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	<title>Business &#38; Money &#187; Mitch Lipka &#124; TIME.com</title>
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		<title>Business &#38; Money &#187; Mitch Lipka &#124; TIME.com</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com</link>
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		<title>Customer Service Via Twitter? Some Companies Are On It, Others Not So Much</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/06/01/customer-service-via-twitter-some-companies-are-on-it-others-not-so-much/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/06/01/customer-service-via-twitter-some-companies-are-on-it-others-not-so-much/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jun 2012 18:15:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Best Buy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LL Bean]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Southwest Airlines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[twitter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zappos]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=39945</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With retailers working hard to grow the ranks of their Twitter followers, consumers are increasingly using the service to get basic customer service and even to try to resolve disputes. But a new study, released Wednesday by STELLAService, shows their success rates vary widely. The top performing companies in the test were Zappos and LL Bean, followed by Overstock.com, Dell.com, and Best Buy. Other companies included in the test were: Amazon.com, Staples,  Office Depot, Walmart, Sears, QVC, Office Max, Newegg.com, Sony, Costco, Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Hewlett-Packard, J.C. Penney, Target, TigerDirect.com, Gap, Williams-Sonoma, HSN, Overstock.com and Toys ‘R’ Us. (MORE: Forget Black Friday — Here Comes Back-to-School Saturday) Some companies, including Zappos.com and LLBean.com, have clearly embraced Twitter as an alternative to traditional customer service. But many other companies kept consumers waiting for answers, demonstrating that while Twitter can be used by consumers as a customer service tool, it can&#8217;t be relied upon. Zappos.com and LLBean.com responded to every question in a 45-day test by STELLAService, which studies and measures customer service. But overall, only about 44% of the questions asked on 25 retailers&#8217; official Twitter accounts received a response within 24 hours, the study found. (MORE: 10 Questions for Joseph Stiglitz) Similarly, STELLAService found in a March report that retailers&#8217; performance on Facebook was spotty when it came to answering basic consumer questions. The studies highlight the need for consumers to continue to pursue more traditional channels for dealing with customer service issues. For some on Twitter, the ability to engage in a brief but immediate back and forth is part of the appeal. Among the retailers studied, only Zappos responded to Twitter questions in less than an hour. Companies with smart social networking strategies realize that when one customer asks a question or needs help, others are watching. So a handful of companies, including Southwest Airlines, have quickly developed reputations for aggressively working with consumers who have tweeted a problem or concern. STELLAService CEO Jordy Leiser says companies that are not responsive to customer service issues aired on Twitter are taking a big risk. &#8220;It’s becoming clear<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=57854&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://business.time.com/2012/06/01/customer-service-via-twitter-some-companies-are-on-it-others-not-so-much/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Smart Spending</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/saving-spending/smart-spending/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/twitter1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Twitter</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>7 As Seen on TV Products That Actually Work</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/05/30/7-as-seen-on-tv-products-that-actually-work/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/05/30/7-as-seen-on-tv-products-that-actually-work/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2012 10:45:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[As Seen on TV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cooking tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gadgets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grill daddy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grill tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[infomercial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[magic mesh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nuwave]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[openx]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[popeil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[product reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Target]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walmart]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=39753</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In recent years, As Seen on TV products have emerged from their previous spots on late-night and weekend TV and have gone decidedly mainstream. They're supposed to make our lives easier, but many of them are a complete waste of money. These aren't. Here are seven As Seen on TV products that actually do what they claim.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=39753&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Smart Spending</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/saving-spending/smart-spending/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/pastaboat1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">pastaboat</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>10 Dangerous Products You Might Have in Your Home</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/05/23/10-dangerous-products-you-might-have-in-your-home/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/05/23/10-dangerous-products-you-might-have-in-your-home/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 23 May 2012 10:45:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baby Seats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blinds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bumbo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cpsc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cribs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dangerous product]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dart Guns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dehumidifier]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dishwashers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[families & children]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Family Dollar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gel Fuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[holiday shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Household Goods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lasko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LG]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maclaren]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Magnetix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maytag]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recalls]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[safety]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shades]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=39345</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The recall earlier this month of a line of inflatable pool slides sold at Walmart and Toys 'R' Us following the death of one woman and devastating injuries to two others highlights the stakes when it comes to product safety. But with history as a guide, the dangers of the Banzai Inflatable Pool Slides will be ignored or dismissed by most of those who have one. Here are 10 dangerous products, all of which have been recalled, that you might still have in your home.