When you check product or service reviews online, whether at retailer sites or through rating services like Yelp!, how can you tell if they are honest or just a lot of hype? You can’t for sure. But there are ways to parse what’s being said and maybe get a better view of the purchase you’re considering.

If you are the proprietor of, say, a restaurant, how likely are you to ask friends and relatives to post glittering reviews of your establishment? Plenty. How can any normal person resist the temptation to juice the results unless their ethical standards are so high as to make Nelson Mandela jealous.

Ah, you say, at least I can trust the negative reviews. Not so fast. How do you know the competition isn’t writing bad reviews?

According to an article in the Bottom Line Personal, February 15, 2012 edition, 80 percent of Internet shoppers change their minds about what they’re spending their money on after reading online reviews.

In the article, Jeffrey Hancock, a professor at Cornell University’s communications department, recommends that readers look for certain indicators that are most likely to indicate a legitimate review. His tips are the result of a recent study.

• The review makes reference to space, size or distance. For example, the distance a hotel or restaurant is from another site. That a product was large or small. That a hotel room is tiny. Lacking distance or dimension references is common among fabricated reviews.
• When you see a reference on a site that indicates how many shoppers found a particular review helpful, look for ones with high percentages..
• Go to other sites and see if their reviews are fairly consistent. If they are incompatible, be suspicious.
• “Beware of reviews offering strong opinions but few specifics,” says Hancock. And without specifics, you cannot tell if what bothered a particular reviewer is something that would be important to you.
• Be most willing to trust reviews from folks whom the site confirms as verified customer. For example, Amazon (a company of which I am not fond for a series of unrelated ethical reasons) labels a review “Amazon Verified Purchaser,” at least you know that the reviewer actually bought the product. Some travel web sites that book hotel reservations allow only purchasers to review hotels. Trip Advisor, on the other hand, has no such requirement.
• I always read the negative reviews looking for specifics, even if there are mostly good ones. It could be that what displeased just a few people just might be the flaw that you are trying to avoid.
• According to Jeffrey Hancock, you can pretty much trust the overall score if at least 50 people reviewed the product or service.
• Balanced reviews are not always honest. Savvy fakers will sometimes give four out of five stars and mention a minor flaw just to look legit.
• Hancock warns that rating sites for doctors are not yet up to snuff. So don’t trust them. I prefer to use healthcare providers or trustworthy friends for referrals. If you live in a city that is serviced by the Checkbook nonprofit, as I do, that’s a good place to start as well.
• Don’t trust reviews from folks who are labeled as among the site’s “Top Reviewers.” According to Hancock, marketers target these reviewers with freebies. If the marketers’ products don’t get good reviews, the handouts halt. So how do you know?  Look at other reviews by these reviewers. They should be balanced fairly well between positive, middling and negative reviews. On Amazon, click on “See all my reviews.” If the review is labeled “Amazon Vine” it means the product just sprouted up in the reviewer’s backyard; that is, the reviewers got the item free.

There are no guarantees that what you read is what you get. So caveat emptor for products, services, and reviews is a good idea.

For more stuff on this topic, visit www.ReviewSkeptic.com. You can perform an automatic evaluation of  Trip Advisor reviews there. The site intends to expand this service soon.

I am not a fan of the term “green vehicle” unless we’re talking about an electric bus or train. They all use fuel and contribute to a variety of pollution in some way. But the nonprofit American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has nevertheless put out its latest report on those passenger vehicles that do the least harm to the environment overall.

It is important to remember that it’s not just about the amount of energy the car sucks up that counts toward a green rating. It’s also about the amount of pollution that comes out, not only when you’re driving it, but while it is being manufactured and deconstructed when your jalopy meets its heavenly (or maybe Detroit, Japan or Bavaria) maker at life’s end.

Not every model, by far, in ACEEE’s top ten list of greenest cars is a hybrid or an all-electric. Have you heard of the i-MiEV? I don’t even know how to pronounce it. It’s from Mitsubishi. And it’s the highest rated set of wheels, with an ACEEE Green Score of 58. I find this ironic because

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV has an estimated driving range of 62 miles.

Mitsubishi is a mega-conglomerate that has had its share of controversy for not being a very green company.

You’re probably thinking that Nissan’s all-electric Leaf has to be somewhere near the top of the list. It’s actually tied with – no, not the Prius, the Honda – no, not the Civic Hybrid, but the Civic Natural Gas, with scores of 55.

