| Volume 115 Number 5 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
For many purchases, the "Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price" is just an opening point for negotiation. If you're buying a car, there are good websites to find the "invoice" price of a vehicle, and even the average price customers are paying in your area. For appliances and electronics, many retailers, such as Best Buy, will match prices with other retailers if you can show them a lower price for the same item. Remember that the Internet gives us an easy way to comparison shop and is a great tool that consumers can use to level the playing field with retailers. Click here for more.
MillerCoors Closing Brewery as Americans Drink Less Beer
MillerCoors, facing a long-term sales decline, is closing its brewery in Eden, N.C., and will be moving its production to its seven remaining breweries across the U.S. MillerCoors, the nation's No. 2 brewer, and No. 1 brewer Anheuser-Busch have seen sales drop among large brands like Miller Lite, Coors Light, Bud Light and Budweiser, as "craft" beers are taking an increasingly larger share of overall beer sales. Click here for more.
Your Money
We all know we should save as much as we can for our retirement. But did you know that placing funds in a 401K or an IRA retirement account may protect them from a judgment if you are sued? This link discusses this little considered reason to max out your tax deferred retirement contributions. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Unpaid property taxes are not a debt under the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (“FDCPA”). The Middle District of North Carolina dismissed a plaintiff’s complaint noting that a threshold requirement for application of the FDCPA is an attempt to collect a “debt,” but that property taxes and associated costs do not arise out of the type of consumer transaction contemplated by the FDCPA’s definition of “debt.” Armstrong v. Bardill, C.A. No. 1:13-cv-1140 (M.D.N.C. Sep. 2, 2015). Click here for more.