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=39345&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://business.time.com/2012/05/23/10-dangerous-products-you-might-have-in-your-home/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Smart Spending</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/saving-spending/smart-spending/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/maclaren1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Maclaren</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>Skechers Fitness Claims Shot Down; Turns Out You Really Have to Exercise</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/05/17/skechers-fitness-claims-shot-down-turns-out-you-really-have-to-exercise/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/05/17/skechers-fitness-claims-shot-down-turns-out-you-really-have-to-exercise/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economics & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[athletic shoes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[diet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[EasyTone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Federal Trade Commission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reebok]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[settlemen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Settlement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shape-ups]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shoes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Skechers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[weight loss]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=39207</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In a blow to those who want to believe there&#8217;s a magic alternative to exercise, Skechers has agreed to pay $45 million to settle claims that the company exaggerated the fitness benefits of its rocker-bottom athletic shoes. It turns out they can&#8217;t do the exercise for you. In ads featuring shapely women, including a spot that ran during the 2011 Super Bowl, Skechers advanced the idea that their Shape-ups, Tone-ups, and Resistance Runner lines of shoes were responsible for the finely toned legs and other attractive body parts being featured. Sadly, there was simply no evidence that that was true. (MORE: Google and Apple Top List of Companies Grads Most Want to Work For) On the bright side, if you happened to buy a pair of those shoes, you could be due at least a partial refund. Skechers isn&#8217;t the first company to suggest that its product could do the work for you. They&#8217;re not even the first legitimate shoe company to do that. Just last year, Reebok agreed to pay $25 million to settle similar claims about its EasyTone line. Skechers and Reebok joined a long line of far less reputable companies that have built their entire businesses around getting consumers to buy into the &#8220;we&#8217;ll do the work for you&#8221; concept. A couple of months ago, marketers using sites that pretended to use material from legitimate news organizations were shut down for touting the benefits of a variety of pills and supplements made from acai berries. It seems that testimonials claiming acai berry products would lead to weight loss were fabricated. For anyone who has struggled to lose weight, it can be tempting to suspend disbelief. It&#8217;s a lot easier to believe in a product that costs $50 or $100 that will do the work for you than it is to think about replacing unhealthy foods with healthy ones or actually exercising. So, for every million of us who wish there really was a product that would do the work for us, there is another scheme or two<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=57742&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://business.time.com/2012/05/17/skechers-fitness-claims-shot-down-turns-out-you-really-have-to-exercise/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Scams</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/personal-finance-2/economics-policy/scams-economics-policy/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/skechers1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Skechers Shoes Ordered To Pay Out 40 Million Dollar Settlement</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<item>
		<title>Moving Season: 5 Ways to Make the Transition Go Smoothly — and Avoid Costly Problems</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/05/07/moving-season-5-ways-to-make-the-transition-go-smoothly-and-avoid-costly-problems/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/05/07/moving-season-5-ways-to-make-the-transition-go-smoothly-and-avoid-costly-problems/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 10:45:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economics & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fraud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interstate move]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[movers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moving]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[moving and storage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[online price]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quotes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relocation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=38532</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With the warmer months upon us and school about to let out for summer, it&#8217;s high season for moving. That also means it&#8217;s also peak time for ripping off those who are relocating. The Better Business Bureau, which fields 9,000 complaints against movers every year, teamed up with the American Moving &#38; Storage Association to issue a warning to consumers to beware of scams. &#8220;A con artist with just a truck and a website can claim to be a legitimate mover, with unfortunate results for consumers who don’t check out a company in advance,” said Linda Bauer Darr, the association&#8217;s president and CEO. (MORE: Save Hundreds on These 10 Essential Household Goods) While every move comes with stress and challenges, there are a few rules to follow to help ensure that you get what you&#8217;re paying for instead of becoming a victim of a rogue outfit that loads up your things and holds them hostage until you pay a lot more money. Detailing the sagas of moves gone awry over the past 15 years has yielded a profile of the typical victim and how they become one. It starts something like this: they go online and find a mover that quotes a low rate. It falls apart after that. Here are five tips to avoid costly problems: 1. All movers are not created equal Not even close. Movers, like many service providers, perform at a variety of levels. Some are top-notch. Others are a nightmare. Always research movers before soliciting bids (use the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, American Moving &#38; Storage Association and Better Business Bureau sites as a start). Then get at least three moving companies to visit your home, especially if you&#8217;re moving across state lines. In some jurisdictions, movers are regulated and consumers have some protection, but interstate movers are largely unregulated. Here is a link to some state and local resources. You need to get a feel for whom you&#8217;re going to do business with. They need to give you a cost estimate. Prices will vary by movers. It&#8217;s<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=38532&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Scams</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/personal-finance-2/economics-policy/scams-economics-policy/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/move1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Moving</media:title>
