Diary of a Mad Editor

Archive for the ‘General’ Category

Everybody Needs a Place for Their Stuff

Remember that old George Carlin routine, “a place for your stuff?” Americans love accumulating crap. From department stores, yard sales and flea markets. From every corner of the globe. And I’m sure that even in this economic downturn, you bought more stuff and received stuff for Christmas. Video games and video game systems — DVDs, TVs, and clothes. Well, maybe you need a new place to store your stuff. If you’re anything like me, you’re completely disorganized and really need a place for all your stuff!

Buyentertainmentcentersonline.com specializes in places to store your stuff — everything from a stylish Armoire to TV Consoles. They even have TV lift consoles on sale for as much as 48% off retail.

So if you’re in the market for an entertainment center or just a regular ole TV Stand, you might want to checkout buyentertainmentcentersonline.com (Wow! That’s a mouthful). They offer quality constructed merchandise — not that cheap crap you find at your local discount retail store that always manages to get a big ding in it shortly after you put it together. They have a no-hassle return policy (although, anytime you have to return something as big as an armoire, it’s a hassle, isn’t it?). And, just for the holidays, they’re offering free shipping on all entertainment centers.

The Guy in the Pirate Costume Who Won’t Shut Up About My Free Credit Report

You see that dumb commercial for the free credit report where the dork is wearing a pirate costume and singing about his messed-up credit? I really do have messed-up credit and I certainly don’t feel like singing about it. But now, thanks to that commercial, I cannot get that annoying jingle out of my head.

They must run that commercial a million times a day on every channel. I can’t turn the TV on without seeing it. Do you think that kind of advertising works? I suspect it probably does or they wouldn’t continue to put commercials out there like that. However, I suspect it’s more like “Okay, okay. I’ll get my damn credit report!” rather than, “Oh, what useful information, I think I’ll get a copy of my credit report.”

The service they’re selling isn’t free anyway. The credit report is free, but not because they are giving it to you for free. You are entitled to one free report every year by law — it’s a little thing called the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act which requires the 3 credit bureaus to give you a copy of your credit report once a year upon request. What these companies are selling is a credit monitoring service that keeps track of your credit reporting for you and there’s a fee attached to that — a fee that’s normally billed to your credit card. These monitoring services won’t necessarily protect you from identity theft and they won’t protect you from running up even more debt or maintaining a solid credit rating. What they do is keep you updated on your credit information and alert you to changes or who has been accessing you credit information. The main difference between the free report and the paid service is the level of access. Personally I’d rather not have to listen to the singing pirate in order to find that out.

Ho Ho Ho

Dear Readers,

Here’s wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Bountiful New Year.

Right now, I’m kicking back with a glass of egg nog watching the fake fireplace on the TV, listening to Christmas music. Didn’t do too badly gift-wise. No Playstation 3, but I did get some of that cold, hard cash and a gym membership (I really need to take-off some pounds), and The Dark Knight on DVD. Hope you kiddies were nice this past year and didn’t get coal in your stockings (although naughty is often more fun).

Anyway, peace and good will and all that . . .

I’m outta here.

— JCE