Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 5, 1989, Winnipeg, Manitoba Parking tickets pay them by phone to a division of come req services limited Winnipeg free press november pages Philip business editor my your Money by Paul Samyn its a sound heard More and More these Days As credit card imprinters meet those Wellborn pieces of but the Rise in credit card usage is due to much More than the popularity of the spending Gold card looking to rent a Var or Check in at a hotel you better have a charge card ready for a and if youre paying by dont be surprised if that merchant wants your credit card number As a Backstop against no sufficient this plastic zing of our purchasing patterns has consumer advocates concerned for a number of Jenny Manitoba president of the Consumers association of says this trend makes life increasingly difficult for those who dont want or cant afford to have credit those that dont use them and try and do without credit Are left wondering if Cash is Legal tender Hillard and who refuses to give in and become a car carrying member of the charge it knows what Shes talking despite offering to leave a Cash a hotel recently denied Hillard the room which the Federal government had booked for her because she could not provide a credit card to cover incidental costs such As Lon distance phone Calls or room it was Only after some Tough arguing that the hotel relented and let her Check i had to throw my weight around and i have James an economics professor at York University and consultant for the says car rental company require ments that an imprint be taken of your card As a Deposit can Lead to a financial while Savary admits the rental companies have the right to secure some sort of payment he says giving them that imprint is like handing them a Blank he knows of one instance where a rental company used the imprint to charge the cardholder for the insurance deductible following an the bal Ance of the rental period and the three Days the car was in the repair shop a Errol president of the Manitoba association for rights and says the proliferation in requests for your credit card could Lead to an invasion of the implications Are Lewis for merchants will often ask that you include your phone number when authorizing a that information can often be used to build marketing lists plastic perils it concerns rising As rental firms insist on charge cards for mail or phone Roger chief general manager of visa your exposure to credit card fraud also increases each time you give your cards number out As Many eyes will have Access to that information As that Cheque winds its Way from Cash Register to free to go elsewhere it puts them at risk More than if the number was not Hank Moorlag of the ramps commercial crime unit according to statistics from the Canad an Bankers there were 773 fraudulently used visa and master cards in resulting in million being written off of unlike some states which have regulations regarding the use of credit there is currently no such Legisla Tion in Don consumer and corporate affairs Deputy says if the consumer does not like the terms of the contract offered by the such As leaving a credit card they Are free to go the consumer has to have certain knowledge of How the marketplace Zasada the commons consumer and corporate affairs which is examining the rates businesses charge for extending last week recommended changes that would help Consumers to live without credit the committee wants to prohibit retail ers from demanding a credit card As the Only valid method to obtain a Good or it also wants to end credit transactions Over the All charges would require a signature and those purchases in which Consumers their number and expiry Date Over the phone would become but until such changes Are implement theres no need for you to be left hanging in credit in the Case of providing your card for Deposit Savary says you should negotiate what a reasonable amount would be and then write on the imprint that the total is not to exceed that figure in this you negate the carte Blanche risk an open ended imprint would with regard to providing your card when paying by credit card spokesman say you should relax that number can Only be used for identification purposes and not to cover for a bouncing if used for that the merchant has no right to charge the account and if he go to the Bank and they will look into it and it will be Wood treat them like Cash and follow protective tips losing your credit cards or having them stolen can be a real pain in the consumer and corporate affairs Canada urges you to remember to treat your cards like Cash and provides the following tips to help you protect your favorite pieces of plastic d report lost or stolen credit cards to the card issuer that Way the issuer can take Steps to prevent fraudulent use of your d keep a list of your credit card account expiry dates and card issuers phone numbers so you can quickly report missing keep the list in a secure d use caution when you give your credit number Over the if you did not place the be sure you Are dealing with a reputable d never Volunteer your card number to callers who Tell you that you have won a a prize or Are eligible to receive a free this could result in unauthorized charges to your d when using a be sure you cannot be overheard when giving out your credit card or Telephone calling card d Deal Only with reputable companies for mail order exercise especially if the company is outside d More credit cards Are stolen in the workplace than any other never leave them d avoid leaving credit cards or other valuables in a locker at a recreational facility or Public even if it can be d never leave credit cards in a car or any other Many cards Are stolen from Glove d never lend your credit card to d at keep your credit cards out of sight to avoid unauthorized use by people such As guests or d sign new credit cards As soon As you get d if you find your card after reporting it lost or notify the card issuer before attempting to use when using your d keep your credit card in View whenever possible after you give it to a d examine each sales draft before signing ensure it includes the total amount of your including tips and so that additional charges