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		<title>Mysterious Credit Card Charges: Why You Need to Check Your Bills</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/04/30/mysterious-credit-card-charges-why-you-need-to-check-your-bills/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/04/30/mysterious-credit-card-charges-why-you-need-to-check-your-bills/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:35:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economics & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Identity Theft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[credit cards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[data breach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FBI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fraud]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stolen]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=37739</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you read your credit card bill? Really look at it? Crooks are counting on that not happening. Their work usually starts with them buying your card number on the black market and placing a small charge on it that likely wouldn&#8217;t jump out at you unless you were really concentrating. After all, if you use your credit card a lot, a $2, $5 or even $10 charge can easily get lost. And considering how often these sorts of scams happen, plenty of people don&#8217;t notice. (MORE: How an Ad Will Persuade You to Talk to Your Kids About Money) Credit card numbers are stolen in huge numbers. Some of the big data breaches you&#8217;ve heard about involved taking credit card numbers. Values of the card numbers are increased after one of those mystery charges goes through unchallenged, said Yaron Samid, CEO of Billguard, a free service that looks at your credit card use to find questionable charges. In an attempt to slow the flow of stolen cards, the FBI announced on Thursday that it had shut down 36 sites that were selling them. The sites operated like any traditional eCommerce site, the FBI said, with buyers actually putting stolen credit card numbers into an online shopping cart for purchase. Undercover agents bought card numbers issued by banks including Bank of America, SunTrust, and Capital One, according to the FBI. “Countless lives are thrown into financial turmoil because of these websites,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “With a few simple clicks, thousands of stolen credit card numbers can be bought or sold to fraudsters anywhere in the world. Today’s seizures are part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt this online market regardless of where it operates.” To give you an idea of the scope of these crimes and how the crooks can be anywhere, the investigation involved law enforcement in countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Macedonia, Ukraine and Romania. (MORE: Walmart&#8217;s Discounted Ethics) Experts say these kinds of scams are successful in part because even when consumers do notice the charges,<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=57598&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://business.time.com/2012/04/30/mysterious-credit-card-charges-why-you-need-to-check-your-bills/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Scams</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/personal-finance-2/economics-policy/scams-economics-policy/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/thief1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
		<media:thumbnail url="http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/thief1.jpg?w=240" />
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			<media:title type="html">Thief</media:title>
		</media:content>

		<media:content url="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/b47ca1c7e2ca022b0e9374c77f9bc173?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2F2.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D96&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>Facebook Shuts Down Mom Who Posts Photos of Her Son at Special Olympics</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/04/26/facebook-shuts-down-mom-who-posts-photos-of-her-son-at-special-olympics/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/04/26/facebook-shuts-down-mom-who-posts-photos-of-her-son-at-special-olympics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 26 Apr 2012 16:05:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economics & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[complaints]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[customer service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[down syndrome]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[facebook]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phone]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=37847</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Facebook can be maddening. After a Thomasville, N.C., mom posted pictures of her 7-year-old son at a Special Olympics event — he has Down Syndrome — the social networking giant locked her account, apparently thinking that the posts were promoting hate. The message from Facebook: &#8220;Never upload any photos that contain hate speech, support for violent organizations or threats to harm others.” (MORE: Dying is Expensive: The FTC Funeral Home Abuses) It&#8217;s not clear what the 40-photo album had to do with hate or violence or why the photos would have been flagged by the site&#8217;s digital police force. The images in the album, simply titled &#8220;Special Olympics 2012,&#8221; are mainly of a little boy having a big day at the Davidson County edition of the event. A lot are of him playing. Others are with folks dressed up to look like characters from The Wizard of Oz. For three days, Diana Cornwell couldn&#8217;t get back onto Facebook and couldn&#8217;t get an answer as to how photos from the Special Olympics could get her banished from the network. And even though she&#8217;s back on now, Cornwell is still unhappy with how Facebook handled the situation and wants to see changes in how they flag photos. &#8220;They don’t really look into the matter and see if there was anything offensive,&#8221; she said. An online petition supporting her has picked up some steam, surpassing 10,000 signatures by noon Wednesday. &#8220;They need to change how they do this.&#8221; Facebook seems to have a knack for ticking off its now 900 million users. Some of that comes from policing posts by computer program. Something triggers a red flag and down goes an innocent account. Despite this sometimes excessive vigilance, however, the site often seems unable to effectively police actual scams, which abound on Facebook and often evade the systems meant to catch them, frustrating users who get sucked into believing they&#8217;re helping sick kids or could win a gift certificate to IKEA. There are entire groups on Facebook dedicated to fighting scams on Facebook. As<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=37847&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://business.time.com/2012/04/26/facebook-shuts-down-mom-who-posts-photos-of-her-son-at-special-olympics/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Scams</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/personal-finance-2/economics-policy/scams-economics-policy/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/facebook_ads_02271.