The Prius trails them by one point (54 – but the new Prius V station wagon gets a 51), followed by the Honda Insight and the Smart FourTwo (53), the Civic Hybrid (52) respectively. Then come a few surprises. The Toyota Camry Hybrid ties the Civic and the Lexus CT 200h trails them by only a point.

Here are some very important variants to consider, however. The Smart ForTwo is the least expensive of the bunch but it’s slightly more roomy than my home recycle bin and Consumer Reports is not fond of its performance. Hybrids sell at a premium and electric cars cost even more – a lot more.

Only three of the 27 hybrids tested have a total cost of ownership over a five-year period that would make them less expensive to own than their all gasoline brethren. For me, that’s not very important because I keep my cars until they plead to be euthanized. The three are the Camry, the Insight and, hold onto your hat, the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The latter is so only because it saves on operating costs compared to other luxury vehicles.

This stuff can be more complicated than you might otherwise guess. So allow me to guide you to the Green Cars site, where you can peruse the data in detail: www.greenercars.org.

If you are looking to do the right thing environmentally speaking, that’s the place to go.

Oh yes, the worst offenders? The Chevy and Ford big trucks and the Bugatti Veyron with its 8 liter engine (really?). I guess the Bugatti is vying for a role in the space program.

My advice? Check out a two-year-old Prius or Insight that’s still under warranty. Happy shopping.

I think I just figured out the meaning of Starbucks’s name. Buck$ are its star. Several public interest groups, including Public Citizen, Alliance for Justice, National Association of Consumer Advocates, and National Consumers League, have started a campaign to protect consumers who purchase Starbucks gift cards.

Personally, I think that while they’re at it they should protect consumers from Starbucks’s coffee itself. Have you ever had drip coffee that was left on the warming plate so long it tastes like someone had taken a blowtorch to it? I believe Starbucks has used that method to sell overpriced coffee to America. But I digress. It’s not about my taste.

Starbucks now not only burns its coffee (at least they came up with their “blonde” roast, so you can get not-burned overpriced coffee); it potentially burns its prepaid card customers. When consumers pay for such a card, they are agreeing to settle any disputes concerning the card by arbitration. And if a dispute arises that concerns thousands, or even millions, of its customers, those caffeine junkies are precluded from joining together in a class action lawsuit. You would have to argue your own trivial case before a Starbucks-chosen arbitrator . . . in Seattle! Good luck with that. This constitutes grounds (I couldn’t resist) for outrage!

As you may be aware, more and more contracts contain corporate language that says the customer may not sue and may not join lawsuit classes that pursue unified redress. As Public Citizen News puts it in the January/February issue: “If Starbucks rips off every cardholder by a few dollars, it would mean millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains – with no accountability for Starbucks.”

Public Citizen even circulated an Internet petition for those who were foaming at the mouth about this injustice. Unfortunately, that petition is now closed.

        So what’s the big deal? Forced arbitration clauses mean that the consumer has to rely on a would-be impartial arbiter to make a judgment. The trouble is that these deciders often depend on the businesses that selected them for repeat business. So, let’s say, Starbucks charges a hidden fee on the use of the card. If each customer buys several cards per year and there are millions of such customers, the company reaps the benefits knowing there is virtually no chance that any one customer – no matter how much anger is percolating in his bean – will initiate an action for arbitration.

In case you think that such a contingency is unlikely, you should know that last November Massachusetts fined the caffeine conglomerate for unlawfully charging customers a hidden $1.50 fee on bags of coffee of less than one pound.

So here’s the upshot . . . make that a double shot: If you are about to sign any agreement or contract, read it first, especially if it involves your money. Second, don’t sign it if you are not comfortable with the terms. And (this makes it a triple shot) always check the receipt to be sure you were not overcharged (or undercharged – c’mon, be ethical).

And one more thing for you to get steamed about –skip the venti mocha cappuccino with whipped cream. It’s fattening, sugar-loaded dessert, not a beverage.

