You know how frustrating it is to be stuck in automated voice systems. Christian Allen publishes cheat codes to bypass these prompts in the automated voice systems for 8000 companies like: Walmart, Facebook, United Airlines, Delta, Bell Mobility, eBay, Levi’s, Panasonic and on and on.
The site looks amazing but I have not tried anything on it. Let me know if you use it and if it works.
Sometimes when you wind up in legal hassles and need some legal information or advice and you may not have the money to hire a lawyer, you need to know where there are places to go for help. The law is very complicated for the average person to understand. There are times when you will need to sit down with someone to get some legal assistance to face decisions you may have to make. It might be anything from separation or divorce to a quarrel with a neighbor over your property to the setting up of a new home business or estate planning.
The Bar of Montreal has its legal fair happening April 16-19, so you could start there. Besides their interesting event, there are other suggestions about where to find free or almost free legal advice and legal help throughout the year in my Smart Shopping Montreal book.
Each April for the past 15 years, at the Bar of Montreal Salon Visit Droit, the public and community organizations that work in connection with the justice system have gathered together to help the public better understand the legal system. Not only is the entrance Free, but the most popular activity is the Free legal consultations, where you are able to ask questions (over 100 lawyers help out) about:
– starting a company
– writing a will
– recouping money owed
– labor law
– rental board problems
– immigration
– criminal law information
– learning about bankruptcy, etc.
Don’t forget to bring all the documents related to your problem. During the event there are mock trials, theatrical activities, quizzes and over thirty exhibitors to check out.
Location: The Bar of Montreal Salon Visit Droit, Grande Place of the Complexe Desjardins, 150 Ste. Catherine St. W at Jeanne Mance.
Dates: Mon April 16 – Thurs April 19
Hours: 9:30-4:30
Phone: 514-866-9392
Address the rest of the year: 1 Notre Dame St. East, Suite 9.80.
www.barreau.qc.ca
I hope you did not max out your credit cards in December. The new year is a time to take a look at just where you stand in terms of your credit rating. It is scary to write this but most Canadians (63%) have never checked their rating – and one quarter of you don’t even know what a credit rating is.
One in five Canadians have been denied a loan because of their rating – which they might not have even know about. This rating affects your ability to rent an apartment, buy a home, get a loan or get a new credit card.
You are entitled to know this information about yourself. Besides just checking to see what is there, you have the ability to correct incorrect information. You can check it by free by mail or in person but online it costs $15.
The two major companies that do this type of work are:
Trans Union Canada (www.tuc.ca)
Equifax Canada (www.equifax.ca)
It is totally confusing to try to figure out which products are genuinely green and responsible or not. Greenwashing is a term used where companies make statements about their products that they are environmentally friendly when they really aren’t at all.
A study of claims on labels found that 98% of 1,000 items reviewed had in fact greenwashed the information on their labels. Questionable claims involved everything from their Energy Star rating to fake official looking logos to make consumers think they have gone through a legitimate green certification process.
The word “natural” is a term that is so misleading because it doesn’t mean anything at all. Everything is natural if you think about it. Chemicals came from nature and they are natural too.
So along comes www.ethiquette.ca, a Montreal company to the rescue. They spend their days checking out the environmental and socially responsible background of companies. Companies are monitored so changes in how they operate could cost them their certification in the future if they lower their standards.
They look at whether the products are truly made with organic ingredients, if they are made locally or nationally. Is it a non-profit or co-op? Are the working conditions above average for the employees? Some of the areas they have covered are: green barbecues, eco gardening, green drinks, body care and cosmetics, back to school, baby bottle safety, eco renovations, green electronics, green and ethical stores.
So to help you buy green, check out the companies that are vetted on their site. Please note though, that companies pay an evaluation fee to appear on their site, so other companies might be okay but haven’t ponied up the cash.
Boxing Day is boy toy time nowadays. It’s the electronic stores that glean all the attention and have the most sought after sales. There are others too. I’ll be talking about them on CJAD with Orla Johannes and Joey Elias early Monday morning so you can plan your strategy.
Location: CJAD 800AM
Date: Mon Dec 26
Time: 9-9:30 am
www.cjad.com
On Friday morning on CJAD 800AM, you can listen to me on the radio (or Internet) on the Tommy Schnurmacher Show. This is a call-in show. We’ll be talking about back last minute gift ideas and anything else you call in and ask me about.
Those of you with those important shopping questions, this is your chance to have me answer them.
Location: CJAD 800AM
Time: 10 – 11 am
Date: Fri Dec 23
www.cjad.com
On Wednesday night, October 5th at 7 pm, I will be giving a talk (along with my husband, Stan Posner) about another book we write called, “Drive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and Trivia” which is a travel guide about how to drive South along the US East coast all the way to Florida. Here is a synopsis:
“Road trips are back and to help those who travel up and down the East coast, Drive I-95 is a new style of guidebook which combines colorful easy-to-follow pictorial maps and fun stories.
Look ahead exit by exit to see which motels (with toll-free numbers), gas stations, restaurants, campgrounds, 24-hour pharmacies, radio stations or radar traps are there.
This husband and wife share stories: history on I-95, museums, trivia, towns to explore or places to run with the kids and pets. These can be read for entertainment during the drive, and may entice motorists to stop, stretch their legs and discover someplace new.”
If you are planning a trip South this year, we can help you make the drive more fun. I love to meet my smart shopping fans. You must register to attend.
See you there.
Location: Roxboro Library,110 Rue Cartier, Roxboro, Quebec H8Y 1G8
corner: Boul. des Sources
Compulsory registration
Phone: 514 684-8247
Courriel: Isabelle.langevin@ville.montreal.qc.ca
:
On Thursday morning on CJAD 800AM, you can listen to me on the radio (or Internet) on the Tommy Schnurmacher Show. This is a call-in show. We’ll be talking about back to school shopping and anything else you call in and ask me about.
Those of you with those important shopping questions, this is your chance to have me answer them. If you miss the show you can always write to me here at my website.
Location: CJAD 800AM
Time: 11:00 am
Date: Thurs Aug 25
www.cjad.com
On Wednesday morning at 8:40 am on CJAD 800AM, you can listen to me on the radio (or Internet) on the Andrew Carter Show. We’ll be talking about how to get good deals on school supplies.
Location: CJAD 800AM
Time: 8:40 am
Date: Wed Aug 24
www.cjad.com
At the International Startup Festival this week, Ondi Timoner whose next documentary will be about Internet startups will be filming away. She is the only director to win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival – twice!
With Montreal a high tech hub, it is not surprising that the festival expects to have more than 700 participants and that she would be here to make this part of her film. Timoner will be following around several of the high profile speakers who have been invited to the festival as they are the gurus of the industry.
So if you’ve had this internet business idea germinating in your brain or you have a business that could go electronic, and you want to rub elbows with these idols, this is the moment for you to join them. Or – if you want to get caught in the background scenes and be “appearing in” the next Sundance Festival, head down to the Alexander pier at the Old Port this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.