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Facebook</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>Dying Is Expensive: The FTC Funeral Home Abuses</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/04/24/dying-is-expensive-the-ftc-funeral-home-abuses/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/04/24/dying-is-expensive-the-ftc-funeral-home-abuses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Apr 2012 13:30:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Planning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[burial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[caskets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Costco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[death]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Federal Trade Commission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funeral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funeral costs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[violations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Walmart]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=37439</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A recent round of undercover visits to funeral homes by the FTC has confirmed that none of us should wait until it's too late to learn about the business of death.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=37439&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://business.time.com/2012/04/24/dying-is-expensive-the-ftc-funeral-home-abuses/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Smart Spending</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/saving-spending/smart-spending/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/coffin1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Coffin</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>&#8216;Free Gas for Life&#8217; Scam Shut Down; $2 Million to Go to Victims</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/04/17/free-gas-for-life-scam-shut-down-2-million-to-go-to-victims/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/04/17/free-gas-for-life-scam-shut-down-2-million-to-go-to-victims/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Apr 2012 12:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economics & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bogus Claims]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free electricity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[free gas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green millionaire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[negative option]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restitution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar panels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=37267</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The promise of being able to fuel cars for free — and power homes for free, too — proved a powerful lure for consumers who ended up getting sucked into a magazine subscription program and never did get the secret of &#8220;free gas for life.&#8221; The Federal Trade Commission announced on Monday that it had halted the company Green Millionaire LLC from duping consumers into signing up for a magazine they didn&#8217;t know they had subscribed to and not providing what they promised. The FTC also said it has reached a settlement in the case that will ultimately return nearly $2 million in restitution to consumers as well as bar the companies and individuals associated with Green Millionaire from making such claims in the future. (MORE: These Fake Debt Collectors Shook Down 600,000 People) Victims signed up for what had been pitched to them as a free book that would deliver incredible cost savings to them by them never having to pay for energy again. Among the claims that were used to entice consumers to buy the &#8220;Green Millionaire Book&#8221; were the promises that you would learn how to get free gas for life, how to put solar panels on your roof for free, and &#8220;how to make your electricity meter go backwards, paying you.&#8221; That was bolstered by what the FTC said were such phony testimonials as &#8220;I don&#8217;t pay for electricity,&#8221; as well as &#8220;I don&#8217;t have car payments, and I don&#8217;t pay for fuel.&#8221; Green Millionaire used a so-called negative option, which means consumers who had decided to get an item — in this case, the &#8220;free&#8221; book — would be charged for other items unless they specifically opted out of a deal they didn&#8217;t even realize they had agreed to. Negative options are often associated with trial offers, when consumers think they&#8217;re getting to try out something, but instead are subjected to recurring charges until they cancel. (MORE: The Jobless Generation) Green Millionaire got consumers&#8217; credit card or bank account information by asking for it to<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=37267&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Scams</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/personal-finance-2/economics-policy/scams-economics-policy/</primary_category_link>
		<media:content url="http://2.gravatar.com/avatar/b47ca1c7e2ca022b0e9374c77f9bc173?s=96&#38;d=http%3A%2F%2F2.gravatar.com%2Favatar%2Fad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536%3Fs%3D96&#38;r=G" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>Feds: Fake Debt Collectors Shook Down 600,000 People and Got More Than $5 Million</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/04/12/feds-fake-debt-collectors-shook-down-600000-people-and-got-more-than-5-million/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/04/12/feds-fake-debt-collectors-shook-down-600000-people-and-got-more-than-5-million/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:30:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economics & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt collection]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[debt collectors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fake debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Federal Trade Commission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=37053</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Callers from India — often posing as U.S. police officers — called at least 600,000 people across the U.S. about fake debts and took more than $5 million in real money, the Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday. The FTC won an order in U.S. District Court temporarily shutting down the operation. (MORE: How to Know Whether You Should Switch Employers) Some of those who paid said they thought the money was being applied to real debt that they owed (it wasn&#8217;t) while others owed nothing, but were bullied into paying, the FTC said. One consumer told the government that the callers had threatened to take away her children. The calls started around July 2010. Victims, many of whom were cash-strapped and had taken out payday loans, received back-to-back calls from callers using such names as &#8220;Officer Mike Johnson&#8221; or saying they represented the