COOL TIP: Why You Need to Bring Your Owners Manual to a Dealership

It’s time for your car manufacturer’s recommended periodic servicing.  So you hop in your car and take it down to the dealership for the required maintenace.   And THAT’S precisely when the scam begins.   Because unless you have your owner’s manual maintenance schedule in your hand, there’s fairly high odds that you are going to be … Read more

Frequent Flyers Miles Programs An Increasingly Bad Deal

These are not happy days for airline passengers who rely upon frequent flier programs.    Struggling airline carriers are relying heavily upon these programs to generate revenues  (it may be their largest profit center).  Even as travel has tumbled during the coronavirus pandemic frequent flyer miles are generating big bucks for airlines.  In fact, in … Read more

ANALYSIS: To Buy or Not To Buy A Car?

To buy or not to buy — a car.  That is the question that U.S. consumers are increasingly asking themselves.   In the face of increasing car prices, insurance costs and gasoline price instability, any prospective car buyer needs to consider the alternatives to automobile ownership.   And there are a lot of feasible alternatives, not least … Read more

Volaris: No Way To Run An Airline

Volaris is the second-largest airline in Mexico and offers some tantalizingly low prices on some of its routes to Mexico.   Most American carriers can’t compete at those prices.   But be warned that you may be subjecting yourself to hellaciously bad customer service and scheduling tricks that simply wouldn’t be tolerated under U.S. law.   You may … Read more