In a column last month I talked about why I approved of Bank of America’s lame effort to ignore the “Occupy” tide across the country and charge five bucks for customers to use their debit cards each month. I liked B of A’s – and the test market versions of other big banks – policy because I was sure that it would drive many customers away from the sociopathic corporations that played such a big part in bringing our country to its financial knees when they dealt in questionable financial instruments. Generally speaking, local banks and credit unions offer lower rates for most services.
In an Associated Press article, reporter Ben Nuckols relates the story of how a young woman, Molly Katchpole,  who was upset by Bank of America’s new policy, initiated a petition on Change.org, a nonpartisan web site that facilitates launching of campaigns on any topic. 300,000 signatures later B of A canceled its plans to charge the five dollar fee. Did the petition cause the change of policy? Maybe. Was it the fact that other banks like Wells Fargo and Sun Trust scotched their debit fee plans? Could be.
Or was it this fact? In 2010, approximately 600,000 people joined credit unions. In just the month of October 2011, an astonishing 650,000 people enrolled as credit union members, according to the Credit Union National Association as referenced in yesterday’s San Jose Mercury News.
When the big boy banks let it be known that customers would have to pay extra to access their own money, the banks were daring their customers to take their business elsewhere. It seems like a lot more than just a coincidence that customers left in droves. Consumers double-dared ‘em right back.
Whether you bank at a community bank, credit union, or at one of the big boys, here are some ways to lower your costs. If you pay off your credit cards in full each month, get a card with a cash-back or travel rewards benefit. Shop around – there all kinds of good deals for those with good credit.
If you rarely make an overdraft but goof once in a very blue moon, ask the bank to refund your overdraft charge. Find a bank – or ask your current one – to give you free overdraft protection, giving you a day to cover the boo-boo upon notice.
Use checks that make carbon copies so you won’t have to ask the bank to sell you a copy if you mess up your register.
Choose an account that has a low or zero minimum balance so that you don’t get hit with a fee.
When it comes to ATMs, choose an institution that does not charge for using ATMs at other banks in their network. On a recent trip to New York City I was able to use an ATM, without paying a fee, in a McDonald’s that belonged to a credit union on the same network as my California credit union,. Some financial institutions will reimburse you if you have to use another bank’s ATM.
(Footnote – Anyone who refers to an ATM “machine” should be reported to the FBI of Investigation).
For lots of good banking information, check out www.bankrate.com.

Honestly, I’ve never understood why senior citizens, as a class, get all kinds of discounts. Why not people in their thirties . . . or forties? Evidently marketers have figured out a rationale for this type of promotion. Here’s an example of a unique discount. Last weekend the Consumer Gal and I went to a reunion in L.A. We checked a Sheraton Hotel near where the event was taking place. The price for the room was $195. With an AAA discount, the price was lowered to $149, an almost 24 percent discount. When I inquired if there was a better discount for AARP members (AARP is open for membership to anyone over age 50), they told me that the first night would cost $195, with the following night costing the last two digits of my year of birth. So, for example, if I were born in 1961 (no, I’m not revealing my birth year), the two nights would cost 195 plus 61. The average for the two nights would be $128. In other words, the older you are, the less you pay for the additional night.
The reason this makes little sense to me is that the average 23-year-old has a lot less discretionary money than does the average 60- or 70-year-old. In any case, being a “senior” is like living with a coupon taped to your back. But since that is the way of the American world, let’s take a look at some typical discounts available to seniors (and even younger folks).

Discounts abound. Perhaps my favorite discount is the U.S. National Park Service America the Beautiful Pass. If you are over 62, this is the best tourist value in America (next to New York’s Staten Island Ferry, which is free for everyone) at 10 bucks . . . for life! You, and up to three passengers in your car, can visit Yosemite (my favorite by far,) Yellowstone, Glacier and every other venue in the vast, wonderful park system at no charge, once you have forked over the initial 10 smackers. It also provides other assorted discounts in the park. You can get the card at any of the venues. Some states also offer discounts for their parks.
If you are over 60, you can get a 20-percent discount card at Elephant Bar locations. Applebee’s has a 10 to 15 percent discount at participating locations. It’s coffee for a buck at Denny’s for AARP members.
At Ross Dress For Less Stores it’s dress for even more less (???) with 10 percent off on Tuesdays for those over 55. Kohl’s offers 15 percent off on most Wednesdays for those  over 50.
Virtually every movie theatre discounts tickets. Jiffy Lube locations give 10 percent off to 60-plussers, with some even offering discounts to those over 50.
Check out baseball park policies. I recently learned that my beloved New York Yankees – yes, the same villains who sell some seats for thousands of dollars – have five-dollar senior discounts for some seats two hours before game time.
There is a succinct point to all of this. All kinds of businesses offer all kinds of discounts. So before you shop, ask. There are three essential ways to go about doing this. Call the business and ask; visit the business’s web site; or, when you get there, ask if there is a discount policy for seniors. This has worked for me a bunch of times.
And now, here is the tip of tips. There is a web site that consolidates much of this information for you. It’s www.seniordiscounts.com. Check it out. You need not pay for any of its additional serivces.

