Anew federal resolution that goes into of Consumer Affairs, was appalled to hear
effect this month may make donors about the problems experienced by listeners.
think twice about giving their old car They told her unfortunate stories about how
to charity for a high tax write-off. their IDs on checks created all sorts of credit
The regulation does not problems, including identity
allow the donor to base the theft.
amount of the deduction of the Zettel relayed this concern
car on vehicle-value directories to a number of state attorneys
such as the Kelley Blue Book. general. She received this uni-
Instead, the donor will have to versal answer: In states where
reference the eventual sale price check-writing regulations are lax
of thecar. or nonexistent, victims should
If it is more than $500, it write to their state legislator and
must be documented by the suggest that laws be changed to
charity at the time it is sold. protect consumers from having
This could mean not only a to provide personal information
much smaller write-off, but a David Horowitz in order to pay by check.
waiting period between the
time the donor releases the car and the time Juice must really be ... juice
he or she finally receives notification of its A product labeled “juice” must be 100
sale at auction. percent juice, without additives or other
The reason for the new regulation is that ingredients, according to the Food and Drug
the IRS claims that charities typically col- Administration. If not 100 percent, the bever-
lect less than the fair-market value when age must be labeled to show how much “real”
the car is finally sold. Some donors were juice it actually contains, along with the other
inflating the real value of the donation to ingredients listed.
gain a higher tax write-off. Still, many shoppers tend not to read
labels carefully enough to spot that many
ID theft can strike check writers so-called juices are actually filled with water,
Most businesses make their own rules sugar, artificial colors and sometimes little
when it comes to accepting checks for mer- or no juice.
chandise. Stores can legally ask for all sorts Recently, the Florida citrus industry
of ID: Social Security cards, drivers’licenses, decided to make labels clearer to describe
credit cards or other legal documents that prove what their products actually contain. The
identification or proof of address, phone move came on the heels of criticism that the
number or bank account number. public has been blinded by the low-carb
But this practice has a huge downside: It craze, and that many people are buying juice
makes it easy for identity thieves to get products marked “light” or “low-carb” with-
their hands on important confidential infor- out stopping to read what has been added or
mation from the checks, as the papers pass left out of the item.
through many hands. One particular orange beverage, for
The irony is that if the check bounces, the example, listed a lower carbohydrate count
store can still lose the money even with the than conventional orange juice because it
personal information written on it, since contained less juice. This so-called “light”
credit-card information or the other ID does product was simply diluted with water.
not represent a backup form of payment guar- Meanwhile, a recent study of “light”
antee. While police might be able to use this juices showed that only 5 percent of shoppers
data to track down the person who passed the correctly guessed that the beverages con-
bad check, that’s still no guarantee that the tained only 40 to 49 percent real juice. C
money will be returned.
AMY CANTRELL
Suddenly my cell-phone service has dropped to about 25 percent of what it was. Now I get no signal at work and barely get one at home. I’m missing important calls! I’ve asked them to reduce my bill. But the customer service supervisor says that they don’t guarantee service and I can’t get out of my contract even if service never improves.
Brad
San Bernardino, CA
Brad, are you sure that it’s the service and not your phone? Maybe the equipment is outdated or is not functioning properly.
Call the company and speak to a supervisor or manager. Ask what they are willing to do to make you happy.
Suggest they loan you an upgraded phone for a few days so that you can test its reception.
If it’s still bad coverage and they won’t release you from your contract or will not offer another solution, tell them that you’re prepared to file formal complaints against them with the state Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Communications Commission for their unwillingness to resolve this problem.
And be prepared to do it!
Q A
The frightening part of the check ID situ- Costco member David Horowitz is a leading ation is that most states have no laws to pre- consumer advocate. His two-hour national vent businesses from requiring customers to radio program airs Sundays on Talk Radio provide personal information and from writ- Network. For stations and times, check the ing it on the check. radio page on www.fightback.com.
On a recent edition of my syndicated Fight Back! Talk Back! radio show, Charlene Zettel, director of the California Department
GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK
&
To ask David Horowitz a question, log on to www.fightback.com and “Ask David.” He will personally respond to your problem if you follow the instructions printed on his Web site. (Costco members receive a rebate off the normal fee.) Questions and answers of the greatest interest to Costco members will be used in this column with the permission of the contributor, and will be posted on www.fightback.com.
© 2005 Fight Back! Inc. All rights reserved.
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