News Links

Spectrum for Living
For more information on the Spectrum for Living fundraiser Nov. 22 or how to make a donation, go to:
www.spectrumforliving.org

Missing Money That Could Be Yours?
To find out if your state or the Federal government is holding money that belongs to you, you can go to these web sites:
www.missingmoney.com
www.irs.gov

To donate to the Dan Kelly Ultra- Marathon run benefiting Saint Anthony High School in Jersey City:
http://stanthonyhighschool.org/home/home.asp

Nets Career Fair
For more information on how you can sign up for the Nets Career Fair—and become eligible for free game tickets—go to www.njnets.com. You can email your resume, former employer, contact information, and career field of interest to the Nets job bank at jobbank@njnets.com.

Community Food Bank Donations
To donate to the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, to see the full Bruce Springsteen ad, and to see the list of 30 locations where you can donate turkeys for the holidays as well as to participate in a Virtual Food Drive, click on this web site www.njfoodbank.org.

Buying A Used Car
By: Barbara Nevins Taylor

Buying a used car makes a lot of sense now as we struggle to balance our family budgets. If you are in the market for a used vehicle it is important to remember the three C's.

Be CAUTIOUS. Be CAREFUL, and be sure to CHECK the vehicle out. While many used car dealers are reliable, there are some who may take you for a ride.

We suggest that you take the following steps when you go shopping for a vehicle.

1. Look for a dealer who is stable and has a history in the community.
2. Get referrals from family, friends or neighbors.
3. Check the dealer's references with the Better Business Bureau and the local consumer affairs office. There may be complaints, but if complaints are unresolved then you know this is not the dealer for you.
4. When you pick out a vehicle ask the dealer if he has a Carfax report that will give you the details about the vehicle's history. It should tell you how many people owned the car, how many miles it has, and if it has been in accidents, or has been salvaged as well as other important facts.
5. If the dealer doesn't have the report, go online to Carfax. Invest the $40.00 to buy the report.
6. When you read the report take the information to heart. Avoid vehicles that have been salvaged, in floods, or in fires. A salvaged vehicle may be cheaper than other vehicles, but it may cause you endless headaches.
7. Once you make a selection make sure your own mechanic checks out the vehicle. If you don't know a mechanic, check with the Automobile Association of America. A.A.A. offers a list of mechanics it trusts. Don't be shy about this. The dealer has dealer plates that he can put on the vehicle temporarily. If he wants to make the sale, he will drive the vehicle to you mechanic.
8. If the dealer makes promises get them in writing. If he offers a verbal warranty tell him that's not good enough you. You want it in writing.
9. Extra warranties are often sold by dealers. This is an extra source of income for them. It is not a good idea to buy extras of any kind from a dealer. Often these extra warranties fail to provide full coverage for all the things that could possibly go wrong.
10. Once you've followed picked out your vehicle and Cautiously, Carefully, Checked things out drive safely and enjoy it.

It is important to understand the laws in your state that cover used car purchases.

In New Jersey

A dealer must provide a 90 day written warranty for a vehicle that has 24,000 miles or less.

A dealer must provide a 60 day written warranty for a vehicle that has 24,000 to 60,000 miles.

A dealer must provide a 30 day written warranty for a vehicle that has between 60,000 and 100,000 miles.

Vehicles that are older than 7 years are not covered by the lemon law.

If they have more than 100,000 miles they are not covered by the lemon law.

Vehicles that are not purchased from a licensed dealer are also notcovered by the lemon law.

In New York

A dealer must provide a written warranty for a vehicle that sells for $1500 or more and has less than 100,000 miles.

Vehicles with more than 100,000 miles are not covered by the lemon law.

For more information please check the website of the consumer affairs offices, or your local Better Business Bureau.

www.njconsumeraffairs.gov

www.nyc.gov/consumers

www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/OCA

www.co.suffolk.ny.us/departments/CountyExec/consumeraffairs

www.westchestergov.com/consumer/

www.co.rockland.ny.us/cpl

www.newyork.bbb.org/

www.trenton.bbb.org/

Veteran's Day
http://www.homefronthearts.org
http://www.va.gov

 

Dealing with Locksmiths
By: Barbara Nevins Taylor

While there are reliable locksmiths who will do a good job for a fair price we have found that there are unscrupulous companies that take advantage of your desperation.

Often when we look on the Internet, or in the Yellow Pages for a locksmith we find 800 numbers. These may, or may not, be for local companies where you have recourse.

We suggest you take a few simple steps to protect yourself.

