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How Guys Can Save Money and Time on Online Matchmaking Sites

Ripoffs Scams — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 02:25:21 +0000

How Guys Can Save Money and Time on Online Matchmaking Sites

Dating sites are all the rage now. Just about everyone has a profile on at least one of them! While using online matchmaking is generally cheaper than going out to nightclubs and pubs, singles nights and speed dating events, it can still get quite expensive - particularly for guys.

For instance, some of these sites still charge per e-mail sent. If you send several e-mails to women you are interested in and don’t get any replies at all, you can feel quite ripped off. And even if you join a site that has a flat monthly fee (which is definitely more economical) you will still have to use it as much as possible over that period to get value for money. You might be overworked for a while, and not be able to log in. It’s possible for several month to go by in which you have no contact with anyone, yet you are still charged!

So, here’s an approach to save money. (It also saves time – and time is money, as they say.

Firstly, make sure you have a good, thorough profile prepared along with lots of information about the kind of woman and relationship you’re looking for. Needless to say, you should also have a recent photo. Dating profiles with photos get many, many more replies than those without.

Of course, you can send out “kisses”, “flowers” and e-mails to initiate contact. If the women respond to your initial contact, it means they are somewhat interested. However, there will still be a high attrition rate.

Your prospects go up considerably if it is the woman who contacts you first. If she sends a “flower” or “kiss” to test the waters, this is worth responding to. But the best sign of interest is an e-mail (the longer the better) describing her interest in you.

Despite what we keep hearing in the media about how assertive today’s women are, it’s still unusual for a woman to do this. So if she has overcome her natural resistance to overtly making the first move and sends you a clear description of her interest, it means she likes your profile a lot.

That said, it doesn’t necessarily mean that she’s the one for you. Hey, she might be a psycho! But there’s a good chance that you’ll at least get to meet her in the flesh.

Which is why you should do what men tend not to do: play the waiting game. Of course if you join only one or two completely free sites, then you could be waiting for months, or even years! So, you should join as many as possible. You can also join big paid dating sites, but just use the free option. (Remember that generally speaking your replies will be free if an upgraded member has initiated the conversation.)

Just keep logging in regularly to all of these sites so that you keep your ad high in the listings. If you have a good profile, and do this at enough sites, you are bound to get some women initiating contact.

There is something to be wary of, however: There are many young women on these sites who contact the men to get them to sign up to paid webcam sites, or who try to scam them out of their savings with some sob story or other. There are also SMS cell phone scams to watch out for. So, be cautious and skeptical about the women contacting you. If you keep your thinking cap on you’ll be able to tell who is genuine and who isn’t.

This technique is not a guarantee of success. But it certainly won’t cost you anything. And you will save time because you won’t be writing endless e-mails to women who don’t respond at all.

Robert McGrath writes about dating and relationships. Australians hoping to meet someone online should have a look at these online matchmakers for singles and couples. They are simply the best general and adult dating sites Down Under.

Article from articlesbase.com

Debt Relief Counseling – How to Save Yourself From a Swindling Settlement Company

Ripoffs Scams — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 08:26:18 +0000

by mdverde

Debt Relief Counseling – How to Save Yourself From a Swindling Settlement Company

It is a believable fact that the highest rate of counterfeiting exists in the provision of financial solutions. Debt relief counseling is not an exception. A lot of people do even try settlement option as they fear of losing money through a scam. Even the people who research thoroughly hire an illegitimate firm. A wrong selection in relation to debt relief counseling can cost a lot of money to the borrowers. If some key factors are followed, the loan takers can prevent from paying illegitimate firms.

A Deep Research

There are certain important techniques which should be used by the loan takers to prepare a list of preferable firms. When you go online and search for liability reduction firms then a variety of firms is shown in the form of links but all of them do not suit every situation. For instance you will notice that there will be some companies that will be taking settlement cases above thirty thousand dollars. Hence the people who will have a credit card bill of ten thousand dollars will not be able to hire these organizations.

Thus the customers should conduct a complete research on all the firms which suit his settlement in any manner. To save yourself from a scam company, avoiding haste is an important factor. Do not be careless when you are selecting a debt relief counseling firm.