cannot be added d avoid signing Blank sales drafts and ensure that incorrect sales drafts Are voided or d after each take and destroy the carbons from the completed sales card in Carbon draft to prevent others using i information obtained from the d after using your retrieve it promptly and make sure that you get Back your own d keep All sales receipts and Check them against your monthly report any discrepancies immediately to the card d it is for your Protection that a salesperson checks the signature on your card against the signature on the sales when d beware of pickpockets in crowded Public places such As transit d Spring clean your Wallet before each travel Only with those cards you plan to dont leave cards in your hotel d dont needlessly expose Cash or credit this can attract Ward Graeme spokesman for the Bank of a Mastercard says card holders have been told through their monthly statements not to use their card for Cheque we dont advise giving out credit card numbers to anyone unless used for Mak ing a Harris adding Mastercard Doest accept sales drafts to cover for Wendy spokesman for Ameri can express Canada says the Only time a number on a Cheque would be accepted is if it was cashed at an Ameri can express travel service office for emergency in All other no debits would be allowed on your she Lydia Prairie regional Man Ager for consumer policy and services with consumer and corporate affairs says the reason Many merchants ask for your phone number when authorizing a transaction is so they have a Way of contacting you if there is a mix up or if you forget your Howe she says there is no Legal requirement that you give your phone spokesmen for the other credit cards agree that you dont have to provide your love the convenience As of there were million visa and Mastercard in ringing up a total of million transactions Cuba figures by compari there were Only nine million cards circulating through the country in Savary predicts the popularity of pay ing by plastic will continue to As he we love the convenience the cards but at the same he says there will be More situations in the future where the consumer has to stand up for their credit the Issue is a Trade off Between convenience for and increasing costs to those when something goes Savary ten minivans to choose from on the Canadian Market dear Phil in in the mar Ket for a new vehicle to replace my reliable but antiquated 75 Chrysler my Choice has narrowed Down to a Chrysler a Chevrolet celebrity or a full sized Caprice i would also like to have your opinion of the Ford Aerostat and Mazda new i intend to keep my next vehicle a Long Pear forget about the be it has a worse than average reliability particularly when equipped with the v6 Chrysler launched the minivan concept with the voyager in although the tall boxy vehicle was an instant Success because it combined fuel warlike manoeuvrability and increased cargo space in a smartly styled a rateable the Cara captured so per cent of the with Over million units sold since its appearance most of which were made in wind on the other hand Volkswagen minivan on Sale for Over 20 years is primarily used As a Leonaid Phil Edmonston suffers from decades old styling and has a reputation for being Urreli poorly heated and there Are now 10 minivans sold on the Canadian Market the Chrysler and Colt Ford pm Fari and Lumina sport the Oldsmobile Silhouette will not be sold in Cana Mazda Nissan Multi and Toyota and the vow More powerful engines Are Road handling is More re Quality control is prices Are More parts availability has improved and there is a greater variety of theres front wheel fronted inline Boxer four and v6 towing capacity varies be tween 1000 and 5000 further Many of the new minivans Are More refined than Chrysler Origi Nal they Are More Aerodyne highly styled and More warlike in their appearance and Road perform Nissan and general motors have Cut cargo they have Between three and cubic metres 106 and 110 cubic feet com pared to cubic metres 125 cubic feet in the Chrysler in order to make their products More fashion Able for upscale if you must buy a re member that they fall into two categories up sized cars Are people they Are usually front wheel handle like a car and get great fuel the Chrysler caravan Colt and the Nissan Multi Are the Best in this the new front plastic bodied Chevrolet Lumina apr is too new to Gas and Ford Aerostat Are examples of Down sized using rear wheel six Cylinder and Eightcy Lin Der and heavier mechanical these minivans handle cargo As Well As towing capacity varies Between and on the negative fuel Economy is no match for the front wheel drive and Highway handling on rear drives is also More the Mazda Mph is the its rear easy to manoeuvre and has a High towing minivan ownership costs Are quite according to Runz Heimer an american management consulting firm that has concluded that the operation of a minivan is less costly than Many compact motorists needing a vehicle with Large cargo and passenger carrying capacity should consider a cheaper pm Vandura or Chevy Mer Cury Marquis or Ford country Squire station despite the higher fuel the Chevrolet Ca Price is acceptable but its Overall reliability and Road performance compares poorly with Fords crash safety in collisions into a fixed Barrier at 57 Kph varies Ford and pm models have always done poorly Chrysler 198486 min Ivans failed the crash but the 198788 models did quite the Highway loss data Institute con firms the crash test findings and show that the Chrysler caravan and the Toyota Van and vows Van agon have consistently generated better lower than average on the other full sized vans and Fourby fours were singled out for haying twice the fatality rate As their car counter mostly because of Nan free repairs fur 1984 until Ford the Forward screw attaching the Drivers setback Assembly to the seat Frame May permitting the Drivers seat to Pivot rearward with potential for loss of vehicle any Ford dealer will inspect the seat and replace the screw free of readers May Send inquiries to Phil place do executive salaries 0 Swiss on command the Best according to the this Survey shows the Swiss Boss makes about his Canadian counterpart earns about Winnipeg free press ;