1. Preparing in advance may be hard to do, but it’s a good idea to carry the phone number of a reliable locksmith in your wallet just in case you are locked out or lose your keys
2. Ask if the company is licensed, and if the individual locksmith is licensed. A license is required in New Jersey and New York City. Both the locksmith and the company must be licensed.
3. Ask the dispatcher to make sure that the individual locksmith brings his license with him. In New Jersey photo identification is required.
4. Ask the dispatcher for a price quote. Have them e-mail the estimate if possible, or ask them to instruct the locksmith to bring a written form with the price clearly marked on it before any work is started.
5. When the locksmith arrives makes sure that he, or she, has a license with him and appropriate identification. Make sure that he offers the same price as the dispatcher offered on the phone.
6. When the work is completed be sure that you have an itemized bill for all the work done, and the materials that you may have purchased.
7. If there are issues such as a bait and switch where a different price is offered take a breath and tell the locksmith you don’t want to use his services. It may be a mini nightmare to call another company but you’ll be happier in the long run.
8. If you have complaints please let your local consumer affairs office know and file a complaint with your local Better Business Bureau to help protect other consumers.

The following links to consumer affairs offices and Better Business Bureau offices may help you to check out the reliability of locksmiths you are thinking of hiring.

New York City Consumer Affairs – www.nyc.gov/consumers

New Jersey Consumer Affairs - www.njconsumeraffairs.gov

Nassau County Consumer Affairs - www.nassaucountyny.gov/agencies/OCA/index.html

Suffolk County Consumer Affairs - www.co.suffolk.ny.us/departments/CountyExec/consumeraffairs.aspx

Better Business Bureau of New York – www.bbb.org

New Jersey Better Business Bureau – www.trenton.bbb.org

Renegotiating Your Mortgage
By: Barbara Nevins Taylor

Saving your home from foreclosure requires quick and persistent action. If you are behind on your mortgage payments don't wait for something to happen, or to change.

You can help yourself and perhaps make the positive change to save your home. But beware of people who call your home offering to help, and who put fliers in your mail box.

We have found that this mortgage crisis is another opportunity for scammers to take advantage of people who are already in financial difficulty. The good news is that there is an increasing effort to try to help homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

FHA HOPE FOR HOMEOWNERS

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and its Federal Housing Agency have a new program called Hope for Homeowners. You are eligible for this program if your house is your primary residence, if you have made at least 6 mortgage payments, and can not make the mortgage payments. If your bank will agree to renegotiate the mortgage, and lower the loan, FHA will insure a new 30 year mortgage for up to $550,440.

To contact FHA you can call 1-800-CALL-FHA (225-5342) or use this link to the agency's website. click here

GETTING ASSISTANCE TO RENEGOTIATE

Renegotiating a mortgage with your bank, or the servicing company hired by investors to collect your mortgage payments, is not so easy. You will need professional help. Not-for-profit housing counseling groups offer this service for free. They will do the negotiating for you, and they will not charge a fee. Beware of companies, and individuals who want to charge a fee for this service. You should not have to pay for it.

Action Against Hunger

www.actionagainsthunger.com

Problems with Contractors

If you are having problems with a contractor, you can get information and help from these web sites:
In New Jersey
www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/home.htm

In New York City
www.nyc.gov/html/dca/html/home/home.shtml

In New York State
www.consumer.state.ny.us/complaint.htm

You can also get information from your county website.

Non-Stop Routes from New York and Newark Being Eliminated as of December 2008

Airline Code	Dropped Airports by Airline In December 2008 from New York (LGA, JFK, EWR)
Aerolineas Argentina	Buenos Aires
Aerolineas Argentina	Miami
Air Europa	Madrid
Air Tahiti Nui	Papeete, PF
AirTran	Orlando
American	Atlanta
American	Bangor
American	Charlotte
American	Cincinatti
American	Ft. Lauderdale
American	Flint
American	Grand Rapids
American	Jacksonville, FL
American	Minneapolis
American	New Orleans
American	Louisville
American	San Jose Cabo, MX
American	London - Stansted
American	Traverse City
ATA	Chicago - Midway
Avianca	Barranquilla, CO
British Airways	Manchester, GB
Continental	Albuquerque, NM
Continental	Cologne
Continental	Cedar Rapids
Continental	Daytona Beach
Continental	Jackson, MS
Continental	Chicago - Midway
Continental	Ponce, PR
Continental	San Jose, CA
Continental	Salt Lake City
Continental	Sarasota
Continental	Santiago, DO
Continental	Tuscon, AR
Continental	Mont Tremblant
Continental	Calgary
Czech	Norfolk
Delta	Albuquerque, NM
Delta	Nantucket
Delta	Bermuda
Delta	Binghamton, NY
Delta	Guatamala City
Delta	Huntsville
Delta	London - Gatwick
Delta	Liberia, CR
Delta	Manchester, NH
Delta	Myrtle Beach
Delta	Bucharest
Delta	Panama City
Delta	Santo Domingo, DO
Delta	San Jose Cabo, MX
Delta	San Jose, CR
Delta	Santiago, DO
Emirates	Hamburg
Eos	London - Stansted
Eurofly	Bologna
Eurofly	Naples, IT
Eurofly	Palermo, IT
FlyGlobespan	Liverpool
FlyGlobespan	Knock, IE
JetBlue	Nantucket
JetBlue	Nashville
JetBlue	Columbus, OH
JetBlue	Ontario, CA
JetBlue	Tuscon, AR
LTU	Dusseldorf
North American	Accra, GH
North American	Georgetown, GY
North American	Lago, NG
Northwest	Dallas
Silverjet	London - Luton
Thai	Bangkok
Transwest	Georgetown, GY
Transwest	Port of Spain, TT
US Airways	Nantucket
US Airways	Aruba
US Airways	Bangor, ME
US Airways	Greenville, SC
US Airways	Hyannis, MA
US Airways	Lewisburg, WV
US Airways	Harrisburg, PA
US Airways	Martha's Vineyard
US Airways	Myrtle Beach
US Airways	St. Thomas, VI
USA 3000	Ft. Lauderdale
USA 3000	St. Petersburg, FL
USA 3000	Punta Cana, DO
USA 3000	Ft. Myers
Zoom	Bermuda

