Personal Services
Ratings & Advice
The latest ratings and advice for National personal services.
Advice
- 30 Tricks Sellers Use to Make You Pay Up
- 60 Travel Booking Tips
- 65 Things You (Probably) Shouldn't Pay For
- About Checkbook: Why We're Unique
- Aging In Place
- Airlines that Allow Free Stopovers Let You Design a Vacation with Variety
- Buying Used Stuff
- CarBargains - Checkbook's Shopping Service for New Cars
- Cell Phone Services
- Checkbook’s Top Holiday Shopping Tips
- Child Care: Tips for Saving
- Closet Organizers
- Clothing Rental
- Clothing Resale Options
- Complaining: How to Get Results
- Computer Backup Options
- Computer Problems: Can You Get Your Data Back After a Device Failure?
- Computers & Devices: How to Keep Yours Safe
- Consumers' Notebook
- Credit Cards Provide Strong Protections for Consumers
- Credit Cards: Selecting the Best
- Cruises: How to Get the Best Deal
- Dealing with Your Digital Clutter
- Decluttering Strategies
- Defective Products: Strategies to Get a Refund or Replacement
- DNA Ancestry Services
- Elder Villages
- Email Addresses for Temporary Use
- Emergencies: Many 911 Centers Now Accept Texts
- eRead for Free
- Extended Product Warranties: Should You Buy Them?
- Facebook Privacy Settings Checkup
- Fitness Industry Changed by COVID
- Free Perks You Didn't Know You Have
- Getting Home Repairs During the COVID-19 Outbreak
- Getting Rid of Your Unwanted Stuff
- Grilling Safety
- Happy Returns and Gift Card Tips
- Help at Home for Seniors
- Hotel Deals
- Hotels Gouge Guests With Absurd Resort Fees
- Identity and Cyber Theft: How to Protect Yourself
- Kids' Activity-Kit Services
- LeaseWise - Checkbook's Shopping Service for Leasing New Cars
- Medical Alert Devices
- Nannies: Hiring Tips
- Online Privacy: How to Guard Yours
- Organizers
- Parking: Finding the Best Rates
- Passwords: How to Choose Safe Ones
- Payment Apps: Avoiding Trouble and Scams
- Price Matching: What's the Deal?
- Recycling Electronics
- Rental Car Insurance: Should You Buy It?
- Restaurants Pay Steep Commissions and Fees to Order-and-Delivery Services
- Right-to-Repair Fight
- Sale Prices Are Rarely Real Deals
- Self Storage Facilities
- Smartphone Photos Apps and Tools
- Social Media Headshots: Do's and Don'ts
- Stop Unwanted Calls, Mail, and More
- Tickets: Saving on Seats for Shows and Sports
- Timeshare Exit Companies Deserve a Time Out
- Tipping Tips
- Travel Insurance
- Travel Websites Mislead by Falsely Declaring Few Rooms Remain
- Travel: Health and Safety Info for International Trips
- Travel: Help Finding Cheap Flights
- Vacation Home Rentals
- Vehicle Service Contracts
- Water-Saving Tips
- Wine Prices
Current Issue
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HVAC Contractors
Ratings of area heating and air-conditioning services so you’ll know who’s cool, who’s hot...and who’s not.
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Are Heat Pumps the Future of HVAC?
Improved technology, generous tax credits and rebates, and lower utility bills might have us reconsider how to heat and cool our homes.
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Checking Out Grocery Stores for Price and Quality
Where can you find the best produce and meat? Which stores offer the lowest prices? How much more will you pay for delivery?
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‘Sale’ Prices Are Rarely Real Deals
Our researchers tracked prices at 25 major retailers for 33 weeks and found most advertised discounts are bogus. Stores are increasingly using fake sales to mislead consumers.
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Safe at Home
Home security strategies, gadgets, and installers.
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Locks and Locksmiths
Battening down your hatches and latches.
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Don’t Hire Duct Cleaning Companies
Ignore deceptive ads and claims; you likely don’t need their services.
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Hardware Stores
Do it yourself but don’t go it alone.
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Can a Chiropractor Really Cure Your Back Pain?
Before taking a crack at chiropractic, talk to your doctor and try other treatment options.
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Closet Calls
Finding and installing closet systems.
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Auto Detailers
Restoring pride in your ride.
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Ready to Hit the Gym Again?
How COVID changed the fitness industry, possibly forever.
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