Great reviews are good for business, so some dishonest companies post fake reviews to boost their ratings. It’s a growing problem. This flood of deceptive reviews makes it challenging to get objective information about the products or services you plan to buy.  

 In this episode: The ways companies can game the system, a new FTC rule designed to clean-up the marketplace, and ways you can spot potentially bogus reviews and testimonials.

More Info from U.S. PIRG

How to recognize fake online reviews of products and services

Additional Resources from Checkbook

Shop Safely Online This Holiday Season (and All Year Long) 

Shop Like a Pro This Holiday Season: Score the Best Prices with Less Stress 

Don’t Overspend This Holiday Shopping Season 

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We've come up with a fun way to celebrate our 75th episode: An old-fashioned radio quiz show, featuring the morning anchors at KIRO Newsradio in Seattle. Dave Ross and Colleen O'Brien are old friends, who have Herb as a regular guest each week, so we had a lot of fun doing this.

Play along with Dave and Colleen as they try to come up with the right answers. You might also want to play the online version of Checkbook's College of Knowledge.

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No one really likes passwords. Even the best ones are no

In this episode: What passkeys are and how they work, why they are better than passwords, and how you switch to them on your online accounts.

Additional Resources & Consumerpedia Episodes:

Why It’s Time to Ditch Passwords and Switch to Passkeys

#5: CyberCrime: a Former Cyber Crook Explains How to protect Yourself

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The hectic holiday shopping season is underway, and for many, that will put a strain on the family budget. Checkbook wants to make this stressful time a little easier.

Our annual holiday helper is packed with timely advice: Super shoppers share tips about how they find the best prices and avoid fake sales. Plus, how to avoid gift card scams, stop porch pirates, and spot bogus online shipping notices. Also, the pros and cons of buy now, pay later loans.

Additional Consumerpedia Episodes & Resources:

Checkbook's Top Holiday Shopping Tips

Don't Overspend This Holiday Shopping Season

#59: Saving Money at the Supermarket

#58: Misleading Marketing Gets You to Buy Now and Pay More

#57: Whatever Happened to Customer Service?

#52: Shop Safely Online This Holiday Season

#26: Sale Prices Are Rarely Real Deals

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The process has changed for anyone looking to hire a real estate agent; new rules took effect in August that are designed to bring transparency and competition to the marketplace. Consumer advocates hope agents will be more willing to negotiate their commissions, but the new process and unfamiliar paperwork could create confusion for a while.

In this episode: A look at the new rules and what they will mean to both buyers and sellers. Also, things everyone should know when they’re hiring a real estate agent.

More from Consumer Federation of America:

Consumer Alert: How Home Buyers and Sellers Can Cope with New Real Estate Broker Rules and Practices

More from Ilyce Glink:

100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask

Kitchen and bathroom renos are the most common home improvement projects—and they can be mighty expensive. If the layout of your kitchen or bath already works for you, and its cabinets and other features are in decent shape, you might be able to save a bunch of cash by doing what’s called a “light remodel.”

In this episode, how to decide if light remodeling is the way to go, the savings to your wallet and the environment by going this route, and how to keep most of what you have. Plus, some specific ideas on ways to freshen up kitchens and baths.

Read Checkbook's full report on redoing your kitchen or bath for less.

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Prescription drug costs in the U.S. are “significantly higher” than in most other countries, according to a report earlier this year from the Rand Corporation. The average American spends more than $1,400 a year on prescription medications, research shows. For many, that expense is a budget buster. Because of the high cost, more than 9 million Americans don’t take their medications as directed, the CDC reports, which could result in serious health consequences

In this episode: Why are drug prices so high, and can anything be done about it? Plus, ways you can cut the cost of your prescription meds.

About our guests: Lisa Gill is an investigative reporter with Consumer Reports who focuses on health and medicine. Stacie Dusetzina is a professor in the Department of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Much of her research focuses on the economics related to prescription drugs.

Additional Consumerpedia podcast episodes on health.

More from Consumer Reports

How to Beat the Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs

Online Pharmacies Can Help You Save Big on Prescription Drugs

How to Find the Best Medicare Part D Drug Plan

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Want to spend a few days in Dublin before going to Munich? Sightsee in Madrid or Lisbon on the way home from Paris or Rome? Maybe break up that long-haul flight to Australia or New Zealand with a few nights in Tokyo or Honolulu?

Dozens of airlines (mostly foreign carriers) let you visit two places for the price of one by allowing free stopovers. Book these tickets and you can stay in the hub city for a few days or weeks, and then continue onward to your final destination.

In this episode: A look at some of the stopover programs available and how to find them. Plus, tips for anyone planning to buy a plane ticket.

Additional Resources:

These 26 Airlines Let Flyers Stop Over in Their Hubs for Free

Consumerpedia Episode 62: The Travel Show 2024

New Rule Will Soon Require Airlines to Provide Automatic Refunds When Flights Are Canceled or Significantly Delayed

Don't Get Left Behind When Your Airline Travel Credits Expire

Credit Card Reward Programs Under Scrutiny by Federal Regulators

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Whether it’s points, miles, or cash back, it’s nice to be rewarded for shopping. The lure of “getting something extra” can encourage you to apply for new credit cards and spend more to score those rewards.

In recent years, many credit card reward programs have become more complex and confusing, and frustrated cardholders are complaining to federal regulators.

In this episode: Should the CFPB create new rules to regulate credit card rewards programs? Also, a close-up look at the most common complaints about airline rewards cards, and how chasing rewards can cost you money.

Additional Resources:

Credit Cards: How to Choose the Best One

Credit Cards Provide Strong Protections for Consumers

Saving on Gas: Which Rewards Credit Cards Offer the Best Deals at the Pump?

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When it comes to buying corrective eyewear, the choices seem endless—from dozens of contacts to thousands of fashionable frames. Even so, shopping for new specs or contacts can be a major hassle, and it's an expensive purchase.

In this episode: Which eyewear stores offer the best advice and service, where to find the best prices on glasses and contact lenses, and who should you see to get your eye exam?

Read Checkbook's full report on opticians, optometrists, and buying eyewear.

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