Happy shopping!

I no longer eat peaches or strawberries unless they are organic. It’s not until I start wolfing down cherries by the handful that I feel it’s really summer. But I wash them like dirty underwear. Why? Fear of poisoning myself and inducing cancer as a result of pesticide ingestion. Strawberries and peaches are the worst, but all fruits without peel-away skins or rinds scare me.

It’s also why more and more consumers are buying organic produce. But modern society has poisoned so much of our immediate personal environments that we are polluting ourselves voluntarily, without being aware of it. i won’t go into a diatribe on the all the sweetened, fatty, processed crap we diabetes-destined Americans eat. At least we know that we’re inflicting that garbage upon ourselves.

Household Chemicals

According to a University of Washington, Seattle, study published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review (I love their comics section), nearly a quarter of all chemicals emitted by 25 tested scented household products are classified as toxic or hazardous. But wait, there’s more! Over a third of all the tested products emitted at least one chemical identified as a possible carcinogen. So where are these fragrances to be found? Try detergents, fabric softeners, disinfectants, and air fresheners (SC Johnson’s website uses the term “Air Care”). How can filling the air with chemicals “freshen” it?

            In other words, a fart isn’t going to do you in, but fighting the odor enough times might. Why in the world do we need to make things smell at all? Keep your house clean, open some windows and clean with baking soda or unscented products.

Fabric Cleaning

            Now let’s move on to your clothes. Or better yet, you may want to move out of them. Microbiologist Myron W. Wentz is concerned about

Fabric softeners and cleaners are available unscented

one of the most common chemicals used by dry cleaners. Perc – short for perchloroethylene – is used to saturate fabrics in the cleaning process. After the clothes are cleaned, a residue of perc remains in the fabric. Researchers have linked perc exposure to liver and kidney damage and to cancer in laboratory animals (personally, I link lab researchers to cancer in animals). Even short term exposure has been known to cause headaches, dizziness and elevated pulse rate. California is one of several states that is requiring cessation of perc use by 2023. (Hey, why so impulsive?) Dr. Wentz recommends removing dry cleaned clothes from their bag and hanging them in the garage or outside for a couple of days – even longer if they still have a chemical odor – before wearing them. (Apartment dwellers, evidently you’re on your own.) He also recommends using a barrier layer like a T-shirt between your skin and dry cleaned clothes. Better yet, find a “green” dry cleaner that uses non-toxic cleaning agents. www.greencleanerscouncil.com is a good source.

 I’m a big fan of wrinkle-free, or what we used to call “wash and wear,” fabrics. At least I used to be. According to Wentz, beware of clothing and other fabrics that bear labels that say “wrinkle free,” “no iron,” “permanent press,” “stain resistant,” “static resistant,” or anything similar. Such fabrics are made with perfluorochemicals (PFCs). The problem with these chemicals is that they don’t readily wash out of fabrics and they are easily absorbed into the body through the skin. They actually accumulate in body cells. They can also be inhaled (Stephen King, are you paying attention?). Scientists have found a relation between PFCs and reproductive and developmental toxicity and cancers of the bladder and liver.

Wentz recommends natural fibers such as cotton, linen wool and the like. Even nylon and polyester contain harmful chemicals. Feeling scared? Maybe you need a good night’s sleep.

            But before you hit the sack . . .

 Mattresses

            Many mattresses are made with highly flammable polyurethane which is treated with flame retardant. The trouble is, such mattresses were treated with a variety of chemicals that are highly toxic. Dr. Wentz recommends replacing your mattress if you bought it before 2005 if it contains any polyurethane. If you buy a mattress that is synthetic, let it air out for a few days outside your house; the garage is OK.  And top it with a natural latex or natural fabric topper. Otherwise consider buying a natural latex – as  in rubber – or wool mattress.

Sleep tight and don’t let your underwear bite.

