Bad service, late service, lost possessions…we’ve all been there. Here are two handy resources that help you share your complaints and avoid future problems:

Travel

Had a thirty-minute wait to get through airport security? Met some unpleasant security workers? Now you can let it all out and share your security gripes on TSA’s blog called the Evolution of Security.

Insurance

According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, delays in the claims process was the No. 1 complaint of insurance consumers in 2007. Here are the top 5 tips from NAIC on how you can avoid lengthy claims process delays:

• Know Your Policy: Understand what your policy says. The policy is a contract between you and your insurance company. Know what’s covered, what’s excluded and what the deductibles are.

• File Claims as Soon as Possible: Don’t let the bills or receipts pile up. Call your agent or your company’s claims hotline as soon as possible. Your policy might require that you make the notification within a certain time frame.

• Provide Complete, Correct Information: Be certain to give your insurance company all the information they need. Incorrect or incomplete information will only cause a delay in processing your claim.

• Keep Copies of all Correspondence: Whenever you communicate with your insurance company, be sure to keep copies and records of all correspondence. Write down information about your telephone and in-person contacts, including the date, name and title of the person you spoke with and what was said. Also, keep a record of your time and expenses.

• Auto and Homeowners Claims: Auto and homeowners policies might require you to make temporary repairs to protect your property from further damage. Your policy should cover the cost of these temporary repairs, so keep all receipts. Also, maintain any damaged personal property for the adjuster to inspect. If possible, take photographs or video of the damage before making temporary repairs.

On October 25, 2003, the Cedar Fires destroyed 2,232 residences and burned more than a quarter of a million acres in Southern California. Thirteen civilians died, one firefighter died, and one hundred and four firefighters were injured in the containment of that blaze.

But some were lucky: Jacqueline Lloyd, the author of The Thief of Sacred, lost many possessions and part of her home in the fire but thankfully she didn’t lose everything.

Read how Jacqueline, her family and her animals survived the blaze (an amazing story!) and what they did to recover…

I was just perusing some of the blog’s archives and I found a couple of great posts that are really helpful for this time of year:

How Doing a Home Inventory Can Save You $$$: Ok, it sounds a little like a sales pitch…but honestly, it’s the top tip we’ve received from insurance agents, firefighters, police officers and disaster and fire survivors.

What Airlines Can Do: Remember the news story about the screaming toddler and mom that were kicked off an Air Tran flight? Turns out pilots and airlines have every authority to decide who can and cannot board any flight. Learn more…

WHN’s Guide to Phishing and Hunting: Phishing. What does it mean and how can we avoid it? How to spot the latest scams…

Dryers: Major Fire Hazard: There are an estimated 15,500 fires, 10 deaths and 10 injuries due to clothes dryer fires each year. A few prevention tips…

The podcasts are back!!

Our latest podcast highlights tax time - yes, it’s that time of year! So if you’re thinking of jumping the gun and getting started on your taxes this weekend: wait!

Have a quick listen to these top tax time safety tips from Beth Givens, the director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse:

• Top Tax Identity Theft Scams.mp3 (Quicktime file)

Have any questions or comments? Post them in the Comments section below!

Want to link directly to the podcast page? Click here and copy the URL.

After feeling numbness in one of her toes, a friend of mine went to the doctor to discover that her toe was frostbitten!

When the mercury plummets, frostbite can become a real possibility (Tom Coughlin’s face after Sunday’s Giants/Packers game, anyone?!?).

So what can you do to stay warm and keep your skin safe? A few tips from the CDC and just some plain common sense:

1. Dress warmly! Wear many layers and choose “breathable” fabrics like wool, silk, or polypropylene - these fabrics will hold more body heat than cotton, according to the CDC. What to wear:

• Hat (wool works well)
• Mittens/gloves (mittens are usually best - your fingers can warm each other by staying close together)
• Long underwear
• One-two long-sleeved shirts
• Sweater
• Pants (choose snowpants if playing outside)
• Warm thermal or wool socks
• Coat (choose a longer-length, properly insulated coat)
• Boots with a thicker sole and some insulation (my friend was wearing thin-soled boots with heels!)

2. Going out? Bring someone else with you. They can help identify signs of frostbite such as:

• a white or grayish-yellow skin area
• skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
• numbness

What to do if you suspect frostbite…

3. Do not ignore shivering. It’s an important first sign that the body is losing
heat. Persistent shivering is a signal to return indoors. Take plenty of regular breaks.

