BEST UTENSIL IN KITCHEN
My best utensil in the kitchen is a small gimmick I received free from TELMA 35 odd years ago, if not more. The fine pin-point at the tip has served me all these years for pricking a hole in the shell of an egg before boiling same.
Do you have a favorite item in your kitchen – would you like to share this information with us? Write to the address at the end of this article.
YOUR CREDIT CARD
Did you know that if you cannot find your credit card and you are not sure if you have lost it or just misplaced it, the credit card company can put your card on hold for 24 to 48 hours. During this time, if you find your card you cannot yet use it until you re-contact the credit card company and get them to cancel the block on its usage. After the lapse of the agreed time that you asked for the card to be blocked, the company will automatically cancel the card and replace it via a messenger service or some other way – but it usually takes about seven working days. I received this information from Visa Leumi Card. I also spoke to Visa Cal regarding my Diners Card and they appear to be more stringent and were not willing to agree to more than 24 hours to block my credit card. I suggest you check out this information with your own credit card company.
If you think the card has been stolen, then definitely contact the company immediately and they can check if it has been used in the meantime. According to the information I received from Visa Leumi, your insurance on unlawful usage of your card is covered only after a full investigation by them of all the details of the lost card.
THAT LITTLE WORD "FROM"
Beware of this little word, which in Hebrew is just one letter .מ
A friend of mine complained bitterly of being duped when she went shopping for some clothes during sale time (which in Israel often appears to be most of the year). She saw the big sign on the window which said 70% reduction. She spent about one hour trying on clothes and went to the sales desk with three items, only to be told that one item had a 50% reduction, the second only 30% and the third was from their new collection and there was no discount. What she had missed was this little word FROM which, when she checked the outside window again, was written in tiny, tiny print next to the large 70%.
Often I hear a vocal advert on the radio which is similar. There is an advert which talks about accident insurance at NIS1 per day, but if you listen very carefully you will catch the word FROM before the one shekel.
FREE PLASTIC BOXES
Nowadays I find myself buying meat and chicken products in bigger quantities to take advantage of good discount offers - for example, the possibility of buying 2 kgs of chicken breasts for almost the equivalent price of l ¼ kg when not on a special offer. So, slowly I am accumulating various size plastic boxes with lids that I find are very useful, in particular for freezing foodstuffs, as they can be stacked nicely one on top of the other. I also use just the lids when I no longer need the box, as the lid can act as a straight basis for something that is not smooth and I can put one on top of the other. Furthermore – most of these boxes are microwave and dishwasher safe.
If you have any consumer topics you'd like to share with us, send them to: Naomi Ariel, ConsumerWatch, ESRA, PO Box 3132, Herzliya 4613002 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with 'Consumer story' on the subject line. Please do not send lists from the Internet