Dear Friend,

Yes, you can know which firms offer the best service and best prices in the Boston area -- and which offer the worst.

Boston Consumers' CHECKBOOK magazine names names, based on in-depth evaluations of thousands of Boston area firms that provide the essential services you use in your everyday life.

I'm inviting you now to read and benefit from CHECKBOOK (the only publication of its kind in the country). On the website, you will be able to access a full archive of current and past articles and ratings from CHECKBOOK magazine, regularly updated; access to CHECKBOOK's national guides to Top Doctors; our Neighbor-to-Neighbor information exchange; our CarDeals newsletter (with information on new car rebates and secret incentive programs); and much more. In addition, subscribers get discounts on all other books, products, and other services from Consumers' CHECKBOOK.

With CHECKBOOK, you'll get the facts you need to get the value you deserve for your hard-earned dollars. And you can be sure the information you're getting is unbiased and authoritative. Boston Consumers' CHECKBOOK is published by the Center for the Study of Services, a nonprofit organization initiated with funding from the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs. CHECKBOOK accepts no advertising. Our staff is free of any pressures that might distort the truth about the firms evaluated.

Each firm is painstakingly evaluated--with customer ratings from our surveys of Boston area consumers...counts of complaints on each firm at local consumer agencies...thousands of price checks by our comparison shoppers...and more.

In an article on hospitals, for example, you'll find which area hospitals have the lowest death rates in risky procedures...how each rated in our surveys of patients...which were rated best by area physicians...and how each was rated by expert inspectors.

CHECKBOOK gives you the inside facts you need to prosper in today's increasingly confusing marketplace.

• Your chances of problems with dropped cell phone calls in the Boston area are twice as high with two major cell service providers as with the company that performs best. True.
• If you must fly to San Francisco tomorrow, a good way to get a low fare is to call local travel agents. Wrong. Most will recommend a fare at least $300 too high.
• You save by buying furniture from mail order dealers. Wrong.
• Professional lawn care firms can recognize pests, diseases, and weeds and recommend the best treatment. Wrong. They're wrong more than 40 percent of the time.
• Price to neuter a 5 1/2-month-old, 40-pound dog ranges from $85 to $306 at different veterinary clinics in the same area. True.
• Most car owners who purchase extended service contracts hand the dealer a $200 to $600 profit, but you can easily cut that profit to less than $75. True.
• If you need a specialist, you can choose from any on your HMO's list. Wrong.
• Some dry cleaners are consistently better than others at removing tough stains. Wrong.
• If you carry a credit card balance and charge as much as $1,000 per month on one card, you can save $100 to $200 per year by using two cards. True.
• You're more likely to have your car fixed right by using a shop where mechanics have passed the tough test to be certified by the nonprofit NIASE. Wrong. 

CHECKBOOK gives you the practical advice you need to get good prices and good service without hassle.

• Eleven words to write on your auto repair work order that can save you hundreds of dollars.
• Trouble-free ways for many families to save more than $800 per year at the supermarket.
• How to check whether a physician really has the skills your case requires.
• Do-it-yourself protections that outperform professional home alarm systems at a fraction of the cost.
• Services you should not let your dentist perform for you.
• How you might avoid wasting hundreds of dollars by writing one sentence on your fitness club contract.
• How to know when you have enough competitive bids for a home improvement job.
• How to avoid local kennels where many dogs get sick.
• How to save money on one airplane trip get a second one free.

Each CHECKBOOK issue is an in-depth guidebook. You will quickly see why Stephen Brobeck, President of the Consumer Federation of America, describes CHECKBOOK as "a one-of-a-kind publication, providing consumers the hard-nosed, objective ratings they need to negotiate the local marketplace for essential services."

With CHECKBOOK magazine and CHECKBOOK online, you have the information you need. And you have the good feeling of knowing you are joining thousands of other CHECKBOOK subscribers in a venture to improve the level of service here in the Boston area.

Sincerely,

Robert Krughoff
President