The Usage of Indirect Networks

Mostly customers are concerned whether they would be able to hire legitimate settlement companies. The best way to ensure this is that you can use a relief network. A lot of credit card customers are not aware of this option available to the loan takers. There are various companies which are working with indirect networks. These companies have high ratings and are undoubtedly legitimate and there are no chances of the customers facing scams.

In addition to that, when a customer hires a firm through a network, he will be able to save costs. All the firms provided through indirect networks have nominal charges. However, if the customer contacts the same firm in a direct manner, he pays much higher. This is because when firms are contacted directly, they do not have to quote the charges which have been instructed by the relief management. Thus an important factor is that the best method to contact debt relief counseling is going through an indirect network.

However, the important factor is that debt relief counseling is a short term, solution and it would help you until the economic conditions continue to decline. As the situation return to normal in terms of economy, banks will be in a situation to claim the original sums from the account holders.

Getting out of debt through a debt settlement process is currently very popular but you need to know where to locate the best performing programs in order to get the best deals. To compare debt settlement companies it would be wise to visit a free debt relief network which will locate the best performing companies in your area for free.

www.CreditCardDebtNegotiations.com is a matchmaker in the debt settlement industry. They have paired up thousands of consumers up with debt settlement companies who are most likely to get consumers the best deal.
http://www.CreditCardDebtNegotiations.com

Article from articlesbase.com

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Save Money on Your Car Insurance!

Ripoffs Scams — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 04:59:31 +0000

An expert and Muffin explain how to save money when you buy automobile insurance. Tips for Saving Money on Automobile Insurance (auto insurance or car insurance:: 1) Raise your deductible 2) Drop your some coverage if you have an older car 3) Comparison shop 4) Drive Safely 5) Good credit score 6) Check insurance costs before you buy a car

How to Save Big With Health Insurance

Ripoffs Scams — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:15:47 +0000

This recession has taken a toll on nearly every American and no place has it hit us harder than with health insurance and healthcare costs. It has been stated that the number one cause for bankruptcies in the US is healthcare crises and lack of proper health insurance and coverage. All it takes is for you to go and take one visit to the doctor and what used to be $100 bill or so is now easily $400 or even $500 or more.

All it takes is for the doctor to prescribe some lab tests and your bill will quickly escalate to several hundred dollars. This doesn’t even include any prescribed medication that you have to pick up at your local pharmacy. Now usually you can get the pharmaceutical costs of your prescriptions down by asking for generics and to do this right you must tell your doctor before they give you a prescription that you want a generic. If you don’t do this you will go to the pharmacist with a non-generic prescription and they will most likely tell you that it is not available in generic form. This happens on purpose because the doctor and pharmacist all get paid a commission or similar based on how many non-generic prescriptions they write.

Now let’s get back to the purchase article which show you how to save money with health insurance. I just want to show you how healthcare costs can quickly get out of hand if you don’t have healthcare coverage or inadequate health insurance. Now the best way to get where save money on health insurance nowadays is by searching online and getting a quote online. There’s only a few websites online that I recommend you use select a quote and Ehealthinsurance. Through these sites you can submit one application to numerous companies and you can get a quick quote for several different policies and you can even compare different plans, coverages, etc…

Be sure and read all the fine or small print as subtle differences could make huge changes in your monthly payments and coverages. Also be sure and look into the difference in add-ons like dental coverage, zero deductible prescriptions ( some companies have this and some don’t), higher total insurance coverage amounts (Aetna allows you to select a higher total like 7 million instead of 2 million), etc…

Be wary of sites that tell you they will give you instant quote and then after you’ve entered in your information they tell you that an insurance trouble contact you. Many sites like this will try and send a scammy insurance representative to your house whom will try and sell you on high deductible low coverage insurance which basically doesn’t cover anything but with the promise of a free ambulatory helicopter flight from anywhere in the world if needed – just be sure and read the fine print because this probably isn’t even covered under most circumstances anyway. So there are some scams to beware of.

