Operation Price Check #11 September 27, 2010

Wow! I just realized I haven’t updated you since July 15th on “Operation Price Check.” I am still checking my receipts at the end of every shopping trip… and going back for my refund when I am overcharged at the checkout.

Out of 75 grocery shopping trips since Dec. 13, 2009, I have been overcharged 18 times. I was undercharged 5 times.  On 53 trips, I paid the exact price advertised on the store shelf.

If you’re just reading about “Operation Price Check” for the first time… check out the post from December 13th when I started the project. I’m doing this thing for a whole year. At the end, I’ll tell you how much I was overcharged and how much I got back for invoking Kroger’s policy of getting one item free for which I was overcharged. In December, I will donate all of that money to the Houston Food Bank.

Try out “Operation Price Check” at your house… and see how much you save at the grocery store.

To date, I’ve been refunded $128.05 after I was overcharged a total of $57.60.

Here’s the breakdown:

Overcharged Refunded Time Wasted Undercharged

12/13/09      .10     $1.61          4 minutes

12/18/09       No errors

12/20/09     No errors

12/22/09     No errors

12/26/09     .19                                                    $1.65  (Didn’t request refund of $1.44).

12/30/09    .10  (Didn’t ask for a refund of $1.89.) .31 undercharged

1/1/10            No errors

1/9//10         No errors

1/10/10        $8.18   $27.47     >5 min.      .14 undercharged

1/12/10      No errors

1/13/10       $1.30    $3.29       2 min.

1/16/10        No errors

1/19/10      .20      .89        Less than a min.  Randall’s

1/23/10     .75      3.09         2 minutes

1/26/10    $7.52      $13.54     7 minutes

1/31/10                                      Undercharged $4.86

2/3/10                                       Undercharged .44

2/6/10     $5.30     $14.34       11 minutes

2/14/10   No errors

2/19/10 .98       2.79                 12 minutes

3/3/10   $.1.49   $8.98            4 minutes

3/7/10    No errors

3/14/10                         Undercharged $3.33

3/15/10 No errors

3/20/10   .10   (Didn’t ask for a refund of $1.39)

3/30/10  No errors

4/5/10     No errors

4/8/10     No errors

4/10/10  No errors

4/11/10  .30   (Didn’t ask for refund)

4/13/10   No errors

4/18/10  $2.27   $6.26    20 min.

4/22/10  No errors

4/28/10  No errors

5/2/10  $1.32  $2.90   9 min.

5/3/10   No errors

5/9/10   No errors

5/14/10 $4.10   $4.10

5/18/10  $2.67  $3.97

5/22/10  No errors

5/23/10  No errors

5/25/10  No errors

5/31/10  $4.56  $6.06

6/6/10  No errors

6/7/10  No errors

6/20/10 No errors

6/22/10  No errors

6/24/10  No errors

6/27/10 No errors

6/29/10 No errors

6/30/10 No errors

7/2/10    No errors

7/5/10   $11.18  $11.18

7/13/10 No errors

7/16/10 No errors

7/18/10 No errors

7/19/10 No errors

7/21/10 No errors

7/27/10 No errors

7/31/10  No errors

8/1/10 No errors

8/3/10 No errors

8/4/10 No errors

8/7/10 No errors

8/8/10 No errors

8/14/10 No errors

8/18/10 No errors

8/23/10 No errors

8/25/10 No errors

8/27/10 No errors

8/27/10 No errors

9/4/10 No errors

9/8/10 $12.35  $4.42

9/12/10 No errors

9/18/10 No errors

9/19/10 No errors

9/26/10 $6.12   .87   2 minutes

Calling All Ladies: Get your Nails Done for Free! September 2, 2010

Ok… I’ve got one more spot open.

I’m testing a new nail product you can only get at the salon. It normally costs between $35 and $50, but if you agree to try it as a part of my story, you can get it for free.

I’ve filled 2 spots already. Here’s what I am looking for:

• A woman with children
• Someone with a job or hobby where you use your hands a lot
• You must be available to get the treatment on Tuesday, Sept. 7th in the Galleria area at about 10am.
• You must be available Sept. 21st so we can check back with you and see how your nails look.
• You must agree to be on camera… and allow us to get video of you either at work or with your kids or both.

All interested women, email me your telephone number. I need to select someone by the close of business Friday, Sept. 3rd. My email is adavis@kprc.com.

Thank you Carrier for donating 282 A/C’s! September 2, 2010

Can you imagine coming home everyday to no air conditioning? A lot of families do. Charities like Sheltering Arms help low income families and seniors with utility bills and try to get them air conditioners when they don’t have them, but the need has been so great this summer… many families are living in miserable conditions.

That’s why Carrier’s donation of 282 A/C window units was such a God send. We hooked Carrier up with Sheltering Arms… and went along for the first two installations. You’ll meet the deserving families tonight at 10 on Local 2.

While all of the A/C’s are already reserved, if you know someone who needs help paying their electric bill, have them call 211 to find out if they apply for Sheltering Arm’s utility assistance.

Special thanks to Carrier, Sheltering Arms and to MASCO/ Williams Contractor Services for doing the heavy lifting and installing the units for families who desperately need them.

AG: “Bally’s Sending Out Bogus Bills” September 1, 2010

I remember when I signed a contract at Bally’s (then “President & First Lady”) in high school. About 7 years later, they sent me a bill letting me know my contract hadn’t expired when I thought… and that I still owed a few hundred bucks. I never thought that seemed right. Maybe it wasn’t.

The Texas Attorney General signed an agreement with Bally’s Total Fitness this week where Bally’s says it will refund Texans who were deceived into paying bills they didn’t actually owe.

“Bally operates 24 fitness centers in and around the Dallas, Houston and San Antonio areas. An investigation by the Attorney General’s Office revealed that between summer 2009 and March 2010, Bally mailed more than 11,000 misleading “past due” collection notices to former customers in an attempt to encourage them to rejoin their former gym. The collection notices created the false impression that former members owed Bally outstanding membership fees. The improper notices were actually an attempt to get former members to renew their memberships.”

You can read the full agreement here. If you have had this issue, or think you received a bogus bill from Bally’s you should file a complaint with the AG.