4. Keep moving. Movement can increase blood flow to the extremities - nose, ears, fingers and toes - which are particularly vulnerable spots for frostbite.

More winter weather preparedness articles and tips…

Do you make the following winter driving mistakes?

• Following too closely. “Increase the spacing between you and the car in front of you, which will give your room to stop or avoid the vehicle in front of you if the driver loses control. Don’t get caught up in someone else’s mistake,” says Matt Edmonds, vice president of The Tire Rack.
• Having insufficient traction. “Tires may have too little tread depth or be summer tires that do not give enough traction in winter’s worst conditions which can make you lose control,” Edmonds says.
• Driving too fast for conditions. Packed snow has about 25-30% of the traction of dry pavement so drivers should be going one-fourth the speed they would normally,” says Brandon Bogart, vice president of In Control Advanced Driver Training.
• Having poor visibility. “Snow creates extra hazards for visibility and drivers should make adjustments to compensate: clearing their whole car of snow and ice and using good windshield wipers and Rain-X to keep their visibility good. Fog lights can also make a big difference in dense snow,” Bogart adds.
• Driving fatigued. “Most drivers don’t realize that snowy conditions can use up to four times the energy and concentration of regular driving,” says Bogart. “As fatigue sets in, drivers quickly lose driving skills and become the equivalent of drunk drivers. Drivers should make sure they are well rested before attempting trips where there may be snowy or inclement driving.”

Brush up on your winter driving skills with these top tips from snow plow drivers…

Chances are, you or someone you love will experience a hospital stay–either planned or unplanned.

As a matter of fact, more than 40 percent of all hospitalizations began in the emergency room, according 2005 figures from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

And while you can’t always control the circumstances that result in an admission, you can help protect yourself from medical errors and hospital-acquired infections by being a proactive patient.

Here are past interviews and advice from experts on how to prepare for a hospital stay:

• What to Expect at the ER
• Expert Tips: Hospital Stay
• Get Prepared: Hospital Stay
• Finding the Right Hospital

By Lauren W., our College blogger 

The academic world of college is a world that can seem scary to both the high school student and the college student. Actually having to study is a whole new concept to many college freshmen. Students are not spoon-fed information the way they were in high school.

Reading the text before class is a huge necessity because it helps to retain information. Sometimes the teacher will except you read the text and not even talk about the material in class, but there it will be on the test! It is important to keep up with the notes and readings so you will not have to cram when the test comes.

Many college students take advantage of the concept of choosing when class is necessary to attend. However, this freedom is a nasty habit to get used to. If an A is part of your college goal, skipping class is not a wise decision.

Many professors will not help make up work or accept anything that needed to be turned in on the day you missed. However, if there is an absolute emergency or you know before hand that you will be gone, professors will usually tend to be much more lenient.

If you can follow these tips then you will be on you way to an A!:

Study Groups: Make a friend or two in each of your classes. When tests come or group projects are assigned you have someone who can go through the assignment with you, and give you a new perspective on what you are learning.

Don’t Be Distracted: Do not bring a lap top to class if you will only be distracted instead of listening to the lecture, not only does this distract you it also distracts the other students who can see what is on your screen.

Find Your Study Place: Dorms are not always the most study friendly places. Find somewhere on campus where you can sit for a long time while throwing yourself into a fascinating world of academics.

Taxes, filing, inventories…sometimes you need to organize before you can start organizing!!

To help you make home office and home organizing a little easier, we spoke with Lisa Kanarek, home office organizing expert and author of “Home Office Solutions: Creating a Space That Works For You”.

Here are her top recommendations about the things you can do today to get organized, save money and get ready for the New Year ahead:

WHN: How do you advise home office owners/homeowners on how to do a home inventory of their office?

Lisa K.: Start by listing all the important equipment you own – computer, fax, printer – it probably won’t be much [in your home office]. Write down the year, when and where you bought it. I tell home office owners to [videograph] everything: grab a camera and just start taping everything. Keep one copy [of the footage] in your office and another offsite, in case a disaster hits your home.

WHN: Should you back-up your computer files, just in case?

Lisa K.: Every week you should do a back-up of your hard drive. You don’t have to do everything, just do the new things you added in the past week. I use a flash-drive and do two back-ups and keep one on site and one offsite.

Keep reading…