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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 11, 1996)
X?«. V » • • • ¿ w • ... *7 -'. •' **>’ . s í » • ». * * P age A6 • V»* • .* «I * e. */■»**•.*• « •«* 7 D i ci mber 11, 1996 »Tm P oru and O bserver jm a j An usual stocking stuffer Holiday consumer protection guide b \ A ttorney T heodore R. G eneral K i i . ongoski The holiday season is a busy time for family get-togethers and festivi ties. It also is the busiest retail period o f the year, our spending on consum er goods will increase and many fam ilies will make their largest single consumer good purchases ofthe year. With large purchases on the hori zon, it pays to be an extra smart consumer. I’m pleased to present the Department o f Justice Holiday Con sumer Guide for 1996. These consumer tips are meant to make sure that the Grinch does not steal the joy from your holiday sea son. Bad Weather Swindlers November’s storm is a reminder that O regon’s winter weather now is with us. Bad weather also may bring out door-to-door swindlers who at tempt to sell various winter home repair remedies. These will range from roof repair to energy-saving devices for furnaces. Often times, these con-artists will either ask for a deposit (and then never initiate the work), or provide shoddy work for a large fee. Seniors often are the target o f these fraudulent contractors. Like any home repair project, always get several bids before contracting work. Make sure you are dealing with a state licensed and bonded contractor by calling the Construction Contrac tors Board at (503) 378-4621. That agency can tell you if there are any consumer problems with the compa ny. In addition, don’t forget to check with the Department o f Justice Con sumer Hotline at (503 ) 378-4320 OR (503)226-3981. End Of Year Savings? Car dealers often promote “end- of-year” savings. The purchase o f a vehicle will likely be one ofthe most expensive purchases you make. Be fore buying a car, take the time to research the exact vehicle that fits your driving needs. For a new car, find out what the dealer paid for the vehicle (called the dealer invoice) by checking out several books, maga zines and Internet web-sites devoted to car buying. You can find this in formation at your local library bank or credit union. Shop around for the best deal and remember that every thing is negotiable at most dealers. Finally, be cautious about extended “warranties” . These “extended ser vice contracts” may require you to meet many conditions before you can take advantage o f their promises. Most new vehicles come with good manufacturers' warranties. Charity Clarity “Tis the season to give" may mean that your phone rings more often and your mail bulges with request to do nate to your favorite charity. Wheth er y ou’re contacted by phone or mail, all non-profit charitable corporations that operate in Oregon must register with the Department of Justice. Reli gious organizations are exempt from this law. Before giving to a charity, request written information about the organization. Also, ask if it uses pro fessional fundraisers. Many charita ble solicitation calls are made by professional fundraisers. Be sure to ask them what percentage they keep and what percentage goes to the char ity. Some charities pay 80% or more for fundraising overhead. Copies o f the Department o f Justice Wise G iv ing Guide are available from the Charitable Activities Section at (503) 229-5725. Post Holiday Bills The joy o f December’s holiday season is sometimes ruined by the resulting January and February bills. The flood o f holiday bills and finan cial obligations can do long-term damage to your credit. If things get out o f control, call the Consumer Credit Counseling Service. This non profit organization may be able to help solve your debt problems, avoid bankruptcy and teach you better ways to handle your personal finance. They have several offices around the state and can be reached at their main office by calling (503) 232-8139 Information Resource The Department o f Justice has a wealth o f consum er information available at no-charged to the publ ic. We offer informational brochures on a wide-range o f issues from car buy ing to fraudulent telemarketing. Re cently, we started offering some of this information on the Internet via the World Wide Web. Our consumer protection web-site includes recent news releases, hot cases o f the month, consumer com plaint forms and informational text on a host o f consumer subjects. We can be found, beginning the w eek o f N o v e m b e r 25, at www.doj.state.or.us. Finally, if you have a question regarding a product, service or mer chant, call the Consumer Hotline number at (503) 378-4320 or (503) 229-5576 (Portland only), Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to noon. You will be connected to one o f the Department’s enforcement officers who will assist you with your ques tions. Tow for Life program saves lives This year marks the 14th year S p e e d ’s T o w in g an d M o th ers Against Drunk Driving(M ADD) will be implementing the holiday “Tow for Life” program. Beginning Sunday, December 1st, and running through Thursday, Jan uary 2nd, anybody who feels they have had too much to drink and drive safely may call Speed's l owing and receive a tow home for $10. This $ 10 w ill the be donated to M ADD to fund programs in the education o f the impact o f drinking and driving. This program is offered to the greater Portland area by Speed’s from our downtov/n facility on South east 1st and Clay. Beaverton and Aloha will be