times.
Last Modified:
January 21, 2003
by Applause Publications
All Rights Reserved
You may link to this page and make copies for private use, however, reproduction for publication in any form is prohibited without consent from the copyright holder.
Automobile Information
- Auto Trader
- Complete your research before you buy an automoible here! Payment calculators, Look here before you leap!
- Classified 2000
- Looking for a car? User friendly...search by state, city or vehicle.
- Edward's Automobile Buyer's Guide
- A free site! Identify the car of your choice and locate such information as safety, performance, price and more.
- Lemon Aid
- They're here to help, so relax and help yourself to some refreshing Lemon Aid! The best aid site for lemons on the web is at
your finger tips. All the information an unsatisfied consumer needs is but a few mouse clicks away! Share your lemon story, post an inquiry, read about other's experiences. Links are available for government offices and other sites.
- Kelley Blue Book
- Identify the blue book value of a used vehicle.
Consumer Law
- Consumer Law
- Do you know your consumer rights? This site offers information on various consumer pitfalls, ie: insurance fraud, product liability, bodily injury and more. Also, there are numerous links to consumer law resources.
- Cornell Law School
- An outstanding resource for use in your classroom. Be knowedgable about "the law" before you teach a unit on consumerism, marriage, etc. I found the "Law about...." link most useful.
- The Legal Pad
- The Legal Pad is a searchable index of legal related Internet resources including law schools, law firms, lists of other legal resources, law journals, courts on the Internet and legal clip-art.
Consumer Resources
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Have difficulty with a warranty and don't know where to turn? Take a look at this site. It will tell you
how to solve a legal problem without the cost of the courtroom.
- Better Business Bureau
- You can find local bureaus, read consumer warnings and even file a complaint online. Be
sure to read the consumer buying guides that are here.
- Consumer Alert
- A non-profit organization, Consumer Alert provides consumer tips, consumer alert studies and issues for consumers.
Check out the articles under "Commonsense Consumer Column".
- Consumer Education for Teens
- Developed for the Washington State Attorney General's Office through a special
project by Mt. Rainier High School students, this site covers issues that are useful to all!
- Consumer Information Center
- They have full text versions of hundreds of the best federal consumer
publications available. View them for FREE or you can purchase printed copies at their
online ordering site! Select a category to see the publications in their latest catalog,
check out Special Stuff to see other great information that isn't currently in their catalog, or
use their Search to zero in on just what you're looking for.
- Consumer Line
- The Federal Trade Commision's Bureau of Consumer Protection has developed this service. It offers
numerous brochures that relate to consumer protection. You can find information about art fraud,
repossession, financing scams, product purchases and more.
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- An independent Federal regulatory agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission strives to keep citizens safe from harmful products such as poorly designed cribs, toyboxes and more. Look here for the latest on unsafe products!
- Consumer Resource Information
- The 1998-99 Consumer's Resource Handbook (CRH), published by the Consumer Information Center, is 144 pages of valuable
information that no consumer should be without. It provides advice and consumer tips on: car repair, purchase, and
leasing; shopping from home; avoiding consumer and investment fraud; home improvement and financing; choosing and using credit
cards wisely; and much more.
- Consumer World
- Consumer World® is a public service, non-commercial site which has
gathered over 1800 of the most useful consumer resources on the Internet, and
categorized them here for easy access. Whether you want to find buying advice
and product reviews, comparison shop for bargains and last minute travel, file a
consumer complaint with a government or company consumer affairs department
or the BBB, read 100s of consumer rights booklets, find a low rate credit card
or mortgage, look up the wholesale price of a car, get personal finance tips,
read news of the latest scams, research a law, or clip electronic coupons, you
can do it in Consumer World.
- Federal Trade Commission News Releases
- Keep up with the Federal consumer watchdogs by reading their latest actions and releases concerning antitrust laws, false product labeling and false advertising.
- The Kitchen Link
- I love this site! It has so much to offer...mostly committed to information about food, you can find
links for recalls and other consumer data. For a listing of additional topics click here
- National Fraud Information Center
- Developed by the Federal Trade Commission, the National Assocation of Attorneys General and the National Consumers League, this site will allow you to report telemarketing fraud, suspicious activity on the Net and will inform you about how to protect yourself against fraud.