made-up &#8220;Federal Crime Unit of the Department of Justice,&#8221; the FTC said. The victims who gave into the pressure were told to use prepaid debit cards, credit cards or to wire money to one merchant account controlled by the defendants, the FTC said. Those who paid didn&#8217;t necessarily get a break. Some continued to get harassed for more money. Victims told of just how far this scam went to extract money from them. Here is what one consumer told real law enforcement officials: &#8220;The callers threatened me and claimed they would arrest me if I didn’t pay them the alleged debt. One of the callers even contacted my neighbors and told me he was watching my house. The callers had a lot of &#8230; personal information about me, including my work address. One caller told me, ‘We just saw you walk into your office building,’ and then listed my office address. Another caller told me there were 55 warrants out for my arrest. Sometimes my caller ID would indicate that the call was from the FBI. Because the callers knew so much about me, I believed they were police officers or FBI agents. The calls scared me and<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=37053&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://business.time.com/2012/04/12/feds-fake-debt-collectors-shook-down-600000-people-and-got-more-than-5-million/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Scams</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/personal-finance-2/economics-policy/scams-economics-policy/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/thief1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
		<media:thumbnail url="http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/thief1.jpg?w=240" />
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			<media:title type="html">Thief</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>Rite Aid Assailed For Not Having Sale Items in Stock</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/04/11/rite-aid-assailed-for-not-having-sale-items-in-stock/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/04/11/rite-aid-assailed-for-not-having-sale-items-in-stock/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:46:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saving & Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Spending]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[complaints]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consumer help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flyers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[out of stock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rite Aid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sale items]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[union]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wellness]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=36996</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Rite Aid, the nation&#8217;s third largest drug store chain, doesn&#8217;t have sale products that are advertised in its flyer available for purchase nearly 80% of the time, according to a survey involving 1,100 visits to 220 stores. The survey by a coalition of unions released today showed that at least one of the sale items was consistently not available and as many as one in five advertised specials could not be found in the chain&#8217;s New York City area stores. Of particular concern to the union group is the impact the failure to stock products is having on the more than 45 million members of Rite Aid&#8217;s wellness+ loyalty program. Rite Aid has lost money for each of the past 18 quarters, noted Matthew Painter, spokesman for the Change to Win union coalition. (MORE: How to Know Whether You Should Switch Employers) &#8220;One of the main incentives for wellness+ membership is access to weekly sales advertised in the store’s circulars, which makes sale item availability important for the success of the program,&#8221; Painter said in an email. &#8220;Research has shown that product availability is a key component of building trust and loyalty with shoppers and regular outages diminish customer satisfaction. &#8220;Inventory outages cause billions of dollars of lost sales for retailers every year, and research has found that when customers do not find a product they are looking for on hand, the retailer loses that sale 40% of the time.&#8221; Many states have requirements in their consumer laws for stores to have a reasonable amount of inventory of advertised items in stock, regardless of whether rain checks are made available. The reason: to prevent stores from enticing consumers into their stores with phantom offers in an attempt to get them to buy higher-priced alternatives once they&#8217;re in the door. Other chains, including Sears, have from time to time been the target of complaints by shoppers disappointed that certain sale items couldn&#8217;t be found on store shelves. A survey of retail stores by Consumer Reports released this month showed that one<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=57498&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Smart Spending</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/saving-spending/smart-spending/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/riteaid1.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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			<media:title type="html">Rite Aid</media:title>
		</media:content>

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			<media:title type="html">lipkatime</media:title>
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		<title>2.6 Billion Robo-Calls Later, Why Won&#8217;t Rachel from Cardholder Services Just Go Away?</title>
		<link>http://business.time.com/2012/04/06/2-7-billion-robo-calls-later-why-wont-rachel-from-cardholder-services-just-go-away/</link>
		<comments>http://business.time.com/2012/04/06/2-7-billion-robo-calls-later-why-wont-rachel-from-cardholder-services-just-go-away/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Apr 2012 14:35:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mitch Lipka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Economics & Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cell phones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[do not call list]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FTC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rachel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robo Calling]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Scam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stacey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[telemarketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://moneyland.time.com/?p=36717</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Annoying calls from "Rachel from Cardholder Services" persist despite the government's attempts to silence her.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=business.time.com&#038;blog=31173800&#038;post=36717&#038;subd=timebusinessblog&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Scams</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://business.time.com/category/personal-finance-2/economics-policy/scams-economics-policy/</primary_category_link><featured_image>http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/3.jpg?w=240</featured_image>
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		<media:content url="http://timebusinessblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/3.jpg?w=240" medium="image">
			<media:title type="html">Call</media:title>
		</media:content>

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