To protect yourself from unauthorized or hidden costs, it is very important that you carefully review each phone bill you receive. This form of deception is called “cramming.” What exactly does that mean, you ask?

Cramming takes place when unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges are placed on your telephone bill. Crammers rely on confusing telephone bills in an attempt to trick consumers into paying for services they did not authorize or receive, or that cost more than the consumer was led to believe.

Who are these crammers? Well, surprisingly, it can be your local or long distance carrier, or another type of service provider. The FCC considers it cramming when the provider does not accurately or clearly describe all of the relevant charges to you when marketing a service.

What can you do about this? How do you know if we are being crammed? How does cramming occur?

You can find all your answers to these questions and more by reading the FCC Consumer Facts regarding unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges placed on our phone bill.

The most important thing you can do is review your bill carefully to avoid these hidden costs because there are actions you can take.

If you are unhappy with your current long distance plan or are in the market for cheaper rates, you can also compare long distance plans and rates. In addition, you can find answers to common questions in our long distance faq section.

Posted in Long Distance | Permalink

Understanding Vehicle Financing is really not as complicated as it may seem. There are two main options when financing a new or used vehicle. Once you understand these options and figure out what you can afford to spend each month, you can easily put together an estimate to bring to the dealer.

The first option, direct financing, is an agreement with a bank, finance company, or credit union that you personally enter into on your own. The second, and most common option, is dealership financing, which allows the dealership to maintain the financial contract with you but sells it to an assignee (bank, finance company, or credit union). This option tends to be the more preferable one (see article for further explanation).

The attached article does an excellent job of explaining what you need to do before, during and after meeting with the dealer and purchasing a vehicle. It also lists contact information for the three major credit bureaus so you can get your credit report sent to you before purchasing the vehicle. This allows you to prepare yourself for what the Financial Service Department at the dealership may be seeing.

Lastly, it is most important to do your research and be prepared. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Surprisingly, some people go unprepared, ill-equipped, and walk blindly into an agreement in which they are unsure of. Do not let yourself fall into this category. Get on top of your finances by doing research and educating yourself.

Read over Understanding Vehicle Financing for further information about preparing to purchase a vehicle. You should find most of the answers you need.

If you decide you would like to browse around for current vehicle financing rates or more information, check out our auto loans section. We partner only with top companies in order to find you the best deals possible.

Posted in Loans, Personal Finance | Permalink

In order to make the best possible decisons about products and services, you need to take in as much information as possible. That said, we try to do our best pointing you in the direction of the best information we can find about the products and services listed on e-wisdom.com

The Federal Communications Commission put together a list of tips on smart long distance shopping. If you have an extra minute, be sure to read this over before making the switch to a new long distance carrier.

Compare long distance plans and rates now or get more information about long distance phone service in our long distance resources section.

Posted in Long Distance | Permalink

Bankrate.com has calculators that can help you calculate your monthly payments for mortgage loans, auto loans, credit cards and more.

You can, for example, use the investment calculator to find out how much interest you can earn on a Certificate of Deposit (CD). Or before taking that additional loan and adding to your debt, figure out how much the loan will really cost you in the end.

These calculators are great tools that can help you be more informed and are a great resource to help you to make wiser decisions regarding your credit.

Posted in Credit Cards, Loans, Personal Finance | Permalink

Many of you may have an old cell phone lying around somewhere and have wondered, “What can or should I do with this phone now that I am not going to use it any longer?”

Surprisingly, there are a number of things you can do with your old phone.

You can support community programs in your area by donating your old cell phone to benefit a domestic violence shelter, or any non profit organization. You can also sell your phone to Maxim Industries, who will buy all models, conditions and quantities of cellular phones and circuit boards, and pay the shipping.

Another thing you can do is recycle your old phone in an environmentally and socially responsible manner through an organization named Collective Good.

Read What To Do With Your Used Cell Phone to get further information regarding these companies, or to find information on other companies that provide similar services.

This is a great opportunity for you to do something good for your community or the environment.

Posted in Cell Phones | Permalink

The answer is: Sometimes yes and sometimes no. Most broadband (i.e. cable or dsl) plans do, in fact, allow unlimited internet access. However, some dial-up internet service companies can set limits on hourly usage in certain circumstances.

Most dial-up internet service plans are not made to be used as an “always on” internet connection like DSL or cable, so most dial-up ISP’s reserve the right to impose a time restriction if they feel that it is necessary.

On the other hand, most broadband ISP’s do, in fact, offer unlimited Internet access. This is one of the perks of spending a bit more for a high speed internet connection. Hovever, be sure to look over the terms and conditions of a specific plan before signing up.

Compare Internet service providers now or get answers to more ISP-related questions in our ISP FAQ section.

Posted in Internet Service | Permalink

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocal) is a term used to refer to the technology used to transmit voice over a network using the Internet Protocol. VoIP refers to a method for taking analog audio signals (what you hear on a traditional telephone line) and turning them into digital data that can be transmitted over the Internet.

VoIP long distance can be a lower cost alternative to traditional long distance, as it bypasses the circuits (and charges) of your phone company and instead untilizes your existing internet connection to place and receive calls.

Compare VoIP service plans now or get more answers to common questions in our FAQ section.

Posted in Long Distance | Permalink

Shared Web hosting is an affordable type of Web hosting in which the resources of a specific server are “shared” by multiple accounts. With shared hosting, multiple Web sites (or accounts) are hosted on a single server, which share the system resources of this single server. With this type of Web hosting, each individual account is allotted specific amounts of resources.

Shared Web hosting is the most common (and cheapest) Web hosting option. This type of Web hosting can work for small to medium sized Web sites, as it provides a cost-effective (usually less than $10 per month) solution to fit tight budgets.

Compare Web hosts now or find answers to more commonly asked Web hosting questions in our FAQ area.

Posted in Web Hosting | Permalink

Did you know that there are numerous Online DVD Rental services out there competing for your business?

Many people have only heard of one or maybe two of these services. We have compiled a list of four of the top online DVD rental services and update the list frequently with the latest deals and offers.

Because these services are competing for your business, there are often good promotions and deals to be had. If you’ve ever thought about signing up, check out our list and see if one of the services and plans meets your needs.

Compare Online DVD Rental Services now and sign up online.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Permalink