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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?

Updated every Monday! Subscribe to free weekly newsletter.

Congratulations, You’ve Won… Nothing

May 25, 2011May 23, 2011 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

While visiting a news site recently, a pop-up appeared notifying MrConsumer that he had a chance to win one of four or five valuable prizes, including an Ipad 2, a Dell laptop, an iPhone, etc.

Scrolling down further on the page were three testimonials from previous winners, including one who lives in my home town — Somerville, Massachusetts. What a coincidence!

MrConsumer googled the local winner, Jason Meeks, and discovered a person in Boston by that name was jailed in 2008 for manslaughter and sentenced to 17 years. I don’t think he’s been busy entering too many contests.

Doing a bit of further research using part of Jason’s quote, turned up a host of other websites where the apparently very lucky Jason was also winning iPads. But, apparently he must have transferred prisons.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Now Jason Meeks appears to be from California. Looks like he and Jennifer Layton, the person pictured first above, swapped homes because she is now in Somerville instead of Los Angeles. And the guy in the middle, Mr. Wong, maybe is also wanted by the law, because he changed his name from Jason to Jesse. Well at least he won’t have to throw out his monogrammed towels.

As it turns out this trio was indeed very lucky, because on yet another site, they were also big winners.

*MOUSE PRINT:

Now it appears that Jennifer Layton has settled down in the Boston area, but her name is now Jennifer Louie. Maybe she got married. And our friend, Mr. Wong, has once again taken on a different first name — this time, it’s Jeff. He really seems to like the “J” names. Lastly, our jailbird Jason Meeks seems to have transferred prisons once again, this time to New York. And now he is known by a different name as well. Maybe he doesn’t want the other prisoners to catch on to all the iPads he’s won.

Under FTC guidelines, testimonials presented as being made by real people must be real and represent their honest opinions. Clearly, what the research uncovered suggests otherwise.

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Staples Raises Free Delivery Threshold to $75

May 16, 2011May 5, 2011 by Edgar (aka MrConsumer)

NOTE: This is a special edition of Mouse Print* in addition to this week’s regular feature.

All the office superstores have always offered free shipping on orders over $50. Now Staples is breaking ranks and quietly raising that minimum to orders over $75.

*MOUSE PRINT

A spokesperson for the company explained why this happened:

Our primary focus is to serve our small business customers. In the interests of serving our customers with fast delivery and running our business cost effectively, Staples.com changed the minimum order amount for free delivery from $50 to $75 on April 30. We believe this change will have little impact to customers’ overall experience given that the vast majority of our small business customers generally place orders for at least $75.

For what it’s worth, the other two office supply superstores, Office Max and Office Depot, still offer free delivery on orders of $50 or more. The question is, for how long?