Ask Amy
Jun 01 Your Electric Bill
Ask Amy — June 2011 Recently, a woman named Versie Cuthbert called me, desperate for help, saying a major ding on her credit report had almost ruined her chances of getting approved for a home loan. A negative report from Cuthbert’s former electric provider, TXU Energy, had lowered her credit score significantly. After doing some research, I discovered Cuthbert had switched electricity providers because she felt TXU had unfairly billed | read more…
Apr 29 How to Deal with Harassment from Debt Collectors
Ask Amy — May 2011 Demanding letters and frequent phone calls—you know the feeling if you’ve ever owed a debt. But one man says he doesn’t owe a dime, and he’s asking Amy what to do about a letter asking him to pay up. Jeff Stitt opened his mailbox to find a letter from a company trying to collect on a defaulted Sears account. Stitt said he’s never even paid | read more…
Apr 01 How to Get the Most Money for Your Old Gold
Ask Amy — April 2011 Selling your unwanted jewelry is a trend that took off in 2009 when the price of gold shot way up. Now it’s hard to flip on the radio or go online without hearing or seeing an ad from a business that wants to buy your broken and otherwise useless jewelry. These businesses want your old precious metals because they can turn around and make even | read more…
Mar 01 Top 5 Biggest Wastes of Money for Expecting Parents
Ask Amy — March 2011 Congratulations! You’re having a baby! Whether you’re a first-time parent or it’s just been a couple of years since the birth of your last child, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by all the baby products on the market. When I found out I was expecting, a friend with two kids under 2 years old offered to take me to a popular baby superstore to register. | read more…
Feb 11 Consumer Report: Website Won't Stand Behind Customers
Ask Amy — February 2011 When Bethany Watson’s first son was only 6-weeks-old, she knew she should be focusing on the precious moments that are so fleeting: his first smile, first coo and laugh. Instead, she was calling me, frantic because the custom bedding for she had ordered months before for little Taylor’s crib had yet to arrive. “It’s taken up so much time and energy and stress when I | read more…
Dec 03 How Do Diapers Stack Up?
Ask Amy — December 2010 From the moment I spilled the beans that my husband and I are expecting our first child, the well wishes poured in. Thoughtful viewers sent emails. Loyal Local 2 watchers stopped me at the grocery store to congratulate me on the big news. In addition to their encouragement, most also offer advice. They pass along recommendations about what gear I should buy or which gadgets | read more…
Nov 01 Virus Strikes Pregnant Women
Ask Amy — November 2010 When Magdalena Smart emailed Local 2 Investigates to share her tragic story, I was stunned by what I read. The healthy mom explained how her seemingly normal pregnancy was going along smoothly until her 35th week. The doctor was so concerned about what he saw on an ultrasound that he admitted her into the hospital immediately to deliver her son that same day. The ultrasound | read more…
Oct 01 Pharmacist Foul-ups
Ask Amy — October 2010 How often do you check the pills you pick up from the pharmacy to make sure what’s inside the bottle matches what the doctor prescribed for you or your child? Even if you did check, how would you even know what the numbers or letters on the pills mean? Kimberly Roberts has made it her mission to find out. She checks and double checks every | read more…
Sep 01 The Funeral Negotiator
Ask Amy — September 2010 “I can bring home the bacon; fry it up in a pan.” If we attempted a remake of the 1960s Peggy Lee hit “I’m a Woman,” the tune would no doubt drone on for hours with the list of chores and tasks performed by today’s woman: Juggling kid’s recitals and games with work demands, spot treating spit-up on your best business suit and shuttling kids | read more…
Aug 01 Who Answers Pediatricians' "After Hours" Calls?
Ask Amy — August 2010 Pink butterflies and flowers dance above the crib; the spinning mobile offset by the green walls of the nursery decorated especially for Leslie and Mark Buratti’s only child, Ella. It’s a room the new parents haven’t touched since October 30, 2009, when 4-month-old Ella stopped breathing. “There was a lot of guilt,” Leslie said.”‘What did we do wrong? What did we do wrong?,’” she asked | read more…
