Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show Ticket Giveaway Results
We held our drawing yesterday for the free tickets to the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show being held this weekend at the Wisconsin Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park. The following people were randomly chosen to win 4 tickets each to the show:
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Tina G.
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Kate M.
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Mary O.
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Pat K.
Thank you to everyone who entered the drawing, and thank you to the organizers of the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show for donating the tickets for this giveaway.
As we wrote about last week, the Milwaukee/NARI Home Improvement Show runs from Thursday, February 11th through Sunday, February 14th, 2010 at State Fair Park. There are several opportunities to save money on admission, including a $2 off coupon available on the Milwaukee/NARI website.
Harley-Davidson Museum Giveaway Winners
Thank you to everyone who entered our drawing for passes to the Harley-Davidson Museum. Congratulations to the following winners who were selected randomly to win a pair of passes to the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee:
- Valerie M.
- Wai M.
- Aaron S.
- Andrew A.
- Phil S.
- Marzena P.
Our winners have been notified and will have their passes mailed to them. If you didn’t win, you can still use the $4 off Harley-Davidson Museum coupon on the Milwaukee Coupons page. The special Elvis Presley exhibit runs through the end of January. Thank you to the Harley-Davidson Museum for donating the passes for this giveaway!
Ripped Off in Wisconsin?
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection website has many resources available to consumers in Wisconsin, including the ability to file a consumer complaint. If you are interested in filing a complaint, the Department encourages consumers to talk to the person who sold you the product or service and if you do not get results then speak with a supervisor, manager, or store owner. If you are in this type of a situation it is likely that you are upset, but it is important that you remain calm and professional. Be specific with how you would like to see the situation resolved. Do you want a product replaced? Would you like a refund? Or is there an alternative resolution?
If you don’t get anywhere after escalating the issue with the business you are dealing with, you can file a consumer complaint. The Department’s website states that the chances for resolution are greater when a consumer reports an issue quickly. The Department cannot force a business to resolve a complaint; however, the Department states that their contact with a company often results in a solution.
To file a complaint with the Department, you can fill out a form or call their Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-422-7128. The Department advises that complainants should allow 3-5 weeks for the initial review and handling of a complaint.
Free Directory Assistance in Milwaukee
Here’s a number you might want to add to your cell phone or phone directory right now so you’ll have it available if you are ever in need of free directory assistance:
1-800-free411
This service from www.free411.com is ad supported so you do need to put up with some ads, but the ads are tolerable and last only about 20 seconds. We tested out the service by searching for a few residential numbers in the Milwaukee area and the service was very accurate. This is how the service worked for us:
After dialing 1-800-free411, a brief advertisement played (in our case it was a brief ad for Nationwide Insurance) and a menu gave us the choice of categories including business, government, residential, and entertainment. We specified the category (residential) and then we were prompted to give more information to narrow the search. While the system searched for our phone number we had to listen to one more ad (approximately 20 seconds) and then we received our results.
Directory assistance is also available from your phone company by dailing 411 but you’ll be charged a few bucks for each time you call. To get a directory assistance listing in a non-local area code, dial 1-<insert area code>-555-1212 (once again, you’ll get charged for this service).
Donate Items to Milwaukee Area Charities by Year End
Need to create some space for gifts you will receive during the holidays? Or are you looking for a last minute tax deduction? If so, time is running out to donate to local charities by year end. This is a great time to take action since charities in the Milwaukee area are experiencing an increase in need, and you may be able to benefit with some last minute tax deductions.
Goodwill, Purple Heart, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society are all well known charities that accept used clothing and other goods. Here’s more information for each charity to assist you in making donations by year end:
Use the locator on the Goodwill site to find the Goodwill location nearest you. There are sixteen Goodwill Donation Center’s in Southeastern Wisconsin, so chances are you’ll be able to find one by you. According to Goodwill, they will accept your new or gently used clothing, appliances, automobiles, computer equipment, electronics, and furniture and sell them in their Goodwill retail stores. Read more about Goodwill’s donation acceptance guidelines here. Goodwill has also published a donation guide that donors can use to help determine the value of their donations for tax purposes.
There isn’t much information on the internet about Purple Heart’s Pick Up Service operation in Milwaukee. However, Yahoo! Local lists their phone number as 414-281-4281.
St. Vincent de Paul Society accepts donations of clothing, household items, appliances, and furniture that can be distributed to the poor in our community. In addition, they are always in need of non-perishable food, and cleaning and serving supplies. To arrange for pick-up of larger items such as furniture, call 414-462-7683. Drop off locations in Milwaukee are:
- SVDP Store – 2320 W. Lincoln Ave
- SVDP Council Office – 9601 W Silver Spring Drive
- St. Stephen – 5880 South Howell Avenue
- St. Catherine – 8661 N 76 Place
In addition to the three organizations above, JSOnline 2009 Giving Guide Database and OnMilwaukee.com’s 2009 Wish List are robust resources with specific requests from hundreds of local organizations. Not only can you find opportunities to donate before year end, but you can also find volunteer or donation opportunities that extend into 2010.
Do you have a special charity that is close to your heart and could use donations by year end? If so, feel free to leave a comment and make our readers aware of the opportunity!
Houlihan’s at Brookfield Square is Closing
Houlihan’s at Brookfield Square will be closing their doors on January 31, 2010. If you have recently purchased a Houlihan’s gift certificate from any of the half price radio station deals, you’ll want to make sure that you use your gift certificate prior to January 31, 2010.
Customers who purchased Houlihan’s gift certificates from Milwaukee radio stations who use Neofill as their fulfillment agent were recently contacted to let them know of the pending closure. We called the Houlihan’s in Brookfield and they confirmed that they are indeed closing on January 31st.
This past week the Milwaukee Perks website (99.1 WMYX, 103.7 Kiss FM, Sportsradio 1250) started selling Houlihan’s gift certificates, but made no mention that the restaurant will be closing at the end of January. In fact, the Milwaukee Perk’s website says that the gift certificates are valid until June 14, 2010. We have contacted Milwaukee Perks to let them know that Houlihan’s is closing, and have asked them to update their sales page to reflect this information.
Thank you to Milwaukee Consumer reader Tom for alerting us to this situation.
Are You Getting Your Share of the Lottery Tax Credit?
With 2009 property tax bills starting to show up in mailboxes this week, it is a good time to check to make sure you are receiving the State of Wisconsin Lottery Tax Credit. A portion of the annual lottery proceeds is returned to homeowners each year in the form of a tax credit. The credit will appear on your tax bill every year once you have applied for it. If you don’t apply for it, you don’t get it. The amount varies each year, and depends on the amount of State lottery revenue and your school district tax rate. Unfortunately the State doesn’t publicize this credit much, and a lot of people don’t claim it because they don’t know how to.
If your tax bill doesn’t show the credit, call your city or county treasurer’s office to find out what you need to do (most likely, just send them a note saying that you want to apply for the credit). You have up until January 31, 2010 to claim the credit for your 2009 property taxes. If you miss the deadline, you can still get the credit but it involves a little more work (click on the link below for more information).
The Wisconsin Department of Revenue website has more detailed information on the Lottery Tax Credit, including instructions on what to do if you bought or sold a home during 2009.
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