by Dennis Beaver | consumer
June 21, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver Shopping for a new car is rarely a happy experience, even with so much information available online or in magazines such as Consumer Reports, as survey after survey reveals. “It’s as if you are playing a game of cards and suddenly... by Dennis Beaver | consumer
June 14, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver First, get inside the minds of car dealers. In survey after survey, buying a new car is consistently viewed as a highly unpleasant experience, even with all the information available online. “What car buyers find so frustrating and... by Dennis Beaver | auto repair, consumer
April 5, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver “About a year ago I purchased a new 3 Series BMW. Now, I love the car but only learned last week that it has what are called Run Flat Tires. Before buying the car I had never heard of Run Flat Tires,” Darrell’s email began. “I... by Dennis Beaver | air conditioning, consumer
February 15, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver When was the last time that you changed your furnace or A/C filters? Do you know why, in addition to controlling furnace and A/C run times and temperatures, filters have a huge impact on energy use and the life of your entire... by Dennis Beaver | air conditioning, consumer, technology, thermostat
February 8, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver I needed to be at our office at 7 in the morning one Monday when nighttime temperatures in the San Joaquin Valley fell to below freezing. The new thermostat which we were testing for this story was scheduled to give us 72 degrees by... by Dennis Beaver | consumer, false advertising
February 1, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver Following our recent articles on deceptive-range claims made by manufacturers of consumer walkie talkies, we were contacted by “Hank,” a reader in California’s Central Valley whose agriculture and ranching-related business requires...