Approved Motorcycles

For a list of motorcycles and motorcycle manufacturers in New Jersey, follow this link.

Alliance for Lupus Foundation

http://walk.lupusresearch.org

Credit Card Fraud

Annualcreditreport.com
Ftc.gov

"Foreclosure Pet" Help and Information

If you can't afford to keep your pet and want help or information, you can contact the "Associated Humane Societies" in Newark at (973) 824-7080 or go to their wesite www.ahscares.org.

After School Directory

PSEG has teamed up with New Jersey After 3 to launch the New Jersey Afterschool Directory. It's a free online comprehensive directory with listings for hundreds of afterschool, before school, school vacation and summer programs. You can check it out at www.njafterschool.org.

Volunteering for Cancer Society

If you are willing to volunteer to help someone with cancer get to treatment, call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or go to the ACS website www.cancer.org.

Fuel Overcharges
If you think your landlord is overcharging for fuel increases, you can go to the Division of Housing and Community Renewal web site in New York State to file a complaint.

Operation Lifesaver
For information or details about how to enroll an autistic child in Bergen County in Operation Lifesaver, call Sgt. John Calabrese of the Bergen County Sheriff's Department's "Community Outreach Unit" at 201-336-3540 or online at www.bcsd.us.

Beating Debt
For information and help about getting out of debt, you can contact the following organizations:

NovaDebt of New Jersey
800-99-BILLS
www.novadebt.org

Consumer Credit Counseling Service of New Jersey
888 726-3260
www.cccsnj.org

Consumer Credit Counseling Service
866-889-9347
www.moneymanagement.org

Tips To Beat Debt
1) Don't Spend More Than You Earn
2) Stop Using Credit Cards
3) Save Real Cash For Emergencies

Identity Theft and What To Do
By Barbara Nevins Taylor —
Unfortunately once your identity has been stolen you may have to do a great deal of work to make sure that you are not harmed financially. We suggest you do five things immediately:

1. Make a police report at your local precinct and be sure to get a copy of the report.

2. Place a fraud alert on your credit repots by notifying the three credit reporting bureaus:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, www.equifax.com
Experian: 1-888-397-3742, www.experian.com
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289, www.transunion.com

3. After notifying the bureaus ask for a free copy of the report.

4. When you receive the reports check to see if there are charges that shouldn't be there. If there are fraudulent charges you can dispute them. There is information about how to do this on the Federal Trade Commission's website.

4. Close accounts that the thief has used.

5. File a report with the Federal Trade Commission which has additional information about Identity Theft on its website.

Getting Out of Tickets (Unit 9 story)
April 24, 2008 —
- http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/faqs/faqs_traffic.shtml
- http://www.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/parking/park_tickets_dispute.shtml
- http://www.dmv.org/nj-new-jersey/traffic-tickets.php

Fighting Parking Tickets
April 23, 2008 — For information about how to fight parking tickets in New York City or to find out more information about parking rules in New York City, go to these web sites:
- http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dof/html/parking/park_tickets_common.shtml
- http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/faqs/faqs_traffic.shtml

Debt Collector Information
April 10, 2008 —
Banks That Voluntarily Refuse to Freeze Accounts with Exempt Funds
(according to Legal Services):
- Citibank
- NY Community Bank
- Atlantic Bank
- Banco Popular
- Astoria Federal

To Protect Yourself
(according to Legal Services):
- Switch to one of these banks
- Set up a direct deposit account
- Don't use the account for anything else

Audiobooks for Kids
March 31, 2008 — For more information, to find out which audiobooks other children are listening to, as well as to download audiobooks, go to the Audible Kids website www.audiblekids.com.

Fire Chef's Cook Book
March 14, 2008 — For information about the New Jersey State Firemen's Mutual Benevolent Association's "Official 2008 FMBA Fire Chef's Cookbook", which also contains a recipe for "Beer Butt Chicken" from My9 News Anchor Harry Martin, call (732) 499-9250 or go to their web site www.njfmba.org.

 

Business Clothes for Women in Need
For information on donating gently used clothes for women who need them for job interviews go to www.bottomlessclosetnyc.org.

---