Several weeks ago I blogged about a solar quote my family received. The quote suggested that we could spend $12,400 to save $39,500 on our future electricity bills. My post raised two issues about the quote, including that the savings summed over the next 25 years were not discounted and that the company was projecting … Continue reading »
consumer protection
Marketing solar: Bring in Elizabeth Warren?
Last month, my husband opened the door to a solicitor from a solar company and eventually agreed to let the polite young gentleman on our porch order a quote for our family to go solar. The three-page form that the company sent had several very misleading figures. I was appalled. Let me be clear – … Continue reading »
Google’s Good Advertising Standards
Media companies have always had a complex relationship with consumer protection. On one hand, they want to protect consumers from harm, but on the other, advertising butters their bread. Thus historically, media companies have opposed product safety, truth-in-advertising, and even the incredibly popular Telemarketing Do-Not-Call Registry. They have argued that consumers are best protected in … Continue reading »
Free: The dismal deal
The Journal recently reported that popular social networking site Ning is ending their free account services. Rumors are circulating that major newspapers, including the New York Times, are going to erect a pay-wall. These developments have not deterred the “free” evangelists. For instance, in Chris Anderson’s provocative new book, Free: The Future of a Radical … Continue reading »