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  • Record $4-plus gas prices greet July Fourth holiday

    Posted Jul 03 2008, 01:06 PM by Karen Datko

    This post comes from Joe Benton at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.

    The July Fourth holiday will see $4 gasoline throughout most of the country.

    Consumers will spend more money per gallon on gasoline celebrating the national holiday weekend than they have ever spent in the history of the nation.   Read More...

  • Driver's license scam targets undocumented workers

    Posted Apr 10 2008, 11:56 AM by Karen Datko

    This post comes from Lisa Wade McCormick at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.

    Undocumented workers in Nebraska are the latest targets of a driver's license scheme that falsely promises immigrants they can legally drive, buy and sell cars, and buy insurance with these documents.

    Nebraska officials warned this week that a company called Centro de Identificaciones Inc. placed newspaper ads in Lincoln, Omaha and Grand Rapids for these so-called international licenses, which sold for $225 each. The company also distributed fliers in Latino businesses throughout those cities.

    "These people are paying for something that is worthless," said Angel Freytez, public information officer for the Mexican-American Commission. That agency serves as a voice for Hispanics in Nebraska.

    "The premise behind this is you pay for these documents and you can rent an apartment, buy and sell a car, register a car, and get insurance," he said, adding that the company also claims the licenses can be used as photo identification in the United States.   Read More...

  • Hazards of rental-car child safety seats

    Posted Feb 12 2008, 05:40 AM by Karen Datko

    This post comes from Mark Huffman at partner blog ConsumerAffairs.com.

    Parents traveling with young children face more challenges than they used to. When they rent a car, for example, they also have to rent a child safety seat. They depend on the car- rental agency to offer a safe and reliable seat, but shouldn't just assume they'll get one, as consumer Debbie Dubrow discovered.

    Dubrow, her husband and two small children flew from Seattle to San Diego in December  and rented a car and two child safety seats from Advantage Rent A Car. The seats, she says, had obvious problems.

    "Some seats were obviously missing parts. Some were obviously very old," she told ConsumerAffairs.com. "We installed two of the better-looking seats thinking that they were OK, only to find that they were not working.   Read More...