By Paul Rudoff on Jun. 27, 2024 at 8:30 PM in Public Service Articles
When I wrote about the McDonald's official Android app in the past, it was due to the poor programming of it. None of that has been fixed, sadly. I'm writing about the app again to help let everyone know of another issue, this one being something that…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jun. 17, 2024 at 6:20 PM in Personal, Public Service Articles
Just a few months ago, I wrote about how my Nassau County (Long Island, New York) SNAP (aka Food Stamps) benefits were stolen TWICE in one year, even though I had never lost possession of my physical benefit card either time. It saddens me to report…
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By Paul Rudoff on Feb. 13, 2024 at 4:20 PM in Public Service Articles
This is another in a series of articles about eBay, who lets sellers that it likes get away with scamming and harassing other users. I will do my best to inform the public about the bad sellers that cross my path, so other buyers can avoid them, as I…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jan. 12, 2024 at 12:00 PM in Public Service Articles
An extra benefit of my Aetna plan is that it comes with an allowance for Over-the-Counter (OTC) and Healthy Food items. Since January 1, 2023, this benefit is provided by NationsBenefits, LLC. I've already detailed every thing I learned about the use of…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jan. 11, 2024 at 6:20 PM in Personal, Public Service Articles
Today's public service article is a rather personal one, but I feel that more people need to be made aware of the issue. I have now had my Nassau County (Long Island, New York) SNAP (aka Food Stamps) benefits stolen TWICE in one year - and I've never…
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By Paul Rudoff on Dec. 15, 2023 at 11:55 PM in Home Video, Public Service Articles
I have been a collector of optical discs for over 30 years now. I started off with audio CDs in the early 1990s, then acquired Laserdiscs in the mid-1990s, before moving on to DVDs in 1997. I remember going into Blockbuster Video at that time and asking…
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By Paul Rudoff on Nov. 4, 2023 at 9:50 PM in Public Service Articles
Amazon.com promises "hassle-free returns". In my experience, 95% of the time, that is the case. However, that other 5% is a HUGE problem that Amazon knows about, but is doing nothing to correct. Within the past year, I have had two instances - one…
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By Paul Rudoff on Oct. 27, 2023 at 9:30 PM in Other, Public Service Articles
Ever since McDonald's restaurants ended their $1 Any Size Soft Drink promotion in late March/early April 2023, I have been using the official McDonald's Android app (by McDonalds USA, LLC). As for my experience with the app, let's just say that I'm not…
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By Paul Rudoff on May. 1, 2023 at 6:50 PM in Home Video, Public Service Articles
Paul's Pet Peeves series of articles in which I express my feelings about some little thing that bothers me. Today's article is about the use of 4:3 Letterboxing & 16:9 Pillarboxing on DVDs. As a bonus, I will also list all of the edits on the Robin…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jan. 23, 2023 at 11:50 PM in Public Service Articles
I have been an Aetna health insurance member since October 2022. A benefit of my plan is that it comes with an allowance for Over-the-Counter (OTC) and Healthy Food items. As of January 1, 2023, this benefit is being provided by NationsBenefits, LLC. In…
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By Paul Rudoff on Dec. 20, 2022 at 5:30 PM in Public Service Articles
Back in September, I enrolled in an Aetna health plan because I was hoping that it would help me find a dentist in my area that offered the Nitrous Oxide gas. I won't get into the issues that Aetna is causing with that. Instead, I want to focus on…
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By Paul Rudoff on Dec. 4, 2022 at 5:00 PM in Public Service Articles
Retail stores use hard security tags on clothes, purses, and some other supposedly "expensive" items to prevent the items from being stolen. That is all well and good - except for the ones Walmart and Target put around DVD box sets that cut indentations…
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By Paul Rudoff on Dec. 1, 2022 at 9:30 PM in Public Service Articles
I am not a big fan of Subway restaurants. While they offer many wonderful sandwich options, the customer service I've experienced over the years has usually been anything but wonderful. After giving them second, third, and fourth chances, I am no longer…
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By Paul Rudoff on Nov. 30, 2022 at 5:00 PM in Public Service Articles
When you are a low-income family, you tend to eat at fast food restaurants because your budget doesn't allow you to regularly dine at healthier eating establishments. (Burger King and McDonald's use to offer salads, but both took them off their menus…
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By Paul Rudoff on Oct. 14, 2022 at 11:30 PM in Personal, Public Service Articles
I've been a regular customer to GameStop stores for the past few decades, ever since they purchased all of the Funcoland and EB Games stores that were in the area. Although I don't go there for games anymore, I still go to check out what kind of pop…
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By Paul Rudoff on Sep. 29, 2021 at 8:32 PM in Public Service Articles
Time of Death: September 28, 2021 at 10:42 PM Eastern. Cause of Death: eBay's self-centered pettiness. Age: 14 years. Thus reads the coroner's report of my eBay business, which I opened sometime shortly after the closure of Yahoo Auctions (which…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jul. 27, 2021 at 11:00 PM in Public Service Articles
It is my duty as a consumer advocate to report on any business who tries to steal from their customers. This morning, ShippingEasy.com (also known as Stamps.com) tried to steal money from me. Read on to find out the details...