The easiest way to root out the scams is to not answer your home phone and to tell them that they need to send you the actual quotes through your e-mail. If they cannot do this they are scam. So go online and use select a quote and ehealthinsurance to get your free quick quotes and compare the various plans and costs and save yourself some big money on your health insurance.

For more great how to save money articles and other great information be sure and visit – the Great How To Blog! For more on how particular health care related companies are ripping off the consumer be sure and visit – The bad news about Labcorp!

Save Your Money by Avoiding Home Business Scams

Ripoffs Scams — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:35:08 +0000

How many times have you heard about or received an offer for an apparent great home business opportunity? You know, lots of claims of income and then at the bottom of the website or sales page or infomercial picture, on your television, they have a disclaimer that their scheme will not work for everyone or even a set percentage of people.

Have you bought the most common real estate infomercial that has been around for decades now? A lot of people who are big name money makers now have.

Their customer service to their sign ups is good. You have to work long and hard at it but they will help you to eventually make it if you follow their directions. The part most people do not understand is that you have to work long, smart and hard to make it, without exception.

The above is what you are looking for with any scheme you sign up for. You also want one that has a good safety net refund policy. The ClickBank programs are like this.

You have to be careful to pick good ones though because if you refund too many times they may ban you from the program. Also they, the business opportunity you join, have to be willing to hand hold you until you can swim by yourself and on your own.

If you have been an entrepreneur some time you probably have been ripped off more times than you care to or even can remember. But to go along with this how many of these home business opportunities ended up being a scam? Again, quite a few. This is a part of your growth, with few exceptions.

Have you bought into the real estate and other note buying schemes sold using infomercials and mail order? I did. I even sold a note and made $1500 from it. The cost for the whole thing was $4500. The market for marketers for this is vastly over crowded. A high percentage of entrepreneurs have no chance of making it in this business.

The note business training companies have lots of testimonials but a seminar I went to in Colorado showed me that ninety percent or more of the people there felt ripped off, even before the seminar itself started. The star of it was even angry with us in the audience when we refused to applaud him when he made his grand entrance.

I do hope that you were never the victim of any of these scams. Unfortunately, you do have to take some chances to learn the ropes of what being an entrepreneur involves.
You do have to get burned sometimes to know how it works. I hope to keep you out of the fire, as much as possible, in this article.

You can fight for refunds when you have them coming though. You can learn something from every experience.

Ironically, virtually all of these businesses legitimate or not can be made to work, in time, if you put enough time and money into them. The catch is that it can take an awful long time to attain your success this way.

Unfortunately there are those of us who probably fell for these pseudo opportunities. I have known when going into many different programs that there is a good chance that they likely will not work, even if they have a good refund policy.

The trick to actually save your money by avoiding these home business scams is to go into battle, with the sales people, prepared. Know and insist on a refund policy from every one of them. No refund policy? Fine then do not buy or try it!

The fact of the matter is that these scammers would not be wasting their time if they were not making any money. As long as people continue to get mixed up in this business, these scammers are going to stick around to trick more and more people with exaggerated claims and outright lies to get you to buy.
This makes it very hard on the many legitimate business opportunities there are out there. They have to work harder to earn your trust. You will have to work harder to earn the trust of your customers also once you do find a home business opportunity that does work because of these dishonest activities.

The best way to avoid a home business scam is to thoroughly research each opportunity before you move forward with it. What is the customer assistance level? Is it guaranteed, money back? Does the opportunity fit you personally?

This means doing much more than simply reading a bit about it online. You may possibly get lucky and end up with a good home business opportunity. Chances are that you will not, the first time anyway.
Not only will you want to read what is available on the site itself, but you will also want to search for other information as well. Check with third party review sites, on message boards and forums scrupulously too.

You may find out soon enough that many companies have been reported as being nothing more than a scam. Multi level marketing has been the star of scams over the last thirty years.

You also want to check with the Better Business Bureau if you are thinking about getting involved with a home business opportunity that you are not sure of. They will be able to tell you if they have any complaints on file.

