Consumerpedia
Podcast
From auto repair shops to doctors to plumbers to vets, you can count on Checkbook to help you find the best service—and avoid the worst. Our podcast features advice from experts that empowers consumers to save money and make smarter choices.
Listen on:
July 21, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Kevin Brasler - Checkbook's Executive Editor
Sooner or later all appliances will need to be repaired or replaced. But when the fridge is on the fritz or the oven is burnt out, how do you decide what to do? New home appliances are expensive, but it’s not always easy to know how much repair work will cost.
In this episode, how to decide whether to fix what you have or buy something new. When it’s time to go shopping we have advice on how to avoid the misleading sales hype to get a real deal.
Read Checkbook’s full reports on appliance repair services and appliance stores.
Support our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/consumerpedia/support
July 13, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Brian Shearer - Senior Advisor to the CFPB Director
The Consumer Financial Bureau (CFPB) is one of the newest federal regulatory agencies. Its prime directive is to ensure that financial products offered to you are fair, transparent, and competitive. The CFPB’s jurisdiction includes mortgages, auto loans, student loans, credit cards, credit reporting, and debt collection.
In this episode, a look at the initiatives and proposed rules in the pipeline that you should know about and may want to comment on. Also, how the CFPB is working to eliminate junk fees and how it might be able to help if you feel cheated or deceived by a company it regulates.
Support our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/consumerpedia/support
June 29, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Paul Eisenstein - Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, The DetroitBureau.com; Alex Knizek - Manager, Auto Testing & Insights, Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center; Ronald Montoya - Senior Consumer Advice Editor, Edmunds
In the last year or so, we’re finally beginning to see a robust market for electric vehicles. More manufacturers are now in the game, which provides buyers with more choices. So, should you go electric now, or wait, or maybe split the difference and go hybrid?
In this episode, find out about the latest EV options, how federal tax credits might help lower prices, and why leasing may be a smart move right now. Also, how reliable are the new EVs, and what’s happening to increase the number of charging stations?
Support our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/consumerpedia/support
June 15, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Kevin Brasler - Checkbook's Executive Editor
There’s a lot to consider when booking a hotel room: location, amenities, and quality. But for most of us, the deciding factor is price. In many cases, your room will cost significantly more than your flights. So, how do you find the best deal? Consumers’ Checkbook did nearly 2,000 searches looking for the best hotel rates.
In this episode, find out what our researchers discovered when shopping for hotel rooms. Does it make sense to book with the hotel or an online travel agency, like Expedia or Travelocity? What sorts of tricks do travel websites use to get you to book now? Does it pay to call the hotel directly? And what do you have to do to get an honest-to-goodness lower price? The lessons we learned should help you the next time you plan a trip.
Read Checkbook’s full report on how to find the best hotel room rates.
Support our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/consumerpedia/support
June 1, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Kevin Brasler - Checkbook's Executive Editor
Most homeowners pay too much to insure their houses. They waste money on worthless optional coverage—or worse—stick with the same insurers year after year without checking if lower premiums are available from other companies.
The potential savings from making a switch are dramatic, and you don’t have to sign up with a poorly rated company or get a bare-bones policy to get a better deal. Checkbook finds that some homeowners will save more than $1,500 a year by switching companies.
Yes, shopping for insurance is a bit of a pain, but the potential savings make it well worth your time to request pricing information and evaluate potentially wasteful coverage.
In this episode: How much coverage do you need, and how do insurance companies set their rates? Also, why Checkbook believes insurance companies should be prohibited from using credit scores to set premium prices.
Read Checkbook’s full report on homeowners insurance.
Support our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/consumerpedia/support
May 18, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Jamie Lettis and Dani Dredger - Checkbook.org; Edgar Dworsky - Consumerworld.org; and Checkbook subscribers
Companies always say their top priority is customer service, but all too often they fall short of that goal. What bugs you as a consumer? Is it the fine print in advertisements? Fake discounts? Maybe problems making returns or repair people who can’t make the fix?
Something a little different in this episode. We’ll hear from a few members of the Checkbook team and several subscribers who have gripes they want to share.
Do you have a gripe about something in the marketplace? Tell us about it. Be advised: We can’t solve individual problems, but we may ask you to join us on a future episode.
Additional Resources:
How to Complain and Get Results
Support our podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/consumerpedia/support
May 4, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Christopher Elliott - Syndicated Travel Columnist
Demand for plane tickets, hotel rooms, vacation rentals, and other travel services is up—way up. If your summer getaway involves flights, brace yourself for problems; like last year, planes will be packed, and the system will be stretched to its limits.
In this episode, advice from someone who loves to travel—and makes his living doing it. Christopher Elliott writes the syndicated “On Travel” and “The Travel Troubleshooter” columns. We caught up with him in New Zealand.
Additional Resources:
60 Strategies for Finding the Best Travel Deals and Avoiding Trouble
Do You Need Travel Insurance? (Spoiler: For Most Trips, Probably Not)
April 20, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Kevin Brasler - Checkbook's Executive Editor
Home warranty companies promise to save you thousands of dollars if you need an expensive repair. But Checkbook found these plans are terrible deals for most homeowners. Warranty companies are the subject of thousands of complaints to consumer agencies. After paying $400 to $1,000 for the coverage, consumers find that home warranty contracts often have numerous fine-print exclusions that stick them with much of the costs for product repairs or replacements. Plus, you don’t get to decide who does the work—and the best repair services usually refuse to work for home warranty companies.
Additional Resources:
April 6, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Sam Levine - Federal Trade Commission
Some companies try to boost business by doing things that are meant to mislead and manipulate customers. These include pre-checked boxes that obligate you to more than you bargained for, hard-to-find disclosures, and confusing cancellation policies. These practices are called “dark patterns,” and as more commerce moves online, they’re growing in scale and sophistication.
The Federal Trade Commission is cracking down on illegal dark patterns, but because the problem is so widespread, you need to know what to look for to protect yourself. In this episode, Sam Levine, director of the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau, talks to us about some of the most common dark patterns.
Additional Resources:
Consumerpedia Episode 31: Watch Out for These Common Fraud Tricks & Traps
March 23, 2023
Host: Herb Weisbaum /
Guest(s): Kevin Brasler - Checkbook's Executive Editor; Tom Minty - Northwest Universal Design Council
For most aging adults, there really is no place like home. Surveys done by AAPR consistently find that nearly 80% of those 50 and older prefer to age in place rather than move in with relatives or into senior communities.
The aging-in-place movement can help you stay safe and comfortable in your home as you grow older. But it’s something you’ll need to plan for, the sooner, the better.
In this episode, learn what’s important when remodeling or retrofitting your house, as well an option that’s growing in popularity across the country: Neighborhood-focused networks, or “villages,” that offer social, medical, and household resources.
Meet The Host
Herb Weisbaum
Herb Weisbaum is one of America’s top consumer experts. He’s been protecting people across the country for more than 40 years.
Herb is a contributing editor at Checkbook.org, and publisher of ConsumerMan.com.
During his distinguished career, Herb has covered the consumer beat for NBC News Digital, NBC’s TODAY Show and CBS News.
A five-time Emmy-award winner, Herb’s dedication to protecting consumers has been honored by the Consumer Federation of America, the National Consumers League, United Press International, and the Society of Professional Journalists.
Herb is a graduate of the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.