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By Paul Rudoff on Jun. 22, 2021 at 11:00 PM in Public Service Articles
When you're poor or low-income, and have to rely on government-provided medical insurance ("Medicaid" and/or "Medicare"), you don't have the greatest choices for medical care. You will, usually, NOT have access to the best doctors and treatments in any…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jun. 10, 2021 at 10:52 PM in Public Service Articles
I have been an eBay member since January 4, 2003, and selling on the site for over 10 years now. My sales suck because eBay does everything in their power to hinder me. I have already written a series of articles about eBay, who clearly has some sort of…
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By Paul Rudoff on Feb. 12, 2021 at 6:54 PM in Public Service Articles
I have been an eBay member since January 4, 2003, and selling on the site for over 10 years now. My sales suck because eBay does everything in their power to hinder me. I have to find ways to work around the obstacles eBay puts in my way to sabotage any…
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By Paul Rudoff on Nov. 10, 2020 at 12:00 PM in Public Service Articles
I have been an eBay member since January 4, 2003, and selling on the site for over 10 years now. My sales suck because eBay does everything in their power to hinder me. I have to find ways to work around the obstacles eBay puts in my way to sabotage any…
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By Paul Rudoff on Nov. 4, 2020 at 11:41 PM in Public Service Articles
Like most fast food restaurants, Burger King offers coupons in various publications every few months. I tend to get them free with the weekly manufacturer's coupons and store circulars. Well, for the past year now, I've noticed something very sneaky…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jul. 21, 2020 at 7:56 PM in Public Service Articles
For the past three and a half months, I have had my health and safety put at risk due to New York Community Bank (henceforth referred to as NYCB) mishandling their response to COVID-19. I have been a NYCB account holder for over 20 years, going back to…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jun. 23, 2020 at 3:27 PM in Public Service Articles
On Saturday June 20, 2020, I bought an open-box unused Clickfree Plus C2 2-Terabyte USB 3.0 external portable hard drive at a yard sale for the whopping sum of $2.00. (The drive has a model number of CA3C20-2CBK9-F2S and a UPC number of 817048015947,…
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By Paul Rudoff on May. 15, 2020 at 11:34 AM in Public Service Articles
This is another in a series of articles about eBay, who believes that buyers can do no wrong. This is proven by the fact that sellers can't leave negative feedback for buyers. As any long-time eBay seller can attest to, there are PLENTY of bad buyers on…
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By Paul Rudoff on Mar. 1, 2020 at 1:37 AM in Public Service Articles
This editorial article is my own personal opinion on a particular subject matter. It is simply my thoughts on something that I had a strong enough opinion about to want to share it. If you agree with me, that's great. If you disagree with me, that's…
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By Paul Rudoff on Jul. 10, 2019 at 11:46 PM in Public Service Articles
Have you purchased a LG "Smart TV" and found yourself inundated with "Unknown Device Is Disconnected" messages? Well, let me show you how to permanently rid yourself of that nuisance.
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By Paul Rudoff on Jun. 25, 2019 at 12:00 PM in Home Video, Public Service Articles
Within the past year, I have been in possession of several counterfeit DVD box sets: Game of Thrones: Seasons 1-7, Mama's Family: The Complete Series, and Tales From The Crypt: The Complete Series. Three different counterfeit Thrones sets were purchased…
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By Paul Rudoff on May. 30, 2019 at 11:50 PM in Public Service Articles
If you sell physical goods online, and you live in the United States, you will eventually have a need to buy United Stated Postal Service (USPS) postage online. Not only is it more convenient, but it's substantially cheaper than buying it at your local…
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By Paul Rudoff on May. 15, 2019 at 6:35 PM in Public Service Articles
This is another in a series of articles exposing eBay's shady business practices. About 15 years ago, before eBay was a corporate monolith, the site was tailor-made for the "little guy". The men and women who sold odds and ends from their home…
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