If they do, you will want to avoid the opportunity at all costs unless the complaints were settled fairly. You can be the final authority here. If a company is doing business the right way, you can continue your research.

Before you make a final decision, attempt to get in touch with the company that you are interested in. Give them a chance to respond to any complaints or serious doubts you have.

Can you get them on the phone? Do they get upset with you when you ask questions? If so, it will get worse after you join them. Do not do it.
Do they respond to your emails? Are they slow or non existent? If you cannot even talk to a company before you start, there is no chance that they will be around when you need them.
The above is one test that you can run early on in order to ensure that you are dealing with a reputable company. Ask questions, wait for good replies or do not sign up.

If you do happen to get an employee on the phone ask them questions in order to get some feedback on the company. What is their attitude? Anything that will give you better insight into the home business opportunity is a good question. Conclusion, dig deeply and constantly to find all the facts to avoid wasting your valuable time and money.

Overall, home business scams are all over the place. Do your part in putting them out on the street by not falling prey. The best way to do this is through extensive research and questioning.

James M. Lowe writes original articles about home business opportunities.

Save Your Credit Card Customer Service Numbers to Guard Against Identity Theft [Identity Theft]

Ripoffs Scams — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:37:02 +0000

Save Your Credit Card Customer Service Numbers to Guard Against Identity Theft [Identity Theft] Credit cards have a phone number on them to call if your card is stolen, but it’s kind of difficult to find that number after someone lifts your wallet. Wallet Garden keeps those phone numbers at…

Save Money – As Seen On Tv – Official Secret Restaurant Recipes.

Ripoffs Scams — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:06:29 +0000

Save Money By Making Your Favorite Restaurant Dishes At Home! The Best Selling Cookbook In CB History Is #1 In Cooking Because It Performs The Best! Cheap & Profitable Keywords – Perfect For AdWords. Aff Tools . . . → Read More: Save Money – As Seen On Tv – Official Secret Restaurant Recipes.

Is There Really A Charity That Encourages You To Save Green Milk Bottle Tops To Save For Wheelchairs?

Ripoffs Scams — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:21:46 +0000

My son has been asked to collect the weight of a girls wheelchair in green bottle tops, a charity will then provide a super electric wheelchair for the disabled girl. I have since been told that this is a scam and has been around for some time. is this . . . → Read More: Is There Really A Charity That Encourages You To Save Green Milk Bottle Tops To Save For Wheelchairs?

Scamfree Work at Home Jobs and Online Scam Busters That Will Save You a Bundle

Ripoffs Scams — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:11:47 +0000

Like clockwork, every morning I scan my favorite online news sources to update myself on the “goings-on” of the world. Yesterday was no different. More bailouts, bungles and blunders. Hmm…seemed not much had really changed overnight. Then my eye caught an ad embedded in a story about the dismal state of the global economy.

Headline read, “Scam-Free Work at Home Jobs! No Experience Necessary! Act now!”

That got me thinking, how many people actually fall for these ads? You know those blatant, in-your-face ads with claims that can’t be true and “call to actions” that force you to stop whatever you’re doing to give full attention to this “once-in-a-lifetime offer.”

Let me ask you. Have you ever forked out money for something that sounded like a good product or service to someone who seemed like a nice person and avoided that nagging voice in your head that said, “Sounds too good to be true!?”

You did?

Then what happened? Let me guess. You get the product. It’s not even close to what was described, doesn’t do half of what the expert testimonials claimed it would. And, you know that 100% money-back guarantee? It isn’t worth a dime when the seller goes AWOL.

Then anxiety rushes in and you realize – scam, internet…I’ve been had.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. You’re not alone. A lot of people fall for those ads…hardworking, sensible people who for the most part aren’t looking to become millionaires. They just want a little slice of their own pie, to take control of their life and provide a comfortable lifestyle for their family.

But the truth is, people do fall for the ads. That’s why scammers keep running them. And people keep falling for them. And admittedly, I’ve fallen for them myself.

Let’s see, there was that home business membership site that was pitched to make you millions and when I finally got the chance to peek inside (after forking over more than a $1000), there was nothing there. No articles, no content, nada…in fact the only thing that was there was an affiliate link to sign up other suckers like me.

