5 hidden fees in YOUR next rental car contract
Hiring a car? At Two Hoots we've heard of car rentals ballooning to as much 250% of the advertised price. Wow!
Watch out for these 5 common gotchas which can leave you with a shocking sky high bill.
5 things you can do to avoid getting tricked by fake online reviews
Fake online reviews have become such a menace that the UK Government has launched an investigating into online review sites to check if the information posted is 'genuine, relevant and trustworthy'.
It's estimated that 81 percent of UK consumers read customer reviews or ratings and 47 percent read blogs to help make purchasing decision.
Businesses have wised up to the importance of online reviews and some – not all – encourage friends or hire strangers to write reviews about they're product without actually trying it. In fact, a study by Harvard Business School showed 16 percent of Yelp's restaurant reviews were fake.
We've compiled a list of five classic signs of fake reviews to help you make the best decision for your next purchase.
Get your defective iPhone 5 battery replaced for free
If you find your iPhone 5 runs out of juice too quickly, Apple has a fix. Well, maybe they have a fix.
Apple has admitted their iPhone 5 battery is faulty. Yay for Apple. And they have been replacing some batteries.
Unfortunately customers have complained to us that Apple won’t replace their iPhone 5 battery even though their phone doesn’t last a day.
According to Apple, the problem affects only a very small percentage of phones, which they claim can be identified from a phone’s serial number. We believe the problem is more widespread than only a few phones. As a result, customers are missing out on value for money.
The amazingly simple psychology behind door-to-door sales
This is part 2 in our series on fighting back against unsolicited salespeople.
Ever wondered why pesky salespeople keep going door-to-door, time after time, often only to have the door slammed in their face? You might imagine this as akin to banging your head against the wall.
The simple truth about door-to-door sales is that it can be highly effective given the right person and circumstances. Take Joe Ades, the man who made millions selling potato peelers on the street:
A Queensland bus crashes. You wont believe what Translink did next.
What does it take to get a refund on your bus fare? Not even a crash apparently.
On March 16th, a Brisbane City Council bus was involved in an accident on Logan Road heading towards Mt Gravatt at around 8 am. Janelle, the mother of one 12-year-old passenger rang Translink to ask for a fare adjustment for the $10 fare charged as passengers were hurried off the bus before they could end the trip.
5 common myths about charging your mobile phone battery
As iPhone 5 owners are scrambling to find a solution for their dying batteries, we started to wonder what's true and what's not true about mobile phones and their batteries.
Your phone's specs may say your phone gets hours and hours of talk time, but in reality the life of your battery never seems to live up to its expectations. Are you doing something right? Are you doing something wrong? You'll never know if you believe the myths we've listed below.
The top 5 ‘free’ things to avoid this winter
Who doesn't love a freebie? Whether it's a friend offering a slice of used-goods heaven or a garage-sale orphan looking for a happy home, second-hand goods are quite a tantalising offer for thrifty shoppers.
Free things may give you a lot more than you bargained for (and that's not always a good thing). If you're looking to save a little money, you'll do well to think twice before snagging these used or cheap products.
Here's our top 5 free things where the initial save can cost you more in the long run.
Wotif gives 20 million back to its users after abandoning cruel charging practices
Easter means higher prices thanks in part to public holiday surcharges. If you're in the midst of making holiday plans, there is some good news. Wotif has dumped its $5.50 'booking fee'. It has also dropped the $16.95 charge for flights with full-service airlines and flights with low-cost carriers now attract a reduced fee of $9.95. How lucrative are these surcharges for companies? It's expected consumers could save as much as $20 million a year from these changes made by Wotif.
But surcharges have gone beyond public holidays. There’s airlines – 'fuel surcharge', room service – 'delivery charge', taxis – 'booking fee', restaurants and cafes – 'cakeage', 'corkage' and a surcharge for a 'group booking'. Even a concert ticket purchase comes complete with booking and ticketing fees. I’m sure you’ve got a few more of your favourites to add to the list!
So, what’s happened over the last decade that has seen surcharges become so prevalent in our daily lives? Is this a trend set to continue in the future?
The 5 terrible shoppers we’ve all been at least once
Customer behaviour is getting out-of-hand and companies are shifting their policies in response to thorn-in-the-side or dishonest customers.
So does the blame rest with your fellow shoppers or could you be one of those never-to-be-pleased customers? Either way, bad consumer behaviour means, you lose out.
Aussies now entitled to a refund on their video games
Today, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has made the case that EA has not been doing the right thing. By denying customers entitled to refunds, EA has been in breech of the Australian Consumer Laws (ACL).
"We Stand By Our Games. If you don't love it, return it." is the promise made by the world’s third largest publisher and developer of video games, Electronic Arts known as EA, who run the Origin video game distribution platform.