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How To Complain And Get Results

If you feel you have more to complain about these days, you may be right. The products we use are increasingly complex, which often means they have more ways to malfunction. Companies are still struggling to hire and retain workers, so the customer service representatives who are supposed to help you may not know how. And that’s if you can even get through to a human being after navigating websites, automated chatbots and phone systems that seem designed to thwart you at every turn. “You’re searching for where to call. Once you get through, you’re going to yell ‘agent!’ ...

Housing Market Slump Hits Mortgagers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The housing market has slowed sharply this year as mortgage rates surged to a 20-year high, reducing homebuyers’ purchasing power at a time when home prices have kept climbing. The average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan has been falling in recent weeks, but ...

Dunkirk Product A Key Cog In Nestle’s Future Sales Plans

The efforts of northern Chautauqua County workers are helping drive one of Nestle’s strongest-performing divisions. Nestle’ recently reported nine-month sales growth of 8.5% while pricing growth was 7.5%, reflecting significant cost inflation. Real internal growth was 1%. Total reported ...

Inflation Dampens Otherwise Bright Small Business Holiday Season

NEW YORK — The free-wheeling holiday shopper of 2021, happy to spend money to relieve some pent-up pandemic demand, has given way to a more practical consumer this year, many small business owners say. The reason: inflation. Stephanie Sala felt last year had a YOLO, or “you only live ...

Christmas Tree Demand Is Still High

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — For all the worries about inflation and the economy, Americans aren’t scrimping on a centerpiece of many celebrations this holiday season: the Christmas tree. Retailers from Home Depot and Lowes to mom and pop operations raised their prices on trees — but people are still buying them. Some Christmas tree growers fretted over external factors — high fuel, fertilizer and labor costs — only to rediscover that holiday greenery is largely inflation-proof, even as Americans cut back on retail spending last month. The cost of an average-size tree ...

Wells Fargo To Pay $3.7B Over Consumer Law Violations

WASHINGTON — Consumer banking giant Wells Fargo agreed to pay $3.7 billion to settle a laundry list of charges that it harmed consumers by charging illegal fees and interest on auto loans and mortgages, as well as incorrectly applied overdraft fees against savings and checking accounts. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday ordered Wells to repay $2 billion to consumers and enacted a $1.7 billion penalty against the bank. It’s the largest fine to date against any bank by the CFPB and the largest fine against Wells. Regulators made it clear, however, that they ...