And then there was the year-long “search engine domination” service using Web 2.0 methods, promising never-before released marketing techniques and new content added to the site throughout the year. Sure, there was content added to this “bare bones” website, but much of it was generated by users trying out the techniques. Occasionally, there was a lame “inspirational” 5 minute audio clip recorded in the guru’s car as he was off to put together another deal. Oh, brother. But I should have known something was up when during that first mastermind the “guru” explained call protocol…absolutely no negative comments or the call would end immediately.

How stupid could I be? Turns out, pretty stupid. It wasn’t enough that I wasted $1500 on this pathetic excuse for a mastermind program, but what really took the cake was when he took an additional $500 from my PayPal account (which I later recovered).

And then there’s the countless other home business programs stacked up in my office, doing nothing but gathering dust.

So what have I learned over the years that will keep you from becoming a victim to another online home business scam? What can you do to ensure that the next work at home job opportunities pitch is scam-free?

Scam-free Work at Home Jobs Checklist

1. Get to know the Seller

If you’re unfamiliar with the group that’s pitching the business opportunity or work at home job, make sure you do some online research. Using your favorite search engine, type in the name of the seller and see what results come back. You can also type in the seller’s name plus the word “feedback.” Visit forums and blogs in the related industry. Post questions. Ask webmasters. Typically, people are more than happy to provide advice and feedback.

2. Verify Contact Information

Look for a contact link in the navigation menu or in the footer. Legitimate companies have links to real contact information including an email address, business address and phone number. Is there an email address; what kind is it? Be careful if it is a gmail, yahoo, hotmail or other free email account. Legitimate companies usually have their own domain (e.g., businessname.com) though it is no guarantee of legitimacy.

3. Know What You’re Getting

Request a sneak peek of what you’re buying. If it’s an information product, ask to see a sample. If it’s an ebook, ask for the table of contents. If it’s an online service or software, maybe there’s a demo, a trial, or a video review.

4. Pay Using Installments

Frequently more expensive products offer the option of paying with installments. If you’re unfamiliar with what you’re buying or from whom you are buying, always choose this option. Although you may end up paying a bit more than the one payment price, it gives you the chance of seeing what you’re buying, before you risk the entire amount on a product that doesn’t measure up.

5. Effectively Manage PayPal Subscriptions

If you’re paying by installments and using PayPal, make sure you cancel the subscription after the final installment. If not, this leaves you open to the risk of unauthorized additional installments taken from your account.

6. Don’t Use PayPal if Unfamiliar With the Seller or Service

The dispute process is always much easier and the outcome usually much better when you dispute charges with credit card companies vs. PayPal. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because credit card companies have been at it longer; the process is predictable, straightforward. Although PayPal is a great service, this is definitely an area where it needs to improve.

7. Contact When Seller is Unresponsive to Your Complaints

* Better Business Bureau – http://bbb.org

* USPS Fraud Inspection Service – http://www.usps.com/postalinspectors/fraud/

* Federal Trade Commission – http://ftc.gov

If you’re unable to find the seller’s contact information (which you’ll need to file a report with the above agencies), try your PayPal receipt or call PayPal directly, search the WhoIs Lookup (which provides information on domain ownership), review emails you might have received from the guru, or search for the seller’s name using your favorite search engine.

The #1 guaranteed way of never becoming a victim to a job or business opportunity scam again – know from whom you are buying. If you do your homework and take the necessary steps as outlined above, you can be virtually certain that the “scam-free” work at home jobs you are considering are just that…scam-free.

Since 1997 Susan Smith has been writing about homebased business and scam-free home based work. She is co-founder of Women’s Work – the site for women who mean business, an award-winning site which offers advice, tips, and resources to women who are interested in homebased business opportunities and work from home jobs. For more information check out the Women’s Work video and additional information on scam free work at home jobs. And don’t forget to grab the free report “4 Letter Killer – How a 4 Letter Word is Stealing Your Success?and How a 6 Letter Word can Save Your Future!”