Coupons and Certificates Restocked on Coupons.com and Restaurant.com
Today is a great opportunity to check Coupons.com and Restaurant.com since they re-stock coupons and restaurant certificates on the first day of the month.
Notable high-value coupons on Coupons.com today include:
- $1 Off Any Listerine Adult Mouthwash
- $1 Off Any ATHENOS Feta Cheese
- $1 Off Any Flintstones Multivitamin Product
And, remember, coupons up to $1 in value can be doubled on Double Daze at Pick ‘n Save.
Certificates on Restaurant.com that are available include popular establishments such as:
- Distil
- Motor Bar & Restaurant @ Harley Davidson Museum
- Ivy Lounge & Grill
- Charro
Restaurant.com frequently offers discounts on their already discounted gift certificates. For the most recent discount code, consult our “Hot Deals” list at the top of the Milwaukee Consumer web site .
24 Days of Giveaways – Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show
Today’s giveaway in our 24 Days of Holiday Giveaways is a four-pack of passes to the 2011 Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement show. The Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show will be held February 10th through the 13th at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at State Fair Park. The show is the largest home improvement and remodeling show in the state.
To enter today’s giveaway for a four-pack of passes to the 2011 Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement show, visit our 24 Days of Holiday Giveaways page.
Information about the Milwaukee/NARI can be found on their website, along with resources on how to find a contractor, useful consumer information, and various remodeler awards.
One Year Angie’s List Membership for $12
If you are planning on doing any home improvement projects, or hiring a contractor to do work around the house over the next year, check out this great deal on a membership to Angie’s List. Today’s Groupon deal of the day in Cincinnati is a 1 year membership to Angie’s List for $12 (regular price = $39). (Although this deal is being offered on the Cincinnati Groupon page, it can be purchased by anyone, regardless of where you live.)
We have written about Angie’s List in the past. Subscribers to Angie’s List receive access to local reviews of area contractors, doctors, mechanics, veterinarians, and more. With millions of nationwide members, there are reviews in over 500 different categories. An advantage of Angie’s List is that all reviews are checked in order to prevent businesses that try to submit positive reviews for themselves or negative reviews on competitors. This is a big advantage over free sites on the internet where fabricated reviews can easily be submitted. As one commenter noted, using Angie’s List is “like asking your neighbor who they would use for certain services”. In addition, if you have a bad experience with a contractor, you might be able to utilize their free Complaint Resolution Team to help resolve your issue.
The Angie’s List offer is available today only. Note that when you activate your memberhsip, you’ll need to provide a credit card so your membership can renew in 1 year. You can cancel prior to renewal to avoid the charge.
Tree Removal Needed?
Have the neighbor’s leaves, political yard signs, and flower pots all blown into your yard? Hopefully that is the extent of any of your problems. It could be worse. JSOnline is reporting that more than 10,000 residents are without power this afternoon. Undoubtedly, there are many trees down throughout the Milwaukee area too.
Hopefully you don’t find yourself in the position of needing to call a contractor to take care of a tree that has blown down due to the wind storm we are experiencing. But if you do, some resources are listed below. We posted these last December when a big snowstorm hit and damaged a lot of trees and a number of our readers found this information to be valuable. If you have any other suggestions to help our readers find a contractor that is right for their situation, please feel free to leave a comment.
Angie’s List – If you subscribe to Angie’s List
you’ll receive access to local reviews and live support from their company. If you have a bad experience with a contractor, you might be able to utilize their free Complaint Resolution Team to help resolve your issue. An advantage of Angie’s List
is that all reviews are checked in order to prevent businesses that try to submit reviews on themselves or negative reviews on competitors. This is a big advantage over free sites on the internet where fabricated reviews can easily be submitted.
Craigslist – Consult the Milwaukee Skilled Trades page on Craigslist. Advantages of using Craigslist is it is free and it’s easy to navigate the website to find services for tree removal, tree pruning, etc… However, the downside is that there aren’t any pre-screened reviews and you may need to take extra care in how you select your contractor. At the top of the page on Craigslist there are links to articles such as “When does your contractor need a license?”, a reminder to ask for references, and articles on personal safety tips and avoiding scams and fraud. Be sure to read these if you are selecting contractors using Craigslist.
Service Magic – Service Magic
is a website that provides free matches to pre-screened service professionals, such as arborists. The Service Magic
website also has articles on tree trimming advice, including the best time to trim, basic trimming suggestions, and trimming safety (most important – you should never trim trees on a ladder. Instead, you should secure yourself to the tree from at least two points using a harness and ropes).
We also recently asked our Readers Panel for their advice in selecting contractors.
Suzette said “When my husband and I need services around our home, our first line of resources are recommendations from friends, co-workers, or friends of friends. Many times this is through conversations but I have also sent out emails asking for recommendations.” She finds that on websites one can usually find good and bad information about each contractor, and prefers to dig deeper to ask about contractors, including their personality. Suzette also wisely states “It just isn’t about price and doing the job. It is about price, time, and quality. They are interelated and usually effect each other.”
Renee responded stating when she needed some work done around the house such as landscaping, she used a free group on Yahoo! called Milwaukee Cafe. The group is fashioned after the Milwaukee Freecyle group. Renee stated “I found a great handyman who charges me $8/hour and has done a fabulous job helping me out.”
Top 10 Consumer Complaints in Wisconsin for 2009
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) recently released a list of the most common consumer complaints filed with their department in 2009. Here’s a list of the top ten complaints, along with some helpful information that we’ve included. If you have additional tips that would be useful to our readers, please leave a comment below or contact us.
1. Violations of the No-Call Law List
Adding your phone number to the Wisconsin No-Call List should prevent most telemarketers from calling. However, judging by the 2,187 complaints from this year, violations of the law are fairly common. Under current law, non-profit organizations, political candidates, and elected officials are all allowed to solicit you even if you are on the No-Call List.
To sign up for the list, visit the Wisconsin No Call List website or call (866)-9NO-CALL.
To file a No-Call complaint, fill out this form on the DATCP website.
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