Author: Elizabeth Blessing
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Snow Peak will fully refund about 100 propane fireplace inserts sold for about $350
Snow Peak is offering a full refund to the buyers of about 100 propane fireplace inserts after the lava rocks that come with them were found able to ignite and explode when heated. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall on October 8, 2026, as recall number 27-021. The inserts sold for about…
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California gave buyers of dealer-sold used cars priced up to $50,000 a three-day right to cancel, in force since October 1
Since October 1, a California buyer who signs for a used car at a dealership can change course for three calendar days. The right comes from the state’s Combating Auto Retail Scams Act, known as the CARS Act, which became operative on that date. It has limits on price, mileage and the type of seller,…
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A New York man pleaded guilty to a courier scheme that investigators tie to about 300 victims in at least 37 states and more than $5 million in losses
Xuehai Sun, 38, of Flushing, New York, has pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island announced. The release says the scheme targeted seniors with fake tech-support pop-ups and phone calls, and that couriers collected cash and gold from…
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A bill renaming Social Security’s early eligibility age passed both chambers and sits unsigned
Congress has sent a bill to the White House that would give Social Security’s claiming ages new names, and it has not been signed. The Claiming Age Clarity Act, H.R. 5284, passed the Senate by unanimous consent in the week of October 1, 2026, after the House approved it in December 2025. Nothing about the…
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SNAP’s general work rules apply to people aged 16 to 59 who are able to work, while the three-month time limit now covers ages 18 to 64
SNAP has two separate work rules, and they cover different age groups. The general work requirements apply to people aged 16 to 59 who are able to work, while the three-month time limit now reaches ages 18 to 64. A person aged 60 to 64 is outside the first rule and inside the second unless…
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The FTC is reissuing uncashed AT&T and Ring refund checks by Zelle
The Federal Trade Commission is sending Zelle payments to people who were sent an AT&T or Ring refund and never cashed the check. The agency says the money goes straight into the recipient’s bank account, with a note about the settlement. Two separate FTC cases are involved, and each has its own refund administrator and…
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SNAP subtracts a fifth of a household’s earned income before testing it against the net income limit
SNAP takes 20 percent off a household’s earned income before the program tests what is left against the net income limit, according to the Department of Agriculture’s eligibility page, which was updated October 1, 2026. The deduction is one of several, and it applies to wages and other earnings only. For a household of one,…
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Social Security generally recovers an SSI overpayment by withholding a tenth of the maximum federal benefit rate
When Social Security finds it overpaid someone on Supplemental Security Income, the agency generally withholds 10% of the maximum federal benefit rate from each month’s payment. The rule is spelled out in the agency’s overpayments publication, which in its currently posted edition is dated March 2024. The rate that tenth is measured against is a…
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A presidentially declared disaster can add up to a year to the three-year deadline for claiming a federal refund
A federal disaster declaration can buy extra time on a refund that would otherwise be lost. The Internal Revenue Service says taxpayers affected by a presidentially declared disaster “may have up to 1 more year” to claim a credit or refund, on top of the standard three-year deadline. The language comes from the agency’s page…
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An Ohio household that has been shut off pays only $175 of its balance and a reconnection fee of no more than $36 up front to get service back
An Ohio household whose electric or natural gas service has been shut off can get it back by paying only $175 of what it owes, plus a reconnection fee capped at $36 up front. That is the rule of the state’s Special Reconnect Order, a winter protection that applies even when the unpaid balance is…