(c) www.consumerguy.com

Complaining can be evaluated in two basic ways. You complain because you are a complainer – it’s just part of your personality – or you complain because you are mad as hell (for a valid reason) and you are just not going to take it anymore.

    I must own up to being a bit of the former. But I am also a lot of the latter. Some consumers don’t complaint because they just don’t have the moxie. But I haven’t been shy since I hit puberty (except around approaching females, but that ended when I met the Consumer Gal). For some, complaining isn’t worth the effort and upset. But allow me to explain why – if you get the short shrift in a consumer exchange – it often pays for several reasons. First, you get to feel that you have justly prevailed, in contrast to feeling like a wimp. Second, you get money, or some other consideration, back, which allows you to pay for more stuff.

            Let me give a few examples of the dozens, if not hundreds, of ways I have complained to great success.

            For the first time in our lives, the Consumer Gal and I decided to give the post-Thanksgiving “black Friday” early morning sales a shot. We got up at 3:30 a.m., went over to Sears and got in line to buy a name brand, 46-inch flat screen television for 500 bucks. We waited patiently in line for 20 minutes at the cash register, paid for the TV, went downstairs to the pickup area and waited interminably. The clerk then told us the TV we bought wasn’t in stock. We went back upstairs to find a manager and told him of our plight. He went into the warehouse and came back 10 minutes later to tell us he found the set and that we should return back to pickup. After a short wait we got our television.

            The receipt had one of those requests at the bottom that asked for us to log onto the Sears web site in order to let Sears know about our shopping experience. I did so and explained how disappointed we were. A few days later I got a call from a store manager; the very same one who found the missing set. He apologized and credited our credit card with 75 bucks. So what’s better, being pissed off, or being pissed off and getting 75 smackers back?

            Example number 2: We ordered a range and a microwave oven at a regional appliance chain store. We were promised delivery on a particular day within a four hour time window (don’t you just love those?). I won’t go into the whole story, but they didn’t have the microwave and they didn’t let me know until the last minute, even though the appointment was made five days before scheduled delivery. I got a hold of the customer service rep at the store. She apologized, rescheduled with a two-hour window, and gave me a 50-dollar refund.

            But this is my favorite, and it is an object lesson for all of you who are afraid to put your foot (feet?) down.

            We were flying from Anchorage to San Jose, changing planes in Seattle. Due to a mistake on the airline’s part, we arrived late in Seattle. We ran to make our connecting flight. And even though we made it to the gate before the plane pulled away, we were denied boarding. It seems the airline did not bother to hold connecting flights five minutes so the delayed passengers from Anchorage could make their connections.

            We went to the customer service desk where we encountered disinterested and surly personnel. They informed us that the remaining flights to San Jose were full. And so were flights through other connecting cities. And so were flights on other airlines. Some of the passengers in similar circumstances settled with airline by accepting a meal voucher a hotel room.

            The airline would put us up in a hotel. Our baggage, however, was lost. I asked the agent if they would please deliver the baggage to the hotel. “We don’t do that,” was her response. They would notify us when the bags arrived and we would have to return to the terminal to retrieve them – at our own expense.

            Fortunately, one of my best friends lives in Seattle. They picked us up and took us to retrieve our bags and we were able to have dinner with them.

            Upon returning home, I called the airline and asked for compensation. They expressed compassion as deep as window frost and denied our request. I filed in small claims court for, well, to be honest, I can’t remember how much, as compensation for our air fare, the Consumer Gal’s salary for the day of work she missed and miscellaneous expenses. And guess what. Voila! The airline called me. They wanted to make the law suit go away. I demanded the following:

¨       Reimbursement of court costs;

¨       A flight to Fairbanks

¨       A connecting flight to Victoria, BC

¨       A return flight home

The airline’s agent said she doubted she could do that. I asked her to think it over. It’s either my way or the court way. She capitulated. Our next vacation was a trip to Fairbanks, from which we visited Denali National Park. Then a trip to lovely Victoria and a flight home. Beautiful.

My point is, it’s the complainers who make the difference for consumers. I am unhappy with my cable TV service about 25 percent of the time. I pay a full cable bill about . . .  well . . . 25 percent of the time (don’t ask why I don’t change providers – it’s a long story). When they screw up, I demand compensation. And I get it.

So when you get crappy service, complain. Don’t just sit there, unhappy, frustrated  . . . and complaining.