- Social Security Administration
- General information about social secury numbers, witholding, etc.
- U.S. Postal Service Consumer Fraud
- The US Postal Service has an excellent selection of information concerning consumer fraud. Listed are schemes about chain letters, free prizes, vacations 900 numbers foreign lotteries, telephone solications.... the list is endless.
Coupons
- Coupons
- Consumer information concerning couponing as well as links to links to coupons.
- H.O.T. Coupons
- The online leader in couponing, H.O.T. Coupons provides all the coupons you could ever want.
Credit
-
Are you teaching a consumer education unit? The information below, provided by Bank One Corporation, will surely be a beneficial part of your curriculum.
You shred your credit card receipts, memorize your Personal Identification Numbers and check your credit report regularly.
You're doing all you can to protect yourself from becoming a victim of idnetity theft, but then your home is burglarized or you lose your wallet and among the things taken are your credit cards, bank statements, passport, Social Security card and ATM card.
These items can be more valuable to thieves than a TV or stereo system or jewelry because they can be used to set up bank accounts, apply for credit cards and get a driver's license, among other things.
Although it can take years to recover from identity theft, there are some theings you can do if you become a victim:
Request a fraud alert and victim's statement to be placed in your file. Monitor your credit report for fraudulent activity.
Energy Conservation
- Energy Guide: Analyze Your Use
- This chart will give an anyalysis of energy usage, steps that can be taken and products that can be purchased to lower energy bills.
- Stars on Earth.
- Want an interesting way to teach energy consumption/usage? Simply project this image from your computer into a darkened classroom and Wow!!! Be sure to scroll from left to right to get the full effect. It will create quite a conversation amongst your students.
Financial Assistance
- The Dollar Stretcher
- If you're looking for ways to save time and money you've come to the right place! Over 900
free articles to improve your life. "The Dollar Stretcher" is dedicated to "Living Better...For
Less". You'll find advice on how to care for your car, balance your budget or whip up an
inexpensive dinner. Tips for babies, weddings and vacations.
- The Mint
- Have your students create budgets by entering salary, expenses, and savings -- or use the financial calculator to help student set purchasing goals. The financial calculator will project how long it will take to save up for that "desired item".
- Quicken.Com
- An excellent resource for handling personal finances.
Free Offers
- Fabulous Freebies
- Free, free, free! Visit this site for the latest in free products. Be sure to
visit their Archives for a complete listing.
- Next To Nothing
- This site closes down for the winter season but you can still visit it for offers.
- Usenet:alt.consumers.free-stuff
- Go to your Usenet and you can locate a variety of postings about consumerism and free
offers.
- IRC: #freestuff
- A great place to find more information about free stuff!
Internet Consumerism
- Blacklist ofInternet Advertisers
- Do you get junk e-mail? This site has information on what to do about spamming and unsolicited junk mail.
- Internet Consumers Action Network
- The Cybercop Precinct House is a service of the Internet Consumers Action Network. You can report problems you have had with online sellers and advertisers. Hits and tips on how to prevent being taken advantage of while on the net are listed here.
- Internet Legal Resource Guide
- A categorized index of more than 4000 select web sites in 238 nations, islands, and territories, as well as more than 850 locally stored web pages and downloadable files, this site was established to serve as a comprehensive resource of the information available on the Internet concerning law and the legal profession, with an emphasis on the United States of America. Designed for everyone, lay persons and legal scholars alike, it is quality controlled to include only the most substantive legal resources online.
Lesson Plan Ideas for Consumer Education
- Spending Habits-Money In Motion
- Uncle Charlie has just won the lottery. Since he has no children he has decided to share a portion of his winnings with his nieces and nephews. Each is to receive $20,000. He is a little concerned, however, about his relatives' spending habits.....Check out this site! It has a well developed activity that can be used in any Home Economics class.
Stocks, Bonds & Securities
- The Division of Enforcement
- Securites Fraud! This division of the US Securities and Exchange Commission enforces federal securities laws. You can make a complaint about securities frauds as well as find information on frauds made by brokers, dealers and investment advisors.