covered by Speed’s of Beaverton. Oregon City, Gladstone, Wes, I .inn and Lake Oswego will be serviced by Speed’s o f Clackamas County. Speed's Towing o f G re sham will respond in the Gresham, Troutdale and Boring areas. Any of these locations can be reached 24 hours-a-day by calling 238-6211. S p e e d ’s T ow ing o fV a n c o u v e r is also p a rtic ip a tin g in the p ro gram for the V an co u v er--H azel D ell area. S ervice in th ese areas m ay be re ach ed 24 h o u rs-a-day by c a llin g 696-3678 Speed’s Towing in Salem is avail able to run calls in the Salem-Kaiser area and can be reached by calling: 370-8526. All monies from calls run will be given to the MADD chapters in the counties where the service is provid ed. The “Tow for Life” program be- gan with the 1983 holiday season Speed’s Towing provides tow ser vice to many o f the automotive deal ers and repair shops in the greater Portland area. As an extra service to these ac counts, Speed's offered to provide a “tow home” service at these compa nies’ Christmas parties. The response was tremendous and it was suggested that we offer the service to the general public. The $10 donation was implemented to insure serious callers and to raise funds. MADD was selected as the recipient because the drunk driver poses a tremendous threat to the towing industry as our livelihoods depend on driving. Any effort to eliminate the drunk driver will pay benefit to our indus try the long term at a young age. Be ginning a stock portfolio early in life can insure a comfortable retire ment. And all it takes to start is one share.” NAlC’s investment principles en courage individuals to invest a se, a sum o f money, no matter how small, regularly over a long time period; and to reinvest the dividends. “ Many o f our members give stock shares as birthday and graduation presents or holiday gifts,” Janke says. “While maybe stock certifi cates aren't as exciting as the latest toy, over time they can help inves tors buy lots o f toys—like houses, cars, boats, vacations and a com fortable retirement.” or more information about in vestment clubs or individuals in vesting, call NAIC at ( 8 10) 583- 6242, or write NAIC, 71 W. Thir teen Mile Road, Madison Heights, Ml 48071. You can also visit N A IC ’s h o m ep ag e site at h ttp :// www.betterinvesting.org. “Twas the night before Christ mas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; the stock certificates were hung by the chimney w ith care. ” With apologies to Clement C. Moore, the author o f the original poem, the holidays are fas, ap proaching and. as always gift-giv ers are looking for w hat’s hot this year. With the Dow Jones hovering around 6,000, what’s hotter than the stock market? “Stock shares are no, only unique gifts, but very often they are a gift that keeps on giving, long after the latest toys have been regulated to the toy chest,” says Kenneth S. Janke, president o f the National As- so c ia tio n o f In v e sto rs C orp. (NAIC), a non-profit organization o f investment club members and individual investors. “ Y ou’re never too young to in vest,” notes Janke, the father of three. “ If sespecially important that children and teenagers learn the value and benefits o f investing for Top ten holiday gift ideas for the Mind, by Franklin. 4. Label makers: This year, they’re better than ever. 5. New office furniture: add some panache to the home office. 6. Software: Barbie Fashion De signer for Windows. Myst, the top selling CD-ROM game. Also try Duke Nukem 3-D by Formgen, or Quake, by the makers o f doom. 7. Internet access: Calling all surfers.. .it’s the year ofthe Internet. 8. Clear electric stapler. 9. Gourmet food items. 10. Books and audio tapes: For al I the wold-be entrepreneurs among us. No matter who’s on your hoi iday gift list—from a curm udgeonly grandpa to computer-literate chil dren, the experts at Staples offer their ten hottest gift ideas for 1996, for all the people you know and love: I Executive leather goods: at taches, wallets, planners and ap pointment books 2. Traveler comfort items; look for converter adapter kits, travel pillows, travel alarm clocks, travel irons, waist money belts and toilet ry kits, even bungee cords and new luggage tags or straps. 3. Electronic books: like Gifts Santa’s Breakfast December 15, 1996 Pancakes, Eggs & Sausage Come eat breakfast and meet Santa. Support Loaves & Fishes $3.50. Advertise For Diversity From 10:30 am to f :00 pm. Advertise In (Clic lattò ODhscruer Call: 503-288-0033 T * Place: Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 76£0 R. Delaware THE LARGEST. MOST COMPUTE RETAIL FABRIC STORE IN THE WEST December 10 through January 7, 1997 e • l JY j I l J l J v JIV l T ( includes GINGHER) • BOOKS HOLIDAY CONCERT: Friday, December 13,1996 at 7:30 p.in. at the Old Laurelhurst Church, 3212 S.E. Ankeny, Portland, behind Music Millennium. Admission at the door is $8.00 for adults, $6.00 seniors, 12 and under free. Refreshments provided. Contact Ken Culver, Director, 4101 S.E. Washington, Portland, Oregon 97214 (503) 232-0976. 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ALBERTA (comer of 30,h & Alberta) / >Toai H ouas W IV K O A T , • a m t« te rn SUNDAY 9 a.m . to • p m / HOME DELIVERY IS AVAILABLE CALL: 245-4595 CALL 335-3264 r j 1 M M K U M I IMH RS Í STARK STREET ★ Ml ) \-IR I‘)lIhm-9IIO,Rn SA 11 R IM O lIMni-’ pm si \ I ) U hmo.im-'piii W IK H I SAI I HOI RS M< IV I Rl ' ^l.ini-5 Mipm ys \H ’R|)\> 9 1 HUm-Spui SI \I)\V II 11 Mm-1,3111 RETAIL - WHOLESALE FREE PARKING CARS • BU SES • RVs Plenty of 700 S.E. 122nd Ave Portland, OR 252-9530
