Monthly Archives: December 2011

Free 20 lb. Package of Arm & Hammer Cat Litter

free cat litter

Thanks to a generous rebate from Arm & Hammer, you can now get a 20 lb. package of their new Ultra Last cat litter product for free. All you need to do is buy the product, follow the rebate instructions (.pdf), and wait for a refund check to show up in the mail. Be sure to read the fine print before you make your purchase, as there are a few important instructions:

  • Offer is only valid on the Arm & Hammer Ultra Last Baking Soda Coated Clumping Litter 20 pound package. Make sure you buy the right product and size!
  • The refund covers up to $8.99 of the purchase price.
  • You need to mail in a store receipt, the UPC from the package, and a completed rebate form to get the refund.
  • The cat litter must be purchased before March 30, 2012. The rebate must be postmarked by April 15, 2012.

How PNC Bank is Trying to Screw Me Over: A Cautionary Tale About Free Credit Reports.

PNC Bank Free Credit ReportA misleading advertisement I received from PNC Bank. Click picture to see more.

Today I received a piece of junk mail from PNC Bank that left me livid. It was an advertisement that claimed I was “eligible to review” a free credit report if I signed up for their credit report monitoring service. Here is the exact wording:

As a PNC Bank customer, you are eligible to review your Free Credit Report from one of the three major credit reporting agencies when you activate the Identity Protect Plus service at no cost for the first 30 days of service.

What made me so angry is that PNC deliberately left out the fact that every American is eligible to receive a free credit report by law. The Fair Credit Reporting Act mandates that every American is entitled to one free credit report a year from each of the major credit reporting agencies. You don’t need to sign up for any overpriced and unnecessary banking services to receive a free credit report. What PNC is essentially doing here is citing a federal law to make it seem like they’re personally giving you one heck of an offer. How sleazy.

As a PNC customer for over ten years, I am extremely insulted and disappointed that this is how I am rewarded for my loyalty. Instead of looking out for their customer’s best financial interests, they are trying to sell a crock of bullshit in an attempt to squeeze $12.99/month out of me. That’s what ten years of my business is worth to PNC. It’s this kind of behavior that last month drove Americans to join credit unions in record numbers.

Shame on you PNC.

Shame on you Brandon Ziroe (the man who signed this letter).

How to Get a Free Credit Report Without the BS

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Americans are entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. You can request free credit reports from all three agencies through AnnualCreditReport.com. This website is owned and operated by the three credit reporting agencies mentioned above and is trustworthy. It is the only legitimate third-party website that offers you the opportunity to request all three credit reports for free.

Anyone else that is offering you a free credit report is either trying to sell you something or is outright scamming you. It’s important to remember this because there are a lot of shady companies and scammers who prey on consumer ignorance about credit reports. Even trusted financial institutions like PNC Bank aren’t above using these sleazy tactics. Get your credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com or the credit reporting bureaus directly, and don’t trust anyone else.

Free Waffle House Hash Browns

Free Waffle House Hash Browns

Waffle House has a printable coupon available on their website for a free small order of hash browns. The coupon expires on January 20th, so you still have plenty of time to use it.

Bob Evans Buy One, Get One Free Breakfast Coupon

Bob Evans Free CouponBob Evans has a printable Buy One, Get One Free Breakfast coupon that is valid until December 21 (Tuesday). Make sure you read the fine print before using it because it looks like the coupon comes with quite a few restrictions. Among the restrictions, you must present the coupon to the host before using, you can’t use the coupon on Sunday, and limit one per party. Use it quickly because it’s only valid tonight, Monday, and Tuesday!

Free Burger King Fries

New Burger King Fries

 

UPDATE:  Burger King will be giving away free fries once again on St. Patrick’s Day weekend (2012). See this post for more details!

 Burger King has declared that Friday, December 16 is Free Fries Day. Burger King recently reformulated their fries to make them thicker, crispier, and “more natural.”  They’re kicking off the new product launch by giving away free value-sized orders of their latest concoction. The promotion is one day only, so don’t miss out!

You can read more about Free Fries Day here, along with information about their new fries.