Cue the James Bond music: Secret shoppers help stores assess stocked shelves, correct markings and review the in-store customer service. It won’t make you a millionaire, but you can sign up through Field Agent. I did it once! Snapped a few pics and made $20.
The fresh face of payday loans: Cash-advance apps
You get paid next week, but your credit card bill is due this week, and, oops, so is that new car payment. You’re only a few hundred bucks short — you just need a way to bridge the gap.
Unfortunately for you, there’s an app for that. Actually, there are dozens. They’re called cash-advance apps. And most things about them tick me off.
Their names make it sound like you’re borrowing from a friend, like “Dave,” “Albert,” or “Brigit,” or like they’re giving you a leg up, like “Empower.” But trust me, there’s nothing empowering about them.
I dug up the dirt they don’t want you to know about and how to avoid getting caught up in their scheme.
What has two thumbs and owes 376% interest?
You, if you fall for this BS. These apps are just big yellow Payday Loan signs with a fresh coat of paint. They target folks living paycheck to paycheck, and once you’re in their clutches, it’s nearly impossible to get out.
Get this: The average APR on an advance from these apps is 376% — pretty much identical to a typical payday loan’s 400% markup. And that’s if you manage to repay it in one to two weeks.
And you probably won’t. Studies show that 75% of people take out another advance the same day or day after making a repayment. And if you’re using one, there’s a good chance you’ll get hooked into others, too.
On top of ludicrous fees …
They ask you to “tip” for the service. Some apps even try to guilt you, saying they’re helping “vulnerable people” with the money. Sure, they’re not gonna break your kneecaps or repo your car, but these companies are still laughing all the way to your bank.
One home health aide in Texas pays a day-and-a-half of work per month in fees. She didn’t know about the free option to transfer money immediately instead of one to three days — these apps make it hard to find on purpose.
My (free) tips to avoid the trap
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10 tech company customer service phone numbers plus a secret way to know wait times
⚠️ Scammers can be victims, too: A woman calling herself “Sara” told ABC News her heartbreaking story. She was living in South Africa and applied for a customer service job in Bangkok. Before she knew it, she was taken to a compound in Myanmar, where her passport was taken and her cellphone’s SIM card was destroyed. She was held prisoner, told to play the part of an Asian woman and forced to scam others online. She escaped but not everyone does.
700 customer service agents laid off and replaced with AI
Klarna says its customer service AI bot “is doing the equivalent work of 700 full-time agents” — yep, the number of customer service personnel it let go in 2022.
6 signs your vacation rental is a scam
Booking a rental property for your next vacation? There’s a scam for that!
Seriously, vacation rental scams are everywhere. Last year alone, Airbnb banned 59,000 fake listings — and stopped 157,000 listings from making it to the site in the first place.
Rent your next car from a person like you - or rent out your own
If you travel for business or pleasure, renting a car is always an excellent option for exploring a new city or simply getting to where you need to go. But, like buying a car, renting a car can be a time-consuming and expensive process.
Recall alert for BMW, Chrysler and Toyota: Affected 2019-2020 BMW models have a starter motor issue, the 2023 Dodge Challenger’s rear seat isn’t locking properly, and several 2023-2025 Toyotas have incorrect weight capacity labels. Contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417, Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403 and Toyota at 1-800-444-1074.
Scammers in the skies: Crooks scan social for posts complaining about flight delays and then pose as airline customer service. They’ll DM you about your booking or send you to a fake site to harvest your info. Only contact customer service using the airline’s official website or phone number.
Use your inside voice: SoftBank Corp. had a big problem, with its customer service employees stressed out from getting yelled at. So, the company created AI that turns angry voices into calm ones. The software lowers the pitch of customers’ voices and slows down angry rambling. The actual words stay the same. Genius.
✈️ Think before you post: Scammers on X are posing as major airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. They target folks who tag the airlines, offering fake customer service via comments or direct messages. The links they send take you to dodgy sites designed to steal your personal info. If they ask for your number, nope. Blocked.
📦 One person’s return … is another’s “new” purchase. Amazon’s return policy lets items that pass a quality check be resold as “new,” even if they’ve been opened. Spot an “LPN” label on the packaging? That’s a telltale sign it’s been reprocessed. Hit up Amazon’s customer service pronto for a replacement.
Mute yourself when you’re on hold waiting for customer service help. You know that message about how what you say may be recorded for training purposes? They don’t just mean when you have a rep on the phone.
Secret customer service numbers: Head to this site to find the correct number to call. They list everything from airlines to theme parks to electronics. Let me tell you, you need to bookmark that website right now. Here are 15 more handy sites I’ve rounded up.
ChatGPT pro tips: How to get better-branded copy, social media posts and marketing materials
I read a stat that blew me away. HubSpot surveyed marketers and 78% say the industry changed more in the past three years than in the last five decades.
I agree, and it’s even more challenging to stay up to date with how much there is on all our plates. That’s where AI comes in.
The secret (better) way to restart your Windows PC
One way to fix PC problems is to reboot. That’s the most common solution IT professionals will tell you to begin with. But you may have to ring up the help desk if your computer’s still acting up after restarting it.
Coursera vs. Udemy: Which platform offers the best online learning experience?
Learning through online courses has grown in popularity over the years. It’s never been easier to customize your education and focus on skills you care about. In this multi-billion dollar business, websites rope in course creators to build a system of user-generated educational resources. But which one is best?
10 tech company customer service phone numbers plus a secret way to know wait times
If the long wait times and hard-to-find numbers don’t make it clear enough, I’ll say it: Tech companies don’t want to talk to you.
Here’s a secret I bet you didn’t know. You can have Amazon call you if you have a problem with an order or anything else. Tap or click here for the secret spot on Amazon’s website.
This Twitter scam is a smart way to steal bank passwords - Don't fall for it
It was bound to happen sooner or later — social media platforms are monetizing membership by adding subscriptions for services you’re used to getting for free. Here’s what’s changing and how you can save your money.