Fiscal Rangers

Publix Map of Shelf Inventories for store in Tavares, FL

To make Publix shopping easier, I created a floor map of goods and their aisle locations to use for shopping. This Excel version is for the Tavares, FL Publix at HWY 19 and CR 561. Download it, and create your own version for your local grocery store and shopping preferences. Read more →

Consumer Alert: Don't buy new or used Chromebooks without knowing they have a SHORT five year support life.

Consumer Alert: Don't buy a new or used Chromebook without reading how they STOP support after 5 years of first manufacture date. Caveat Emptor Chromebooks. Read more →

Are Orlando Sentinel Subscription Billing Practices Unethical with Stealth Fees and Non-transparent Invoices?

The Orlando Sentinel is mis-representing the true cost of a home delivery subscription. They publicly state it is $3/week or $39 per 13 weeks, but then once you are enrolled, the invoices reduce the issue counts to pay $3.99 each for up to 10 "Premium Issues" per year, which are really advertising inserts. So you may think you are getting a true 13 weeks of issues, but they reduce that issue count to offset the hidden cost of the "Premium Issues". In a year, you are paying about $39.90 more than you knew about from the published prices. And if you used credit card autopay, you probably never know you are getting fewer issues to offset the Premium Issues. Read more →

FiscalRangers.com Consumer WARNING: Don't buy glasses to watch the eclipse without reading this - you could damage your kids eyes

FiscalRangers.com Consumer WARNING about "Eclipse" glasses to view the upcoming Eclipse. WATCH OUT and do not buy any "Eclipse" glasses except those four brands specified by NASA. Many are counterfeits and not properly certified and could harm the eyesight of the users. Even Amazon is selling counterfeit versions of the brands as described in the "1" review comments. Track down NASA's original recommendation and only buy from the manufacturer website or learn how to ensure your glasses meet the official certification standards. There is a link on this NASA page below to the list of official glasses certified by the American Astronomical Society (AAS) that are safe: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety FoxNews also issued a warning about these glasses HERE on July 28. Don't think because you find the manufacturer name on Amazon's website that the glasses are from them. Most likely they can be knockoffs from "sold by" vendors. (Amazon allows a lot of counterfeit sales). And, this link leads to the “1” comments for a “Soluna” brand Eclipse sunglasses on Amazon. You can read the actual comments saying a first order might be legitimate glasses, or the picture is, but the shipped items were Chinese knockoffs that were not certified. The... Read more →

Daily Commercial fails to deliver newspapers for four days due to new delivery contract

Tavares, FL June 5, 2015 Lake Countians: This information is updated from a memo sent to some recipients yesterday. Update: Today, Saturday, June 6, my paper is missing again for the fifth day. The Daily Commercial is really botching up every newspaper's credibility. I got through to an operator at 7:45 am and they will deliver it later. - The Daily Commercial just got a contract to deliver the Orlando Sentinel, Wall St. Journal and USA Today, plus their own subscribers. - For four days (Update: Now five days), hundreds of subscribers (unverified) did not get their newspapers. - I was one of them. - Problems include lack of planning to hire enough delivery couriers, and changing delivery routes to confuse existing couriers. - The circulation phone number for reporting missing papers is overloaded and put people in endless loops where they could not talk to a staffer or even leave a message. Puppy dogs are even sad when they can't read their newspapers. For the last four days, many Lake County subscribers to the Daily Commercial, Orlando Sentinel, Wall St. Journal and USA Today have not received one or more papers. I called to DC Publisher Steve Scaggs yesterday,... Read more →

Updated Consumer Alert: Solar Firms Scam Homeowners with Contracts that Result in Home Liens

We updated our earlier article about solar roofing and panel scams to include new Florida resident information and how Arizona and California Solar roofing and panel scams are now moving to Florida after a new 2017 law allows them to grow without Electric Utility interference. Read more →

Seattle gets rude economics lesson in wake of hiking minimum wage to $15/hour

Seattle gets rude lesson in economics. Remember that $15 hour minimum wage the liberals pushed through? It goes into effect April 1, and already restaurants are closing, employees are getting less benefits and hours. Just wait until the law goes into effect to see how bad it fails... http://www.westernjournalism.com/15-minimum-wage-looms-seattle-restaurants-close-doors/?utm_source=MailChimp&utm_medium=email&utm_content=featured-stories&utm_campaign=DailyEmail03.16.15#tvtajp4FpxpWQDxF.97 vj Read more →

Consumer Tip - Watch out for Comcast & other Cable Promotions

Tavares, FL Feb. 18th, 2015 Consumer tip: Comcast/Xfinity Cable internet or TV users - don't EVER get sucked in to a "promotion" for a new service where it is improved at the same price you pay. Then in 12-15 months, it goes up +30%. Magically, they won't let you step back to the prior level you had at the old price. This happened to me with Comcast cable and price went up from $25 to $40 for just an internet connection (no TV). Then today, a Comcast guy calls up with another promotion "for faster bandwidth" at the same price of $40, but admitted it was a promotion. Guess what, price goes up after 12 months. And, he couldn't say if I could then stay with the old level. Even though many customers are happy with current bandwidth, this may be an attempt to lock in customers to higher rates since the Obama administration may enforce "net neutrality" which means everyone, regardless of bandwidth use, gets to use all the bandwidth they want at the same price. So moving people up to higher cost bandwidth tiers is a marketing program to get fatter fees now, and not have to fight... Read more →

Comcast Users - Are your rates for a rental modem going up 2.50%?

Comcast and time warner are raising modem rental rates, at least in Denver. The increased cost may justify ditching the rental and buying your own modem. I did it. Other Comcast issues are discussed. Read more →

Lake County's Dr. Jack Cassell on American Pickers TV Show on History Channel

Lake County, Florida's conservative Dr. Jack Cassell, known for an active conservative Facebook page, is a closet collector and the History Channel's American Pickers visited him recently. Read more →