC Banking”, which apparently is different from “Online Banking and Bill Pay”. That fact is buried in their FAQs which are not accessible from the detailed description page for Asterisk-Free Checking. And true to the name of this account, unfortunately, there is no asterisk leading the reader to this qualification and distinction.

When asked why they don’t disclose that charge upfront, and would they now consider doing so, a spokeperson for the bank replied:

“PC Banking is not actively promoted and is offered only to customers who contact us requesting services not provided through Online Banking. The monthly $2.95 fee applies only to customers using the extra services offered directly through QuickenÂ® and QuickbooksÂ®. Therefore, our Online Banking and Bill Pay services as the vast majority of our customers use them are indeed free.”

MrConsumer is not trying to beat up on Huntington Bank. In fact, it was selected as a refreshing change from how other banks advertise by hiding costly things in asterisked footnotes. However, if they talk the talk, they should walk the walk. No one put a gun to their head and forced Huntington to advertise “asterisk-free checking” and “isn’t it time you switched to a bank that believes in no surprises.” But having gone down that road, shouldn’t they have been a little more forthcoming about the actual cost of “free online banking and bill pay” for those who use Quicken?